Current Legislative Action
Overview
CALED has led the way in teaching economic developers, local elected officials, and state representatives the value of economic development and how it is used to grow businesses, generate revenue to support community development programs, and retain and create quality jobs. CALED provides tools and resources to enrich and empower their communities to build, wealthy, healthy, viable economies. One of the many ways we accomplish this is through legislative action.
As CALED drives further into this legislative session, we are looking to advance our priorities and will continue to work with partners on issues impacting economic development. Some of the major themes in 2019 are around housing affordability, alternatives to redevelopment, incentive programs for economic development, and other economic development strategies.
CALED’s Economic Development Policy Recommendations
CALED’s Board of Director’s approved the following legislative priorities for 2019
Priority 1
Review and make recommendations to improve already existing state financing tools for economic development, including tax increment financing programs, Community Development Block Grant for non-entitlement communities, and Opportunity Zones
Priority 2
Seek and champion new tools and resources for economic development
Priority 3
Work actively and strategically to create relationships and partnerships with new state economic development staff and leaders, such as GO-Biz appointees, senior economic development policy advisors in the Governor’s office, and the Lt. Governor’s Economic Development Commission
Legislative Action Committee Members
The CALED Board of Directors confirmed the creation of our Legislative Action Committee (LAC) and adopted the guiding policy for how this group would review legislation and make recommendations to the Board of Directors. Aaron Laurel, Economic Development & Housing Director for the City of West Sacramento and Robert Burris, President and CEO of Solano EDC, are the Co-Chairs for the LAC. Furthermore, this page includes current bills we have taken a position on and upcoming important legislative events that you should be aware of.
Aaron Laurel
Co-Chair, City Manger, City of West Sacramento
Robert Burris
Co-Chair, President & CEO of Solano EDC
Gurbax Sahota
President and CEO of California Association for Local Economic Development
Matthew Hargrove
Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs for California Business Properties Association (CBPA)
Jason Haider
Founder and CEO of Xenco Medical
Roxann Haynes
Executive Director of the Del Norte Economic Development Corporation
Bills We Have Taken a Position On
| Name | Author | Brief Description | CALED Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor’s Budget Re-Authorizing California Competes | Governor’s Office | Governor extends California Competes Tax Credit funding for another 5 years which includes re-authorizes the New Hire Tax Credit; allocates $20 million for small business support. | CALED supported See our letter of support here To learn more, click here |
California Competes Tax Credit is Re-Authorized for another 5 years for $180 million and $20 million for small business support |
| SB 1145 | Senator Leyva | Allows EIFDs to fund maintenance costs of financed facilities. | Sponsoring See our letter of support here |
Signed by the Governor |
| AB 1743 | Assembly Member O’Donnell | AB 1743 would allow students to gain college and career readiness skills through access to high quality career technical education (CTE) by extending funding for the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) Program. This bill would provide ongoing funding of $500 million per year with a 1:1 local match as well as $12 million per year for regional CTE coordinators to provide technical assistance and support to local CTE providers. | CALED is a part of a coalition. See our coalition letter of support here |
In Committee |
| Governance & Finance Committee Omnibus Bill (SB 1498) | California State Senate | The Senate Governance & Finance Committee Omnibus Bill includes CALED’s EIFD improvements. | CALED supported | Signed by the Governor |
| CDBG – SB 106 | Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review | SB 106, a budget trailer bill, was authorized to help with the redesign of CDBG to allow set aside for economic development. Read background here. | CALED opposed in prior year and now is working with the HCD on addressing outcomes | SB 106 was passed and a Redesign Working Group was created and is in progress right now |
| AB 1547 | Assemblymember Quirk-Silva | This bill is aimed at helping California businesses by making several changes for economic development financing programs operated by the State Treasurer’s Office. One of those changes is to eliminate the California Industrial Development Financing Advisory Commission (CIDFAC). | CALED is supporting this bill See our letter of support here |
Signed by the Governor |
| Tax Fairness, Transparency, & Accountability Act of 2018 | American Beverage Association California PAC and California Business Roundtable Issues PAC | This act would drastically limit local revenue authority. In part, it eliminates local authority to impose a tax for general purposes by majority vote and instead requires all local proposed tax increases subject to a two-thirds vote. | CALED is opposing this act See our letter of opposition here |
Has been withdrawn from the November Ballot |
| SB 961 | Senator Ben Allen | This bill helps improve and expand an existing tax increment financing tools to fiancee affordable housing. Read the bill’s analysis here. | CALED is supporting this bill See our letter of support here |
Signed by the Governor |