CITY OF CAMARILLO
AND
CAMARILLO SANITARY DISTRICT
2024
LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
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INTRODUCTION
The Legislative Platform (Platform) promotes the City's interest on legislative matters. It is developed by the Policy Committee and reviewed and adopted by the City Council annually. The Platform will guide the Council and staff in considering appropriate action on legislative proposals introduced at both the State and Federal levels.
Actions to support or oppose legislative proposals will be carried out by the City Manager or designee consistent with the Platform when the City's interest in the legislative proposal is clear. If the City Manager or designee cannot easily discern the City's position after consulting the Platform, the legislative proposal will be referred to the Policy Committee for review and recommendation to the City Council. All legislative correspondence will be designated with action consistent with City Council Policy 2.02, Legislation and Legislative Matters. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page No.
I. LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE
A. State-Federal Mandated Programs ..............................................................................1 B. Long Term Financing of Local Agencies ......................................................................1 C. Revenues, Fees and Taxes..........................................................................................1 II. GENERAL GOVERNMENT
A. Workers’ Compensation ...............................................................................................2 B. Unemployment Compensation .....................................................................................2 C. Labor Relations. ...........................................................................................................2 D. State and Local Government Relations........................................................................3 E. Pension Reform............................................................................................................3 F. Telecommunications.....................................................................................................3 G. Business Establishments/Licenses ..............................................................................3 H. Economic Development/Job Creation ..........................................................................4 I. Litigation Reform ..........................................................................................................4 J. Open Meeting Law (Brown Act)....................................................................................4 K. District-Based Voting Systems .....................................................................................4 L. Community Services.....................................................................................................4 III. PUBLIC PROTECTION
A. Public Safety.................................................................................................................5 B. Drugs............................................................................................................................5 C. Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness.............................................................5 D. Grants...........................................................................................................................6 IV. TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS
A. Transportation. .............................................................................................................6 B. Vehicles........................................................................................................................6 C. Solid Waste and Recycling...........................................................................................6 D. Public Works.................................................................................................................7 V. RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
A. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) .............................................................7 B. Water............................................................................................................................7 C. Storm Drain and Sewer ................................................................................................8 D. Air Quality.....................................................................................................................8 E. Energy ..........................................................................................................................8 VI. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
A. Housing ........................................................................................................................8 B. Land Use ......................................................................................................................9 C. Successor Agencies/RDA ..........................................................................................10 VII. CITY-MILITARY ALLIANCE
A. City Support of the Military .........................................................................................10 VIII. PUBLIC LIBRARY
A. Library Services..........................................................................................................10 1 I. LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE
A. State-Federal Mandated Programs
1. Oppose legislation that fails to provide adequate funding for State and Federal mandated programs.
2. Oppose legislation that makes local government more dependent on the State for financial stability.
B. Long Term Financing of Local Agencies
1. Oppose legislation that shifts or diverts revenue from local government to the State for any purpose or reduces local discretion in the use of local government revenues.
2. Support legislation that further protects local government revenue from being taken, confiscated, shifted, diverted or otherwise used to fund State government operations and responsibilities.
C. Revenues, Fees and Taxes
1. Support legislation that maintains or provides funding mechanisms to provide better service (i.e., streets and roads infrastructure, economic development related programs, water and sewer infrastructure).
2. Oppose legislation that does not preserve and protect the existing situs-based sales tax under Bradley Burns 1% base.
2.3. Support legislation that creates an equitable e-commerce sales tax distribution system between origin/fulfillment and destination cities.
3.4. Oppose legislation that changes the property tax collection method or formula that would result in less property tax to local governments.
4.5. Oppose legislation that transfers a local government’s reserves, designated reserves, or unassigned fund balance to the State or other agency, or reduces a local government’s revenue due to the level of reserves or unassigned reserves it maintains.
5.6. Oppose legislation that reduces or eliminates critical local programs and services as a result of State budget cuts (i.e., public safety, transportation, streets and roads.)
6. Support legislation that provides State and local authority for cities to collect their fair allocation of sales tax on catalog and Internet or other remote transactions.
2 7. Support legislation to collect the full amount of local transient occupancy tax from online sales of lodging.
8. Oppose legislation that threatens a local government's right to receive compensation for use of its public right-of-way, including but not limited to gas, electricity, solid waste, and cable and video providers.
