California County News

Felons Can Serve as Caregivers for In-Home Program after Judge Rules Against Exclusion

Governor Schwarzenegger’s attempt to keep convicted felons and shoplifters from providing in-home care through the In-Home Supportive Services program was blocked by a judge in Alameda County recently. The program helps to provide care to 430,000 low-income elderly and disabled Californians. The judge argued that if a patient can access a caregiver’s criminal record, then they can hire whomever they wish. The judge’s recent ruling was made after the state’s appeal, as the judge concluded that the governor’s desired rules could impose harm on participants and caregivers. The Chronicle reports:

“Superior Court Judge David Hunter had ruled in February that Schwarzenegger's action was illegal because state law bars workers from the program for 10 years only if they have been convicted of child abuse, elder abuse or defrauding Medi-Cal or any patient. […] Schwarzenegger, acting by executive order, is seeking to bar from the program anyone ever convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors, which include shoplifting. After appealing Hunter's ruling in May, the governor had planned to implement his restrictions later this week.”

Those who opposed the governor’s plan argued that it would restrict a patient’s ability to choose their desired caregiver and that if a relative had a conviction, they would be prevented from providing care. The governor’s office has stated he may seek to change state laws so that his restrictions can be implemented. Read more here. 

Study: High-Speed Rail to Bring 127,000 Jobs to SoCal Counties and Expand Green Economy

According to a new study by UC Irvine, the Los Angeles-Orange County area would benefit from the creation of 127,000 permanent jobs by 2035 through the construction of high speed rail in the region. The study was conducted by UCI’s Institute for Transportation Studies and was presented before 100 elected officials, business leaders, transportation experts and academics and was partly sponsored by the by the Orange County Transportation Assn. Reportedly incomes would increase by $701 million for workers in the area. The LA Times reports:

“Plans call for one of the initial phases to be built between Los Angeles and Anaheim. During construction, the report states, the Anaheim to Los Angeles segment would provide more than $700 million in wages for workers who would have otherwise been unemployed. The study estimates that the project would create more than 57,000 fulltime construction jobs that would last a year. By 2035, the reports states, the enhanced transportation network and increased mobility created by high-speed rail would attract more than 127,000 permanent jobs to the region.”

However, the study’s findings were based on a more costly approach that would not involve sharing existing tracks between L.A. and Anaheim. Thus, elevated structures would have to be built and existing homes and businesses would have to be condemned. Another focus of the study was the economic benefits that high-speed rail could bring to the state, namely preventing the release of about half a billion pounds of greenhouse gases each year. The study notes that the transportation system could spearhead the expanding green economy by providing an alternative to cars. You can read more here.

CA Ranks at the Top for Federal Spending with $346 Billion in Funds for 2009

According to a new report from the Census Bureau, California receives more money from the federal government than any other state but notably per capita spending is among the lowest in the nation. Overall, the Golden State received $346 billion in federal funds during the 2009 fiscal year, which was a dramatic increase in comparison to the federal funds that the state received in 2008. In terms of the rankings for per capita spending, however, California was ranked 36th in the country. The overall federal outlay for 2009 was $3.2 trillion and $1.9 trillion for other federal assistance (loans and insurance programs). The report also includes a list of federal government expenditures for each state and its respective counties. As for which county received the most in federal funds in California, it was Los Angeles County, with $80.2 billion or 23 percent of the state's total. Orange County received a little over $20 billion, Sacramento close to $28 billion, San Diego received nearly $38 billion, and Santa Clara County received a little over $17 billion. The Bee reports:

“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other California political figures have complained about the relative low return of federal funds to the state, but if Social Security is a major factor in such low ranking, there may be little or nothing that politicians can do about the situation.
That's especially true when California once was the recipient of 20 percent of national defense spending but that has since fallen to 11 percent. Virginia - home of the Pentagon - now is the largest destination of defense spending.”

You can read the full report here and find a list of funding to all counties for California on page 35 of the report.

