Chapter 2. General Provisions of California Government Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 7. >> Chapter 2.

Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions contained in this chapter govern the construction of this part. The definition of a word applies to any variants thereof and the singular tense of a word includes the plural.

"City" means any city whether general law or charter, except a city and county.

"Commission" means the Commission on State Mandates.

"Costs mandated by the federal government" means any increased costs incurred by a local agency or school district after January 1, 1973, in order to comply with the requirements of a federal statute or regulation. "Costs mandated by the federal government" includes costs resulting from enactment of a state law or regulation where failure to enact that law or regulation to meet specific federal program or service requirements imposed upon the state would result in substantial monetary penalties or loss of funds to public or private persons in the state whether the federal law was enacted before or after the enactment of the state law, regulation, or executive order. "Costs mandated by the federal government" does not include costs which are specifically reimbursed or funded by the federal or state government or programs or services which may be implemented at the option of the state, local agency, or school district.

"Costs mandated by the state" means any increased costs which a local agency or school district is required to incur after July 1, 1980, as a result of any statute enacted on or after January 1, 1975, or any executive order implementing any statute enacted on or after January 1, 1975, which mandates a new program or higher level of service of an existing program within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

"County" means any chartered or general law county. "County" includes a city and county.

"Executive order" means an order, plan, requirement, rule, or regulation issued by any of the following:
  (a) The Governor.
  (b) An officer or official serving at the pleasure of the Governor.
  (c) An agency, department, board, or commission of state government.

"Cost savings authorized by the state" means any decreased costs that a local agency or school district realizes as a result of any statute enacted or any executive order adopted that permits or requires the discontinuance of or a reduction in the level of service of an existing program that was mandated before January 1, 1975.

"Local agency" means any city, county, special district, authority, or other political subdivision of the state.

(a) "Reasonable reimbursement methodology" means a formula for reimbursing local agencies and school districts for costs mandated by the state, as defined in Section 17514.
  (b) A reasonable reimbursement methodology shall be based on cost information from a representative sample of eligible claimants, information provided by associations of local agencies and school districts, or other projections of local costs.
  (c) A reasonable reimbursement methodology shall consider the variation in costs among local agencies and school districts to implement the mandate in a cost-efficient manner.
  (d) Whenever possible, a reasonable reimbursement methodology shall be based on general allocation formulas, uniform cost allowances, and other approximations of local costs mandated by the state, rather than detailed documentation of actual local costs. In cases when local agencies and school districts are projected to incur costs to implement a mandate over a period of more than one fiscal year, the determination of a reasonable reimbursement methodology may consider local costs and state reimbursements over a period of greater than one fiscal year, but not exceeding 10 years.
  (e) A reasonable reimbursement methodology may be developed by any of the following:
  (1) The Department of Finance.
  (2) The Controller.
  (3) An affected state agency.
  (4) A claimant.
  (5) An interested party.

"School district" means any school district, community college district, or county superintendent of schools.

"Special district" means any agency of the state that performs governmental or proprietary functions within limited boundaries. "Special district" includes a county service area, a maintenance district or area, an improvement district or improvement zone, or any other zone or area. "Special district" does not include a city, a county, a school district, or a community college district. County free libraries established pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 19100 of Part 11 of the Education Code, areas receiving county fire protection services pursuant to Section 25643 of the Government Code, and county road districts established pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 1550) of Division 2 of the Streets and Highways Code shall be considered "special districts" for all purposes of this part.

"Test claim" means the first claim filed with the commission alleging that a particular statute or executive order imposes costs mandated by the state, and includes a claim filed pursuant to Section 17574.

"Legislatively determined mandate" means the provisions of a statute or executive order that the Legislature, pursuant to Article 1.5, has declared by statute to be a mandate for which reimbursement is required by Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

(a) "Initial reimbursement claim" means a claim filed with the Controller by a local agency or school district for costs to be reimbursed for the fiscal years specified in the first claiming instructions issued by the Controller pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 17558.
  (b) "Annual reimbursement claim" means a claim for actual costs incurred in a prior fiscal year filed with the Controller by a local agency or school district for which appropriations are made to the Controller for this purpose.
  (c) "Entitlement claim" means a claim filed by a local agency or school district with the Controller for the purpose of establishing or adjusting a base year entitlement. All entitlement claims are subject to Section 17616.

"Deflator" means the Implicit Price Deflator for the Costs of Goods and Services to Governmental Agencies, as determined by the Department of Finance.

"Base year entitlement" means that amount determined to be the average for the approved reimbursement claims of each local agency or school district for the three preceding fiscal years adjusted by the change in the deflator. A base year entitlement shall not include any nonrecurring or initial startup costs incurred by a local agency or school district in any of those three fiscal years. For those mandates which become operative on January 1 of any year, the amount of the "approved reimbursement claim" for the first of the three years may be computed by annualizing the amount claimed for the six-month period of January through June in that first year, excluding nonrecurring or startup costs.