9. Support legislation that allocates cap and trade auction revenue to local governments.
10. Support legislation that provides cities with a greater share of fines and forfeitures.
II. GENERAL GOVERNMENT
A. Workers’ Compensation
1. Oppose legislation that increases Workers' Compensation benefits that will result in additional employer costs.
2. Support legislation that reforms the Workers' Compensation system to eliminate system abuse, limit presumptive eligibility claims for benefits, and reduce employer costs.
B. Unemployment Compensation
1. Oppose legislation that increases employer liability for unemployment compensation or that would reduce local discretion.
C. Labor Relations
1. Oppose legislation that impedes local administration of labor relations, and legislation that would require, impose, or expand compulsory binding arbitration for public employees.
2. Oppose legislation that increases the cost of benefits or the cost of administering benefits.
3. Oppose legislation that requires local governments to provide specific benefits to employees.
4. Oppose legislation that removes local authority to determine the level of benefits to be provided to employees.
5. Oppose legislation that reduces local control over public employee disputes and/or imposes regulations from an outside governmental agency or special interest group.
3 6. Oppose legislation that imposes restrictive and over burdensome reporting of employee benefits and payroll.
7. Oppose legislation that prohibits or limits local governments' ability to contract for services.
D. State and Local Government Relations
1. Oppose legislative efforts that restrict the City from representing itself, including using contract representation, on issues of importance before State agencies and commissions.legislative and regulatory bodies.
2. Support the efforts of neighboring agencies and organizations who seek to accomplish initiatives that align with the City Council’s Goals and Objectives, Legislative Platform, City programs and projects, and other compatible proposals at the discretion of the City Council.
E. Pension Reform
1. Support legislation for pension reform that will reduce long-term costs for participating agencies, provide long-term financial stability and sustainability, and allow agencies to continue to be effective locally in recruiting and retaining a skilled, quality work force.
2. Support legislation that provides reasonable reform of local government pension systems and that preserves local control and the local collective bargaining process.
3. Oppose legislation that requires public agencies to report and take financial responsibility for the public retirement system liabilities of each Joint Powers Authority they participate in as their own liabilities.
F. Telecommunications
1. Support legislation that preserves local government authority to zone and plan for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure and the ability to maintain and manage the public right-of-way.
2. Oppose regulations and legislation that erodes or eliminates local government authority regarding siting of cellular communications towers or transmission sites.
3. Support legislation that preserves public, educational and government (PEG) television channel funding and programming support by video service providers, such as: payments to local government of utility franchise fees, PEG fees, and facility/equipment grants; and furnishing public access production facilities.
G. Business Establishments/Licenses
4 1. Oppose legislation that restricts or weakens a local government's ability to license and/or regulate the sale of tobacco products and electronic smoking devices and products, smoking areas, medical marijuana dispensaries, collectives and cooperatives and recreational marijuana dispensaries or other distribution points, alcoholic beverage licenses, massage establishments, gambling or odds-gaming establishments, or adult-oriented business establishments.
H. Economic Development/Job Creation
1. Support legislation that provides State or Federal aid and assistance in the development of local and regional economies.
2. Support legislation that provides resources and mechanisms to local governments to finance economic development efforts.
3. Support legislation that provides local officials more discretion in the use of State and Federal funds for economic development.
4. Support legislation that provides resources focused on supporting economic development.
I. Litigation Reform
1. Support legislation that limits local governments' exposure to lawsuits.
2. Support legislation that develops statutory provisions calling for the reimbursement of all public entity attorney's fees, defense costs and expenditures incurred in the successful defense of lawsuits.
3. Oppose legislation that limits power of local government to negotiate indemnification protections in public contracts.
4. Oppose legislation that makes local governments liable for harassment claims brought against City contractors.
J. Open Meeting Law (Brown Act)
1. Support legislation that recognizes the need to conduct the public’s business in public and that extends the application of the Brown Act to the State.
K. District-Based Voting Systems
1. Support legislation that seeks to amend the California Voting Rights Act to provide objective standards used to determine whether racially polarized voting exists.
2. Oppose legislation that erodes the ability of cities to fully oversee their respective redistricting processes.
5 L. Community Services
1. Support legislation that provides funding to support operation and maintenance of community recreation and park facilities.
