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policy on tariffs and immigration are contributing to ongoing concerns as reflected in the recent release by the Governor of the May Revision.
Federal Budget
On May 2, 2025, the President released a "skinny" budget request. The budget request is not related to reconciliation and is the formal kickoff of the normal appropriations/spending process. The President’srequest is more a statement of priorities than a working document. It is also not the complete Presidential budget request.
A President’s budget request rarely closely resembles the final funding levels that Congress eventually approves. The Appropriations Committee Chairs had pushed for the President’srequest so they could formally begin the appropriations process, which in part they had already begun by accepting member requests on April 14.
The House Appropriations Committee has begun a series of hearings with Administration officials.
Further details will be provided in TPA’s presentation.
Legislative Platform & Process
Over the course of 2024 and 2025, staff worked to identify issues and legislation at the federal and state levels that impact the City. This included bills that the League of California Cities, Association of California Cities - Orange County, and other groups have noted of potential concern. In addition, discussions with Department Directors on past or current legislative proposals and issue areas of concern were collected into the attached proposed Legislative Platform for the City Council to consider (Attachment 1).
The purpose of this platform is to aid staff and City advocates in identifying legislation or budget proposals aligned with the City Council adopted goals. The platform provides a streamlined process for the City Council, City Manager, staff, and legislative advocates to proactively engage on bills and budget proposals. Adoption of the platform will allow staff and advocates to engage throughout the remainder of this year.
The proposed Legislative Platform provides the framework outlining the City’spolicy priorities, goals, and strategies for influencing legislative outcomes. The Legislative Platform prioritizes key areas in alignment with the City Council’s Goals to:
· Strengthen the public’s safety and improve the quality of life. · Maintain and enhance the City’s facilities, equipment, and technology. · Diversify, stabilize, and increase housing to reflect community needs. · Achieve long-term fiscal sustainability; and
· Advance environmental sustainability and climate resiliency.
The proposed Legislative Platform is structured around these 5 key priorities reflecting the City Council’s commitment to fostering a safe, sustainable, and inclusive community. Below is an overview of how these priorities would be addressed by issue area:
Public Safety & Quality of Life: Support for measures that address community risks, reduce
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Public Safety & Quality of Life: Support for measures that address community risks, reduce substance abuse, and crime prevention. Additionally, support measures improving transit, housing stability, and programs that serve our youth and seniors. Oppose unfunded mandates and reductions that impact local services.
Fiscal Sustainability: Support for continued funding of essential services to residents and protecting local revenues. Oppose restrictions on fees to recoup costs for services.
Housing: Support measures that promote coordination and resources to address and prevent homelessness. Oppose eliminating CDBG or other funds that provide housing assistance or support the City’s Bridge Shelter.
Facilities and Infrastructure: Support funding for parks, infrastructure and community facilities.
Oppose legislation or diversion of local funds for these amenities.
Environmental and Climate Resiliency: Support investments to transition to clean energy and oppose eliminating programs that assist local agencies in planning or implementing projects to achieve sustainability.
City staff will return at the beginning of 2026 to review bills from the prior year and consider new bills introduced during the second year of the legislative two-year cycle. The goal will be to review the platform every two years, coinciding with the beginning of the two-year legislative cycle. Staff and TPA will provide the Legislative Review Team and City Council with regular updates throughout the year on the progress of legislation and budget actions.
Once the platform is approved by the City Council, any legislation consistent with the principles will be identified by City staff or TPA. Initial steps may include requesting information from a bill author, clarification of their intent, and discussions with legislative partners. Through these conversations, City staff and TPA may share with legislative staff how proposed legislation impacts City operations and recommend amendments. This process may include the City Attorney and the Legislative Review Team.
Finally, legislation in alignment with the key principles of the platform, or identified by the City’s legislative partners, may be presented to the Mayor for a formal position letter. The goal of this process is for bills to be proactively identified by staff and TPA. However, Councilmembers, community members, or other groups may also request bill positions, which will be presented to the Legislative Review Team for review and consideration. The letter will then be sent to the bill’sauthor with copies to the City Council and other stakeholders as deemed appropriate by staff.
Legislation
Various bills were presented to the Legislative Review Team on March 19, 2025, and are summarized in the attached legislative matrix (Attachment 3) with recommended positions for City Council consideration.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may direct staff to revise the proposed legislative platform and present the revised platform at a future City Council meeting for approval or adopt portions of the platform and direct staff to develop additional principles.
After review and discussion of the legislative matrix, the City Council may choose to approve all or
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After review and discussion of the legislative matrix, the City Council may choose to approve all or none of the recommended positions, or place bills onto a watch list and be brought back to the Legislative Review Team or City Council. Staff will track actions and updates to watched and supported legislation and report to the Legislative Review Team.
