1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: February 8, 2022
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Judie Wilke, Assistant City Manager
BY: Viviana Garzon, Administrative Analyst II
SUBJECT: Approval of the City of Burbank 2022 Legislative Platform
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the City of Burbank 2022 Legislative Platform.
BACKGROUND
A Legislative Platform is a summary of locally approved policy statements that provide a framework for a city’s response to state and federal legislation. As a full -service community, the City of Burbank (City) recognizes the need for active legislative engagement at the local, state, and federal levels to protect and enhance the interests of Burbank’s residents and businesses. Accordingly, City officials and staff maintain close relationships with Burbank’s state and federal representatives to advocate, influence, and monitor pertinent legislation.
The purpose of the proposed 2022 Legislative Platform (Attachment 1) is to clearly outline the position of the City on priority issues and matters that impact the City's ability to operate effectively, while allowing the consideration of additional legislative and budget issues that arise during the legislative session. Legislative advocacy efforts for the current session include the following:
• Department meetings with Emanuels Jones and Associates, a state advocacy firm, and a state legislative presentation to Council on October 5, 2021. • Department meetings with David Turch and Associates, a federal advocacy firm, and a federal legislative presentation to City Council on October 12, 2021.
2 • Weekly correspondence with both Emanuels Jones and Associates and David Turch and Associates in the form of emails, phone calls, and newsletters to share and track legislative issues important to the City.
• Bi-monthly meetings and webinars with Cal Cities.
• List serves and webinars from professional organizations to acquire information about legislation and projects pertinent to Burbank.
• Written correspondence to legislators.
In 2022, the City’s legislative advo cacy efforts will build upon existing efforts to achieve the following:
• Actively maintain meaningful relationships with Burbank’s federal and state representatives and advocacy firms through teleconference or in-person meetings, written correspondence, and webinars.
• Facilitate community meetings with Burbank’s local and state representatives. • Track and influence legislation through the correspondence described above. • Collaborate, when appropriate, with the Cal Cities and the National League of Cities.
• Participate in legislative webinars and subscribe to relevant list serves to acquire information about legislation and projects pertinent to Burbank. • Facilitate meetings between the City’s advocacy firms - David Turch and Associates and Emanuels Jones and Associates – and the City’s Executive Team and staff, including City Council presentations from both firms.
DISCUSSION
The 2022 Legislative Platform contains topics that have the potential for county, state, and federal participation and provides the City’s legislative representatives and advocacy firms with a clear understanding of the City’s priorities. The priorities outlined within the Platform have been drafted in consultation with the City’s advocacy firms and are intended to assist the City Council and staff to address legislation, promote City interests, and preserve local control and local legislative authority proactively and appropriately.
These priorities, most remaining unchanged from the previous platform, include the following: Airport, Budget & M unicipal Finance, Economic Development, Healthy Communities, Homelessness, Housing, Mandates, Parks and Open Space, Public Employment, Public Safety, Social Justi ce & Equity, State & Federal Funding, Sustainability, Technology, Transportation & Infrastructure, Utilities & Veterans. The 2022 Legislative Platform also contains a new priority – Libraries—which has been combined with Parks & Open Space . Each priority includes policy statements that articulate the City’s legislative goals by addressing major areas of interest, while providing flexibility to respond to any unanticipated legislation.
3 In addition to general grammatical, wording, and stylistic changes, staff has also changed the wording in several sections to provide additional clarity to statements withi n the platform.
A summary of major changes includes the following:
• Libraries were added as an additional priority in the 2022 Legislative Platform. Due to the similar nature of operations and service to the community of the Burbank Public Library Department and the Parks & Recreation Department, the priorities were combined as Libraries, Parks & Open Space in this platform. • The Public Safety section highlights the importance of legislation that allows local jurisdictions greater control to set speed limits.
• The Homelessness section supports Medi-Cal reform to improve the quality of life and health outcomes of all individuals to reduce and prevent homelessness. In addition, it supports legislation for the legal removal and storage of homeless belongings and cleaning of areas that can be a danger to life, such as railroads, underpasses, bridges, and freeway embankments.
• The Housing section expands on the Section 8 program to include additional voucher programs, such as Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), and Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV).
In addition, this section adds support of legislation for Emergency and Interim Housing options—in addition to Transitional and Supportive housing. • The Transportation/Infrastructure section seeks state or federal funding to rehabilitate and improve the Magnolia Bridge and Olive Bridge over Interstate 5. • The Transportation/Infrastructure section advocates for the necessary infrastructure to meet CARB zero-emission transit vehicle replacement mandates beginning in 2026.
• The Energy section un der Utilities, supports the inclusion of hydropower as a greenhouse gas reduction energy source.
• The Energy section also supports legislation that provides financial incentives, such as advance refunding bonds, to reduce the cost of new and existing grid side clean energy and energy storage projects. In addition, it supports legislation that provides financial assistance and allows for the opportunity to build and/or own transmission in the Los Angeles Basin and throughout the U.S. to ensure grid reliability.
• In addition, the Energy section supports legislation and funding that promotes the use of data and advanced technologies to create efficiencies, promote economic development, enhance utility operations, and help solve other sustainability challenges.
4 • Lastly, the Energy section supports local land use for utility size renewables like solar and wind that enables Burbank to meet SB 100 mandates.
For proposed legislation, either consistent with the City’s legislative priorities, with legislative positions the City has taken in the past, or with positions taken by Cal Cities, our current practice grants City staff the authority to prepare position letters for the Mayor’s signature. Items not within this framework nor addressed in the City’s Legislative Platform will require further Council direction. Legislative priorities may only address issues directly relevant to or impacting the provision of municipal services.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact is associated with report.
CONCLUSION
In the City’s continued efforts to proactively and appropriately address legislation that promotes City interests and preserves local control and legislative authority, staff recommends City Council approve the 2022 Legislative Platform.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Proposed 2022 Legislative Platform