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CSAC credits county advocacy with preserving services, securing VOCA backfill and homelessness funding
Summary
In an annual address, a CSAC representative said county advocacy protected CalWORKs and other safety-net programs from proposed $1 billion cuts, secured a $103 million Victims of Crime Act backfill and helped win $1 billion for homelessness programs in the 2024 state budget.
A CSAC representative told members that county advocacy helped shield core programs from deep state budget cuts and won new funding for victim services and homelessness response. "CSAC preserved core safety net services in response to the governor's proposed $1,000,000,000 cuts to county administered programs," the speaker said, naming CalWORKs, child welfare and adult protective services as priorities.
The speaker framed the address as a progress report on advocacy and member services, saying the association coordinated with county supervisors, executive officers, department heads and frontline staff in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., to press county priorities. The address noted several concrete outcomes: a $103,000,000 backfill for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), newly required state reporting to aid county fleet managers adapting to California Air Resources Board clean-fleet rules, and a $1,000,000,000 allocation in the final 2024 budget for Round 6 of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP).
On legislation, the speaker said Governor Newsom vetoed AB 1168, which the address described as a bill that would have disrupted the statewide emergency medical services system. The speech also credited CSAC for defeating proposed changes to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and cited AB 2079 as an example of legislation CSAC opposed because it would have limited local permitting authority.
The address highlighted other policy work: CSAC's insurance working group briefing regulators about limited and costly insurance options for counties, efforts to halt or amend labor and employment bills, and success in negotiating implementation language in trailer bill AB 166 related to homelessness program collaboration requirements.
The speaker also promoted member services and capacity-building efforts, including regional meetings in Riverside, Alameda and Sonoma counties on economic development, AI in government and wildfire recovery; the 2024 legislative conference that brought roughly 460 participants; recognition of 14 Challenge Award recipients; the CSAC Finance Corporation's programs (including an "easy, smart pay" product used in about half of California counties); and the CSAC grants initiative that the speaker said has helped deliver millions of dollars in grant funding to counties.
The address closed with a pledge to continue advocating for counties and to expand CSAC's internal capacity, including building renovations and staff development, to support long-term work.
The association did not announce any formal motions or votes during the address. The speaker said CSAC will continue member outreach and follow up on implementation and reporting requirements in the coming months.
