Disappointingly, Governor Brown vetoed Senate Bill 1188 (McGuire and others) late last week despite unanimous support throughout the entire legislative process. While Governor Brown has included State Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding in both the 2015–16 and 2016-17 budgets, last year’s change in statute leaves the future of State PILT payments in question.
State PILT is key to California’s rural county general funds for a variety of programs including health and welfare and public safety. Last year’s change in statute making State PILT payments permissive instead of mandatory is reneging on the State’s 1949 commitment to counties. Counties are the home to these lands where many Californians and other visitors recreate.
RCRC is poised to continue fighting for this change in statue to protect the State’s commitment to its rural county partners. The Governor’s veto message of SB 1188, accessed here, misses the mark, and does not address the intent of the legislation itself.