Senate must choke this ugly bill
Backed by SEIU, the massive service union, Assembly Bill 1250 is now before our Senate after passing the Assembly. It would negatively affect county contracts in the areas of education, health care, social services, mental health and public safety.
Although the bill presents itself as helping county costs, every board of supervisors in every California county, including Fresno, has signed onto a letter of opposition to this bill. Enough said.
The bill adds bureaucratic requirements that would, de facto, prohibit local contracting. It would prevent outside contracts from being approved whether the contractor can do the same or better services at lower rates than county employees. Although the contractor must pay for an audit, the contractor must not factor the audit cost into its contract.
A number of ambiguities in the bill will inevitably lead to costly litigation for counties. Among the services which will be impacted are counseling for children who are victims of sex trafficking and other behavioral health services; medical care at county hospitals and clinics; job training for the unemployed; legal services relating to immigration, and animal care services.
Emergency medical services and ambulance transport would also be impacted under this bill.
Assembly Bill 1250 should be stopped in its tracks.
Fausto Hinojosa, Reading and Beyond board chair
Luis Santana, executive director, Fresno
This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Senate must choke this ugly bill."