HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.10.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ The CSAC Bulletin_ September 10, 2026.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments,
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From:Clerk of the Board
To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Dubose, Teri; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue,
Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Krater, Sharleen; Lee, Lewis; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen;
Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: The CSAC Bulletin: September 10, 2026
Date:Friday, September 11, 2026 8:11:13 AM
Attachments:image001.png
Please see Board Correspondence -
Lewis LeeAdministrative Technician - ConfidentialButte County Administration25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 • Oroville, CA 95965T: 530.552.3326www.buttecounty.ca.gov | lelee@buttecounty.ca.gov
From: CSAC <csac@counties.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2026 5:09 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: The CSAC Bulletin: September 10, 2026
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September 10, 2026
The California State Association of Counties presents The CSAC Bulletin, your weekly guide to California
counties.
Hello, County Family, and welcome to the first edition of our new-look CSAC
Bulletin! We’re so excited to introduce this new format to you. More on that
below…
In this week’s issue:
· A bill to raise counties’ pension costs sits on the Governor’s desk
· Counties seek new Executive Order to speed El Niño prep
· And, as promised, a peek behind the curtain of this new Bulletin
Government Finance & Administration
Q&A: Bill To Increase
Counties’ Pension Costs Awaits
Governor’s Decision
Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of the month to act on a bill that would
raise pension costs by billions of dollars for all public agencies — counties,
cities, schools, special districts and the state.
CSAC opposes AB 1383 and is encouraging counties to ask the Governor to
veto it.
For more on the bill’s costs and history, we sat down with CSAC Senior
Legislative Advocate Eric Lawyer.
What would this bill do?
AB 1383 would make several changes to California pension laws.
First, it would reduce the minimum retirement age for police and firefighters
from age 57 to age 55.
Second, it would create a new bargainable tier of 3% at age 55 — that’s a new
pension benefit structure that a public employer and its employee unions could
negotiate through collective bargaining.
And third, it would increase what's called the creditable compensation cap —
how much of a public employee's salary gets factored into their pension
formula. This change applies to any employee making more than the existing
cap, not just public safety employees.
How much would it cost counties based on the estimates that we have?
CalPERS estimates the bill would cost the state and its member counties and
cities $4 billion to pay down these higher pension costs over the next few
decades, assuming current benefits remain static. If all CalPERS member
agencies agree to the newly bargainable 3% at age 55 pension tier, the price
tag would rise to $7.4 billion.
These estimates could increase significantly as years pass and wages grow.
The biggest cost-driver in the bill is the change to the compensation cap
increase. So, as wages increase, so will the costs of the bill. The CalPERS
estimate likely underestimates these costs, as they’re based on data from two
years ago.
These estimates also exclude the county-run retirement systems (known as
“1937 Act Systems”).
Why does CSAC oppose this bill?
Any major expenditure — especially a permanent one — should meet a very
high bar. We’re not seeing significant recruitment and retention challenges for
public safety employees or the other highly employees who would benefit from
the bill.
In addition, counties are facing deep fiscal uncertainty. We're already seeing a
lot of layoffs happening already, and we have yet to see the most severe
impacts from H.R. 1. AB 1383 would impose significant new cost commitments
at a time when counties are being asked to do more with less funding.
There's a lot of history wrapped up in this bill. How does it affect the
Public Employees' Pension Reform Act signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in
2012?
This bill would chip away at PEPRA, which raised retirement ages, reduced
pension formulas for new employees, capped pensionable compensation, and
required employees to pay a greater share of their pension costs. CalPERS
estimated the bill has already saved its member agencies $5.8 billion and will
save an additional $26.5 billion over the next decade.
Because of PEPRA, pension systems have grown more sustainable and
counties’ costs have become more predictable — all while maintaining robust
and meaningful retirement benefits for public employees.
How can counties get involved?
By reaching out to the Governor’s office and letting them know what this would
mean for your county. CSAC sent out a template veto request letter last week.
Counties can use that template or write their own letter. We recommend
submitting letters as soon as possible so the Governor can consider them
before his Sept. 30 bill signing deadline.