2. Oppose legislation that reduces or eliminates funding for recreation, senior or art programs.
III. PUBLIC PROTECTION
A. Public Safety
1. Support legislation that strengthens State anti-graffiti laws.
2. Support legislation that enhances public safety and protects the public from crime.
3. Support legislation that encourages lawmakers to coordinate and consult with law enforcement agencies prior to introducing legislation that affects public safety.
4. Support legislation that provides local government tools and resources to respond to changes in statewide criminal sentencing policies.
5. Support legislation that maintains public safety and provides additional tools and resources to address community challenges such as homelessness, mental health, domestic violence, drug rehab, ex-offender reentry, and human trafficking.
6. Oppose legislation that mandates local government's response to addressing community challenges, including, but not limited to, homelessness, mental health, domestic violence, drug rehab, ex-offender reentry, and human trafficking.
7. Support legislation that enhances penalties for retail theft conducted by individuals or Organized Retail Theft groups and provides greater resources to increase law enforcement response.
7.8. Support legislation that grants local governments greater flexibility when regulating electric bikes in public right of way.
B. Drugs
1. Oppose legislation or regulations that usurp local government's power to restrict or regulate the sale, manufacture, use and distribution of alcohol and medical and recreational cannabis.
6 2. Support legislation that provides a greater share of seized assets to local governments.
3. Support legislation that provides local law enforcement agencies with technology, training and funding to create a standard to detect cannabis DWI.
C. Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness
1. Support legislation that provides funding to local agencies for cybersecurity, emergency planning, disaster training, preparedness, prevention, protection, mitigation, response, recovery, and resiliency to disasters and environmental threats.
2. Support legislation that requires Federal law enforcement agencies to communicate with local law enforcement officials as threats become known.
D. Grants
1. Oppose legislation that decreases grant funding for local law enforcement Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
IV. TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS
A. Transportation
1. Oppose legislation that directs local transportation funds away from cities.
2. Oppose legislation that limits and/or decreases the amount of money local public agencies can withhold from a contractor prior to completion of a project.
3. Support legislation that appropriates State and Federal funds to city and regional governments for transportation projects, including funds for the preservation and maintenance of streets and roads.
4. Support legislation or grant opportunities that provide funding for developing or enhancing alternative vehicle fueling infrastructure.
B. Vehicles
1. Support legislation that promotes maximum city control of local streets and the road system.
2. Support legislation that promotes vehicle speed limits that are designated and enforced with consideration of street design, neighborhood characteristics, adjacent land use, and mix of transportation mode usage.
3. Support legislation that provides funding for the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles for local government.
7 4. Support legislation that provides funding, incentives, and rebates for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations.
C. Solid Waste and Recycling
1. Support legislation that promotes long-term, cost beneficial recycling and conversion technologies.
2. Oppose legislation that restricts or limits a local government’s ability to franchise solid waste and recycling collection services.
3. Oppose legislation that restricts or limits a local government's ability to direct municipal solid waste flow.
4. Oppose legislation that restricts or limits a local government's ability to contractually require solid waste haulers to guarantee achievement of all State diversion and recycling requirements.
5. Oppose legislation that makes it difficult for local governments to recycle or dispose of sewage sludge (i.e., Land Application Ban).
6. Oppose legislation that reduces or eliminates the Beverage Container Recycling City/County Payment Program.
7. Support extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation that encourages manufacturers to design environmentally friendly products.
8. Support legislation that allocates funds or provides incentives for the development of recycling facilities and infrastructure.
D. Public Works
1. Support legislation that allows the City increased discretion for awarding contracts.
2. Oppose legislation that imposes new regulatory burdens on municipal utility systems without providing funding and/or consideration of the feasibility of monitoring and mitigating such requirements.
3. Support legislation that provides funding mechanisms to finance stormwater management and flood control projects.
V. RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
A. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
8 1. Support legislation that amends the CEQA permit and review process to be more efficient without compromising environmental quality standards or an agency's authority to collect development impact fees.
2. Support legislation that increases local government discretion during the CEQA process.
B. Water
1. Support legislation that provides Southern California with a more stable and reliable water supply, including expanded water storage projects.
2. Support legislation that provides economic incentives and funding to develop alternative local water resources.
3. Support legislation that advances the opportunity and funding for reclaimed/recycled water as an alternate water source.
