BILL ANALYSIS
AB 288
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Date of Hearing: April 1, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Anna Marie Caballero, Chair
AB 288 (Nestande) - As Introduced: February 13, 2009
SUBJECT : Vector control.
SUMMARY : Requires a mosquito abatement and vector control
district board of trustees to adopt a formal written response to
an irregularity or accounting issue identified in a regular
audit, and requires a mosquito abatement and vector control
district, before it levies special benefit assessments, to
provide notice regarding the proposed assessment to the
appointing authority. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires a mosquito abatement and vector control district
(district) board of trustees (board) to adopt a formal written
response to an irregularity or accounting issue identified in
a regular audit.
2)Requires a board to provide its response to each trustee's
appointing authority.
3)Requires a district, before it levies special benefit
assessments, to provide notice regarding the proposed
assessment to the appointing authority of each member of the
board.
4)States that the members of a board shall make themselves, as
well as district staff, available to discuss the proposed
special benefit assessment prior to the public hearing.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes, under the Mosquito Abatement and Vector Control
District Law, the establishment of a district to protect the
public health by controlling mosquitoes, other insects, and
rodents.
2)Establishes an appointed five-member board to govern a
district.
3)Requires a county auditor to either make or contract with a
certified public accountant or public accountant to make an
AB 288
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annual audit of the accounts and records of every special
purpose district within the county for which an audit by a
certified public accountant or public accountant is not
otherwise provided.
4)Requires a local government to provide notice to each property
owner regarding any proposed special benefit assessments.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
1)Mosquito abatement and vector control districts protect the
public health by controlling mosquitoes, other insects, and
rodents. Although the members of the board are appointed, the
district is an independent special district under the law.
Each city or county government located within a district is an
appointing authority that names at least one trustee to the
district's governing board. The trustees serve fixed terms of
two or four years.
2)District revenues come from property tax revenue allocations;
some districts also levy special taxes or special benefit
assessments. According to the author's office, some districts
have raised benefit assessments while their expenses remained
the same and reserves increased. Conversely, some districts
have reduced assessments as other local revenues increased.
3)According to the author's office, this bill would help build
the public's trust in districts by requiring the district
board to respond to problems identified in its regular audits.
The author believes that by reporting back to the city
councils and county boards of supervisors that appoint the
boards of trustees, the districts can demonstrate their
accountability and responsiveness. Similarly, by letting
their appointing authorities know about pending changes in
special benefit assessments, the districts can explain why
they need more revenues to protect the public health.
4)Previous legislation : SB 1326 (Ducheny) was an identical
measure passed by the Committee last year 7-0. However, the
Governor vetoed the measure using the blanket veto message
regarding the delayed budget.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
AB 288
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Support
CA School Employees Association, AFL-CIO
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Katie Kolitsos / L. GOV. / (916)
319-3958