Thursday, September 15, 2011

Riverside Press-Enterprise: Counties polling possible initiative on funding

CSAC polling on possible initiative for constituional funding protections


The California State Association of Counties is hiring a pollster to gauge the popularity of a possible initiative to guarantee funding for realignment, Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione, the group's president, said Tuesday.

Realignment shifts some state services, such as supervising low-risk parolees, to counties. CSAC supported realignment this year but hoped to receive constitutional protections for future funding.

Starting Oct. 1, the state is providing funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. After that, there are no guarantees.

"Our state Legislature, in my opinion, once again let us down because we did not receive the constitutional protections," Tavaglione told his colleagues Tuesday. "That was CSAC's primary caveat for supporting realignment. We will support realignment. We know we can do it better. But it must come with constitutional protections."

Tavaglione said CSAC's board last week discussed three options. One would include CSAC sponsoring an initiative next year that would provide for the constitutional protections.

"The board did pursue hiring a pollster to determine the possibilities or popularity if we were to put an initiative on the ballot in November 2012," Tavaglione said, adding that the pollster would be hired this week.

Another option would be to count on the Legislature in January placing the constitutional amendments on the ballot for voter approval.

A third, which Tavaglione called the "nuclear option," would mean a lawsuit against the state under Prop. 1A, a 2004 initiative that created protections against unfunded mandates. He said Riverside County should consider such as lawsuit, as are other counties.

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