Board opens and closes TEFRA hearings, moves forward on $26M for CCA and $50M for CalSTAR

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors opened and closed two TEFRA public hearings and moved both items forward by voice vote during the meeting.

Item 17 concerned a proposal by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority to issue tax-exempt obligations of up to $26,000,000 to finance or refinance capital facilities for the California College of the Arts in Oakland. County staff emphasized that the county would have no financial obligation and that the board was serving as a host agency. No members of the public spoke on Item 17; the board moved to close the hearing and approved the matter.

Item 18 was a TEFRA hearing on a proposed issuance of tax-exempt obligations not to exceed $50,000,000 to finance or refinance air-rescue helicopters for California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CalSTAR), a nonprofit. Again, staff stated the county would not incur financial liability and the board opened and then closed the hearing and approved the item by voice vote.

Both items were presented as routine TEFRA host-agency hearings; motions to open and close the public hearings and to approve the matters were made and seconded by supervisors in attendance. The board recorded voice votes and the items passed.

The board’s actions were procedural host-agency approvals for tax-exempt financings; the county’s staff repeatedly noted that the obligations are being issued by the state-authorized entity (California Statewide Communities Development Authority) and not by Alameda County.