CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 1473


Introduced by Senator McGuire
(Coauthors: Senators Beall, Hertzberg, Hurtado, Moorlach, Nielsen, and Wiener)

March 12, 2020


An act to amend Sections 23010, 25131, 51179, and 54221 of the Government Code, and to amend Section 17609.05 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to local government.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1473, as introduced, McGuire. Local Government Omnibus Act of 2020.
(1) Existing law authorizes a county, pursuant to a resolution adopted by its board of supervisors, to lend any of its available funds to designated types of special districts to enable those districts to perform their functions and meet their obligations.
This bill would additionally authorize a county to lend any of its funds to a resource conservation district to perform its functions and meet its obligations.
(2) Existing law requires all county ordinances to be read in full either at the time of introduction or passage, except when, after reading the title, further reading is waived by regular motion adopted by a majority vote of the board of supervisors.
This bill would specify that no reading of the title or ordinance is required if the title is included on the published agenda and a copy of the full ordinance is made available to the public on the county’s internet website and in print at the meeting before the introduction or passage of the ordinance.
(3) Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving specified recommendations from the director pursuant to obsolete provisions of law.
This bill would delete references to obsolete provisions of law.
(4) Existing law prescribes requirements for the disposal of surplus land, as defined, by a local agency. Existing law requires land to be declared surplus land or exempt surplus land, as supported by written findings, before a local agency takes any action to dispose of it consistent with the agency’s policies or procedures.
This bill would provide that the provisions regulating the disposal of surplus land shall not be construed to require a local agency to dispose of land that is determined to be surplus.
(5) Existing law requires that funds deposited into a county’s health and welfare trust fund accounts be expended only for the purpose of providing mental health, public health, indigent health care, social services, and juvenile justice programs, as specified. Existing law requires a county, city, or city and county to file annual reports with the Controller of trust fund deposits and disbursements within 60 days after the end of the year. Existing law requires the reports to be forwarded to the appropriate state department for expenditure verification.
This bill would require those reports be forwarded to the appropriate state department only upon request.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 (a) This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Local Government Omnibus Act of 2020.
(b) The Legislature finds and declares that Californians want their governments to be run efficiently and economically and that public officials should avoid waste and duplication whenever possible. The Legislature further finds and declares that it desires to control its own costs by reducing the number of separate bills. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this act to combine several minor, noncontroversial statutory changes relating to the common theme, purpose, and subject of local government into a single measure.

SEC. 2.

 Section 23010 of the Government Code is amended to read:

23010.
 (a) Pursuant to a resolution adopted by its board of supervisors, a county may lend any of its available funds to any community services district, county waterworks district, mosquito abatement district, pest abatement district, fire protection district, flood control and water conservation district, recreation and park district, resource conservation district, regional park district, regional park and open-space district, regional open-space district, resort improvement district, or public cemetery district located wholly within the county, if its funds are or when available will be in the custody of the county or any officer of the county, in order to enable the district to perform its functions and meet its obligations. The loan shall not exceed 85 percent of the district’s anticipated revenue for the fiscal year in which it is made or for the next ensuing fiscal year, and shall be repaid out of that revenue prior to before the payment of any other obligation of the district.
(b) (1) Pursuant to a resolution adopted by its board of supervisors, a county may loan any of its available funds to a special district, in order to enable the district to perform its functions and meet its obligations. The loan shall not exceed 85 percent of the special district’s anticipated property tax revenue projected to be generated for the fiscal year in which it is made or for the next ensuing fiscal year within that portion of the district’s territory which that is located within the county. The loan shall be repaid out of any available revenue of the special district prior to before the payment of any other obligation of the district.

For

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “special district” means a special district, as defined in Section 54775, which that is located in more than one county.
(c) (1) The board of supervisors may borrow funds from the county or from other garbage disposal districts, not to exceed 85 percent of the district’s anticipated revenue for the fiscal year in which they are borrowed or for the next ensuing fiscal year. In levying taxes or prescribing and collecting fees or charges as authorized by this division, the board of supervisors may raise sufficient revenues to repay the loans.

The

(2) The board of supervisors may lend available district funds to another garbage disposal district, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this section.

Nothing

(3) Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the board of supervisors from borrowing funds from banks or other financial institutions when the best interests of the district are served thereby.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, funds, when borrowed by a garbage disposal district pursuant to subdivision (c), shall forthwith increase the appropriations of the district for which they are needed. The governing body of the entity from which the funds are borrowed may specify the date and manner in which the funds shall be repaid. The loan shall not exceed 85 percent of the district’s anticipated revenue for the fiscal year in which it is made or for the next ensuing fiscal year, and shall be repaid out of that revenue prior to before the payment of any other obligation of the district.
(e) The district shall pay interest on all funds borrowed from the county at the same rate that the county applies to funds of the district on deposit with the county.

SEC. 3.

