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SA Page 5 LEAGUE TESTIFIES AT ASSEMBLY HEARING ON FLOOD CONTROL BOND BILLS The League of California Cities was invited to participate in a panel at the January 24 Water Parks and Wildlife Committee "subject matter" hearing on the flood portion of 5B 1166 and AB 1839. While not taking a position on the proposed bond, League Legislative Representative Yvonne Hunter commended the 5chwarzenegger Adminis- tration and Legislature for recognizing the serious need to address flood management through proposed funding for mapping, levee assessment, levee upgrade and maintenance. Hunter emphasized three key points. The first relates to serious concerns about the provision to require any city or county that would enjoy flood protection from the bond funds to indemnify the state from liability. The state is interested in finding ways to share its liability in the aftermath of the Patemo decision, which held that the state is liable for damages due to a levee failure. As a result of that decision, the state has paid about $500 million in damages. The proposed shift would make cities and counties who approve development behind levees the "deep pocket" for future liability (even when they have no control of the actions of the agency that owns and operates the levee or other flood control infrastructure) is clearly unacceptable, and will be the subject of continued conversations. The second provision, which the League supports, is to provide full funding for past and future flood control subventions that are owed to local govemments. Whether it is appropriate to provide this funding through the bond or the gen- eral fund remains open for discussion. However, it is important that the state fully fund its flood control subvention program, since local govemments depend upon this revenue. Third, Hunter and several other speakers emphasized the need for more flexibility to raise funds locally for either the local match for state- federal funding of flood control project, or to raise money for stand-alone flood control projects. Both the administration panelists and the League emphasized the importance of ACA 13 in order to achieve this goal. ACA 13 would exempt storm water and flood control fees from the current voter approval requirement of Proposition 218. The League will continue to be an active participant in the legislative discussions surround- ing flood control issues. ........................ NEW LEAGUE TASK FORCE REVIEWS INFRASTRUcrURE PROPOSALS With both the Legislature and Gov. 5chwarzenegger working hard to advance infra- structure funding proposals for the June 2006 ballot, the League's Executive Committee has approved the formation of an Infrastructure Task Force to review the various bond proposals and to formulate a preliminary set of infrastructure policy recommendations to guide league advocacy. The goal of the group is to evaluate the pack- age of proposals and to advise the board of directors at its February 10-11 meeting on pos- sible League policy in this area. Task Force appointments were made by league President Alex Padilla, a member of the Los Angeles City Council. Chaired by League First Vice President Maria Alegria, City of Pinole councilmember and Mayor pro Tem of the city of Pinole, the 19-person task force consists of the leadership of four League policy committees plus representation by public works directors. a finance director and a city manager. Two additional League officers and two past presidents are on the Task Force as well (see "League Infrastructure Task Force" for a complete list of members). The task force held its first meeting by confer- ence call on January 26, during which it discussed the range of bond proposals introduced by legisla- tors as part of the governor's Strategic Growth Plan, as well as proposals by Senate President pro Tem Don Perata (58 1024), Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (AB 1703), and initiatives Continued on Page 6 Visit the League's Official Website-www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS. PAGE 5 January 27, 2006 . Issue #4 ,_,-""",.O" .dO.,_- ..___0 ...--..--."-'_____°'