LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: April 30, 2024
Subject: State Legislative Updates of Interest to Contra Costa County
Submitted For: Legislation Committee
Department: County Administrator's Office
Referral Name: Federal Update
Presenter: M. Rubalcava and G. Neill, Nielsen Merksamer
Contact: E. Struthers (925) 655-2045
Referral History:
The Legislation Committee regularly receives reports on the State Budget and bills of interest to the County and provides direction and/or input to staff and the County's state lobbyists.
Referral Update:
The California State Legislature broke for recess on April 10, and reconvened on Monday, April 21, 2025. A flurry of activity has been underway as the Legislature works to process bills through policy committees before the deadline on May 2. One bill of interest to the County, SB 16 (Blakespear) has been significantly amended to address the County's concerns, and staff recommends updating the County's position to "neutral" until further analysis can be performed. Other bill positions may need to be reviewed and revised as further amendments are made.
The state is also working on its FY25-26 budget, which is trending towards a deficit. May 14 is the deadline for the Governor's May Budget Revision. Already, increasing pressures from the L.A. Fires, rising costs of Medi-Cal, and other programs are putting strain on the budget. Other programs are currently underfunded or unfunded, such as the recently passed Proposition 36. Without funding to implement Prop. 36, these requirements fall to County governments to implement, effectively as an unfunded mandate. Combined with macroeconomic trends and federal funding uncertainties, the more budgetary issues lay ahead. Notably, September 12 is the adjournment date for this year's Legislative session. With the federal budget expiring on September 30, 2025, federal action on the budget is unlikely to occur before the Legislature adjourns. A special session may be necessary to address emer...
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