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Orange County officials oppose SB 249 on fiscal grounds; committee places measure on suspense
Summary
Tom Sheehy, representing the Orange County Board of Education, opposed SB 249 on fiscal grounds and said affected counties could face more than $1 million in costs; the appropriations committee placed the bill on suspense.
Tom Sheehy, representing the Orange County Board of Education, told the Appropriations Committee that SB 249 (by Senator Umberg) would impose substantial costs on county election administrators and school boards. Sheehy said the bill would require changes to election procedures that his clients did not request and estimated “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in direct costs for the Orange County Board of Education and county registrar; he added that because the bill would sweep in five counties, “you can multiply that cost by 5,” raising the likely fiscal impact “well over a million dollars.”
Sheehy told the committee the Orange County Board of Education expects to file a test claim with the Commission on State Mandates and argued those costs would ultimately be borne from the state general fund. He referenced Governor Newsom’s veto of SB 907 last year as an example where the governor declined to sign legislation that the administration viewed as usurping local control.
After the testimony, the committee chair announced no further questions and placed SB 249 on the suspense file. The chair said, “So, without objection, SB 249 will move to suspense.”
Sheehy framed his testimony as fiscal opposition only; the committee did not take additional action beyond the suspense placement.
