County And City Buildings - - CA Military And Veterans

Section § 1260

This law clarifies several terms related to political subdivisions and veteran organizations. A "political subdivision" refers to local government entities like cities and counties. A "governing body" includes boards such as city councils or county supervisors that manage these entities. A "veterans association" is a group made up of people who served honorably in the military during wartime or specific missions, focusing on patriotic and supportive activities. The term "nonprofit veteran service agency" is defined in a different section, which is Section 999.51 of the Military and Veterans Code.

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates:

(a) “Political subdivision” means any city, county, district, or other local governmental agency.

(b) “Governing body” means the board of supervisors in the case of a county, or the city council or board of trustees or other governing board in the case of a city, district, or other local governmental agency.

(c) “Veterans association” or “veterans service organization” means any association or organization which is composed solely of persons who served honorably in time of war or in time of peace in a campaign or expedition for service in which a medal has been authorized by the government of the United States, as members of the Armed Forces of the United States, or who as citizens of the United States served honorably in time of war as members of the armed forces of any nation whose government was allied with the United States during that war, and which is organized for patriotic, fraternal, and benevolent objects.

(d) “Nonprofit veteran service agency” shall have the meaning given in Section 999.51 of the Military and Veterans Code.

political subdivision local governmental agency governing body board of supervisors city council veterans association veterans service organization Armed Forces patriotic activities fraternal objects benevolent objects nonprofit veteran service agency Military and Veterans Code honorable service allied nations

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 697, Sec. 1. (SB 725) Effective January 1, 2014.)

Section § 1261

This law allows local governments to lease out buildings or land they own, which they don't need for public use, to organizations that serve veterans. These leases can be up to 20 years long and can even be for a very low or nominal rent. The groups that can use these properties include veterans associations and nonprofit veteran service agencies within the area.

Any political subdivision may lease any lot or building or part thereof belonging to it and not required for public use, for not exceeding 20 years, or may acquire and lease or sublease any lot or building or part thereof for not exceeding 20 years, to a veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency organized in such political subdivision, to be used for the purposes of the veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency. The rental shall be fixed by the governing body of the political subdivisions, and may be nominal in amount.

political subdivision leasing veterans association nonprofit veteran service agency lease duration public use exemption veterans service organization nominal rental government property lease local government lease terms veteran organizations veteran service facilities lease or sublease terms supporting veterans community resources for veterans municipal property leasing

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 697, Sec. 2. (SB 725) Effective January 1, 2014.)

Section § 1262

This law allows counties in California to set up and maintain facilities such as buildings, parks, or recreation centers for veterans groups or organizations. Counties can acquire property, build, repair, and manage these facilities, and even join with cities and memorial districts to do so. They can also levy special taxes, establish funds, and incur debt for these purposes. Counties can also transfer property or funds to cities or memorial districts to support these veterans facilities.

Any county may provide, maintain, or provide and maintain buildings, memorial halls, meeting places, memorial parks, or recreation centers for the use or benefit of one or more veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies. For these purposes the board of supervisors of any county may:

(a) Purchase, receive by donation, condemn, lease, or acquire real or personal property necessary for such buildings, memorial parks, or recreation centers, and improve, preserve, manage, and control the same.

(b) Purchase, construct, lease, furnish, or repair such buildings, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof.

(c) Clear, grade, plant, irrigate, fence, and improve such memorial parks, or recreation centers, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof.

(d) Furnish sites for such buildings to be built by or for such organizations, and furnish sites for the erection thereon of such buildings, the funds for which shall be supplied by county authorities or from other sources. Any part or portion of any public lot, block, or park may be used for such purpose.

(e) Levy a special tax pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 50075) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code, and spend the proceeds for the purposes of this chapter.

(f) Establish a fund for the purposes hereof, and transfer from the General Fund to such fund such moneys as the board deems necessary.

(g) Incur, in the manner provided by law, a bonded indebtedness on behalf of the county for any of the purposes hereof.

(h) Join with any incorporated city in the county in the accomplishment of the above purposes and to that end hold jointly with such city all property acquired, and expend money in conjunction with such city in accomplishing the above purposes. Title to any property jointly so acquired by a county and a city may at any time be conveyed by either of the joint owners to the other without consideration other than to carry out the purposes of this section.

(i) Join with memorial districts in the purchase, acquisition, or construction of memorial halls, assembly halls, buildings, or meeting places, or in the accomplishment of any other purpose for which a memorial district has been organized, using the funds authorized to be raised by this section. Title to any property so purchased, acquired, or constructed may be taken in the name of the memorial district or jointly with the county, or the county may convey any property so acquired, purchased, or constructed to the memorial district without consideration to the county. The board of supervisors may transfer to a memorial district funds raised pursuant to this section to be expended by the district in furtherance of the purposes of the district under terms and conditions consistent with the purposes for which the funds were raised.

veterans associations memorial halls recreation centers veterans service organizations nonprofit veteran service agencies property acquisition facility maintenance special tax levy fund establishment bonded indebtedness intergovernmental cooperation city-county partnership memorial districts property transfer county board of supervisors

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 697, Sec. 3. (SB 725) Effective January 1, 2014.)

