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MANHATTAN BEACH CITY COUNCIL
2024
LEGISLATIVE
PLATFORM
AS OF MARCH 5, 2024
MANHATTAN BEACH CITY HALL
1400 HIGHLAND AVENUE
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA 90266
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2024 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
(AS OF MARCH 5, 2024)
OVERVIEW
The purpose of the Legislative Platform ("Platform") is to provide a means for summarizing the City's core legislative principles for the purpose of advocacy efforts at the regional, state, county, and federal levels of government. The Platform contains broad policy statements pertaining to a variety of issues that impact the City of Manhattan Beach.
The Platform, approved by the City Council on an annual basis, enables City of Manhattan Beach elected officials and staff to act quickly in reaching out to legislators, executive branch elected officials, and legislative, administrative, or regulatory staff in communicating the City's interests at the federal, state and county levels of government.
Position statements may take the form of letters, emails, or resolutions regarding legislative, administrative, regulatory, and other matters for which City Council established policy exists and be communicated by the City Manager or designated staff to legislators, legislative staff, administration officials, administrative staff, regulatory board members, and other entities, as appropriate, reflecting the City Council's adopted policy.
Approval of the Platform also streamlines the City's process and allows the City's Executive team to effectively respond and take immediate action on pressing legislation under City Council direction.
The policies established within the Platform do not preclude City Council consideration of additional legislative matters arising throughout the year that may be brought forward for City Council action as presented to the City Council Ad Hoc Legislative Subcommittee comprised of two City Councilmembers.
PROCESS
Periodically, the City Council and staff review bills, initiatives, or legislation (collectively, "legislation") pending in other governmental agencies that may impact the City of Manhattan Beach. Following review, City Council may take positions on priority issues and matters that affect the City either positively or negatively. The following process below outlines how the City may take positions on legislation:
1. City Official or Councilmember(s) receive a request to take a position on legislation;
2. Staff reviews the legislation for conformance with the Platform:
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a. If a position conforms to the Platform, two Councilmembers assigned to the Legislative Ad Hoc Subcommittee will verify the position of City Council on the legislation with city staff. (Note: Should the two members on Legislative Ad Hoc Subcommittee disagree on legislation, the matter will be taken to the entire City Council for discussion.)
b. If a position does not conform to Platform, the legislation will be brought to Legislative Ad Hoc Subcommittee for a recommendation to the entire City Council. These matters may also be brought directly to the entire City Council, upon the request of the Council or in the event that timeliness of action by the City Council is required.
3. Upon approval of a position on legislation by the Legislative Ad Hoc Subcommittee or entire City Council, the Mayor is authorized to send a letter on behalf of the entire City Council to representatives of regional, state, county, and federal levels of government.
4. All letters generated based on this Platform and sent to representatives of regional, state, county, and federal levels of government a shall be posted to the City's Legislative Positions webpage on the City website.
GENERAL GUIDANCE
The Legislative Platform sets forth the City's legislative objectives for the 2024 calendar year and provides direction for legislative action. The following policy statements below shall reflect the City's adopted principles and topic specific priorities.
1. Local Control:
a. Support local control over the administration of local programs. b. Support efforts that are consistent with the doctrine of local control especially in the areas of police power, land use planning and public safety. c. Support enhanced local control of resources that allows the City to address the needs of its constituents within a framework of regional cooperation. d. Support keeping land use local and not a matter of state authority.
2. Regional Land Use and Planning: Support local city input on all regional land use and planning issues.
3. Public Safety: Support efforts that ensure public safety.
4. Quality of Life: Pursue funding for projects that improve the quality of life in Manhattan Beach.
5. Unfunded Mandates: Oppose unfunded mandates to the City for any new or continuing program/service.
6. Incentives vs. Mandates: Support the use of federal and state incentives for local government, rather than mandates.
7. Funding Opportunities: Support funding opportunities for public facilities and services including capital improvement projects, public works projects, homeland security, library, parks and social service facilities.
