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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 08-21 Approving the 2021 City of Dublin Legislative PlatformReso. No. 08-21, Item 4.7, Adopted 02/02/2021 Page 1 of 1 RESOLUTION NO. 08 - 21 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN APPROVING THE 2021 CITY OF DUBLIN LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM WHEREAS, the 2021 City of Dublin Legislative Platform (“Platform”) outlines the City’s legislative priorities and positions to inform residents, representatives, and policy makers; and WHEREAS, these legislative priorities are guided by the City’s Mission and identified through General Legislative Principles and Public Policy Positions which will determine the City’s position on various legislative proposals; and WHEREAS, the Platform provides Staff with direction and authorizes them, on the City Council’s behalf, to quickly respond in support or opposition to bills, and other legislative or gubernatorial actions in time sensitive situations, in accordance with the processes identified in the Platform. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Dublin adopts the 2021 City of Dublin Legislative Platform attached hereto as Exhibit A. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor or her designee is authorized to sign letters of opposition or letters of support as drafted by City Staff for legislation as long as they are consistent with the Platform. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of February 2021, by the following vote: AYES: Councilmembers Hu, Josey, Kumagai, McCorriston and Mayor Hernandez NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ______________________________ Mayor ATTEST: __________________________ City Clerk 2021 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM FEDERAL AND STATE POLICY PRIORITIES FEBRUARY 2021 Introduction Many public policies intersect with City priorities, programs, and services. This 2021 Legislative Platform (Platform) outlines the City of Dublin’s legislative priorities and positions on these policies to inform residents, representatives, and policymakers. These priorities are applicable to all relevant legislation, policies, programs, grant funding opportunities, ballot measures, mandates, and budgets. The Mission of the City of Dublin is to promote and support a high quality of life, ensure a safe and secure environment, foster new opportunities, provide equity across all programs, and champion a culture of diversity and inclusion. This Mission shall guide the City’s Legislative Platform. This Platform provides Staff with direction and authorizes them, on the City Council’s behalf, to quickly respond in support of or opposition to bills and other legislative or gubernatorial actions in time-sensitive situations. Additionally, the Platform enables staff to communicate Dublin-specific issues and impacts with state legislators. Staff may draft letters, direct our legislative advocates, or speak on behalf of the City regarding the legislative priorities this document outlines. Any correspondence signifying the City’s support or opposition of a given bill must be signed by the Mayor and/or City Manager with notification to the City Council. Any questions regarding this Legislative Platform can be directed to John Stefanski, Assistant to the City Manager at John.Stefanski@dublin.ca.gov. Platform Overview and Coordination This Legislative Platform serves as the foundation for any City legislative advocacy at all levels of government. It informs the City’s legislative representatives of the key issues and legislation that could have a potential impact on the City and the process in which the City will participate in the legislative process. The City will employ several strategies to advocate or advance the City’s public policy interests. These strategies include: • Position Development o Reviewing analyses and positions by the League of California Cities, legislative advocates, and other local government / professional associations in formulating the City’s position. o Working with City departments, legislative advocate(s) to develop this platform and identify positions on proposed legislative measures. • Status Tracking o Tracking key bills through the legislative process. • Communication and Advocacy o Communicating the City’s position, in accordance with this Platform, through correspondence, testimony, and in-person meetings. o Working cooperatively with other cities, associations, and the League of California Cities on advocating the City’s legislative position. o Meeting with legislators and their representatives, as well as other federal, state and county government officials on a regular basis, to discuss local government issues, proposed legislation, requests for funding assistance, and City programs and services. Page 3 of 8 The City Manager’s Office will exercise day-to-day oversight of legislative matters. In addition to coordinating formal action through the City Council, the City Manager and her designee will manage the City’s Legislative Platform. Staff will follow the process below when responding to all proposed and relevant legislation, polices, programs, grant funding opportunities, ballot measures, mandates, and budgets. 1. Review and determine whether a proposal will impact the City. 2. Prepare a letter outlining the City’s position for the Mayor’s or City Manager’s signature. 