Today, the Office of Governor Brown announced that Senate Bill 929 (McGuire) has been signed into law.
As has been previously reported, SB 929 is the legislation that CSDA brought to Senator McGuire that will require all independent special districts to maintain a website – with specified exemptions. SB 929 promotes accountability of special districts, while striking a delicate balance between promoting transparency and ensuring local flexibility while recognizing the cost barriers and technical limitations inherent in some communities.
Passage of SB 929 was made possible in no small part thanks to the efforts of those local agencies which responded to CSDA’s Call to Action, demonstrating how special districts are committed to empowering their local communities and promoting effective-yet-thoughtful approaches to governmental oversight.
SB 929, which goes into effect on January 1, 2020, requires all independent special districts to maintain a website conforming to all existing requirements that local agency websites are obligated to follow, and the website must clearly list the contact information of the independent special district. Importantly, independent special districts exempted from these requirements are those that adopt a resolution that contains the following information:
- A determination that a hardship exists that prevents the district from establishing and maintaining a Web site, and
- Detailed findings noted in the official meeting minutes supporting the related hardship. Such hardships can include but are not limited to: inadequate access to broadband communications, significantly limited financial resources, or insufficient staff resources.
CSDA would like to thank those who sent in letters of support on SB 929. Your actions demonstrate how districts truly are stronger together.