BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
BILL NO: AB 1318 HEARING: 7/13/05
AUTHOR: Evans FISCAL: No
VERSION: 7/07/05 CONSULTANT: Wagner
COUNTY OFFICERS
Background
State law requires voters to elect 10 county officers,
including the public administrator. Counties can appoint
several other officers, including the public guardian.
County supervisors can convert elected offices into
appointed offices with voter approval.
Proposed Law
I. Sonoma County's Public Administrator . The Legislature
has allowed six counties to convert the public
administrator's office from an elected to an appointed
position: Mendocino County (SB 1814, Keene, 1982), Lake
County (SB 650, Nielsen, 1985), Madera County (AB 3524,
Costa, 1990), Trinity County (AB 3352, Gotch, 1994),
Tuolumne County (AB 2717, House, 2000), and Napa County (SB
570, Chesbro, 2003). The Legislature has also allowed two
counties to convert the public administrator's office from
an elected to an appointed position and consolidate the
offices of public administrator and public guardian:
Solano County (AB 766, Wiggins, 2000) and Glenn County (AB
209, Dickerson, 2001).
Sonoma County's board of supervisors consolidated the
elected offices of the public administrator and the county
clerk in 1995. The board also consolidated the appointed
offices of the public guardian and the public conservator
to create the head of the Human Services Department.
Sonoma County wants to convert the office of public
administrator from an elected to an appointed position as
well as formally consolidate the public guardian and the
public administrator.
Assembly Bill 1318 allows the Sonoma County board of
supervisors to convert the public administrator's office
from an elected to an appointed position. AB 1318 adds
Sonoma County to the list of counties that may appoint the
AB 1318 -- 7/07/05 -- Page 2
same person to the offices of public administrator and
public guardian.
II. Sonoma County's Consolidations . County boards of
supervisors can consolidate the offices of the auditor,
controller, treasurer, tax collector, and director of
finance. Sonoma County has created the offices of the
Auditor-Controller and the Treasurer-Tax Collector and
wants to create one consolidated office of the
auditor-controller-treasurer-tax collector, without the
inclusion of a director of finance. Assembly Bill 1318
allows the Sonoma County board of supervisors to
consolidate the offices of the auditor-controller and the
treasurer-tax collector.
III. Solano County's Surveyor . State law requires a
county board of supervisors to appoint the county surveyor.
Solano County wants the Director of Transportation to
appoint its county surveyor. Assembly Bill 1318 allows the
Solano County board of supervisors to adopt an ordinance to
allow the Director of Transportation to directly appoint
the county surveyor.
Comments
1. Home rule . County governments are 19th Century
institutions struggling to cope with 21st Century problems.
Many county boards of supervisors believe they can improve
public service by consolidating county departments and
services. AB 1318 gives the boards of supervisors in
Solano and Sonoma counties the flexibility to better manage
the concerns of their residents and organize themselves in
a way to do so.
2. Related bill . SB 282 (Maldonado) passed the Senate
Local Government Committee on April 6. The Maldonado bill
allows Monterey County to consolidate the offices of public
administrator and public guardian and also authorizes
Lassen County to separate the offices of the district
attorney and public administrator while combining the
duties of the public administrator and public guardian. AB
1318 contains double-jointing language to avoid chaptering
out SB 282 (Maldonado).
AB 1318 -- 7/07/05 -- Page 3
Assembly Actions
Assembly Local Government Committee: 7-0
Assembly Floor: 71-0
Support and Opposition (7/7/05)
Support : Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Solano County
Board of Supervisors.
Opposition : Unknown.