The list of people jumping on the anti-AB1692 band wagon grew on Monday, when the Sac Bee published an editorial described the bill as a “noxious piece of legislation.”
AB 1692 has appeared on PublicCEO several times in the last few months, described often as an example of the duplicitous approach taken by the state in its relationship with local government. However, the strong opining by the Sacramento Bee against the measure is a signal of how bad the proposed law actually is.
In the opinion of the editorial writers, AB 1692 has made Stockton’s situation worse, resulting in the repossession of a couple of the city’s parking garages and its newly built city hall. They’re pressing the Senate to break with the Assembly and reject the bill.
From the Sacramento Bee:
Despite objections from the mayors of California’s 10 largest cities, the Assembly last week approved Assembly Bill 1692 by Fremont Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski. The bill will make it harder for cities to seek bankruptcy protection.
It reneges on a carefully crafted compromise measure approved just six months ago that requires financially beleaguered cities to enter into good-faith negotiations with their creditors, including most significantly, public employee unions, before filing for bankruptcy protection.
Read the full article here.