Fair Share
Based on input from the public regarding the County’s share of state resources, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors called for a Special Meeting on August 3, 2022, to consider and approve a proposed ordinance relating to placing a measure on the November 8, 2022 ballot to pursue the County’s fair share of state and federal resources, up to and including secession from the State of California.
On August 9, 2022, the Board adopted Ordinance No. 4442 to place the measure on the November 8, 2022 ballot: “Do the people of San Bernardino County want San Bernardino County elected representatives to study and advocate for all options to obtain the County’s fair share of state funding, up to and including secession from the State of California?”
The measure, identified as Measure EE, passed with 50.62% of the votes.
News update
A Request for Proposals to obtain consultant services to conduct an analysis to determine the County’s fair share of state and federal funding was released on May 2, 2023. On June 16, 2023, two proposals were received. After evaluating both proposals, negotiations are currently underway with the most responsive consultant. Contract award is expected to take place in August 2023.
On August 22, 2023, the board awarded a contract to Blue Sky Consulting Group, LLC for consulting services to provide a comprehensive study on all options to obtain the County’s fair share of state and federal resources, in the amount of $192,400, for the period of August 22, 2023 through August 21, 2024.
The initial data analysis began after the contract award on August 22, 2023, and BlueSky delivered preliminary results on December 4, 2023. County Finance is now reviewing the preliminary results and will work with BlueSky to review the fair share analysis and verify all the areas of focus are addressed with an estimated completion date of January 18, 2024. Critical components of this project, such as exploring secession, including financial implications, as well as strategies for enhancing engagement with state and federal entities, are slated to be covered in a draft report by March 3, 2024.