3. Distribute the letter to the legislation’s author(s), the City Council, and other relevant parties. In scenarios where a proposal or regulation arises that may impact the City and is not covered by this Legislative Platform, Staff will prepare a draft position letter for the City Council to review prior to distribution. General Legislative Principles The City values its ability and authority to exercise local control and to protect and enhance the quality of life for Dublin residents. To that end, the City has two general legislative principles: Protecting Local Government Control and Authority • Support any legislation, policies, ballot measures, and budgets that maintain or improve local regulatory control and authority. • Oppose any legislation, policies, ballot measures, and budgets that undermine or circumvent local control or authority Promoting or Enhancing Revenue Sources • Support the protection or expansion of federal, state, and local funding sources that provide revenue to the City. • Oppose any federal or state legislation, policies, programs, ballot measures, unfunded mandates, and budgets that would have a negative impact on the City's ability to provide adequate programs, projects, and services. Public Policy Priorities This legislative platform identifies specific public policy priorities by topic area. Informed by the general legislative principles, these priorities will guide the positions the City will take on specific legislation, policies, ballot measures, and budgets. The public policy priorities are categorized as follows: 1. General Administration 2. Fiscal Sustainability 3. Community and Economic Development 4. Transportation and Public Works 5. Public Safety 6. Parks/Quality of Life 7. Climate and Environment Page 4 of 8 1. General Administration Staff recommends that the City Council support: 1. Legislation that enhances or streamlines local control and allows cities to address the needs of local constituents within a framework of regional cooperation. 2. Legislation that streamlines the process to apply for, to receive approval of, and to receive state or federal emergency funding. 3. Legislation that promotes the use of data and technologies to create efficiencies, promote economic development, enhance public safety, improve transportation and mobility, improve sustainability, increase transparency to public information, enhance municipal quality of life factors and help solve other civic challenges. 4. Legislation that assures every person the right to equal treatment in and access to all government-sponsored benefits or funded programs. Staff recommends that the City Council oppose: 5. Legislation that attempts to restrict local authority or decision-making whether by state or federal legislation or ballot propositions. 6. Legislation that would diminish or eliminate local governments’ ability to contract out for the provision of services. 7. Legislation that requires cities to use district-based elections. 8. Legislation that limits or removes local review and permitting of emerging telecommunications technologies, such as Small Cell technology. 2. Fiscal Sustainability Staff recommends that the City Council support: 1. Legislation that maintains or enhances ongoing revenues to the City. 2. Legislation which updates the tax structure to enhance local government revenues that have declined due to the expansion of e-commerce, increased consumption of services rather than durable goods, and innovations in technology. 3. Legislation and regulatory actions that ensure timely distribution of mandated reimbursements owed to the City. 4. Legislative reforms that would remove unnecessary state-imposed mandates. 5. Legislation that provides for the use of incentives for local government action rather than mandates (funded or unfunded). 6. Legislation that establishes new and innovative revenue options and resources to finance public infrastructure construction and maintenance. 7. Legislation that streamlines the establishment and utilization of infrastructure financing districts or other funding mechanisms for infrastructure improvements. 8. Legislation that changes the Communications Act of 1934 that removes the distinction between “capital” and “operating” funds to provide more local control for community television stations in the use of their public, educational, and government (PEG) channel fees. 9. Legislation that supports measures to increase transparency of all public employee salaries and benefits. Page 5 of 8 10. Legislation that supports measures to provide sustainable public pensions and other post-retirement benefits. Staff recommends that the City Council oppose: 11. Legislation that undermines and preempts local authority over local taxes and fees. 12. Legislation or budgets which shift funds from local governments to the state or federal government. 13. Legislation that imposes unfunded or inadequately funded federal and state mandates on local governments. 14. Legislation that eliminates development fees or limit the ability of cities to levy fees to provide for infrastructure or services. 15. Legislation that requires or expands state involvement in City financial audits, fiscal monitoring, general oversight, or assistance by the State Treasurer, State Controller, or other state agencies. 16. Legislation that defers reimbursements for state mandated programs. 3. Public Works and Transportation Staff recommends that the City Council support: 1. Legislation that ensures the City receive its fair share of transportation funding and that keeps the funding decisions at the local level. 2. Legislation that supports a constitutional amendment to lower the two-thirds approval threshold for sales and use tax measures for transportation purposes. 3. Legislation that supports reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and supports developing and implementing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plans and strategies. 4. Legislation that supports reducing congestion and delay along freeways in the Tri-Valley Area. 5. Legislation that supports multimodal freight movement between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley and projects that reduce freight traffic on I-580. 6. Legislation that enhances the safety of all modes of transportation, particularly bicycles and pedestrians, reduces traffic congestion, and supports regional transportation improvements. 7. Legislation that supports Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Connected, and Automated Vehicles. 8. Legislation that supports local control and local regulation of shared mobility, micro mobility, transportation network companies (TNCs), and other emerging industries that use city infrastructure to offer private services. 9. Legislation that enables the sale of traffic data to recover the cost of data collection. Staff recommends that the City Council oppose: 10. Legislation that infringes upon the ability of local governments to effectively administer and modify state and local construction provisions and standards. 11. Legislation that takes away local control of managing and operating local streets. Page 6 of 8 12. Legislation that reduces the City’s condemnation authority regarding acquisition of properties required for public projects. 