The Barbed Wire - October 12, 2018

California’s Rural Counties Support Proposition 3

Rex Bohn, RCRC Chair (Humboldt)

Early this year, the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) Board of Directors took a support position on a bond proposal to invest in California’s water infrastructure.  Proposition 3, the Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018, is a citizen’s initiative water bond that will appear on the November 2018 statewide California ballot.  This initiative provides us a unique opportunity to invest in projects that will serve our local communities, with specific funding dedicated to areas of the state that, historically, have been under-resourced.  Read More…

How Often Do Governors Say “No?”

Earlier this month, the Senate Office of Research (SOR) released its annual publication titled “How Often Do Governors Say No?”  Each year, the SOR provides a veto scorecard, whereby it tallies how often a California Governor disapproves measures.  Of the last five Governors, three vetoed the most bills of their tenures, both by percentage and absolute number, in their final year in office (Brown in 2018, Wilson in 1998, and Deukmejian in 1990). 

This year, Governor Brown considered 1,217 bills, the highest number of bills in his third and fourth terms as Governor (1,074 bills in 2014 and 1,059 in 2016).  Of the bills considered, Governor Brown vetoed 16.5 percent of bills, his highest veto percentage as Governor (15 percent in 2016 and14.4 percent in 2011).

On average, Governor Brown’s veto rate (13.5 percent) during his last two terms (2011–18) is nearly triple his average veto rate during his first two terms (4.6 percent).  During his 16 years as Governor, Governor Brown has vetoed 8.4 percent of the 19,436 bills he has considered.

The SOR’s publication can be accessed here. 

Evaluation of California’s Property Tax Postponement Program

This week, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released a report titled “Evaluation of the Property Tax Postponement Program.”  The report evaluates the Property Tax Postponement (PTP) Program in California, and provides data on groups most likely having difficulty paying property taxes, advantages and shortcomings of the current program, and policy alternatives for legislative consideration. 

California established the PTP Program to help low-income seniors and people who are blind or disabled afford to pay their property taxes and stay in their homes.  Under PTP, the state pays a participating homeowners’ current-year property taxes directly to the county on their behalf.  Similar to a loan, homeowners must eventually repay the state for these payments with interest.  Homeowners can defer these repayments indefinitely, but must repay the state when the property is inherited, sold, or refinanced.

RCRC was engaged and supported the legislative efforts to restore the program after it was eliminated due to budget concerns.  The LAO report can be accessed here.

Infrastructure Update

The House is in recess, and the Senate is mostly focused on confirming The Trump Administration’s political nominees.  However, Congress managed to pass a few minor infrastructure packages over the past few weeks.  On Wednesday, the Senate voted 99-1 to pass S. 3021, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).  The bill would authorize $6.1 billion of funds for 12 new construction projections under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), and $4.4 billion for the state drinking water revolving loan fund program.  

Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, also claims S. 3021 will help local entities work with the Corps to streamline the project permitting process and improve project turn-around times.  S. 3021 does not authorize any new projects for California, but the bill does direct the Corps to conduct six feasibility studies for new water infrastructure and flood control projects in the Coyote Valley, Lower Cache, the Lower San Joaquin River, South San Francisco, the Tijuana River, and Westminster-East Garden Grove.  After the feasibility report on a new project is completed, the Corps may begin construction if Congress appropriates the necessary funds.

Last week, Congress passed H.R. 302, a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years.  The bill will head to the President’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.  H.R. 302 is the first FAA reauthorization since October 2015.  H.R. 302 authorizes several programs for rural America including a new study that will analyze rural communities’ access to air travel and the impact on local businesses.  The bill also contains $1.7 billion in disaster relief for hurricane victims but does not include any new funding for victims of wildfires.

Farm Bill Update

The 2014 Farm Bill expired on October 1, 2018, but Congress has made little progress towards completing the 2018 Farm Bill.  The midterm elections are on November 6, 2018, and on the campaign trail, candidates have taken to using the Farm Bill expiration as a political chip to play against the opposition.  In Washington, the “Big Four” legislators leading the negotiations have yet to reach a deal on any of the Farm Bill’s twelve titles.

Congressional staffers are still waiting on a cost-estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that will “score” the bill based on its net-cost in the federal budget.  An official cost estimate from the CBO may grant staff and members of Congress with more negotiating power to reach a deal on some of the bill’s nutrition and commodity programs.

RCRC 2018 Annual Meeting Panelist Presentations

RCRC’s 2018 Annual Meeting was held last month in Napa County.  This year’s Annual Meeting included presentations from experts on an array of topics of interest to California’s rural counties.  The panelists’ individual presentations are now available on the “RCRC Materials” page of RCRC’s website.  Read More…

THE RURAL RUNDOWN PODCAST

The Rural Rundown discusses the legislative and regulatory issues impacting California’s rural counties, featuring commentary and interviews from individuals committed to improving the quality of life in rural California. 

The Rural Rundown can be accessed here. 

KEEPING UP

Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.

Governor Brown Appoints 33 Superior Court Judges

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BULLETIN BOARD

Announcements regarding hearings, grants, and public comment notices of importance to California's rural counties.

USDA Rural Development Updates

October has been declared National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, and USDA Rural Development launched a new interactive data tool to help community leaders address the opioid epidemic.  The new Community Assessment Tool offers user-friendly and relevant data to help local leaders build grassroots solutions for prevention, treatment and recovery, and was developed in partnership with the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis at NORC at the University of Chicago.  It is free and available to the public online at opioidmisusetool.norc.org

USDA is seeking public comments on a proposal to streamline eligibility rules for Single Family Housing Loans. The proposal creates a two-tier income structure compared with eight categories, and has been piloted since 2016.  The deadline to submit comments is Oct. 30, 2018.  Complete information on the proposal and how to submit comments are available on page 44504 of the Aug 31, 2018 Federal Register.

Groundwater-Surface Water Workshop

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California Water Commission Meeting

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DWR Releases 2018 Proposition 1 - IRWM Implementation Grant Draft Solicitation Documents for Public Comment

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2018 California Economic Summit

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