TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: Executive Office
MEETING DATE: July 7, 2026
DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
Heather Correll Rose
PHONE:
707-234-6061
ITEM TYPE: Consent Agenda
TIME ALLOCATED FOR ITEM: N/A
AGENDA TITLE:
title
Approval to Join the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities (CAJPA) Coalition Letter Supporting Tort Reform
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION/MOTION:
recommendation
Approve joining the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities (CAJPA) Coalition Letter supporting Tort Reform; and authorize Chair to sign same.
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PREVIOUS BOARD/BOARD COMMITTEE ACTIONS:
A presentation on the state of the California Liability Landscape was given to the Board of Supervisors on January 13, 2026.
SUMMARY OF REQUEST:
Public entities across California continue to face a challenging liability environment. Nuclear verdicts and large settlements are significantly increasing insurance costs, which according to industry wide statistics, have tripled over the last 7 years, and are putting pressure on public entity general funds. As a result, new approaches are needed to help educate the Legislature about these issues and the impact they are having on all public entities.
Over the past several months, public entities have submitted tort reform recommendations to the Legislature. In addition, the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities (CAJPA), recently submitted a coalition letter explaining the need for tort reform and outlining specific reform concepts supported by CAJPA and several other organizations.
The coalition letter focuses on three proposed reforms: Tort caps; Requiring public entities to pay only their proportional share of economic damages based on fault; Establishing heightened evidentiary standards for claims where witnesses, records, and archived evidence are unavailable or insufficient to determine culpability.
Joining with the coalition letter would signal the Mendocino County Board of Supervisor's support for me...
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