STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council
From: Cynthia Owens, Municipal Affairs Program Manager
Subject: State Legislative Year End Report
Attachment: 1. 2023-2024 State Legislation
INTRODUCTION
In January 2023, the City Council adopted a Legislative Platform. which provides direction to the City’s legislative advocates and City staff as they work to secure clear and strategic initiatives locally as well as in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
This report is for information only and transmits updates from the City’s state lobbyist on legislative activities for the first year of the two-year, 2023-2024 state legislative session.
DISCUSSION
The first year of the two-year, 2023-2024 state legislative session, ended on September 14, 2023, at midnight, giving the Governor until October 14, 2023 to sign or veto legislation.
During the past year, the City took a position on 52 pieces of state legislation as follows:
• Opposed – 21 bills
• Supported – 20 bills
• Neutral – 3 bills
• Watch – 3 bills
• Support if Amended – 2 bills
• Support, Seek Amendments – 1 bill
• Oppose Unless Amended – 1 bill
• Letter of Concern- 1 bill
Of the 21 bills the City opposed, 14 were signed into law, one was vetoed by the Governor, and six are two-year bills, which can still be considered by the state legislature in 2024. Some of the more impactful bills signed by the Governor which the City opposed include, but are not limited to:
• AB 1484 - Temporary public employees - This bill requires local public employers to include temporary employees, as specified, in the same bargaining unit as permanent employees.
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
• SB 423 - Land use: streamlined housing approvals: multifamily housing developments - This bill modifies and expands SB 35 (Wiener, 2017) provisions that allow certain multifamily housing developments to take advantage of a streamlined, ministerial approval process. Specifically, this bill o Extends the Jan. 1, 2026 sunset to Jan. 1, 2036.
o Applies SB 35 (Wiener, 2017) provisions to the Coastal Zone. o Allows the state to approve housing developments on property they own or lease.
o Prohibits a city from enforcing its inclusionary housing ordinance if the income limits are higher than those in SB 35 (Wiener, 2017). • SB 684 - Land use: streamlined approval processes: development projects of 10 or fewer residential units on urban lots under 5 acres - This bill requires local agencies to ministerially approve subdivision maps for specified projects in urban areas that include 10 or fewer housing units.
Of the 20 bills the City supported, 17 were signed into law by the Governor, none were vetoed by the Governor, and three are two-year bills and can still be heard in 2024.
Some of the more impactful bills signed by the Governor which the City supported include:
• AB 1620 - Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act: permanent disabilities:
comparable or smaller unit. This bill allows a jurisdiction with rent control to require an owner of a rent-controlled unit to allow a tenant with a permanent physical disability to relocate to an available comparable or smaller unit located on an accessible floor of the property and retain their same rental rate. • SB 14 - Serious felonies: human trafficking. This bill designates human trafficking of a minor for purposes of a commercial sex act as a “serious felony,” making it a strike for purposes of the Three Strikes Law, except as specified. • AB 531 - The Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2023 and SB 326 - The Behavioral Health Services Act. AB 531 is a $6.38 Billion bond to build new behavioral health housing and treatment settings across the state and SB 326 would modernize the Mental Health Services Act. Both bills contain provisions requiring them to appear jointly on the March 5, 2024 ballot as Proposition 1.
Of the three bills the City took a position of neutral on, one was signed by the Governor and two are two-year bills and can still be heard in 2024.
Of the three bills the City took a position of watch on, two was signed by the Governor and one is a two-year bills and can still be heard in 2024. City staff will be monitoring the actions of Los Angeles County (“County”) based on the passage of AB 1679 - Transactions and use taxes: County of Los Angeles: homelessness as the bill authorizes the County to impose a transaction and use tax at a rate of no more than one-half percent that would, in combination with all taxes imposed, exceed the two percent cap established by law. This tax would still require the County to pass an ordinance to establish, require voter approval, and the funds are required to be dedicated to services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
Of the two bills the City took a position of support if amended on, one was signed by the Governor and the other is a two-year bill which can still be heard in 2024.
The bill the City took a position of support, seek amendments is currently a two-year bill and can still be heard in 2024.
The bill the City opposed unless amended was vetoed by the Governor.
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
Finally, the bill the City issued a letter of concern on was signed by the Governor.
A description of the bills, which the City took a position on during the 2023-2024 legislative session, is attached for informational purposes and includes their status (Attachment 1). The letters the City sent on many of these bills may be found at www.beverlyhills.org/legislation.
Both the City Attorney’s Office and City staff are analyzing various bills that were signed into law to determine what affect they may have on the City.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact is unknown at this time for the various state legislation signed into law.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council receive and file this report as it is for informational purposes only.
Gabriella Yap
Senior Policy & Management
Administrator, Public Safety
Approved By
Attachment 1
City of Beverly Hills
2023-2024 End of Year Scorecard
The first year of the two-year, 2023-2024 state legislative session, ended on September 14, 2023, at midnight, giving the Governor until October 14, 2023 to sign or veto legislation.
During 2023, the City took a position on 52 pieces of state legislation as follows:
• Opposed – 21 bills
• Supported – 20 bills
• Neutral – 3 bills
• Watch – 3 bills
• Support if Amended – 2 bills
• Support, Seek Amendments – 1 bill
• Oppose Unless Amended – 1 bill
• Letter of Concern- 1 bill
The table below provides information on the 52 bills mentioned above.