FISCAL REVIEW:
There is no direct fiscal impact to the City’sOperating budget with this action. However, several principles in the legislative platform seek to identify or protect funding received by the City, which can have an impact should new funding be received or eliminated.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this report and has approved it as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
The Legislative Platform seeks to achieve City Council goals as listed below:
· Strengthen the Public’s Safety and Improve the Quality of Life · Achieve Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability
· Diversify, Stabilize and Increase Housing to Reflect Community Needs · Maintain and Enhance the City’s Facilities, Technology and Equipment · Advance Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resiliency CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the proposed Legislative Platform and approve the Legislative Matrix. Staff will continue tracking legislative bills and provide the City Council with additional updates as needed.
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1 Attachment 1
City of Costa Mesa
Legislative Platform
Strengthen the Public’s Safety and Improve the Quality of Life The City of Costa Mesa will support in principle:
1. Federal and State budgets that promote stability and preserve local control of sales and cannabis taxes
2. Funding and legislation that expands access to Naloxone, decreases Fentanyl trafficking, improves safety of bike/scooter riders, and deters catalytic converter, metal, and retail theft
3. Investments in technology improving regional cooperation and real time crime prevention
4. Local oversight and administration of the EMS system, including the design of service areas, contracting for service, and the City’s retention of “Section 201” rights to provide ambulance services with the ability to recoup costs
5. Legislation and funding for 911 infrastructure, community paramedicine programs, and incentives to address property and life safety standards (sprinklers, disaster planning, wildfires)
6. Tax incentives and financing tools for community revitalization, housing, and economic development
7. Funding for bikeways, infrastructure, and education to improve safety for riders and drivers
8. Funding for transit, alternative fuel fleets, bike or pedestrian routes, and congestion relief on 55 and 405 freeways
9. Funding of at-risk youth programs, local arts activities, historic preservation, recreational facilities, preservation and restoration of ecological, biological, and cultural resources; or related programs with our partners (NMUSD, SOY , YMCA) The City of Costa Mesa will oppose in principle:
1. Mandates on local agencies to enforce federal or state law enforcement duties under threat of loss of federal or state funding
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2 Attachment 1
2. Limits on local authority to regulate needle and syringe accessibility and exchange programs
3. Elimination or cuts to critical disaster response programs Oppose (continued):
4. State or county efforts to consolidate ambulance services away from cities, or reductions in Federal or State resources that support emergency and disaster response, preparedness, and training (FEMA, CalOES, US Fire Administration)
5. Efforts to divert local revenues or mandating local agencies take on services without funding or ability to recoup costs via fees
6. Restricting local regulation of group home facilities and residential care facilities in residential neighborhoods, including the application of zoning, building, and safety standards
7. Limits to local authority to review and approve cannabis retail locations, manufacturing sites, or restrictions on the City’s general permitting authority of housing and commercial property
8. Reduction in funding for recreational activities, infrastructure, or transportation to facilities and programs
9. Unconditional release of violent or serious repeat offenders Achieve Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability
The City of Costa Mesa will support in principle:
1. Federal and State budgets that maintain or strengthen services for residents and businesses allowing the City, businesses, and residents to plan and invest for growth
2. Funding or other measures leading to crime reduction and establishment of real time crime centers
3. Funding, equipment, or training to aid in regional response to wildfire and other disasters
4. Measures that ensure local control of land use decisions, zoning, and development fees
5. Transparency in CalPERS on investment strategy and adoption of contributions rates
6. Local oversight of sales and cannabis taxes
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3 Attachment 1
7. Funding or measures supporting transit, alternative fuel fleets, and bike or pedestrian routes
Support (continued)
8. Investments that relieve congestion on 55 and 405 freeways, improve public safety infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and first responder resources
9. Federal and State grants for recreational services, facilities, and youth programs
The City of Costa Mesa will oppose in principle:
1. Shifting services or responsibility to fund federal and state programs to local agencies
2. Mandates increasing record retention or non-essential training without commensurate funding to support these activities
3. Limits on establishing or collecting municipal level fines or the use of asset forfeiture to support police services
4. Restrictions on local EMS administration and cost recovery
5. Limits on local control of short-term rentals and applicable fees or taxes
6. Restrictions on development fees or local funding tools for affordable housing
7. Restrictions on local permitting authority or diversion of grant and tax revenue allocations received by cities
8. Restrictions on local fees or revenues that support recreational activities and maintenance of related infrastructure
9. Eliminating programs or funding for transportation that support youth and community members access to facilities and programs
Diversify, Stabilize and Increase Housing to Reflect Community Needs The City of Costa Mesa will support in principle:
