AB 2136

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law, the CalHome Program, authorizes funds appropriated for purposes of the program to be used to enable low- and very low income households to become or remain homeowners. Existing law permits CalHome Program financial assistance to be provided as a secured forgivable loan to an individual household to rehabilitate, repair, or replace manufactured housing in a mobilehome park that is not permanently affixed to a foundation. Existing law requires that these loans be due and payable in 20 years, with 10% of the original principal to be forgiven annually for each additional year beyond the 10th year that the home is owned and continuously occupied by the borrower. This bill would require that loans provided pursuant to the CalHome Program Disaster Assistance for Imperial County that have been made for the purpose of rehabilitation, reconstruction, or replacement of lower income owner-occupied manufactured homes be due and payable in 10 years, with 20% of the original principal to be forgiven annually for each additional year beyond the 5th year that the manufactured home is owned and continuously occupied by the borrower. (2) 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 Imperial, which was declared by the Governor to be in a state of emergency due to the earthquake that occurred on April 4, 2010. By requiring moneys continuously appropriated from the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties to be allocated for the new purpose of reimbursing the County of Imperial for these property tax revenue reductions, this bill would make an appropriation. (3) 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 prohibit any dwelling that qualified for the exemption prior to April 4, 2010, that was damaged or destroyed by the earthquake in the County of Imperial, and that has not changed ownership since April 4, 2010, from being 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 the earthquake. (4) 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. (5) 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. (6) 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 Imperial as a result of the earthquake that occurred in April 2010. 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. (7) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.