13. Legislation that seeks to repeal revenue collection or divert funds from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB1). 4. Community and Economic Development Staff recommends that the City Council support: 1. Legislation that maintains the City’s authority over land use decisions. 2. Legislation that strengthens local regulatory authority and control over the siting of medical or recreational marijuana dispensaries. 3. Legislation that would create a more equitable Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process. 4. Legislation that creates more flexibility for local jurisdictions to work together to provide housing that counts toward RHNA requirements. 5. CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) legislation that eliminates redundant, costly, and cumbersome mandates and restrictions. 6. Legislation that provides incentives for affordable housing and transit-oriented development. 7. Legislation that increases financial assistance to provide affordable, transitional, special needs and emergency housing to the homeless, seniors, veterans, and people with special needs. 8. Legislation encouraging the expansion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs in K-12, higher education, and libraries. 9. Legislation that enhances the City’s efforts to retain existing businesses and attract new businesses. 10. Legislation that provides tangible and productive tools and incentives to support job creation, business attraction, and business retention. 11. Legislation that advances or encourages innovation, entrepreneurship, start-ups, small business opportunities, and/or workforce development. Staff recommends that the City Council oppose: 12. Legislation that interferes or reduces local land use control and decision making. 13. Legislation and regulatory efforts that would diminish or eliminate the authority of cities to zone and plan for the development of telecommunications infrastructure, including the siting of cellular communications towers or transmission sites. 14. Legislation that would diminish or eliminate cities’ authority to regulate condominium conversions. 15. Legislation that would interfere with the ability to provide productive incentives to support job creation, business attraction, and business retention. 5. Public Safety Staff recommends that the City Council support: Page 7 of 8 1. Legislation and grant opportunities that increase funding for local law enforcement, fire suppression and prevention, hazardous materials mitigation, and emergency medical services. 2. Legislation that provides funding to local agencies for training, disaster preparedness, crime prevention, public outreach, and emergency planning. 3. Legislation which ensures cities have control of regulating local medical marijuana facilities, including but not limited to, regulating security requirements and health and safety standards. 4. Legislation that improves data and information dissemination, preparedness funding, and first-responder training for oil-by-rail shipments. 5. Legislation that maintains or increases grant funding for the Community Oriented Police Services (COPS) program. 6. Legislation that provides a greater share of asset forfeiture funds for cities and increases latitude for spending local funds. 7. Legislation that supports funding to prepare, mitigate, adapt, and respond to extreme weather or emergency events. 6. Parks / Quality of Life Staff recommends that the City Council support: 1. Legislation that creates new funding opportunities for parks and community facilities. 2. Legislation that provides funding for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) facility and park upgrades. 7. Climate and Environment Staff recommends that the City Council support: 1. Legislation that encourages manufacturers to include post-consumer recycled material in their products and encourages state and local government agencies to use less toxic and recycled content products. 2. Legislation that supports minimizing single-use disposables as well as minimizes product packaging. 3. Legislation that supports the ability of the City to run efficient and effective waste diversion programs. 4. Legislation and policies that assist the City in meeting or exceeding established goals of reducing water consumption and increasing water supply without preempting local planning decisions. 5. Legislation that supports reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to extracting, transporting, and manufacturing materials. 6. Legislation protecting the interest of California’s Community Choice clean electricity providers and their customers. 7. Legislation that assists regional and local governments in developing and implementing energy efficiency and conservation strategies and that ensures that local governments can continue, and not be preempted in, their efforts to achieve economic improvements through increased energy efficiency and conservation plans that seek to decrease carbon emissions. Page 8 of 8 8. Legislation that supports regional and local government efforts to develop and implement programs to reduce air pollution. 9. Legislation and grant opportunities for cities that provide funding for developing or enhancing alternative vehicle fueling stations. 10. Legislation that provides funding and creates flexibility in the implementation of mandatory storm water and solid waste programs. 11. Legislation to address litter control and abatement problems in California. 12. Legislation that would make it easier for the City to fund and comply with new and increasingly stringent storm water quality permit requirements. 13. Legislation that lessens the financial impact of state and federal unfunded mandates related to compliance with environmental programs and regulations. 14. Legislation that supports local solar generation, battery storage, microgrids, and the electrification of California’s energy and fuel supply. Staff recommends that the City Council oppose: 15. Legislation that preempts local planning decisions regarding solid waste facility sites. 16. Legislation that preempts local solid waste and AB 939 fee setting authority or imposes taxes or fees on local solid waste programs to fund state programs not directly related to solid waste management.