AB 853 (Arambula)
PROBLEM
Across California there are hundreds of unincorporated neighborhoods geographically surrounded by, or at the fringes of, cities and towns but excluded from there services. In the eight county San Joaquin Valley alone, there are over 150 of these neighborhoods. Predominantly low-income and Latino and/or African American, these neighborhoods have been systematically excluded by growing cities and are underserved in the overall allocation of resources. Dependent almost exclusively on their own limited financial resources, excluded from neighboring cities resources, and lacking strong political representation, residents of these areas often live without the most basic features of a safe and healthy environment—services like clean water, sewage lines, storm drains, streetlights, sidewalks and safe housing. Neglect and deprivation prevent these neighborhoods from realizing their potential as livable and economically viable communities and threaten the health, safety, and economic security of residents.
Annexation to a neighboring city can provide numerous benefits to these communities as well as to the county and neighboring city. These benefits include: healthier communities, more efficient delivery of basic infrastructure and community services, more focused investment in existing urban areas and increased opportunities for residents to participate in decision making processes that affect their communities.
Despite these benefits, existing law keeps disadvantaged unincorporated island and fringe communities from seeking annexation, by creating obstacles to annexation for unincorporated communities with limited financial resources.
SOLUTION
AB 853 will close existing loopholes and facilitate annexation of disadvantaged unincorporated fringe and island communities that lack basic infrastructure. AB 853 will accomplish this by establishing a unique annexation process that will apply only to disadvantaged unincorporated island and fringe communities with basic infrastructure deficits. This process will
- Give residents of disadvantaged unincorporated island and fringe communities the authority to petition their Board of Supervisors to initiate an annexation petition on behalf of their community;
- Require the Board of Supervisors to petition their respective Local Area Formation Commission for the annexation when the unincorporated community is low-income and lacks basic infrastructure;
- Reform the tax transfer agreement process to ensure that an agreement is met and the annexation application is able to move forward; and
- Require LAFCo’s approval of applications when the proposed annexation will result in public health and safety benefits for residents.
2009-10 Priority Housing Bills
AB 853 | New Tools for Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities
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