1. Funding for behavioral health, wraparound services, and alternative avenues of health care that reduces the impact on the 911 system and first responders, 449
4 Attachment 1
2. Funding in support of cities to plan and construct affordable housing and address individuals that are experiencing, or at risk of homelessness
3. Funding for community policing, homeless liaison efforts, and coordination with homeless service providers
Support (continued)
4. Fire and life safety codes that enable affordable housing production
5. Funding for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HHAP), and Homekey to promote regional coordination addressing homelessness
6. Measures and funding that improve connections between housing and transit
7. Measures or funding to streamline GIS systems or electronic submittals (plans, licensing, bids)
The City of Costa Mesa will oppose in principle:
1. Eliminating programs or funding that support the City’s outreach and response to homelessness or restrictions on other wraparound services that constrain the City (street medicine, Homekey, HOME, CDBG)
2. Constraints on local fees and financing tools that assist in the development of affordable housing
3. Restrictions on local fees or tools to provide recreational space in connection with newly approved housing
Maintain and Enhance the City’s Facilities, Technology and Equipment
The City of Costa Mesa will support in principle:
1. Measures and funding to upgrade community facilities, parks, communication infrastructure, and ensure cybersecurity
2. Federal and State improvements to regional infrastructure (highways, electrical transmission, sustainability)
The City of Costa Mesa will oppose in principle:
1. Diversion or reduction of taxes and revenues designated for local and regional capital improvements or infrastructure projects (sales taxes, impact or licensing fees)
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5 Attachment 1
Advance Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resiliency The City of Costa Mesa will support in principle
1. Measures and funding that assist local agencies in the development and implementation of Climate Action and Adaptation Plans and meeting organic waste objectives
2. Incentives for residents and businesses to transition and invest in sustainable energy and transportation equipment
3. Regional planning and investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and zero-emissions equipment
The City of Costa Mesa will oppose in principle:
1. Eliminating Federal and State programs for the transition to clean energy infrastructure and facilities
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CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA
COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT
LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS
Policy
Number
000-8
Effective
Date
5/16/91
Rev. 9/20/99
Rev. 2/4/20
Page
1 of 2
BACKGROUND
Frequent involvement in local affairs by Federal, State, and County governments, the large number of special agencies and districts, and the City’s interest of weighing in on matters that affect it, collectively make it imperative that a formalized proactive approach be taken toward legislation which may impact the welfare of the Costa Mesa community.
Past City Councils have participated in the legislative process to varying degrees. For the most part, such participation has been informal.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Policy is to establish a comprehensive and formal program for addressing legislative issues. This includes the establishment of signatory authority and the creation of legislative review guidelines.
POLICY
1. The City Manager, or designee, shall be responsible for overseeing the legislative review process.
2. A Legislative Review Team, consisting of the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, the City Manager, and the Chief of Staff, shall periodically review legislation and formulate the City’s position.
3. The Mayor is authorized to execute position letters on behalf of the City Council when the position is in concurrence with that of the City’s legislative partners: The National League of Cities, the League of California Cities, the Association of California Cities – Orange County, or the Orange County Council of Governments.
At the direction of the Legislative Review Team, position letters may also be executed by the City Manager, or designee, as appropriate.
4. Formal Council approval is required in the following instances:
a. When none of the City’s legislative partners has taken a support or oppose position.
b. When the City’s legislative partners have taken contradictory positions.
Attachment 2
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CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA
COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT
LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS
Policy
Number
000-8
Effective
Date
5/16/91
Rev. 9/20/99
Rev. 2/4/20
Page
2 of 2
5. Individual City Council members may recommend to the Legislative Review Team, for review and recommendation, positions they wish the City to take on legislation.
6. City Commissions and Committees are prohibited from sending legislative position letters but may make recommendations to the Legislative Review Team or the City Council.
7. All City Council members shall receive a copy of all legislative position letters written on city letterhead. A quarterly activity report of the City’s legislative positions, and the status of such legislation, will be provided to the City Council.
8. The preceding in no way infringes upon the right of the City Council members to express individual positions on legislative issues. In expressing an individual position, City Council members will clearly state that the position is personal and not sent on behalf of the City or City Council.
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Attachment 3
City of Costa Mesa
Legislative Matrix
Cal Cities Sponsored Legislation
AB 476 (Gonzalez, Mark), Copper Theft Support Requires junk dealers and recyclers to include additional information in the written record, including the time and amount paid for each sale or purchase of junk made, and the name of the employee handling the transaction. Requires ownership or the name of the person from whom the seller obtained the junk from to be signed.
