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Siskiyou County LAFCO watches Senate Bill 777 on abandoned cemetery districts; staff asked to report back
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Summary
Commissioners discussed Senate Bill 777, which would create a process for designating and assigning responsibility for abandoned cemetery districts; staff warned it could amount to an unfunded mandate and will provide a rundown of county cemetery districts and budgets at a future meeting.
Commissioners of the Siskiyou County Local Agency Formation Commission discussed Senate Bill 777, which would create a process for addressing abandoned cemetery districts and could give LAFCOs authority to identify and assign responsibility for those districts if they become defunct.
"It does apply to all LAFCOs, although it does not apply to Siskiyou County at this time because we do not have an abandoned cemetery at this time," staff member Rachel said, describing the bill's current reach. Rachel and Executive Officer Haley Lane said some LAFCOs have opposed the bill as originally drafted and that edits to the bill were under consideration by the author in hopes of making it more acceptable to LAFCO organizations.
Staff described how, if the bill were enacted in its contemplated form, LAFCO could be tasked with reviewing a cemetery district that has ceased operations and determining whether another cemetery district, a city, or the county should assume ownership or responsibility. Rachel said the change would effectively create additional duties without dedicated funding: "So it's essentially just another unfunded mandate" (paraphrased from discussion).
Commissioners asked for more information about the five cemetery districts in Siskiyou County. Commissioners requested that staff provide a brief rundown at the next meeting or the following meeting, including the locations of each district and basic operating and maintenance budget figures, so the commission would better understand potential local impacts. Staff agreed to contact district chairs or board members as needed to assemble that information.
Staff noted that five California counties were specifically affected by an early version of the bill (Alameda, Fresno, Los Angeles, Marin and Tuolumne) and said the bill's language had already received edits from the author that might make it more acceptable to some LAFCOs. No formal motion or vote was taken on the bill; the commission's direction was limited to requesting follow-up information from staff.