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■ 1 ■ l g ■ i � �-A-3 W SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE TAKES UP REFORM PROPOSAL The Senate Local Govemment Committee year — be devoted to in�lepth analysis of the likely is scheduled to take testimony on Tuesday, April local and state impacts of a comprehensive reform 14, on SB 1774 (Johnson and 'orlakson), a measure lika that contemplated in SB 1774/SCA property tax-VLF-sales tax swap measure 22. supported by former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertrberg. The LOCAL pmpaign plans next week to tum in the approximately 600,000 valid signatures The measure, which earlier this week was needed to qualify the measure for the November cleared by the Attomey General for signature 2004 ballot. The Her�berg measure is undoubt- gathering for the November 2004 election, was edy too late in the process to meet the deadlines introduced by Senators Torlakson and Johnson, necessary to qualify for the November ballot. the chair and vice chair of the Senate Local Govemment Committee, in their roles as At the request of the working group senators, members of a Senate "working group" inter- the League this week distributed a letter from the ested in exploring various altemative ap- senators to all aty managers, asking their reaction proaches to strengthening constitutional protec- and input to the proposed revenue swaps in SB tions for local funding. Other working group 1744/SCA 22, based upon the city managers' members include Senators Bob Margett, and estimates of how the proposai would impact their Denise Ducheny. cities. Senators Toriakson and Johnson also introduced SB 1774 as Senate Con�titutional Amendment (SCA) 22, and the Local Taxpayers and Public Safety Protection Act—the measure "� sponsored by the League the Ca�ifomia state HIGHLAND 101NS "ETHICS CODE Association of Counties and the Califomia HALL OF FAME Special Districts Association — as SCA 21. Assembly Members Campbell and Steinberg have also introduced in the Assembly the SB Highland is the latest city to contribute its 1774 as ACA 30 and AB 3105. code of ethics to the Institute for Local Self GovernmenPs online'Ethics Code Hali of Fame" SCA 22 and SB 1774 propose two perma- ��ilsq.org trustl. The effort is an outgrowth nent revenue swaps. The first swap ex- of the League's Ethics Education Task Force chan e ' recommendations last fall. g s a/z cent of the Bradle Bums sales Y tax for an equivalent dollar amount of property Ado tin a value-based code of ethi tax. The second exchanges VLF revenues, P 9 cs offers cities an opportunity to focus on ethics issues in including the backfill but not realignment dollars, a positive way. Adopting and regularly updating I for an equivalent dollar amount of property tax. a city's code of ethics enables city leaders to demonstrate their commitment to ethics in public The League and its LOCAL partners have service. participated in several meetings with the sena- tors about the reform proposals: The League If your city has adopted or updated its ethics continues to strongly support the LOCAL- code in the past year, the Institute would like to sponsored ballot initiative, (1) because we add it to the "Hall of Fame." Please contact believe it is important to first prevent further Institute staff ( os eersjPq c?cities.oral with a copy raids of local funds by the state, and (2) it is of your code. imperative that sufficient time — at least one .... V�sit the League's Off�cial Web Site--www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 3