Staff Comments: Costa Mesa has experienced increased copper thefts along Joann bikeway and other public and private facilities. Also, Newport Mesa Unified School District has experienced thefts in recent years. This bill will help law enforcement in their investigations.
SB 74 (Seyarto), Infrastructure Gap Fund Support Requires the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to establish the Infrastructure Gap Fund Program to provide grants to local agencies to develop and construct infrastructure projects.
Authorizes the office to provide funding for up to a specified percent of a project's total cost, subject to specified requirements, including, among other things, that the local agency provides funding that has been raised through local taxes for at least a specified percent of the infrastructure project's total cost.
Staff comments: Provides potential future grant opportunities for cities.
SB 346 (Durazo), Short-term rental facilitators Support Authorizes a local agency, defined to mean a city, county, or city and county, to enact an ordinance to require a short-term rental facilitator to report, in the form and manner prescribed by the local agency, the assessor parcel number of each short -term rental during the reporting period, as well as any additional information necessary to identify the proper ty as may be required by the local agency.
Staff comments: Per Cal Cities, “This bill would require short -term rental hosting platforms to report info related to properties on their websites to cities and allow cities to audit transient occupancy taxes, ensuring your city receives the correct amount of TOT. If your city has banned short-term rentals, this bill will make it easier to enforce your ordinance.”
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2 SB 496 (Hurtado), ACF Regulations Support Requires the State Air Resources Board to establish the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation Appeals Advisory Committee by an unspecified date for purposes of reviewing appeals of denied requests for exemptions from the requirements of the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation.
Staff comments: Per Cal Cities, “SB 496 would help alleviate these cost pressures by establishing an appeals committee for local agencies to review denials for exemption requests. It would also update the emergency vehicle exemption, so that even when the power is out, your front -line workers and communities can still effectively respond to emergencies and disasters.” The ACF regulations went into effect in 2024, and the City has not experienced a problem w ith purchasing compliant vehicles . However, this bill will provide flexibility as staff continue planning for the full transition to clean vehicles. The clarification that emergency vehicles are exempt will ensure the City’s public safety fleet is not impacted in its primary mission of emergency response.
SB 569 (Blakespear), Caltrans and Encampments Support Cal Cities is a co-sponsor of this measure to ensure Caltrans coordinates with local governments to address and prevent homeless encampments located on state property. The bill requires Caltrans to establish a dedicated liaison to, among other things, fac ilitate communication with local governments and relevant state agencies in addressing homeless encampments within the state highway system and to oversee the development and implementation of delegated maintenance agreements between local agencies and the department in which both work together to reduce and remove homeless encampments within the department's jurisdiction.
Staff comments : The City has seen increased activity on state right of ways and has been conducting enforcement on its own. This bill will strengthen cooperation between the City and Caltrans.
ACCOC Sponsored Legislation
The following bills are part of ACCOC’s Sober Living Home Legislative Package that they recommend supporting. In their own support letter they state, “ACC-OC has long advocated for greater accountability and oversight for these facilities loc ated within our communities. The lack of oversight, regulation, and licensing results in unsafe conditions for patients and has significant negative impacts on local neighbors.
Under Council Policy #8 the Mayor is authorized to execute position letters if the City’s legislative partners have taken a position. The following bills are still active as of May 12, 2025:
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3 AB 424 (Davies), Alcohol and Other Drug Programs: Complaints Support Provides that when the Department of Health Care Services receives a complaint against a licensed alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility, or a complaint alleging that a facility is unlawfully operating without a license, from a member of the public, require the department to provide, within 30 days of the date of the complaint, notice to the person filing the complaint that the complaint has been received.
AB 425 (Davies), Certification of Alcohol and Other Programs Support Requires the Department of Health Care Services to adopt the American Society of Addiction Medicine treatment criteria, o r an equivalent evidence -based standard, as the minimum standard of care for alcohol or other drug programs certified by the department. The bill would also require certified programs to maintain those standards with respect to the level of care provided b y the certified program.
AB 492 (Valencia), Alcohol and Drug Programs: Licensing Support Requires the Department of Health Care Services, whenever it issues a license to operate an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility, to concurrently provide written notification of the issuance of the license to the city or county in which the facility is located. Requires the notice to include the name and mailing address of the licensee and the location of the facility.
SB 329 (Blakespear), Alcohol and Drug Recovery or Treatment Facilities Support Requires the State Department of Health Care Services to assign a complaint regarding an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility to an analyst for investigation within 10 days of receiving the complaint. Requires the department t o complete an investigation into a complaint regarding a facility within 60 days of receiving the complaint.