Board of Equalization Announces Local Governments to See Reduced Sales Tax Allocations

Sales tax allocations to local governments across the state are set to remain flat, according to the Board of Equalization. Previously, the Department of Finance had estimated that there would be a 5.7 percent increase in allocations, but reportedly that estimate was off in light of a review of the state’s cash receipts. The BOE has indicated that for the second quarter of 2010, there was an overall decline in sales and use tax collections of approximately 10.4 percent. Additionally, cash receipts for the first quarter of 2010 remained flat compared to a year earlier. According to a recent statement, allocations to 99 jurisdictions will be reduced by an additional 5.4 percent, and 21 jurisdictions will receive no warrants. Furthermore, of the 21 jurisdictions that will receive no warrant in August, nine were due to the economic downturn, while 12 were due to other, unrelated issues. Read more here.

Down to Business: Stanislaus County Reins In Benefits for New Hires

Officials in Stanislaus County have been negotiating with unions to scale back benefits for new hires in order to reduce the county’s long-term pension costs. Many leaders contend that retirement benefit increases that went into effect in 2002 cannot be sustained for new hires and that it was even a mistake to implement the increases for employees back in 2002. If such a change is implemented through new labor contracts, officials say the county will be able to bank on long-term savings, but next year’s budget will still require hefty funding from the county to the Stanislaus County Employees' Retirement Association, which manages the pension for the county, Ceres, the Superior Court and five special districts. The Bee reports:

“The generous benefits were granted at a time when the stock market was enriching StanCERA's investment portfolio; however, the association suffered $400 million in investment losses from 2008 to early 2009. The mistakes of previous forecasts created a false impression that employers had adequately funded the system. The county's rising cost of supporting the pension system threatens deep cuts to staff and public services.”

 According to the terms of a new contract, anyone hired after Jan. 1, 2011 will retire at 61 instead of 55 and will be based on 2 percent of one’s salary multiplied by the employees' years of service. These terms will affect new hires for the Community Services Agency and Health Services Agency employees, which currently has 580 members. Efforts to root out pension spiking are also being made for the sake of the county’s finances. Currently, its retirement system is little more than 70 percent funded. For more on how the county is addressing pensions, see here. 

Facebook Dominance: ‘Yes on Prop 22’ Campaign Reaches 5,000 Mark for Fans on Facebook

While the campaign behind Proposition 22 already has a broad coalition of business, labor, environmental and taxpayer advocates, notably it has also surpassed the 5,000 fans mark on Facebook. You’ll recall that the initiative, known as the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act, will block the state from taking, borrowing or diverting local government revenues. As social networking increasingly becomes a major factor in campaign efforts, the “Yes on 22” camp has proven more active than other proposition campaigns in engaging voters and supporters through Facebook. And if you haven’t already, you can become a fan on Facebook here, as well as invite friends to join the coalition and become a fan. For more about the initiative, see here.

No Child Left Behind: Tracking System w/ Microchips Used in Contra Costa County for Kids

Keeping track of kids in Contra Costa County is a little easier for some teachers, thanks to a $50,000 high-tech tracking system, which was paid for by a federal grant. The system is implemented through pre-school kids wearing jerseys with embedded tracking devices with a radio frequency tag that relies on Wi-Fi. Sensors have been planted around the school so that a signal can be tracked on each child’s jersey and a child’s location can be known at all times. While such technology has typically been used for animals and by prison guards, Contra Costa argues it is a proven technology that will benefit the county’s teachers and ensure the safety of children. However, there are certainly privacy and civil rights issues that are of concern to those who oppose the use of such devices for children. CA Watch reports:

“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Senate Bill 29 that would have outright banned the use of microchips and other radio-frequency identification technology in schools. Three years prior to the bill, a controversy raged when Brittan Elementary School in Sutter County was confronted by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center over making students wear a device around their necks that transmitted private information to a computer on campus.”

Parents in that county objected to kids being treated like inventory and in the past other objections have been raised about tagging kids as if they were cattle. However, the county is adamant that the technology will pay for itself in the labor hours it will save. Read more here.

