Rebuilding California

California government is broken.

The CCS Partnership brings together Cities, Counites and Schools to promote the development of public policies that build and preserve communities by encouraging local collaborative efforts among California's 478 cities, 58 counties and more than 1,000 school boards and districts the partners represent.

A more effective State Government requires more effective cities, counties and school districts. CCS offers a set of nine possible principles to guide reform efforts and a series of reform options that embody those principles.

Principle 1.) Responsive and Accountable Local Governments.

1.

Should local governments have broad authority, subject to voter approval for bonds and tax increases, to raise and expend a diverse and broad set of revenues necessary to provide critical local services. Concentrating these decisions at the local level will ensure greater transparency and accountability to the voters?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
The state should not be able to divert or borrow local tax revenues to fund state programs or state mandated services.
Given the active involvement of voters in all decisions on local taxes, the 2/3 threshold for voter approval of taxes or bonds should be reduced (e.g., the current 55% vote for school bonds).
Local elected governing bodies should be authorized to approve increases in local taxes without the requirement of seeking prior voter approval, subject to voter referenda.
Authorize counties, schools, cities, or any combination thereof to seek voter approval to levy income, sales, property (parcel or ad valorem within some limit), utility, vehicle or business taxes to finance important countywide or regional education, health, human services, public safety, environmental, or other services.

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2.

Comments on question one.

Principle 2.) State Preemption of Local Control.

3.

Should counties, schools, cities, or any combination thereof be authorized to seek voter approval to levy income, sales, property (parcel or ad valorem within some limit), utility, vehicle or business taxes to finance important countywide or regional education, health, human services, public safety, environmental, or other services?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
When state preemption of local regulatory, taxation and other local powers is deemed necessary, the legislature should make specific findings setting forth the reasons and necessity of having a statewide rule or program, and the preemptive statute should only be adopted with a supermajority legislative vote of both the Assembly and Senate. Implied preemption of local control should be prohibited.

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4.

Comments on question three.

Principle 3.) Enhanced Protection from State Mandates.

5.

Do local governments need additional protection from state mandates that attempt to micromanage local affairs?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Reform the existing state mandate claims process to remove unreasonable burdens and delays on local agencies seeking to recover costs.
Prohibit the state from avoiding mandate claims by prohibiting the state from requiring local governments to pass on costs through local fees.

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6.

Comments on question five.

Principle 4.) Personnel Policies and Pensions.

7.

Should all local governments should have broad authority and flexibility in personnel matters?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
All local governments, including schools, should be able to design and implement their own appropriate pension and post-retirement health benefits program, including the ability to establish new benefit tiers for new hires and to implement cost-saving measures otherwise allowed by the constitution.

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8.

Comments on question seven.

Principle 5.) Focus on Outcomes in State Funding of Locally Delivered Services.

9.

When local agencies administer state programs and mandates with state funds, should they be held accountable for the measureable outcomes and given extensive administrative flexibility over the means and methods chosen by local leaders to achieve those outcomes?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Stongly Agree
Make greater use of block grant programs that give local government flexibility in the administration of state funded services.
Remove obstacles to contracting out services as opposed to using employees of the local agency. Create financial incentives for lowering administrative overhead.

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10.

Comments on question nine.

Principle 6.) Modernize State Budgeting.

11.

Should the state budget process be modernized to reflect the best practices in state financial management from across the country.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Implement best practices in performance-based, multi-year budgeting and establish prudent reserves in order to achieve measurable outcomes and improved stability during periods of financial turmoil.
New programs or mandated funding obligations should be approved only if the budget authorizes a new, dedicated, reliable and adequate funding source or explicitly provides for measurable offsetting savings in state or local operations.
Every new ballot measure that imposes new funding obligations on state or local governments should authorize a new, dedicated and reliable funding source or provide for measurable offsetting savings in state or local operations to finance the entire cost of the new obligations.
All state tax increases should be approved by less than a 2/3 vote of the electorate before taking effect.
The 2/3 vote of the state legislature required to approve a state budget and increase taxes should be reduced.
The Legislature should be authorized to approve the state budget with less than a 2/3 vote but the 2/3 vote required to increase taxes should be retained.

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12.

Comments on question eleven.

Principle 7.) Update the State and Local Revenue Systems.

13.

Should the laws governing the major state and local tax revenues be regularly updated and revised to reflect the transformation to a service-based economy and the tax equity concerns that have arisen over time?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Broaden the sales tax base to cover major services and lower the rate to ensure a revenue neutral effect in the short-term.
Over time equalize inequities in property values among similar property tax payers that have arisen based on differences in the date of property acquisition.

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14.

Comments on question thirteen.

Principle 8.) Governance and Responsiveness.

15.

Should State government periodically review and recommend improvements to the structure, functions and financing of state government operations in order to assure citizens that decisions are being made and services are being delivered in the most responsive and efficient manner possible?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
At least every 10 years the LAO should identify for the legislature those state programs that have increased in cost at a rate faster than state revenue growth or some other relevant factor or which for reasons of inefficiency or ineffectiveness should be the subject of legislative oversight and reauthorization. Upon completion of the program evaluation by the LAO and the legislature, the continuation of the programs should be contingent upon reauthorization and funding by the legislature.
Except for federally mandated services and programs, upon completion of the evaluation of programs by the LAO and the legislature, the legislature shall not appropriate any funds for a program it reauthorizes in excess of the average state revenue growth unless it is first approved by the voters.

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16.

Comments on question fifteen.

Principle 9.) Organization of the State Legislature.

17.

The legislature should be modernized in order to achieve greater effectiveness and responsiveness to the priorities of the people of the state, including changes in how legislators are elected, limits on the length of their terms, the duration of the legislative session, and the way in which the legislature operates.

	Strongly DIsagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Term limits should be eliminated or reformed to extend the length of service of members of the legislature. As a result of the rapid turnover of representatives in the current system, a large number of representatives are always new and inexperienced. This has resulted in a loss of historical memory, a system where representatives feel more loyalty to their respective parties than to the constituents that elected them, and a greater concentration of power among unelected staff members and lobbyists.
The ideological extremes in the state legislature have impeded the accomplishment of the people’s business, and a system of nonpartisan open primaries should be approved by the voters, such as “Two Top Primaries Act" approved by the legislature in February 2009 for the June 2010 ballot. Voters should be able to vote for any state or congressional candidate in the primary, regardless of the voter’s party registration, and the top two vote getters, regardless of party, should compete in the general election.
Public confidence in the legislature has declined in part due to the fact it operates largely in secret. The legislature should function under the same open meetings and open records requirements as local governments, and no legislation should be enacted without being first published and publicly available for at least 24 hours prior to action..
The legislative session should be shortened (e.g., 90 – 180 days per year), and legislators should receive a financial incentive to hold hearings and spend time in their districts meeting with constituents rather than in Sacramento.

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18.

Comments on question seventeen.

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