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8.47- QUOTES from page 5 ............. current fiscal year by digging deep into the re- serves, said Palm Springs City Manager David Ready." San Francisco Chronicle, 8/17/03, Hard Times Fuel Debate on the Initiative Process. "John Russo, Oakland's city attorney and the president of the League of Cities, said the pro- posed amendment reflects broader concerns about the initiative process. 'The catechism in California says that somehow the wisdom of the people is always greater than that of their elected representatives,' he said. 'We're saying there are consequences that we have to think about.'" Pasadena Star News, 8/16/03, Opinions Mixed on Tax -Swap Proposal. "At a time when city officials are calling for more certainty in the way they are funded through the state, Demo- cratic lawmakers are proposing a tax swap that could make local agency funds more vulnerable to future budget deficits or economic downtowns. "The proposal may add fuel to a League of California Cities' effort to pass a statewide initiative that stabilizes and protects local government funding. CITIPAC, the League's fund - raising arm, has embarked on an effort to get the initiative on the November 2004 ballot" LeW Bill Action The following are summaries of just a few of the legislative bills that are currently bei.ig acted upon by the League of California Cities. For more information about these and other bills, please visit the League website's new "Issues and Advocacy" page twww.cacities.oral issussandadvocacv) — a one -stop location to access information about legislation, policy issues and related developments. You can track information on bills (www.cacities.org /legtracking), locate legislators and legislative committees, send letters to legislators or the media through the online Advocacy Center, research League policy positions, access useful related links, and much more. REVENUE AND TAXATION AB 1690 (Leno). Public Safety Finance Agencies. A complex financing scheme is estab- lished to finance supplemental public safety services under the provisions of AB 1690 Coun- ties or a city and county would be permitted to adopt an ordinance establishing a Public Safety Finance Agency for the sole purpose of financing supplemental fire, police and sheriff and emer- gency and trauma care services. The county supervisors would be the governing body of that agency. By adopting such an ordinance, the county would then have the option of asking voters to approve a countywide local income tax with a majority vote requirement. If the income tax is adopted, the county auditor shall allocate 20% of the local income tax to the county. The remaining 80% is allocated as follows: in the case of a county, an amount corresponding to the percent- age of the county's total population that lives in unincorporated areas of the county; in the case of a city, an amount corresponding to the percentage of the county's total population that lives in each city in the county. Once the local income tax has been approved, then the county and cities within that county would be required to transfer to the Visit the League's Official Web Site -. www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS /PAGE 1