Section 97.70.
Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 97.70.
in effectNotwithstanding any other law, for the 2004–05 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, all of the following apply:
(a)
(1)
(A)
The auditor shall reduce the total amount of ad valorem property tax revenue that is otherwise required to be allocated to a county’s Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund by the countywide vehicle license fee adjustment amount.
(B)
If, for the fiscal year, after complying with Section 97.68 there is not enough ad valorem property tax revenue that is otherwise required to be allocated to a county Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund for the auditor to complete the allocation reduction
required by subparagraph (A), the auditor shall
additionally reduce the total amount of ad valorem property tax revenue that is otherwise required to be allocated to all school districts and community college districts in the county for that fiscal year by an amount equal to the difference between the countywide vehicle license fee adjustment amount and the amount of ad valorem property tax revenue that is otherwise required to be allocated to the county Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund for that fiscal year. This reduction for each school district and community college district in the county shall be the percentage share of the total reduction that is equal to the proportion that the total amount of ad valorem property tax revenue that is otherwise required to be allocated to the school district or community college district bears to the total amount of ad valorem property tax revenue that is otherwise required to be allocated to
all school districts and community college districts in a county. For purposes of this subparagraph, “school districts” and “community college districts” do not include any districts that are excess tax school entities, as defined in Section 95.
(2)
The countywide vehicle license fee adjustment amount shall be allocated to the Vehicle License Fee Property Tax Compensation Fund that shall be established in the treasury of each county.
(b)
(1)
The auditor shall allocate moneys in the Vehicle License Fee Property Tax Compensation Fund according to the following:
(A)
Each city in the county shall receive its vehicle license fee adjustment amount.
(B)
Each county and city and county shall receive its vehicle license fee adjustment amount.
(2)
The auditor shall allocate one-half of the amount specified in paragraph (1) on or before January 31 of each fiscal year, and the other one-half on or before May 31 of each fiscal year.
(c)
For purposes of this section, all of the following apply:
(1)
“Vehicle license fee adjustment amount” for a particular city, county, or a city and county means, subject to an adjustment under paragraph (2) and Section 97.71, all of the following:
(A)
For the 2004–05 fiscal year, an amount equal to the difference between the following two amounts:
(i)
The estimated total amount of revenue that would have been deposited to the credit of the Motor Vehicle License Fee Account in the Transportation Tax Fund, including any amounts that would have been certified to the Controller by the auditor of the County of Ventura under subdivision (j) of Section 98.02, as that section read on January 1, 2004, for distribution under the law as it read on January 1, 2004, to the county, city and county, or city for the 2004–05 fiscal year if the fee otherwise due under the Vehicle License Fee Law (Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2) was 2 percent of the market value of a vehicle, as specified in Sections 10752 and 10752.1 as those sections read on January 1, 2004.
(ii)
The estimated total amount of revenue that is required to be distributed
from the Motor Vehicle License Fee Account in the Transportation Tax Fund to the county, city and county, and each city in the county for the 2004–05 fiscal year under Section 11005, as that section read on the operative date of the act that amended this clause.
(B)
(i)
Subject to an adjustment under clause (ii), for the
2005–06 fiscal year, the sum of the following two amounts:
(I)
The difference between the following two amounts:
(ia)
The actual total amount of revenue that would have been deposited to the credit of the Motor Vehicle License Fee Account in the Transportation Tax Fund, including any amounts that would have been certified to the Controller by the auditor of the County of Ventura under subdivision (j) of Section 98.02, as that section read on January 1, 2004, for distribution under the law as it read on January 1, 2004, to the county, city and county, or city for the 2004–05 fiscal year if the fee otherwise due under the Vehicle License Fee Law (Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2) was 2 percent of the market value of a vehicle, as specified in Sections
10752 and 10752.1 as those sections read on January 1, 2004.
(ib)
The actual total amount of revenue that was distributed from the Motor Vehicle License Fee Account in the Transportation Tax Fund to the county, city and county, and each city in the county for the 2004–05 fiscal year under Section 11005, as that section read on the operative date of the act that amended this subsubclause.
(II)
The product of the following two amounts:
(ia)
The amount described in subclause (I).
(ib)
The percentage change from the prior fiscal year to the current fiscal year in gross taxable assessed valuation within the jurisdiction of the entity, as reflected in the equalized
assessment roll for those fiscal years. For the first fiscal year for which a change in a city’s jurisdictional boundaries first applies, the percentage change in gross taxable assessed valuation from the
prior fiscal year to the current fiscal year shall be calculated solely on the basis of the city’s previous jurisdictional boundaries, without regard to the change in that city’s jurisdictional boundaries. For each following fiscal year, the percentage change in gross taxable assessed valuation from the prior fiscal year to the current fiscal year shall be calculated on the basis of the city’s current jurisdictional boundaries.
(ii)
The amount described in clause (i) shall be adjusted as follows:
(I)
If the amount described in subclause (I) of clause (i) for a particular city, county, or city and county is greater than the amount described in subparagraph (A) for that city, county, or city and county, the amount described in clause (i) shall be increased by an
amount equal to this difference.