Bill
Number
Author Description Position Outcome
AB 33 Bains Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose
Prevention Task Force
Support Signed by Governor
AB 37 Bonta Political Reform Act of 1974:
campaign funds: security
expenses
Oppose Unless
Amended
Vetoed by Governor
AB 309 Lee The Social Housing Act. Support if
Amended
Vetoed by Governor
AB 323 Holden Density Bonus Law: purchase
of density bonus units by
nonprofit housing organizations:
civil actions
Support Signed by Governor
AB 436 Alvarez Vehicles Oppose Signed by Governor
AB 480 Ting Surplus land Oppose Signed by Governor
AB 504 Reyes
State and local public
employees: labor relations:
strikes
Oppose Vetoed by Governor
AB 531 Irwin The Behavioral Health
Infrastructure Bond Act of 2023
Support Signed by Governor
AB 557 Hart Open meetings: local agencies:
teleconferences
Neutral Signed by Governor
AB 642 Ting Law enforcement agencies:
facial recognition technology
Watch Two-year bill
AB 701 Villapudua Controlled substances: fentanyl Support Signed by Governor AB 742 Jackson Law enforcement: police
canines
Oppose Two-year bill
AB 793 Bonta Privacy: reverse demands Oppose Two-year bill AB 825 Bryan Vehicles: bicycles on sidewalks Oppose Vetoed by Governor AB 886 Wicks California Journalism
Preservation Act
Support if
Amended
Two-year bill
AB 965 Carrillo, Juan Local government: broadband
permit applications
Watch Signed by Governor
2 Bill
Number
Author Description Position Outcome
AB 1287 Alvarez
Density Bonus Law: maximum
allowable residential density:
additional density bonus and
incentives or concessions
Oppose Signed by Governor
AB 1307 Wicks
California Environmental
Quality Act: noise impact:
residential projects
Oppose Signed by Governor
AB 1449 Alvarez
Affordable housing: California
Environmental Quality Act:
exemption
Oppose Signed by Governor
AB 1463 Lowenthal
Automated license plate
recognition systems: retention
and use of information
Oppose Two-year bill
AB 1484 Zbur Temporary public employees Oppose Signed by Governor AB 1490 Lee
Affordable housing
development projects: adaptive
reuse
Oppose Signed by Governor
AB 1567 Garcia
Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire
Prevention, Drought
Preparation, Flood Protection,
Extreme Heat Mitigation, Clean
Energy, and Workforce
Development Bond Act of 2024
Neutral Two-year bill
AB 1620 Zbur
Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing
Act: permanent disabilities:
comparable or smaller units
Support Signed by Governor
AB 1637 Irwin Local government: internet
websites and email addresses
Oppose Signed by Governor
AB 1657 Wicks The Affordable Housing Bond
Act of 2024
Support Two-year bill
AB 1673 Pacheco
Outdoor Advertising Act: local
governmental entities:
relocation
Support Signed by Governor
AB 1679 Santiago
Transactions and use taxes:
County of Los Angeles:
homelessness
Watch Signed by Governor
ACA 13 Ward Voting thresholds Support Signed by Governor SB 4 Wiener
Planning and zoning: housing
development: higher education
institutions and religious
institutions
Oppose Signed by Governor
SB 14 Grove Serious felonies: human
trafficking
Support Signed by Governor
SB 19 Seyarto Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose
Prevention Task Force
Support Signed by Governor
SB 20 Rubio Joint powers agreements:
regional housing trusts
Support Signed by Governor
SB 24 Umberg Political Reform Act of 1974:
public campaign financing
Support Two-year bill
SB 44 Umberg Controlled substances Support Two-year bill SB 50 Bradford Vehicles: enforcement Oppose Two-year bill 3 Bill
Number
Author Description Position Outcome
SB 58 Wiener
Controlled substances:
decriminalization of certain
hallucinogenic substances
Oppose Vetoed by Governor
SB 94 Cortese Recall and resentencing:
special circumstances
Oppose Two-year bill
SB 244 Eggman Right to Repair Act Support Signed by Governor SB 253 Wiener Climate Corporate Data
Accountability Act
Letter of
Concern
Signed by Governor
SB 326 Eggman The Behavioral Health Services
Act
Support Signed by Governor
SB 331 Rubio Child custody: child abuse and
safety
Support Signed by Governor
SB 411 Portantino
Open meetings:
teleconferences: neighborhood
councils
Support Signed by Governor
SB 423 Wiener
Land use: streamlined housing
approvals: multifamily housing
developments
Oppose Signed by Governor
SB 439 Skinner
Special motions to strike:
priority housing development
projects
Oppose Signed by Governor
SB 537 Becker
Open meetings:
multijurisdictional, cross-county
agencies: teleconferences
Support, Seek
Amendments
Two-year bill
SB 602 Archuleta Trespass Support Signed by Governor
SB 684 Caballero
Land use: streamlined approval
processes: development
projects of 10 or fewer
residential units on urban lots
under 5 acres
Oppose Signed by Governor
SB 747 Caballero Land use: surplus land Support Signed by Governor SB 867 Allen
Drought, Flood, and Water
Resilience, Wildfire and Forest
Resilience, Coastal Resilience,
Extreme Heat Mitigation,
Biodiversity and Nature-Based
Climate Solutions, Climate
Smart Agriculture, Park
Creation and Outdoor Access,
and Clean Energy Bond Act of
2024
Neutral Two-year bill
SBX1 2 Skinner
Energy: transportation fuels:
supply and pricing: maximum
gross gasoline refining margin
Support Signed by Governor
SCA 7 Umberg Employment: workers’ rights Oppose Two-year bill