Fremont City Council Meeting: 04/12/22 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: City Manager's Office
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Plans, Policies and Studies
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
STAFF REPORT (ID # 4582) DOC ID: 4582
Updated: 4/8/2022 9:15 AM by Susan Gauthier Page 1
ADOPTION OF 2022 LEGISLATIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND PRIORITIES - Consideration and Adoption of the 2022 Legislative Guiding Principles and Priorities
Contact Persons:
Name: Amanda Gallo Geneva Bosques
Title: Management Analyst II Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs
Div/Dept: City Manager's Office City Manager's Office
Phone: 510-284-4016 510-284-4094
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The Legislative Guiding Principles and Priorities represent a broad framework for organizing the City's legislative priorities and interests at the Federal, State and local level. The framework serves as a guiding document for staff and City Council to follow when responding to legislative areas of interest. The City Council considers and adopts this document on an annual basis to guide the City’s legislative advocacy efforts.
Staff recommends Council adopt the 2022 Legislative Principles and Priorities.
BACKGROUND: Since 2001, the City Council has formally adopted Legislative Guiding Principles and Priorities to guide advocacy efforts during the year. The 2022 Legislative Principles and Priorities will help further the City’s legislative policy goals and form the foundation of the City’s efforts to work with local, regional, State and federal partners on issues of concern and interest to the City.
The City of Fremont is a member of many legislative and government entity advocacy groups, including: League of California Cities (League), National League of Cities (NLC), United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), California Fire Chiefs Association, California Park and Recreation Society, California Peace Officers Association, California Police Chiefs Association, Silicon Valley Leade rship Group, and Joint Venture Silicon Valley. These organizations advocate on behalf of cities at the regional, state, and federal levels. The City of Fremont has also engaged in contracts to assist with direct legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels: Holland and Knight represents the City’s interests in Washington, D.C. and Townsend Public Affairs in Sacramento.
City staff regularly monitors and analyzes proposed legislation and its potential impacts to City programs and operations and works with lobbyist representatives and member organizations to submit letters of support or opposition. In addition to advocacy, staff also work with local representatives to introduce or propose alternative solutions and/or feedback to legislation. Adopting legislative guidelines and priorities guides and enable City staff and lobbyist efforts to actively advocate, influence, and monitor State and federal legislation that best represent Fremont’s interests. Fremont’s Lobbyist representatives have also been instrumental in connecting the City to funding opportunities and service programs at the state and federal level.
Staff Report (ID # 4582) Meeting of April 12, 2022
Updated: 4/8/2022 9:15 AM by Susan Gauthier Page 2
Following Council adoption, the City’s local, state, and federal legislators will receive an approved copy of these principles and priorities so that they know the City’s position on a broad range of important issues.
Pending legislation or regulatory issues that do not clearly fall within the adopted City legislative priorities will be brought back for Council consideration and action on a ca se by case basis. Any statewide ballot measures the City Council would like to consider taking a position on would also be brought to Council for consideration.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The Legislative Guiding Principles and Priorities represent a framework for the City’s legislative interests at the federal, state, and regional levels. At the City Council Retreat, held in February 2022, the Council identified three top priority policy areas for the City in calendar year 2022. Those priority areas include: 1) Continue to innovate and find solutions to address and respond to homelessness in Fremont; 2) Enhance public safety; and 3) Increase the vitality of commercial corridors. Staff will prioritize tracking legislation supporting these priorities, as well as several other Council adopted policies and plans including, but not limited to, the City’s Climate Action Plan, Fremont’s Mobility Action Plan, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Housing Element throughout the year.
Additionally, the following key legislative principles form the foundation of the City’s advocacy efforts:
• Protect local control;
• Protect and increase local funding;
• Keep Fremont safe;
• Pursue advocacy and efforts that aim to secure direct and flexible funding for state/local governments as a result of COVID-19;
• Prevent, reduce and eliminate homelessness
• Pursue efforts to create new financing tools to support, build, and preserve affordable housing;
• Promote the “strategically urban” vision of the General Plan; • Promote investment in transportation and infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation;
• Ensure competitiveness through strategic economic development; • Improve Federal, State, regional, County, and local coordination and planning to strengthen community disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience; • Advance climate action, adaptation, and resiliency;
• Pursue or retain federal and State funding for key initiatives.
Legislative Priorities: The City’s Legislative Priorities are organized under the following categories: 1) Community Services, 2) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, 3) Public Safety, 4) Environmental Quality, 5) Transportation, Communications and Public Works, 6) Revenue and Taxation, 7) Housing, Community and Economic Development, and 8) Governance, Transparency and Labor Relations.
Each legislative priority includes broad policy statements that articulate the City’s legislative goals by addressing major areas of interest. Staff continuously evaluates the legislative climate to identify new areas of legislative concern with the overarching goal of improving quality of life and creating an equitable future for all. Seven of the proposed categories align Staff Report (ID # 4582) Meeting of April 12, 2022
Updated: 4/8/2022 9:15 AM by Susan Gauthier Page 3
with the League of California Cities 2022 strategic advocacy priorities. The eighth category of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reaffirms Fremont’s commitment to advocate on behalf of groups that have been disadvantaged, whether due to race, ethnicity, disability, gender or gender identity, socioeconomic status or another factor. Staff recommends adding this eight priority area to seek out opportunities to support specific legislation that strives to eliminate barriers and to help ensure all Fremont community members have access to equitable resources that keep them safe, allow everyone the opportunity to be educated, successful and have equal access to government services and basic living basic necessities.
The City consults with legislative advocacy groups and governmental entities to incorporate new policy areas as necessary, and to stay abreast of high priority issues.
The approval of the 2022 Legislative Principles and Priorities will allow the City of Fremont to competitively pursue many unique funding opportunities, including the recent passage of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill in November 2021. The Infrastructure Bill will create direct allocations and options for local governments to compete for state administered grant programs that create access to special project infrastructure funds, broadband expansion initiatives, modernization and repairs of transportation systems, and more. City staff is working closely with federal and state legislative advocates to review elements of the bill and City departments to develop priority projects to be competitive for these key funding resources.
The Legislative Guiding Principles and Priorities is a living document that will be affected by circumstances and events occurring during the entire legislative year. Staff will update and provide amendments as needed for Council review and direction.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: None.
ATTACHMENTS:
• 2022 City of Fremont Legislative Guiding Principles and Priorities
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the 2022 Legislative Guiding Principles and Priorities and authorize the Mayor to transmit documents that are consistent with these guiding principles and priorities.