Counties find much to like in governor’s proposal

The California State Association of Counties, whose president is Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, said Friday that it applauds Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal for striking a delicate balance between maintaining fiscal discipline and investing in critical programs important to all Californians.

Counties have partnered with Brown on major reforms in public safety, health care and water. The budget proposal continues those commitments and invests in California’s future, the group said in a news release.

“There are thousands of competing needs in California,” Chiesa said in the release. “We appreciate the governor listening to our voice and shaping a budget that considers counties’ views. He understands the importance and benefits of paying down the debt owed to California counties; that money flows into local programs that help Californians in very real ways.”

Chief among CSAC’s interests has been repayment for mandates owed to local governments for more than a decade. The budget proposes an additional $533 million to accelerate that debt repayment. Of that, 73 percent or $390 million would go to counties to help enhance public safety and provide health care and other vital services, CSAC reported.

“It is great news for counties that the governor has proposed to accelerate the reimbursement to local governments for mandate claims that have been owed for years,” said San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts, CSAC’s second vice president. “This part of the governor’s budget proposal moves California much closer to eliminating its overall long-standing debt and delivers on a promise made to public agencies. ”

There is also funding for county fairs, which help rural communities that have not experienced the same pace of economic growth as other regions of the state, CSAC said.

“County fairs are important icons of California’s agricultural heritage,” said Amador County Supervisor and CSAC First Vice President Richard Forster in the news release. “Unfortunately, fairgrounds statewide have really suffered in the past 10 years or so. The governor’s proposal can help whittle down the deferred maintenance to some degree, and I am gratified that the governor is including fairs among the states competing priorities.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2015 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Counties find much to like in governor’s proposal."