(1) Existing law requires specified county officers, including the public administrator, to be elected by the people. Existing law authorizes the boards of supervisors of specified counties to provide, by ordinance, that the public administrator be appointed by the board. Existing law also authorizes the boards of supervisors of specified counties, by ordinance, to appoint the same person to the offices of public administrator and public guardian, and to, at any time, separate the consolidated offices of the district attorney and public administrator, as specified.

This bill would apply those provisions to the County of Merced.

(2) Existing law establishes the office of the county clerk, and requires a county clerk, among other things, to take charge of and safely keep all books, papers, and records that are filed or deposited in the county clerk's office pursuant to law.

This bill would make technical changes to various provisions relating to the county clerk to use gender-neutral language and update a cross-reference.

(3) Existing law establishes the office of county recorder and specifically requires the county recorder within 30 days of recordation of a deed, quitclaim deed, mortgage, or deed of trust, to notify by mail the party or parties executing the document, as specified. Existing law requires this notification to be sent to the address for mailing tax bills that was established prior to the recording of the document.

This bill would instead require a county recorder to mail the required notice to the current assessee at the most recent address for mailing tax bills that was established prior to the recording of the document.

(4) Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a local agency, as defined, having moneys in a sinking fund or moneys in its treasury not required for the immediate needs of the local agency to invest any portion of the moneys that it deems wise or expedient. In this regard, existing law authorizes investment in commercial paper issued by entities meeting one of 2 sets of specified requirements if certain conditions are met. Specifically, existing law requires the issuing entity either to be a general corporation organized and operating in the United States with minimum specified assets and having debt other than commercial paper with at least an "A" rating or to be a special purpose corporation, trust, or limited liability company organized in the United States with program-wide credit enhancements and commercial paper with at least an "A-1" rating.

This bill would additionally authorize investment in commercial paper issued by an entity of the 2nd type if that entity is organized within the United States as a federally or state-chartered bank or a federally or state-licensed branch of a foreign bank.

Existing law additionally authorizes investment in United States dollar denominated senior unsecured unsubordinated obligations issued or unconditionally guaranteed by specified development banks if certain conditions are met.

This bill would additionally authorize investment in the above-described obligations issued or unconditionally guaranteed by the Inter-American Investment Corporation.

(5) Existing law makes the treasurer of a local agency responsible for the safekeeping of money and authorizes them to enter into a contract with a depository, as specified. Existing law requires the depository and the depository agent to secure the deposits in eligible securities. Existing law defines eligible securities for this purpose to include, among other things, letters of credit issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, as specified.

This bill, for a county, city and county, or local agency that pools money in deposits or investments with other agencies and with assets under management of over $100,000,000, would additionally authorize an eligible bank headquartered outside of the state to submit letters of credit drawn on its federal home loan bank, as specified.

(6) Existing law requires a local agency to declare land either "surplus land" or "exempt surplus land," as supported by written findings, before the local agency may take any action to dispose of it consistent with an agency's policies or procedures. Existing law generally requires a local agency, before disposing of or negotiating to dispose of surplus land, to provide a written notice of the availability of the surplus land to specified entities and housing sponsors. Under existing law, land declared as "exempt surplus land" is not subject to these requirements. Existing law defines "exempt surplus land" to mean, among other things, surplus land totaling 10 or more acres, consisting of either a single parcel, or 2 or more adjacent or nonadjacent parcels combined for disposition to one or more buyers pursuant to a plan or ordinance adopted by the legislative body of the local agency, or a state statute.

This bill would revise this definition of "exempt surplus land" to remove the reference to buyers and instead mean 2 or more adjacent or nonadjacent parcels combined for disposition to one or more persons or entities, as specified.

(7) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for County of Merced.