Paradise Irrigation Dist. v. Comm'n on State Mandates

*658 This appeal focuses on circumstances in which local water districts may be entitled to subvention for unfunded state mandates. "Subvention" refers to claims by local governments and agencies in California for reimbursement from the state for costs of complying with state mandates for which the mandate does not concomitantly provide funds to the local agency. ( Connell v. Superior Court (1997) 59 Cal.App.4th 382 , 395, 69 Cal.Rptr.2d 231 ( Connell ).) In the event a local agency believes it is entitled to subvention for a new unfunded state mandate, the agency may file a "test claim" with the Commission on State Mandates (Commission). The Commission hears the matter and determines whether the statute or executive order constitutes an unfunded state mandate for which subvention is required.

Here, the Commission denied consolidated test claims for subvention by appellants Paradise Irrigation District (Paradise), South Feather Water & Power Agency (South Feather), Richvale Irrigation District (Richvale), Biggs-West Gridley Water District (Biggs), Oakdale Irrigation District (Oakdale), and Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (Glenn-Colusa). We refer to appellants collectively as the…