SB 1193: Discretionary funds: County of Alameda.

Existing law authorizes a county board of supervisors to appropriate and expend county general fund money to establish county programs or fund other programs to meet various social needs of the county population and the needs of physically, mentally, and financially handicapped persons and aged persons. Existing law authorizes the board of supervisors to contract with other public agencies, private agencies, or individuals to operate programs that the board of supervisors determines will serve public purposes.

Existing law prohibits an Orange County Board of Supervisors member from awarding district discretionary funds to a community organization or a nonprofit organization unless the board of supervisors approves that award by a majority vote. Existing law requires the Orange County Board of Supervisors to post on its internet website a log of appropriated district discretionary funds at the end of each quarter, as specified. Existing law prohibits, within 90 days preceding an election, an Orange County Board of Supervisors member who is on the ballot as an Orange County Board of Supervisors member candidate and has an opponent on that ballot from taking any action related to spending district discretionary funds, as specified.

This bill would prohibit the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, or a member of that board, Supervisors from awarding discretionary funds funds, as defined, to a community organization, nonprofit organization, or private entity, unless the board of supervisors approves that award by a majority vote and the contract for the award includes, among other things, performance metrics. The award includes a description of how the award provides resources of communitywide significance for the district that the member of the board requesting the award represents and identifies the public purposes, as defined, that the award will serve. The bill would prohibit the Alameda County Board of Supervisors from appropriating discretionary funds for an award that is not for a public purpose and from appropriating any funds in a way that allows a member, or less than a majority, of the board to appropriate funds, as specified.

The bill would require the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to post on its internet website a log of appropriated discretionary funds at the end of each quarter, as specified. The bill would prohibit, within 90 days before an election, an Alameda County Board of Supervisors member who is on the ballot as an Alameda County Board of Supervisors member candidate from taking any action related to spending discretionary funds, as specified. from, among other things, placing an agenda item seeking approval to appropriate discretionary funds on the agenda for a meeting of the board. The bill would prohibit discretionary funds from being awarded at a special meeting or on the consent calendar.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for County of Alameda.