(1)Existing law authorizes a county board of supervisors to provide by ordinance for the reassessment of property that is damaged or destroyed, without fault on the part of the assessee, by a major misfortune or calamity, upon the application of the assessee or upon the action of the county assessor with the board’s approval. With respect to certain counties that have adopted reassessment ordinances and have been declared by the Governor to be in a state of emergency as a result of certain events, existing law provides for state allocations of the estimated amounts of the reductions in property tax revenues resulting in certain fiscal years from reassessments under those ordinances. Existing law also continuously appropriates, without regard to fiscal years, moneys in the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties for purposes of funding these state allocations.

This bill would provide for similar state allocations with respect to property tax revenue reductions resulting from a reassessment for damages incurred within the County of Santa Barbara, which was declared by the Governor to be in a state of emergency due to the wildfires that commenced in July 2008.

By requiring moneys continuously appropriated from the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties to be allocated for the new purpose of reimbursing the County of Santa Barbara for these property tax revenue reductions, this bill would make an appropriation.

(2)Existing property tax law provides, pursuant to a specified provision of the California Constitution, for a homeowners’ property tax exemption in the amount of $7,000 of the full value of a “dwelling,” as defined.

This bill would also provide that any dwelling that qualified for the exemption prior to July 1, 2008, that was damaged or destroyed by the wildfires in the County of Santa Barbara, as declared by the Governor in July 2008, and that has not changed ownership since July 1, 2008, may not be denied the exemption solely on the basis that the dwelling was temporarily damaged or destroyed or was being reconstructed by the owner, or was temporarily uninhabited as a result of restricted access to the property due to wildfires.

The California Constitution requires the Legislature, in each fiscal year, to reimburse local governments for the revenue losses incurred by those governments in that fiscal year as a result of the homeowners’ property tax exemption.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to make this required reimbursement in the annual Budget Act. By requiring local tax officials to implement new exemption criteria, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

(3)The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law provide for the carryover to specified taxable years of specified losses sustained as a result of certain disasters occurring in California in an area determined by the President of the United States to warrant specified federal assistance, or proclaimed by the Governor to be in a state of emergency.

This bill would extend these provisions to losses sustained in the County of Santa Barbara as a result of the wildfires that commenced in July 2008. This bill would authorize a taxpayer to make an election to claim a deduction for those losses on the tax return for the preceding year.

(4)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.