(II)
If the amount described in subclause (I) of clause (i) for a particular city, county, or city and county is less than the amount described in subparagraph (A) for that city, county, or city and county, the amount described in clause (i) shall be decreased by an amount equal to this difference.
(C)
For the 2006–07 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, the sum of the following two amounts:
(i)
The vehicle license fee adjustment amount for the prior fiscal year, if Section 97.71 and clause (ii) of subparagraph (B) did not apply for that fiscal year, for that city, county, and city and county.
(ii)
The product of the
following two amounts:
(I)
The amount described in clause (i).
(II)
The percentage change from the prior fiscal year to the current fiscal year in gross taxable assessed valuation within the jurisdiction of the entity, as reflected in the equalized assessment roll for those fiscal years. For the first fiscal year for which a change in a city’s jurisdictional boundaries first applies, the percentage change in gross taxable assessed valuation from the prior fiscal year to the current fiscal year shall be calculated solely on the basis of the city’s previous jurisdictional boundaries, without regard to the change in that city’s jurisdictional boundaries. For each following fiscal year, the percentage change in gross taxable assessed valuation from the prior fiscal year to the current fiscal
year shall be calculated on the basis of the city’s current jurisdictional boundaries.
(2)
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), “vehicle license fee adjustment amount,” for a city incorporating after January 1, 2004, and on or before January 1, 2012, means the following:
(A)
For the 2017–18 fiscal year, the quotient derived from the following fraction:
(i)
The numerator is the product of the following two amounts:
(I)
The sum of the most recent vehicle license fee adjustment amounts determined for all cities in the county.
(II)
The population of the incorporating city.
(ii)
The denominator is the sum of the populations of all cities in the county.
(B)
For the 2018–19 fiscal year, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the sum of the following two amounts:
(i)
The vehicle license fee adjustment amount for the prior fiscal year.
(ii)
The product of the following two amounts:
(I)
The amount described in clause (i).
(II)
The percentage change from the prior fiscal year to the current fiscal year in gross taxable assessed valuation within the jurisdiction of the entity, as reflected in the equalized assessment roll
for those fiscal years.
(3)
For the 2013–14 fiscal year, the vehicle license fee adjustment amount that is determined under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) for the County of Orange shall be increased by fifty-three million dollars ($53,000,000). For the 2014–15 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, the calculation of the vehicle license fee adjustment amount for the County of Orange under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) shall be based on a prior fiscal year amount that reflects the full amount of this one-time increase of fifty-three million dollars ($53,000,000).
(4)
“Countywide vehicle license fee adjustment amount” means, for any fiscal year, the total sum of the amounts described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) for a county or city and county, and each city in
the county.
(5)
On or before June 30 of each fiscal year, the auditor shall report to the Controller, in an electronic format provided by the Controller, the vehicle license fee adjustment amount for the county and each city in the county for that fiscal year. The Controller shall make the information available to the public in a readily accessible compiled electronic file via the Controller’s internet website on or before September 1 of each year.
(d)
For the 2005–06 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, the amounts determined under subdivision (a) of Section 96.1, or any successor to that provision, shall not reflect, for a preceding fiscal year, any portion of any allocation required by this section.
(e)
For
purposes of Section 15 of Article XI of the California Constitution, the allocations from a Vehicle License Fee Property Tax Compensation Fund constitute successor taxes that are otherwise required to be allocated to counties and cities, and as successor taxes, the obligation to make those transfers as required by this section shall not be extinguished nor disregarded in any
manner that adversely affects the security of, or the ability of, a county or city to pay the principal and interest on any debts or obligations that were funded or secured by that city’s or county’s allocated share of motor vehicle license fee revenues.
(f)
This section shall not be construed to do any of the following:
(1)
Reduce any allocations of excess, additional, or remaining funds that would otherwise have been allocated to county superintendents of schools, cities, counties, and cities and counties pursuant to clause (i) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of Sections 97.2 and 97.3 or Article 4 (commencing with Section 98) had this section not been enacted. The allocations required by this section shall be adjusted to comply with this paragraph.
(2)
Require an increased ad valorem property tax revenue allocation or increased tax increment allocation to a community redevelopment agency.
(3)
Alter the manner in which ad valorem property tax revenue growth from fiscal year to fiscal year is otherwise determined or allocated in a county.
(4)
Reduce ad valorem property tax revenue allocations required under Article 4 (commencing with Section 98).
(g)
Tax exchange or revenue sharing agreements, entered into prior to the operative date of this section, between local agencies or between local agencies and nonlocal agencies are deemed to be modified to account for the reduced vehicle license fee revenues resulting
from the act that added this section. These agreements are modified in that these reduced revenues are, in kind and in lieu thereof, replaced with ad valorem property tax revenue from a
Vehicle License Fee Property Tax Compensation Fund or an Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund.
References
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 97.68.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 95.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 97.71.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 98.02.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10701.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10752.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 11005.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 96.1.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 15.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 97.2.
referencesCal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 98.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026