California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1080

Introduced by Assembly Member Obernolte

February 27, 2015

An act to amend Section 34171 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to redevelopment.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1080, as introduced, Obernolte. Redevelopment: enforceable obligations: military base reuse.

Existing law dissolved redevelopment agencies and community development agencies as of February 1, 2012, and provides for the designation of successor agencies to wind down the affairs of the dissolved redevelopment agencies, subject to review by oversight boards, and to, among other things, make payments due for enforceable obligations and to perform obligations required pursuant to any enforceable obligation. Existing law defines “enforceable obligation” for these purposes to generally exclude any agreements, contracts, or arrangements between the city, county, or city and county that created the redevelopment agency and the former redevelopment agency.

The Military Base Reuse Authority Act authorizes the creation of a military base reuse authority to plan, finance, and manage the transition of a military base from military to civilian use, as specified.

This bill would authorize the Department of Finance to find that an agreement between a former redevelopment agency and a joint powers authority that was created to exercise the powers provided by the Military Base Reuse Authority Act is an enforceable obligation.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 34171 of the Health and Safety Code is
amended to read:

34171.  

The following terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) “Administrative budget” means the budget for administrative
costs of the successor agencies as provided in Section 34177.

(b) “Administrative cost allowance” means an amount that,
subject to the approval of the oversight board, is payable from
property tax revenues of up to 5 percent of the property tax
allocated to the successor agency on the Recognized Obligation
Payment Schedule covering the period January 1, 2012, through
June 30, 2012, and up to 3 percent of the property tax allocated to
the Redevelopment Obligation Retirement Fund money that is
allocated to the successor agency for each fiscal year thereafter;
provided, however, that the amount shall not be less than two
hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), unless the oversight
board reduces this amount, for any fiscal year or such lesser amount
as agreed to by the successor agency. However, the allowance
amount shall exclude, and shall not apply to, any administrative
costs that can be paid from bond proceeds or from sources other
than property tax. Administrative cost allowances shall exclude
any litigation expenses related to assets or obligations, settlements
and judgments, and the costs of maintaining assets prior to
disposition. Employee costs associated with work on specific
project implementation activities, including, but not limited to,
construction inspection, project management, or actual
construction, shall be considered project-specific costs and shall
not constitute administrative costs.

(c) “Designated local authority” shall mean a public entity
formed pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 34173.

(d) (1) “Enforceable obligation” means any of the following:

(A) Bonds, as defined by Section 33602 and bonds issued
pursuant to Chapter 10.5 (commencing with Section 5850) of
Division 6 of Title 1 of the Government Code, including the
required debt service, reserve set-asides, and any other payments
required under the indenture or similar documents governing the
issuance of the outstanding bonds of the former redevelopment
agency. A reserve may be held when required by the bond
indenture or when the next property tax allocation will be
insufficient to pay all obligations due under the provisions of the
bond for the next payment due in the following half of the calendar
year.

(B) Loans of moneys borrowed by the redevelopment agency
for a lawful purpose, to the extent they are legally required to be
repaid pursuant to a required repayment schedule or other
mandatory loan terms.

(C) Payments required by the federal government, preexisting
obligations to the state or obligations imposed by state law, other
than passthrough payments that are made by the county
auditor-controller pursuant to Section 34183, or legally enforceable
payments required in connection with the agencies’ employees,
including, but not limited to, pension payments, pension obligation
debt service, unemployment payments, or other obligations
conferred through a collective bargaining agreement. Costs incurred
to fulfill collective bargaining agreements for layoffs or
terminations of city employees who performed work directly on
behalf of the former redevelopment agency shall be considered
enforceable obligations payable from property tax funds. The
obligations to employees specified in this subparagraph shall
remain enforceable obligations payable from property tax funds
for any employee to whom those obligations apply if that employee
is transferred to the entity assuming the housing functions of the
former redevelopment agency pursuant to Section 34176. The
successor agency or designated local authority shall enter into an
agreement with the housing entity to reimburse it for any costs of
the employee obligations.

(D) Judgments or settlements entered by a competent court of
law or binding arbitration decisions against the former
redevelopment agency, other than passthrough payments that are
made by the county auditor-controller pursuant to Section 34183.
Along with the successor agency, the oversight board shall have
the authority and standing to appeal any judgment or to set aside
any settlement or arbitration decision.

(E) Any legally binding and enforceable agreement or contract
that is not otherwise void as violating the debt limit or public
policy. However, nothing in this act shall prohibit either the
successor agency, with the approval or at the direction of the
oversight board, or the oversight board itself from terminating any
existing agreements or contracts and providing any necessary and
required compensation or remediation for such termination. Titles
of or headings used on or in a document shall not be relevant in
determining the existence of an enforceable obligation.

