Local government: property-related water and sewer fees and assessments: remedies.

The California Constitution specifies various requirements with respect to the levying of assessments and property-related fees and charges by a local agency, including notice, hearing, and protest procedures, depending on the character of the assessment, fee, or charge. Existing law, known as the Proposition 218 Omnibus Implementation Act, prescribes specific procedures and parameters for local jurisdictions to comply with these requirements. This bill would prohibit, if a local agency complies with specified procedures, a person or entity from bringing a judicial action or proceeding alleging noncompliance with the constitutional provisions for any new, increased, or extended fee or assessment, as defined, unless that person or entity has timely submitted to the local agency a written objection to that fee or assessment that specifies the grounds for alleging noncompliance, as specified. This bill would provide that local agency responses to the timely submitted written objections shall go to the weight of the evidence supporting the agency's compliance with the substantive limitations on fees and assessments imposed by the constitutional provisions. The bill would also prohibit an independent cause of action as to the adequacy of the local agency's responses. This bill would, if the local agency complies with the specified procedures, provide that in any judicial action or proceeding to review, invalidate, challenge, set aside, rescind, void, or annul the fee or assessment for failure to comply with the procedural and substantive requirements of specified constitutional provisions in the fee or assessment setting process, the court's review is limited to a record of proceedings containing specified documents, except as otherwise provided. The bill would provide that this limitation does not preclude any civil action related to a local agency's failure to implement a fee or assessment in compliance with the manner adopted by the local agency. The bill would make related findings and declarations.