Agenda Item No: O.1
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: March 4, 2025
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: David Gassaway, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution 2025-36 CM 2025 Legislative Platform
Adopting the City of Fairfield’s 2025 State and Federal Legislative Platform
Funding Source: N/A
Contact: Liz Aptekar, (707) 428-7389
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt resolution.
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
Each year the City Council adopts an annual legislative platform (Platform) that establishes the priorities, principles, and policy statements of the City of Fairfield ’s City Council and creates the basis for its advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels. This resolution will update and adopt the 2025 State and Federal Legislative Platform.
DISCUSSION
The Platform establishes the priorities, principles, and policy statement of the City of Fairfield ’s City Council and creates the basis for its advocacy efforts, alerting our legislative partners of the greatest needs of our residents and where we need additional help. The Platform provides general direction to City departments, legislative advocates, delegation members, and the public on our positions on critical policy matters that may impact how the City does business.
Every year , the City submit s various letters to leg islators representing Fairfield and letters of support for community organizations pursuing programming that would benefit the Fairfield community. Additionally, t he City submitted funding requests to the City’s state and congressional representatives. In 2024, cities and local governments statewide successfully partnered to oppose the Taxpayer Deception Act, which would have introduced significant changes to taxation policies and aimed to limit the ability of local governments to raise taxes by requiring a higher threshold for approval of tax increases. The City highlighted the negative
impact this could have on vital services like public safety, education, and infrastructure.
Ultimately, the defeat of the Taxpayer Deception Act allowed cities and local governments to retain more flexibility in how to fund services while voters still maintained control, as certain tax increases continued to require a supermajority, especially for special taxes. This partnership showed the power of collective action in pro tecting the autonomy of local decision -making and ensuring that municipalities could continue to meet the needs of their communities.
The 2025 Platform in Attachment 3 reflects the current operational needs of City departments to pursue council priorities and core services. The Platform is organized by department and highlights legislative interests, including policy positions intended to strengthen the City's operations, increase funding opportunities, and maintain local authority. While the City will respond to various legislative items throughout the year, priority policy areas include affordable housing and homeless resources, maintaining local control, and criminal justice reform.
Affordable Housing and Homeless Resources
The City co ntinues to support policies and funding mechanisms for affordable housing and homeless resources. The City strives to permanently reduce homelessness in Fairfield by protecting the health and safety of all residents, increasing housing opportunities, enhancing the system of care, improving public policy and engagement, and strengthening regional capacity to address homelessness. Since fiscal year 2019, the City of Fairfield has spent approximately $16.3 million in overall services for those experiencing hom elessness. The City will continue to seek funding support and legislation that provides resources and programming to address California's homeless crisis. Affordable and permanent supportive housing is a vital component in addressing homelessness, and the City strives to make housing accessible to all income and service levels.
The City will continue to monitor and support sustainable funding for various levels of housing while also balancing the importance of local control over planning and land use.
Maintaining Local Control
The City of Fairfield is committed to preserving local control and decision-making authority, along with state and local funding sources, and opposes unfunded or inadequately funded mandates.
The City supports ongoing engagement bet ween state and local governments to ensure local control is maintained and responsible housing development is promoted in a collaborative effort.
Criminal Justice Reform
The City advocates for a review and potential adjustment of Proposition 57, which addresses non- violent juvenile offenders. While supporting the underlying principles of these propositions, the City emphasizes the necessity of refining the legislative framework to strike an appropriate balance. The aim is to prevent unintended c onsequences that may hinder the Police Department's ability to hold offenders accountable and ensure community safety. The City urges collaborative efforts to revisit and reform Propositions 47 and 5 7 to better align with the needs and concerns of our comm unity while upholding the principles of fairness, justice, and public welfare.
Council’s a doption of the proposed Platform will streamline the City’s advocacy efforts by enabling City staff to take immediate action on pressing legislative items efficientl y and without delay under council direction. Throughout the legislative session, the City will review and take positions on various policy and budget items at the State and Federal levels. When a recommended position is consistent with existing City policy, as adopted in the Platform, the City Manager’s Office will prepare a position letter for the mayor’s signature.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
N/A
PUBLIC CONTACT/ADVISORY BODY RECOMMENDATION
N/A
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
N/A
COORDINATED WITH
All Departments
STAFF CONTACT
Liz Aptekar, Assistant to the City Manager
(707) 428-7389
[email protected]
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 2: Proposed Resolution
Attachment 3: Proposed Platform