 Section 25131 of the Government Code is amended to read:

25131.
 Ordinances shall not be passed within five days of their introduction, nor at other than a regular meeting or at an adjourned regular meeting. However, an urgency ordinance may be passed immediately upon introduction and either at a regular or special meeting. Except when, after reading the title, further reading is waived by regular motion adopted by majority vote, all ordinances shall be read in full either at the time of introduction or passage. passage; provided, however, that a reading of the title or ordinance shall not be required if the title is included on the published agenda and a copy of the full ordinance is made available to the public online and in print at the meeting before the introduction or passage. When ordinances, other than urgency ordinances, are altered after introduction, they shall be passed only at a regular or at an adjourned regular meeting held at least five days after alteration. Corrections of typographical or clerical errors are not alterations within the meaning of this section. This section shall not apply to ordinances which by statute can be passed only after notice and a public hearing.

SEC. 4.

 Section 51179 of the Government Code is amended to read:

51179.
 (a) A local agency shall designate, by ordinance, very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the director pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 51178.
(b) A local agency may, at its discretion, include areas within the jurisdiction of the local agency, not identified as very high fire hazard severity zones by the director, as very high fire hazard severity zones following a finding supported by substantial evidence in the record that the requirements of Section 51182 are necessary for effective fire protection within the area.
(c) The local agency shall transmit a copy of an ordinance adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) to the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection within 30 days of adoption.
(d) Changes made by a local agency to the recommendations made by the director shall be final and shall not be rebuttable by the director.
(e) The State Fire Marshal shall prepare and adopt a model ordinance that provides for the establishment of very high fire hazard severity zones.
(f) Any ordinance adopted by a local agency pursuant to this section that substantially conforms to the model ordinance of the State Fire Marshal shall be presumed to be in compliance with the requirements of this section.
(g) A local agency shall post a notice at the office of the county recorder, county assessor, and county planning agency identifying the location of the map provided by the director pursuant to Section 51178. If the agency amends the map, pursuant to subdivision (b) or (c) of this section, the notice shall instead identify the location of the amended map.

SEC. 5.

 Section 54221 of the Government Code is amended to read:

