12 days to make a deal + Assessors call split-roll ‘problematic’ + Vaccination worries
LET’S MAKE A DEAL
Democratic leaders in the California Legislature announced a unified budget plan Wednesday that they said attempts to avoid “overcutting” as they face a projected $54.3 billion deficit brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, announced the deal 12 days ahead of their June 15 deadline to adopt a budget. It rejects about $14 billion in cuts Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed last month, in large part by relying on federal aid that Congress has yet to approve.
“Our economy has been pummeled by COVID-19, but thanks to a decade of pragmatic budgeting, we can avoid draconian cuts to education and critical programs, or broad middle-class tax increases,” Atkins said in a written statement. “Californians are counting on us to make the right call at the right time.”
NEWSOM REAX: He declined to comment when we asked Monday.
“All I can say is I appreciate the collaborative spirit,” he said. “I appreciate the work that the Senate is doing, the support that the Assembly is giving to this process. We continue to have very robust and very positive conversations.”
OFFICIAL LINE: “With today’s progress in the Legislature, we’ll continue our discussions to achieve an on-time agreement that balances the budget, reduces the structural deficit, sets the stage for recovery, and advances our efforts for federal support to maintain core services,” said Finance Department spokesman H.D. Palmer.
ASSESSORS CALL ‘SPLIT-ROLL’ ‘PROBLEMATIC’
via Matt Kristoffersen
County tax collectors are reiterating their opposition to a proposed “split roll” initiative that could raise tax revenue from commercial and industrial property, calling the measure “problematic” and difficult it to implement.
The California Assessor’s Association in a letter to lawmakers says tax collectors don’t have the resources to execute the plan, which calls on them to more frequently assess commercial properties worth $3 million or more.
“In my opinion, the property tax measure as written will be impossible for assessors to implement — not just difficult but impossible,” Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone said.
Residential properties and less valuable commercial property would could to be assessed on purchase price, not current market value. That’s the “split roll.”
Assessors project the changes would cost just over $1 billion to put in place over three years, and would “overwhelm” county assessors’ capabilities.
For example, according to an attached analysis commissioned by the Association, Santa Clara County would experience a 12-fold increase in the number of commercial and industrial properties it reassesses annually.
“It is expected that similar increases would result in all counties,” the analysis states.
Assessors have made their concerns known about a split-roll in the past, raising similar arguments.
Schools & Communities First, the campaign for the initiative, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The measure could raise about $12 billion a year in revenue.
Split-roll advocates have received endorsements from a variety of Democratic leaders at the state and national levels. After collecting around 1.7 million signatures in support of the initiative, the California Secretary of State approved it to appear on the November ballot in late May.
VACCINATIONS DROP OFF AHEAD OF NEW SCHOOL YEAR
Six lawmakers are calling on Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond to work with school districts and parents to make sure that all students have their required vaccinations before the new school year begins.
Assemblymembers Marc Levine, D-Marin County, Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, Blanca Rubio, D-West Covina, Christina Garcia, D-Downey, and Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, all signed on to the letter, which you can read here.
The letter states that many doctors’ offices and clinics canceled regularly scheduled vaccination appointments because of the COVID-19 emergency, and according to the California Department of Public Health, the number of children not vaccinated for diseases like chicken pox dropped 40 percent compared to April 2019.
“While we must be vigilant in our efforts to flatten the curve and reduce COVID-19 infections, efforts to address this current public health crisis should not cause another public health crisis because children are not being properly vaccinated against a range of preventable diseases,” the letter states in part.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“All seems normal in Sacramento... just the National Guard patrolling the streets.”
- Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, via Twitter.
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