SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) has introduced a bill package to help Del Norte and Mendocino counties recover from the damage caused by the March 11 tsunami.

One bill would ensure the state covers the entire local government cost of responding to the emergency, while the second bill would provide tax relief for those who suffered a significant loss of income, his office reported Friday.

AB 1429 is the bill to ensure local governments are compensated for the expenses they incurred responding to the emergency caused by the tsunami and its aftermath.

If the federal government eventually declares a federal disaster in counties that suffered tsunami damage, the federal government will pay 75 percent of the cost of responding to the emergency, Chesbro's office said. Normally, the state covers 75 percent of the remaining 25 percent and the local government is responsible for the remainder.

Under AB 1429, Chesbro is proposing that the state would reimburse local governments for the full amount of their expenses not reimbursed by the federal government, even if the federal government does not declare a Federal Disaster.

“Crescent City and Fort Bragg are already grappling with the economic blow caused by the tsunami surges that crashed into the North Coast,” Chesbro said. “This comes on top of a time when local governments are financially strapped and responding to a natural disaster is a considerable financial burden.”

AB 1428 would provide tax relief for those in Del Norte and Mendocino counties who suffered a large loss of income as a result of tsunami damage.

“AB 1428 will help lighten the blow for those who lost a significant amount of income by allowing individuals and companies to carry over financial losses to subsequent tax years if the amount of their loss exceeds the amount of the allowed deduction in the current tax year,” Chesbro said.

In addition to these bills, Chesbro last week asked Gov. Jerry Brown to waive the normal one-week waiting period to file for unemployment for those who lost their jobs as a result of the tsunami. The governor agreed and issued a proclamation waiving the waiting period on March 18.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.