(F) Contracts or agreements necessary for the administration or
operation of the successor agency, in accordance with this part,
including, but not limited to, agreements concerning litigation
expenses related to assets or obligations, settlements and
judgments, and the costs of maintaining assets prior to disposition,
and agreements to purchase or rent office space, equipment and
supplies, and pay-related expenses pursuant to Section 33127 and
for carrying insurance pursuant to Section 33134.

(G) Amounts borrowed from, or payments owing to, the Low
and Moderate Income Housing Fund of a redevelopment agency,
which had been deferred as of the effective date of the act adding
this part; provided, however, that the repayment schedule is
approved by the oversight board. Repayments shall be transferred
to the Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund established
pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 34176 as a housing asset
and shall be used in a manner consistent with the affordable
housing requirements of the Community Redevelopment Law (Part
1 (commencing with Section 33000)).

(2) For purposes of this part, “enforceable obligation” does not
include any agreements, contracts, or arrangements between the
city, county, or city and county that created the redevelopment
agency and the former redevelopment agency. However, written
agreements entered into (A) at the time of issuance, but in no event
later than December 31, 2010, of indebtedness obligations, and
(B) solely for the purpose of securing or repaying those
indebtedness obligations may be deemed enforceable obligations
for purposes of this part. Notwithstanding this paragraph, loan
agreements entered into between the redevelopment agency and
the city, county, or city and county that created it, within two years
of the date of creation of the redevelopment agency, may be
deemed to be enforceable obligations.

(3) Contracts or agreements between the former redevelopment
agency and other public agencies, to perform services or provide
funding for governmental or private services or capital projects
outside of redevelopment project areas that do not provide benefit
to the redevelopment project and thus were not properly authorized
under Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) shall be deemed
void on the effective date of this part; provided, however, that such
contracts or agreements for the provision of housing properly
authorized under Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) shall
not be deemed void.

begin insert

(4) The department may determine that an agreement between
a former redevelopment agency and a joint powers authority that
was created to exercise the powers provided by the Military Base
Reuse Authority Act (Title 7.86 (commencing with Section 67800)
of the Government Code) is an enforceable obligation.

end insert

(e) “Indebtedness obligations” means bonds, notes, certificates
of participation, or other evidence of indebtedness, issued or
delivered by the redevelopment agency, or by a joint exercise of
powers authority created by the redevelopment agency, to
third-party investors or bondholders to finance or refinance
redevelopment projects undertaken by the redevelopment agency
in compliance with the Community Redevelopment Law (Part 1
(commencing with Section 33000)).

(f) “Oversight board” shall mean each entity established pursuant
to Section 34179.

(g) “Recognized obligation” means an obligation listed in the
Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule.

(h) “Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule” means the
document setting forth the minimum payment amounts and due
dates of payments required by enforceable obligations for each
six-month fiscal period as provided in subdivision (m) of Section
34177.

(i) “School entity” means any entity defined as such in
subdivision (f) of Section 95 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(j) “Successor agency” means the successor entity to the former
redevelopment agency as described in Section 34173.

(k) “Taxing entities” means cities, counties, a city and county,
special districts, and school entities, as defined in subdivision (f)
of Section 95 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, that receive
passthrough payments and distributions of property taxes pursuant
to the provisions of this part.

(l) “Property taxes” include all property tax revenues, including
those from unitary and supplemental and roll corrections applicable
to tax increment.

(m) “Department” means the Department of Finance unless the
context clearly refers to another state agency.

(n) “Sponsoring entity” means the city, county, or city and
county, or other entity that authorized the creation of each
redevelopment agency.

(o) “Final judicial determination” means a final judicial
determination made by any state court that is not appealed, or by
a court of appellate jurisdiction that is not further appealed, in an
action by any party.

(p) From July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2018, inclusive, “housing entity
administrative cost allowance” means an amount of up to 1 percent
of the property tax allocated to the Redevelopment Obligation
Retirement Fund on behalf of the successor agency for each
applicable fiscal year, but not less than one hundred fifty thousand
dollars ($150,000) per fiscal year.

(1) If a local housing authority assumed the housing functions
of the former redevelopment agency pursuant to paragraph (2) or
(3) of subdivision (b) of Section 34176, then the housing entity
administrative cost allowance shall be listed by the successor
agency on the Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule. Upon
approval of the Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule by the
oversight board and the department, the housing entity
administrative cost allowance shall be remitted by the successor
agency on each January 2 and July 1 to the local housing authority
that assumed the housing functions of the former redevelopment
agency pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (b) of
Section 34176.

(2) If there are insufficient moneys in the Redevelopment
Obligations Retirement Fund in a given fiscal year to make the
payment authorized by this subdivision, the unfunded amount may
be listed on each subsequent Recognized Obligation Payment
Schedule until it has been paid in full. In these cases the five-year
time limit on the payments shall not apply.