As noted a couple of weeks ago, the conversation around the State Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program was given a bit of life with the leadership of Senator Mike McGuire (D-Sonoma). Using the budget process, Senator McGuire requested the Senate Budget Subcommittee on State Administration and General Government reinstate the State’s obligation to remit State PILT payments to the 36 State PILT counties.
In 2015, the State Budget included language in the Fish and Game Code that changed a decades-long commitment from a mandatory payment to a permissive one. Senator McGuire has been tireless in seeking to return the Fish and Game Code to, once again, require the State to remit these payments, as evident in this letter.
RCRC presented the proposal to the Subcommittee for consideration; while no vote was taken (none was expected) at the time, on Thursday, the Subcommittee voted to include the request in its report to the full Senate Budget Committee. This action is a key milestone, and complements a similar request to be made by Assembly Member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) to the Assembly Budget Committee counterpart.