Existing law, the Joint Exercise of Powers Act, authorizes 2 or more public agencies, by agreement, to form a joint powers authority to exercise any power common to the contracting parties, as specified. Existing law, for the purposes of that act, defines the term "public agency" to include various federal, state, local, and tribal entities. Existing law requires approval by the Department of General Services of certain joint powers agreements that include the state as a member, as provided. Existing law authorizes a joint powers authority to issue revenue bonds to pay the costs and expenses of acquiring, constructing, or conducting a program for, among other things, low-income housing projects owned or operated by a city, county, city and county, or housing authority.
Existing law provides that the Treasurer and the Secretary of State are designated as elected representatives for federal tax purposes of a joint powers agency created to approve or certify the issuance of bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness issued by or on behalf of the joint powers agency to the extent approval is required by federal tax law.
This bill would provide that the geographic jurisdiction of a joint powers authority is the area encompassed by the combined geographical boundaries of all of its member public agencies. The bill would declare that these provisions are declaratory of existing law.
This bill would additionally authorize the Treasurer to execute an agreement including the state as a member of a joint powers authority without obtaining approval from the Department of General Services only for the Treasurer to provide specified approvals for bonds issued by the joint powers authority to finance specified residential rental projects for which a city, county, or city and county that is a member of the joint powers authority has failed to provide specified approval required by federal tax law, as defined and provided. The bill would provide that its provisions do not expand, limit, or otherwise affect the authority of, among others, the state, or any officer or agency of the state, to enter into a joint exercise of powers agreement or cause the state to become a member of a joint powers authority, as specified.
Existing law additionally authorizes, subject to specified limitations, any city or county to issue revenue bonds for the purpose of financing the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, refinancing, or development of multifamily rental housing and for the provision of capital improvements in connection with, and determined necessary to, that multifamily rental housing.
This bill would specify that, for the purposes of the above-described provisions, "city" or "county" is deemed to include the state when the state is a member of a joint powers authority pursuant to the bill's provisions only to provide the state with the power to issue bonds and provide approval, consent, or other action required to finance specified residential rental projects, as provided.
Existing law provides that the State of California will not change the composition of a joint powers authority that has issued bonds, unless the change is authorized by a majority vote of applicable legislative bodies, as provided. Existing law defines "change in composition" to include, among others, the addition of a public agency, as defined, to a joint powers authority.
This bill would, notwithstanding the above-described definition, provide that the state becoming a member of an existing joint powers authority shall not, in and of itself, constitute a "change in composition."
The bill would make additional nonsubstantive and conforming changes.
Existing law, the Subdivision Map Act, provides for the approval of tentative and final parcel maps by various local officials, as specified. The act authorizes an appeal of the local official's decision to the local legislative body, as provided.
This bill would create an exception from the above-described authority as it applies to appeals by an interested person for maps that meet specified criteria, as provided. The bill would exempt from these provisions an appeal filed by an applicant, subdivider, tenant, advisory agency, or public agency or official, as specified.
This bill would make the provisions of the act severable.

Statutes affected:
SB 677: 4751 CIV, 65852.21 GOV, 65913.4 GOV, 66411.7 GOV, 30500.1 PRC
02/21/25 - Introduced: 4751 CIV, 65852.21 GOV, 65913.4 GOV, 66411.7 GOV, 30500.1 PRC
04/01/25 - Amended Senate: 4751 CIV, 65852.21 GOV, 65913.4 GOV, 66411.7 GOV, 30500.1 PRC
04/09/25 - Amended Senate: 4751 CIV, 65852.21 GOV, 65913.4 GOV, 66411.7 GOV
01/05/26 - Amended Senate: 65912.156 GOV, 65912.156 GOV, 65912.157 GOV, 65912.157 GOV, 65912.158 GOV, 65912.158 GOV
01/08/26 - Amended Senate: 65912.156 GOV, 65912.156 GOV
06/08/26 - Amended Assembly: 65589.5 GOV, 65589.5 GOV, 66452.5 GOV, 66452.5 GOV, 66458 GOV, 66458 GOV, 66462 GOV, 66462 GOV, 66474.7 GOV, 66474.7 GOV, 65912.156 GOV
06/24/26 - Amended Assembly: 65589.5 GOV, 66452.5 GOV, 66458 GOV, 66462 GOV, 66474.7 GOV
07/07/26 - Amended Assembly: 65589.5 GOV, 6519 GOV, 6519 GOV, 6547.9 GOV, 6547.9 GOV, 66452.5 GOV, 66458 GOV, 66462 GOV, 66474.7 GOV
08/20/26 - Amended Assembly: 6519 GOV, 6547.9 GOV, 66452.5 GOV, 66458 GOV, 66462 GOV, 66474.7 GOV, 52011.5 HSC, 52011.5 HSC
09/01/26 - Enrolled: 6519 GOV, 66452.5 GOV, 66458 GOV, 66462 GOV, 66474.7 GOV, 52011.5 HSC
SB677: 65912.156 GOV, 65912.156 GOV