NYT Profiles Changing Demographics of OC and the Decrease in Republican Voters

Is the Republican grip on Orange County losing its grasp? That was the subject of a recent New York Times article on the changing politics of a county that has traditionally been heralded as a reliably conservative bastion. However, according to recent registration figures, the number of registered Republicans has dropped to 43 percent, which is reportedly the lowest level the county has seen in the past 70 years. The New York Times article points to the county’s changing demographics as one major reason for its transformation over the years, as whites no longer form a majority of residents and almost half the population speaks a language other than English at home. However, the influx of immigrants cannot necessarily account entirely for political changes and elected officials in the region are still overwhelmingly Republican, but the Times notes the following:

“But the political texture of this county, which is larger in population than Nevada or Iowa, is changing, and many officials say it is only a matter of time before many Republican officeholders get swept out with the tide. While Republicans have been on a steady decline — in 1990, they made up 56 percent of the electorate — the percentage of independent voters, as in much of the state, soared to 20 percent this past June from 8.6 percent in 1990. President Obama’s strong showing here in 2008 continued a nearly 30-year pattern in which the vote for Democratic presidential candidates has steadily increased.”

As the demographics of the county continue to shift, it’s possible the voting and registration patterns of residents will shift more dramatically as well and while Nixon’s Orange County still has a strong presence and history in the region, the Times concludes the county can no longer be regarded as the same Nixonian stronghold. Read more here.

Revision Period: Sacramento Weighs Options to Balance Budget; Job Cuts and Shifting Funds

After having other budget cuts blocked by the courts, Sacramento’s Board of Supervisors are weighing their options to get the county’s budget balanced and are proposing cuts to county health and social workers. As part of the revised projections, the county is also proposing to bank on funds from mental health money and general fund savings from other programs. Some departments experienced surpluses, which the county will utilize to its benefit.  We have relayed earlier that the county was halted from cuts to medical and mental health programs and their latest revisions have also had to account for lower-than-expected property tax revenues. Reportedly projections were off by around $3 million. Prior to the start of the new fiscal year, the county had slated to lay off 22.5 clinic jobs but court proceedings have instead resulted in around 3.4 jobs headed for the chopping block. The Bee reports:

“’We're definitely pleased the county rescinded the vast majority of cuts proposed in June,’ said Stacey Wittorff, the attorney for Legal Services of Northern California who sued the county over the health cuts. ‘It's unfortunate it took a lawsuit to get there.’ County officials also are proposing to restore funding for mental health contractors to keep the Regional Support Teams running. The county initially cut $5.8 million from those contracts in an effort to preserve county workers' jobs. The additional funds would come from other pots of mental health money, general fund savings from other programs and by cutting 12.3 county mental health jobs.”

The final budget will be discussed on September 8th. The county has also proposed cutting 23 workers in the Department of County Engineering. Read more here.

Rising Emergency Care Costs to be Covered by Hike in LA County Property Tax Rate

In order to generate an additional $17 million from property taxes, L.A. County leaders agreed to raise the property tax rate for Measure B slightly so that more funds could cover the costs of emergency and trauma care. As a result, property owners will be paying a little more each year so that the large budget deficit of the Department of Health Services will be relieved. Legally the county can only raise the rate by about 27-hundredths of a cent. The Press-Telegram reports:

“The department had a $200 million deficit last year, and may see that budget hole balloon to $600 million in the 2010-11 fiscal year, according to the department's interim director, John Schunhoff. The deficit is largely due to medical cost increases and the rising cost of unreimbursed care for those without health insurance or means to pay, county officials say. The county runs two Level 1 trauma centers, at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance and USC Medical Center near downtown Los Angeles.”

A few outside facilities will also benefit from the tax rate increase due to the costs that county-responsible patients cause such places to incur. Specifically, around $2.5 million will be set aside. The tax increase will be seen on this year’s tax bill for L.A. property owners. Read more here.