Community & Local Organizations Requests
During the Legislative Review Team meeting on March 19, 2025, the request was made that staff identify issues of concern specifically to Costa Mesa. The following bills have been identified by the Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets for support and are listed below with positions recommended by staff:
AB 382 (Berman), School Zone Speed Limits Support Authorizes until January 1, 2029, a local authority, by ordinance or resolution, to determine and declare a prima facie speed limit of 20 miles per hour in a school zone. Beginning on January 1, 2029, this bill establishes statewide a prima facie speed limit of 20 miles per hour in a school zone, as defined, subject to specified conditions, including, among others, when a school speed limit sign states, "children are present" and children are present, as defined, and when a school speed limit sign states specific hours, as specified.
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4 AB 981 (Gipson), Active Intelligent Speed Assist Devices Support Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish, until January 1, 2033, a pilot program in the Counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, Sacramento, and Kern impos ing an intelligent speed assist device for persons convicted of specified driving offenses relating to excessive speed, reckless driving, and exhibitions of speed . The bill would similarly make the installation of an ISA discretionary for a first offender, as specified.
Staff comments: The bill does not apply to the City of Costa Mesa in its current form , but if successful the pilot program may be extended to other jurisdictions.
AB 1085 (Stefani), License Plate Obstruction Support Prohibits a person from installing or affixing a shade or tint that obstructs the reading or recognition of a license plate by an electronic device operated by state or local law enforcement, an electronic device operated in connection with a toll road, high -occupancy toll lane, toll bridge, or other toll facility, or a remote emission sensing device, as specified. The bill would further prohibit the manufacture of these products and devices in the state and impose a $2,500 fine per item sold or manufactured for a violation of these provisions
SB 79 (Wiener), Public Transit Housing Neutral Require that a housing development project, as defined, proposed within a specified distance of a transit-oriented development (TOD) stop, as defined, be allowed use on any site zoned for residential, mixed, commercial, or light industrial development, if the development complies with applicable requirements. The bill establish es requirements concerning height limits, density, and floor area ratio in accordance with a development's proximity to specified tiers of TOD stops, as provided.
Staff comments: The bill applies to TOD stops that serve heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, or ferry and depending on the level of transit service applies development standards ranging from 95 feet for Tier 1 (heavy rail) to 45 feet in height for Tier 3 (commuter rail). Densities range from 120 units per acre for Tier 1 to 60 units per acre for Tier 3.
There are no TOD stops defined by this bill that exist in the City of Costa Mesa.
SB 358 (Becker), Vehicular Traffic Impact Neutral This bill originally r equired local agencies to reduce vehicle mitigation fees for transit -oriented development projects to at least 50% lower than other projects. Cal Cities raised opposition to the bill based on their concerns that this reduction is applied to all projects across the state without thorough local analysis to determine if a project truly generates reduced traffic.
Staff comments: The bill was substantially amended on May 1, 2025, to instead require local agencies make a finding based on substantial evidence that a development located near transit or other specified land uses (grocery store, coffee shop, drugstore, park) “would not generate fewer automobile trips.”
Due to the significant amendments staff recommend further analysis. 457
5 SB 445 (Wiener), Complete Streets Facilities Support Requires the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to develop and adopt a project intake, evaluation, and encroachment permit review process for complete streets facilities that are sponsored by a local jurisdiction or a transit agency. Expresses the intent of the Legislature to amend this bill with legislation that accelerates and makes more reliable third -party permits and approvals for preconstruction and construction activities on sustainable transportation projects, as specified.
Staff comments: This bill seeks to streamline and accelerate the process for obtaining permits and may assist with improvements to Newport Boulevard and SR-55.
SB 455 (Blakespear), Electric Bicycles Support Revises the definitions of mopeds and motor -driven cycles to create a new classification of low - powered moped. Also, the bill adds labeling and noticing requirements for manufacturers and retailers of electric bicycles (e-bikes).
Staff comments : The bill will clarify what are considered “out of class” e -bikes and allow residents to better determine the difference when purchasing an e-bike.
SB 720 (Ashby), Automated Traffic Enforcement Systems Support Establishes an alternative automated traffic enforcement program for the enforcement of red-light violations. Specifically, the bill creates a civil enforcement mechanism that cannot result in suspension of a license, or a violation point being assessed. In addition, enforcement of the civil fine can be applied to the registered owner of the vehicle rather than the actual driver.
Staff comments: The bill establishes an alternative program that local agencies have the discretion to use.
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