California Senate Bill SB1414 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1414AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 16, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Senator Dutton FEBRUARY 24, 2012 An act to amend  Section 11349.3 of the Government Code, relating to state government   Sections 34167 and 34171 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to redevelopment, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately  . LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1414, as amended, Dutton.  Administrative regulations and rulemaking.   Community redevelopment.   Existing law dissolved redevelopment agencies and community development agencies, as of February 1, 2012, and provides for the designation of successor agencies, as defined. Existing law requires successor agencies to wind down the affairs of the dissolved redevelopment agencies and to, among other things, repay enforceable obligations, as defined, and to remit unencumbered balances of redevelopment agency funds, including housing funds, to the county auditor-controller for distribution to taxing entities.   Existing law would expand enforceable obligations to include the use of the proceeds of the issuance of Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency's 2004 Tax Allocation Bonds to implement and complete an infrastructure project, as specified.   This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the successor agency to the Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency.   This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.   Existing law requires the Office of Administrative Law to either approve a regulation submitted to it for review and transmit it to the Secretary of State for filing, or disapprove the regulation within 30 working days after the regulation was submitted to the office for review, as specified.   This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this provision.  Vote:  majority   2/3  . Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 34167 of the   Health and Safety Code   is amended to read:  34167. (a) This part is intended to preserve, to the maximum extent possible, the revenues and assets of redevelopment agencies so that those assets and revenues that are not needed to pay for enforceable obligations may be used by local governments to fund core governmental services including police and fire protection services and schools. It is the intent of the Legislature that redevelopment agencies take no actions that would further deplete the corpus of the agencies' funds regardless of their original source. All provisions of this part shall be construed as broadly as possible to support this intent and to restrict the expenditure of funds to the fullest extent possible. (b) For purposes of this part, "agency" or "redevelopment agency" means a redevelopment agency created or formed pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) or its predecessor or a community development commission created or formed pursuant to Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100) or its predecessor. (c) Nothing in this part in any way impairs the authority of a community development commission, other than in its authority to act as a redevelopment agency, to take any actions in its capacity as a housing authority or for any other community development purpose of the jurisdiction in which it operates. (d) For purposes of this part, "enforceable obligation" means any of the following: (1)  (A)    Bonds, as defined by Section 33602 and bonds issued pursuant to Section 5850 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 redevelopment agency.  (B) The use of the proceeds of the issuance of Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency's 2004 Tax Allocation Bonds to implement and complete an infrastructure project for which the proceeds of those bonds were previously expended to partially implement the project by defraying design, property acquisition, or construction costs.  (2) Loans of moneys borrowed by the redevelopment agency for a lawful purpose, including, but not limited to, moneys borrowed from the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund, to the extent they are legally required to be repaid pursuant to a required repayment schedule or other mandatory loan terms. (3) 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, and unemployment payments. (4) 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. (5) Any legally binding and enforceable agreement or contract that is not otherwise void as violating the debt limit or public policy. (6) Contracts or agreements necessary for the continued administration or operation of the redevelopment agency to the extent permitted by this part, including, but not limited to, 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. (e) To the extent that any provision of Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), or Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100) conflicts with this part, the provisions of this part shall control. Further, if any provision in Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), or Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100) provides an authority that this part is restricting or eliminating, the restriction and elimination provisions of this part shall control. (f) Nothing in this part shall be construed to interfere with a redevelopment agency's authority, pursuant to enforceable obligations as defined in this chapter, to (1) make payments due, (2) enforce existing covenants and obligations, or (3) perform its obligations. (g) The existing terms of any memorandum of understanding with an employee organization representing employees of a redevelopment agency adopted pursuant to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act that is in force on the effective date of this part shall continue in force until September 30, 2011, unless a new agreement is reached with a recognized employee organization prior to that date. (h) After the enforceable obligation payment schedule is adopted pursuant to Section 34169, or after 60 days from the effective date of this part, whichever is sooner, the agency shall not make a payment unless it is listed in an adopted enforceable obligation payment schedule, other than payments required to meet obligations with respect to bonded indebtedness. (i) The Department of Finance and the Controller shall each have the authority to require any documents associated with the enforceable obligations to be provided to them in a manner of their choosing. Any taxing entity, the department, and the Controller shall each have standing to file a judicial action to prevent a violation under this part and to obtain injunctive or other appropriate relief. (j) For purposes of this part, "auditor-controller" means the officer designated in subdivision (e) of Section 24000 of the Government Code.  SEC. 2.   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 for the 2011-12 fiscal year 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) for any fiscal year or such lesser amount as agreed to by the successor agency. However, the allowance amount shall exclude any administrative costs that can be paid from bond proceeds or from sources other than property tax. (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)  (i)    Bonds, as defined by Section 33602 and bonds issued pursuant to Section 58383 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.  (ii) The use of the proceeds of the issuance of Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency's 2004 Tax Allocation Bonds to implement and complete an infrastructure project for which the proceeds of those bonds were previously expended to partially implement the project by defraying design, property acquisition, or construction costs.  (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. (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. (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 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. (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. (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 county, city, or city and county that authorized the creation of each redevelopment agency or another entity as provided 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.  SEC. 3.   The Legislature finds and declares that a special law is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique needs of the successor agency to the Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency.   SEC. 4.   This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:   In order to ensure the continued funding of pending redevelopment projects, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.   SECTION 1.   Section 11349.3 of the Government Code is amended to read: 11349.3. (a) The office shall either approve a regulation submitted to it for review and transmit it to the Secretary of State for filing or disapprove it within 30 working days after the regulation has been submitted to the office for review. If the office fails to act within 30 days, the regulation shall be deemed to have been approved, and the office shall transmit it to the Secretary of State for filing. (b) If the office disapproves a regulation, it shall return it to the adopting agency within the 30-day period specified in subdivision (a) accompanied by a notice specifying the reasons for disapproval. Within seven calendar days of the issuance of the notice, the office shall provide the adopting agency with a written decision detailing the reasons for disapproval. No regulation shall be disapproved except for failure to comply with the standards set forth in Section 11349.1 or for failure to comply with this chapter. (c) If an agency determines, on its own initiative, that a regulation submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) should be returned by the office prior to completion of the office's review, it may request the return of the regulation. All requests for the return of a regulation shall be memorialized in writing by the submitting agency no later than one week following the request. Any regulation returned pursuant to this subdivision shall be resubmitted to the office for review within the one-year period specified in subdivision (b) of Section 11346.4 or shall comply with Article 5 (commencing with Section 11346) prior to resubmission. (d) The office shall not initiate the return of a regulation pursuant to subdivision (c) as an alternative to disapproval pursuant to subdivision (b).