54221.
 As used in this article, the following definitions shall apply:
(a) (1) “Local agency” means every city, whether organized under general law or by charter, county, city and county, district, including school, sewer, water, utility, and local and regional park districts of any kind or class, joint powers authority, successor agency to a former redevelopment agency, housing authority, or other political subdivision of this state and any instrumentality thereof that is empowered to acquire and hold real property.
(2) The Legislature finds and declares that the term “district” as used in this article includes all districts within the state, including, but not limited to, all special districts, sewer, water, utility, and local and regional park districts, and any other political subdivision of this state that is a district, and therefore the changes in paragraph (1) made by the act adding this paragraph that specify that the provisions of this article apply to all districts, including school, sewer, water, utility, and local and regional park districts of any kind or class, are declaratory of, and not a change in, existing law.
(b) (1) “Surplus land” means land owned in fee simple by any local agency for which the local agency’s governing body takes formal action in a regular public meeting declaring that the land is surplus and is not necessary for the agency’s use. Land shall be declared either “surplus land” or “exempt surplus land,” as supported by written findings, before a local agency may take any action to dispose of it consistent with an agency’s policies or procedures. A local agency, on an annual basis, may declare multiple parcels as “surplus land” or “exempt surplus land.”
(2) “Surplus land” includes land held in the Community Redevelopment Property Trust Fund pursuant to Section 34191.4 of the Health and Safety Code and land that has been designated in the long-range property management plan approved by the Department of Finance pursuant to Section 34191.5 of the Health and Safety Code, either for sale or for future development, but does not include any specific disposal of land to an identified entity described in the plan.
(3) (A) Nothing in this article prevents a local agency from obtaining fair market value for the disposition of surplus land consistent with Section 54226.
(B) Nothing in this article shall be interpreted to require a local agency to dispose of land that is deemed to be surplus.
(c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), “agency’s use” shall include, but not be limited to, land that is being used, is planned to be used pursuant to a written plan adopted by the local agency’s governing board for, or is disposed to support pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) agency work or operations, including, but not limited to, utility sites, watershed property, land being used for conservation purposes, land for demonstration, exhibition, or educational purposes related to greenhouse gas emissions, and buffer sites near sensitive governmental uses, including, but not limited to, waste water treatment plants.
(2) (A) “Agency’s use” shall not include commercial or industrial uses or activities, including nongovernmental retail, entertainment, or office development. Property disposed of for the sole purpose of investment or generation of revenue shall not be considered necessary for the agency’s use.
(B) In the case of a local agency that is a district, excepting those whose primary mission or purpose is to supply the public with a transportation system, “agency’s use” may include commercial or industrial uses or activities, including nongovernmental retail, entertainment, or office development or be for the sole purpose of investment or generation of revenue if the agency’s governing body takes action in a public meeting declaring that the use of the site will do one of the following:
(i) Directly further the express purpose of agency work or operations.
(ii) Be expressly authorized by a statute governing the local agency, provided the district complies with Section 54233.5 where applicable.
(d) “Open-space purposes” means the use of land for public recreation, enjoyment of scenic beauty, or conservation or use of natural resources.
(e) “Persons and families of low or moderate income” has the same meaning as provided in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.
(f) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), “exempt surplus land” means any of the following:
(A) Surplus land that is transferred pursuant to Section 25539.4.
(B) Surplus land that is (i) less than 5,000 square feet in area, (ii) less than the minimum legal residential building lot size for the jurisdiction in which the parcel is located, or 5,000 square feet in area, whichever is less, or (iii) has no record access and is less than 10,000 square feet in area; and is not contiguous to land owned by a state or local agency that is used for open-space or low- and moderate-income housing purposes. If the surplus land is not sold to an owner of contiguous land, it is not considered exempt surplus land and is subject to this article.
(C) Surplus land that a local agency is exchanging for another property necessary for the agency’s use.
(D) Surplus land that a local agency is transferring to another local, state, or federal agency for the agency’s use.
(E) Surplus land that is a former street, right of way, or easement, and is conveyed to an owner of an adjacent property.
(F) Surplus land that is put out to open, competitive bid by a local agency, provided all entities identified in subdivision (a) of Section 54222 will be invited to participate in the competitive bid process, for either of the following purposes:
(i) A housing development, which may have ancillary commercial ground floor uses, that restricts 100 percent of the residential units to persons and families of low or moderate income, with at least 75 percent of the residential units restricted to lower income households, as defined in Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code, with an affordable sales price or an affordable rent, as defined in Sections 50052.5 or 50053 of the Health and Safety Code, for a minimum of 55 years for rental housing and 45 years for ownership housing, and in no event shall the maximum affordable sales price or rent level be higher than 20 percent below the median market rents or sales prices for the neighborhood in which the site is located.
(ii) A mixed-use development that is more than one acre in area, that includes not less than 300 housing units, and that restricts at least 25 percent of the residential units to lower income households, as defined in Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code, with an affordable sales price or an affordable rent, as defined in Sections 50052.5 and 50053 of the Health and Safety Code, for a minimum of 55 years for rental housing and 45 years for ownership housing.
(G) Surplus land that is subject to valid legal restrictions that are not imposed by the local agency and that would make housing prohibited, unless there is a feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the prohibition on the site. An existing nonresidential land use designation on the surplus land is not a legal restriction that would make housing prohibited for purposes of this subparagraph. Nothing in this article limits a local jurisdiction’s authority or discretion to approve land use, zoning, or entitlement decisions in connection with the surplus land.
(H) Surplus land that was granted by the state in trust to a local agency or that was acquired by the local agency for trust purposes by purchase or exchange, and for which disposal of the land is authorized or required subject to conditions established by statute.
(I) Land that is subject to Sections 17388, 17515, 17536, 81192, 81397, 81399, 81420, and 81422 of the Education Code and Part 14 (commencing with Section 53570) of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, unless compliance with this article is expressly required.
(J) Real property that is used by a district for agency’s use expressly authorized in subdivision (c).
(K) Land that has been transferred before June 30, 2019, by the state to a local agency pursuant to Section 32667 of the Streets and Highways Code and has a minimum planned residential density of at least one hundred dwelling units per acre, and includes 100 or more residential units that are restricted to persons and families of low or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code, with an affordable sales price or an affordable rent, as defined in Sections 50052.5 and 50053 of the Health and Safety Code, for a minimum of 55 years for rental housing and 45 years for ownership housing. For purposes of this paragraph, not more than 20 percent of the affordable units may be restricted to persons and families of moderate income and at least 80 percent of the affordable units must be restricted to persons and families of lower income as defined in Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a written notice of the availability of surplus land for open-space purposes shall be sent to the entities described in subdivision (b) of Section 54222 prior to disposing of the surplus land, provided the land does not meet the criteria in subparagraph (H) of paragraph (1), if the land is any of the following:
(A) Within a coastal zone.
(B) Adjacent to a historical unit of the State Parks System.
(C) Listed on, or determined by the State Office of Historic Preservation to be eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places.
(D) Within the Lake Tahoe region as defined in Section 66905.5.

SEC. 6.

 Section 17609.05 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

17609.05.
 (a) Each county, city, or city and county shall file with the Controller annual reports of trust fund deposits and disbursements within 60 days after the end of the year.
(b) The Controller shall verify deposits and notify appropriate state agencies upon request of deficits in deposits. The next scheduled allocations shall not be made until deposits are made accordingly. Reports shall be forwarded to the appropriate state department for expenditure verification. verification, upon request.