4. Support legislation that addresses the conflict of interest requirements and the ten percent rule that governs the State and Regional Water Quality Control Board.
5. Support legislation that provides adequate quality and quantity of water resources to the community, and reliable long-term funding for municipal water delivery, maintenance, and treatment.
C. Storm Drain and Sewer
1. Support legislation to provide funding for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit compliance and other mitigation measures and projects to reuse, divert, or treat urban runoff.
2. Oppose legislation that imposes new regulatory burdens on municipal utility systems without providing funding and/or consideration of the cost or feasibility of monitoring and mitigating such requirements.
3. Support legislation which promotes efficiency and cost effectiveness of publicly owned treatment works.
D. Air Quality
1. Oppose legislation that mandates State and Federal air quality regulations and programs that are not fully funded.
E. Energy
1. Support legislation that provides funding for alternative renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency and conservation measures.
2. Oppose legislation that unfairly disadvantages Community Choice Aggregators (CCA) or CCA customers.
9 3. Oppose legislation that reduces or undermines local decision-making authority by CCA or its governing board.
4. Support legislation that increases local control over the purchase and development of renewable energy resources and to increase consumer access to renewable energy at stable, competitive rates.
VI. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
A. Housing
1. Oppose legislation that restricts local discretion in the use of housing funds, meeting local housing needs, or reducing local municipal control in land use and housing decisions.
2. Support legislation that addresses occupancy levels and strengthens a local government's ability to reduce overcrowding in residential housing.
3. Support legislation to develop State and Federal financial support and incentives for programs that provide adequate affordable housing for the elderly, disabled, and low-income persons throughout the community.
4. Support Housing Element reform legislation that increases local control and flexibility, simplifies the process, improves effectiveness, and limits the California Department of Housing and Community Development's review role.
5. Oppose legislation that seeks to convert the regional housing needs process from a planning process to a production standard.
6. Support legislation that defines an equitable process to determine regional housing needs.
7. Support legislation that seeks to address the inequitable allocation of property taxes to low property tax cities.
8. Support legislation that permits cities to regulate group home facilities and residential care facilities in residential neighborhoods.
9. Support legislation that requires State and County licensing agencies to confer with the City before issuing a license for a community care facility.
10. Support legislation requiring increased notification and/or local land use authority over group home facilities.
11. Support Federal funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) for community development, affordable housing, neighborhood improvement, and economic development needs.
10 12. Support legislation that provides local government with community revitalization tools and funding mechanisms.
13. Support legislation that provides local government with additional tools and resources to address the homeless crisis.
14. Oppose legislation that restricts local discretion in addressing the homeless crisis.
15. Oppose legislation that requires cities to amend its permitting process and programs without any funding available for reimbursement.
16. Support legislation that increases the funding and accessibility to project based and Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers.
B. Land Use
1. Oppose legislation or regulations that threaten or usurp local control of land use decision-making.
2. Oppose legislation that imposes State mandates or procedures that are contrary to local development standards.
3. Support legislation that protects local zoning as a function of cities.
4. Support legislation that provides for the continuation of the State Williamson Act contracts.
C. Successor Agencies/RDA
1. Oppose legislation that reduces the amount of Redevelopment Property Tax Trust Fund (RPTTF) revenues allocable to successor agencies.
2. Support legislation that returns local governments' ability to enact property tax increment financing or other redevelopment tools.
3. Oppose legislation that shifts revenue from successor agencies to the State.
4. Oppose legislation that authorizes other agencies to assess successor agencies for services rendered.
5. Support legislation that simplifies the process for creation of infrastructure financing districts.
VII. CITY-MILITARY ALLIANCE
A. City Support of the Military
11 1. Support legislation that maintains Naval Base Ventura County as an exclusive military facility with civilian support.
2. Oppose joint use of commercial air passenger or cargo service at Point Mugu air strip.
3. Support legislative efforts of the Ventura County Regional Defense Partnership for the 21st Century (RDP-21).
4.Support legislation which allows for the early deployment of Air National Guard firefighting resources.
VIII. PUBLIC LIBRARY
A. Library Services
1. Oppose legislation that reduces funding for public libraries.
2. Support legislation that allocates property taxes for library services generated within a library service area to the agency that provides the service.
3.Support legislation that provides financial assistance for local public libraries.