Sponsored by:
2026 CSAC Challenge Awards:
Put your county in the spotlight. Submit your entry by September 25
Agriculture, Environment & Natural Resources
Counties Urge State Action Ahead
of Potentially Severe Winter
With forecasts pointing to an unusually wet winter, CSAC and local government
partners are urging the Newsom Administration to act now to help communities
reduce flood risks before the first major storms arrive.
In a letter sent Wednesday, CSAC led a coalition of counties, cities, flood-
control agencies, water agencies and other organizations in requesting a
statewide executive order to expedite critical maintenance and flood-prevention
work ahead of the 2026-27 winter season.
The statewide effort builds on early action by the Pajaro Regional Flood
Management Agency and its member agencies, which first called for an
executive order to expedite urgent flood-risk reduction work. The community of
Pajaro knows the stakes firsthand: a levee breach during the 2023 storms
flooded the community, damaging hundreds of homes and forcing residents to
evacuate.
The urgency is being driven by forecasts for a potentially severe winter. NOAA
is predicting a 69% chance of a historic El Niño, while NOAA and European
climate forecasters are projecting increasingly wet conditions across California.
Keep reading →
County Resource Center
✉️ Outreach | Medi-Cal ACA Expansion Members Start to Receive Outreach
Letters on H.R. 1 Requirements: The California Department of Health Care
Services (DHCS) has begun mailing a federally required outreach letter to Medi-
Cal members who may be affected by new H.R. 1 requirements.
Webinar | CDPH BHSA Population-Based Prevention Webinar on Sept. 23:
The California Department of Public Health will hold a Sept. 23 webinar and Q&A
session with updates on the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Population-
Based Prevention budget, allocations, and implementation strategies.
✍️ Workshop | State Hosts Rural Health Grant Writing Workshop: HCAI and
SORH will host a two-day virtual grant writing workshop designed to help rural
health professionals improve their applications.
This Week In State Mandates
Curious about the latest actions from the Commission on State Mandates
and want to hear all of the deliberations and details? You’re in luck!
Keep reading →
Inside the New-Look CSAC
Bulletin!
Here at CSAC, we’re always looking for more effective ways to connect with
our County Family and friends. Our dearly beloved weekly newsletter had come
to look and feel a bit stale.
So we pulled up a white board, grabbed some dry erase markers and sketched
out a new look — with a clear question in mind:
How can we meet you where you’re at, with the information you want, in a
format that’s as easy for you to digest as possible?
After all, you’re already drowning in emails, texts, social posts, notifications…
We know you care about issues that impact California counties, and we want
this newsletter to be worth your time and attention. Heck, maybe even a bit fun!
So here’s a glance at some of the changes in this new format:
The content mix will look different. For example, some of what you used
to find links to in the Bulletin will now run on our other platforms, such as
the (also new) County Connections magazine (check out our latest issue!)
and our social media accounts.
Instead of giving all stories the same treatment — a headline, a blurb and
a link to read more — our new approach highlights our top advocacy
priorities each week. Other articles will find homes in new signature
features like the “County Resource Center” and “This Week in…Federal
Updates/State Mandates” along with an all-new “What we’re reading…”
section.
Unlike media newsletters that rely on clicks to drive web traffic and
revenue, we simply want you to read the newsletter! After all, we know it’s
a lot easier to scroll than click. That’s why we’re including as much info as
possible in the email itself.
Let us know what you think! Reach CSAC’s Public Affairs and Member
Engagement staff at inquiries@counties.org. And if you or a colleague would
like to sign up, just head here.
Sponsored by:
California Counties Foundation:
Upcoming Free Webinar: Building Strong Teams Through Employee Engagement
What We’re Reading
Looking for more? Explore these additional articles and resources:
‘It’s Triage’: California’s Next Governor Will Face Destabilizing
Surge in Uninsured (KFF Health News, September 2026
She put money into CalPERS for decades. It demanded she repay
$1 million over a part-time job (CalMatters, September 2026)
️ Newsom's Final Months: A Failed Deal and Regulating AI (KQED,
September 2026)
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This newsletter is produced by the California State Association of Counties' Public Affairs &
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Inquires@counties.org.
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