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State Capitol Update
INITIATIVE SIMILAR TO ACA 9 BEING DISCUSSED
A constitutional amendment (ACA 9) by Assemblymember Jared Huffman would change the current 2/3 threshold for passage of local bonded indebtedness for the construction, rehabilitation, or replacement of public improvements, to a 55% vote of the voters of a city, county, or special district. It would also lower the vote requirement for a city, county, or special district to impose a special tax from a two-thirds vote of qualified electors to 55%. ACA 9 has been actively supported by CLA, along with the other local government associations, and unions. It has passed three policy committees in the Assembly, with Democrats voting "aye," and Republicans voting "no." It is opposed by the California Association of Realtors, the California Taxpayers Association, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
Unfortunately, ACA 9 requires a 2/3 vote for passage on the Assembly Floor, and with all Republicans expected to vote "no" on the measure, it's failure is all but certain. Our readers may recall that the education community suffered a similar fate a number of years ago, when their legislative attempts at reducing the 2/3 vote requirement for bonds failed. However, the education community was ultimately successful in running an initiative campaign to get a statewide ballot measure approved that now allows voters to approve school bonds with a 55% vote of qualified electors.
In light of the potential defeat of ACA 9, a coalition of the major local government organizations, as well as labor and other interest groups, are exploring the possibility of placing a statewide initiative on the ballot in 2010 that would incorporate most of the provisions in ACA 9. In addition to the provisions lowering the vote threshold from 2/3 to 55% for bonds and special taxes, the initiative also parallels the requirements in Assemblymember Huffman's measure, that city councils, county boards of supervisors, or a governing body of a special district would conduct annual audits to ensure that the bond proceeds have been spent on the specific projects. It would also require a public process that solicits a wide range of public comment from the community about the types of facilities that should be funded with the particular bonds. CLA will keep you informed as more information about the proposed initiative becomes available.
Submitted to California Libraries by:
Mike Dillon and Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists
Posted on August 18, 2009 9:32 AM | Permalink