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Assemblymember Holden’s Monthly Property Tax Timeline for Seniors and Tobacco Cessation Legislation Cleared on Concurrence

For immediate release:

Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Property Tax Timeline for Seniors legislation, Assembly Bill 2691, and Tobacco Cessation Legislation, Assembly Bill 1696, cleared on concurrence. The bills now await Governor Jerry Brown’s Signature.

Assembly Bill 2691 will make it easier for seniors to pay their property tax through a monthly payment plan. The bill would authorize a county Board of Supervisors to implement a monthly property tax payment program for seniors and individuals currently collecting supplemental security income for a disability.

“For individuals living on a fixed income, it can be difficult to save up for a large bi-annual property tax expenditure,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “With the rise of new technology and online payment options, counties should be able to adopt a monthly payment program.”

Assembly Bill 1696 would help California’s underserved residents quit smoking and avoid a lifetime of health problems. The bill requires tobacco cessation medications, counseling, and assessments to be covered for Medi-Cal patients. Besides the detrimental health effects, smoking takes an $18.1 billion toll on California annually, according to a University of California, San Francisco study.

“Smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of the death in the United States” said Holden. “We have an opportunity to save lives and money with this bill.”

“The American Heart Association is proud to co-sponsor Assembly Bill 1696 to ensure that California’s most vulnerable will be able to access tobacco cessation programs, which have been shown to greatly increase the success rate for those trying to quit using tobacco,” said Dr. Diane Sobkowicz, Board President for the Sacramento division of the American Heart Association and Director of the Women's Heart Program at Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute. “Our state spends $3.5 billion each year treating tobacco-related diseases through Medi-Cal. Studies have shown that every $1 spent on cessation program costs results in $3 in medical savings, a return on investment that would substantially reduce our state’s tobacco-related medical expenditures.”