Section § 1262.1

This law allows up to 50% of certain funds from the General Fund to be given to water or sanitation districts to improve or build water supply or sewage facilities. This can only happen if the county's board of supervisors approves it by a four-fifths vote, deciding it benefits the public and community. The rest of the funds must be spent on other authorized projects in the community. A memorial plaque for veterans from the area funded must be displayed in a public spot. These contributions can be made regardless of other laws about county spending for these purposes.

Not to exceed 50 percent of any funds accumulated in, transferred from or accumulated by transfer from, the General Fund pursuant to, and for any of the purposes authorized in, Section 1262 for expenditure within an area or community may be contributed to any water district, sanitation district or other district or public agency encompassing or lying within the county for use by such district or public agency for construction or improvement of a water supply or water distribution facility or a sewage collection system or a sewage treatment facility servicing or designed to serve a community or area within such district or public agency, when it is found by a four-fifths vote of the board of supervisors to be in the best public interest and in the best interests of such community or area. The remainder of such funds so accumulated shall be expended within such community for one or more of the purposes authorized in Section 1262, and in connection therewith a plaque shall be placed and maintained in an appropriate public place commemorating veterans from and residing in the area and reciting appropriate credit for the community public facility to which such funds were contributed. The contributions authorized by this section may be made notwithstanding and independent of any other provision of law regarding or limiting county expenditures for such purpose or county contribution to such districts or agencies for expenditure for such purposes.

General Fund contributions water supply facility sewage treatment facility sanitation district funding community public facility board of supervisors approval veterans commemorative plaque county expenditure district contributions public agency funding community benefits infrastructure improvement fund allocation four-fifths vote requirement

(Added by Stats. 1968, Ch. 1445.)

Section § 1263

This law allows political subdivisions, like cities or counties, to use state-provided funds intended for acquiring and constructing public buildings for purposes related to this chapter.

Any money which is made available by the State to any political subdivision for the purposes of acquiring and constructing public buildings may be used for the purposes of this chapter.

state funds political subdivision public building construction acquisition of public buildings use of funds state-provided funds local government funding construction project funding chapter purposes municipal finance public infrastructure state funding allocation

(Added by Stats. 1946, 1st Ex. Sess., Ch. 110.)

Section § 1264

This law allows the government to let non-veterans use facilities that were built or maintained for veterans. They can use the facilities either for free or for a fee to help cover maintenance costs. However, this can only happen if it doesn't get in the way of veterans being able to use the facilities as intended.

The governing body maintaining any facilities constructed or maintained pursuant to this chapter may provide for the use of such facilities by persons or organizations other than veterans, either free of charge or for stated compensation to aid in defraying the cost of maintenance, for any purpose not inconsistent with the continued use pursuant to this chapter, when such use will not unduly interfere with the reasonable use of the facilities by a veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency.

veteran facilities use non-veteran use facility maintenance costs government authority nonprofit veteran service veterans association facility sharing facility compensation veterans service organization maintenance assistance facility access shared use policy facility availability veteran priority use

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 697, Sec. 4. (SB 725) Effective January 1, 2014.)

Section § 1265

This law allows a county's board of supervisors to sell land next to a cemetery to private cemetery owners. This land must be used only for burying veterans or their surviving spouses or domestic partners. Regular government sale procedures don't apply here, allowing more flexibility in the sale terms.

The board of supervisors of any county may sell real property contiguous to an existing cemetery which it acquired for the purposes of Section 1262 to the owners of a private cemetery upon terms and conditions mutually agreed upon, but which shall require the buyers to use that property exclusively for the burial of veterans or surviving spouses or domestic partners of veterans. Sections 25524 to 25537, inclusive, of the Government Code do not apply to a sale made pursuant to this section.

real property sale private cemetery owners veterans burial burial of veterans surviving spouses domestic partners contiguous property county board of supervisors land use restrictions Section 1262 Section 25524 to 25537 exclusive use for burial county land sale cemetery expansion property sale terms

(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 129, Sec. 106. (SB 1097) Effective January 1, 2025.)

Section § 1266

This law states that if a city or county has provided a building or facility for use by veterans' groups or organizations, that place is considered dedicated for public purposes. The city or county can't take back that dedication unless they provide a replacement, the veterans agree to the changes, or the facility use has been abandoned.

However, if the veterans' group has to leave for structural repairs like seismic upgrades, it doesn't count as abandonment.

(a) Whenever a city, county, or city and county has provided, maintained, or provided and maintained any building, memorial hall, meeting place, memorial park, or recreation center for the use or benefit of one or more veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies pursuant to Section 1262 or Section 37461 of the Government Code, the provision of that facility and its acceptance by the veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies constitutes a dedication of that property to a public purpose, and the city, county, or city and county may not revoke the dedication, so long as the veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies have not violated the terms and conditions of the dedication, unless the city, county, or city and county dedicates substitute facilities or unless the veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies have either consented to the proposed city, county, or city and county action or have abandoned use of the facilities.

(b) For purposes of subdivision (a), a property shall not be considered abandoned if the veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency is required to move from the property in order for the property to undergo seismic retrofitting or remodeling.

veterans associations veterans service organizations nonprofit veteran service agencies public purpose dedication facility use revocation of dedication substitute facilities dedicated facilities seismic retrofitting remodeling abandoned use structural repairs veterans facilities city and county property veterans rights

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 697, Sec. 5. (SB 725) Effective January 1, 2014.)