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TOPIC SPECIFIC PRIORITIES
Beyond general guidance, the City has certain legislative priorities that has become of City Council, staff or community concern over time. The priorities reflected below are topics, listed without any order of prioritization, that are more detailed and may address specific legislation the City Council would like to support or oppose.
1. Local Control and Contracting:
a. Oppose legislation that would infringe upon the authority of local governments to effectively administer and consider unique local circumstances when processing permits and enforcing city building and safety standards. b. Oppose legislation that would interfere with, limit, or eliminate the decision-making authority of municipalities in the area of local land use. c. Oppose legislation that would prohibit or limit local governments' ability to contract out for the provision of services.
2. Regional Housing Need Assessment:
a. Oppose legislation that proposes to convert the Regional Housing Need Assessment (RHNA) from a planning process to a production standard. b. Oppose legislation that penalizes a city or local government if the units identified in the RHNA are not constructed.
c. Advocate for legislation which reverts RHNA back to a planning tool. d. Advocate for a RHNA methodology that is flexible and considers the demographics, geography, land use patterns, socio-economic makeup of the community, job growth and housing needs so the difference of each community is carefully considered.
3. Funding and Reimbursements:
a. Support legislation, regulatory proposals, or administrative actions to assure timely reimbursements of mandated reimbursements owed to the City of Manhattan Beach by the State of California.
b. Support legislation that maintains or enhances the City's ability to keep and protect existing state and local funding sources providing revenues to the City of Manhattan Beach.
c. Oppose legislation that limits local control of municipal public services or imposes new financial burdens.
4. California Public Employees Retirement System:
a. Support legislation that provides greater stability and security of the California Public Employees Retirement System.
b. Continue to support, where necessary and applicable, any future efforts that may impact the City of Manhattan Beach's ability to achieve and/or maintain sustainable pensions.
5. Environmental Policies and Sustainability:
a. Advocate for cost-effective, sustainable, and responsible environmental policy and programs in the areas of energy efficiency, greenhouse gases, climate change,
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potable water, wastewater, organic/solid waste removal and storm water, among others.
b. Support state funding opportunities to assist agencies in meeting sustainability objectives including energy and water efficiencies, decarbonization, active transportation enhancements, connectivity and mobility improvements and carbon sequestration through natural landscape management and protection.
6. Homeless, Mental Health, and At-Risk Population Services:
a. Support additional funding for homeless and mental health outreach teams, as well as for programs targeting at-risk youth.
b. Support legislation that expands the treatment of and response to mentally ill persons and inform the Legislature and Governor on the effective mental and behavioral health practices currently being used by law enforcement in California. c. Promote legislation that provides for increased services to or funding for at-risk populations such as elderly who require assistance, homeless, disabled and other challenged populations.
d. Support funding and policy initiatives that support mental health care (e.g., access to psychiatric facilities, behavioral health care treatment, and street-based services) e. Support legislation that addresses the need for housing and supportive services, (e.g. health, mental health and social services) for the City's homeless population.
7. Emergency Preparedness: Support strategies, legislation and funding that promotes emergency preparedness, resiliency and recovery efforts.
8. Voter-Approved Initiatives and Revenue Sources:
a. Oppose any legislation that would undermine voter-approved initiatives to guarantee ongoing revenue sources for the City of Manhattan Beach. b. Oppose legislation that would preempt the City's authority over local taxes and fees. c. Oppose any efforts by the state or county to alter the fee structure established by cities to recover costs associated with developer impacts or other projects, including opposing Ballot Initiative 21-0042Al, which the City adopted a resolution to oppose in April 2023.
d. Protect the City's right to levy and collect Transient Occupancy Taxes from hotels, including online hotel intermediaries.
9. Municipal Prosecutions: Support efforts to remove the District Attorney's consent requirement and, instead, authorize the city attorney of any general law city or chartered city to prosecute any misdemeanor committed within the city arising out of violation of state law.
10. Electronic Bike Regulation: Support efforts that enhance regulations to address electric bicycle use and promotes public safety.
Il. Telecommunications Equipment and Infrastructure:
a. Oppose legislation that limits or eliminates local discretionary review of the installation of small cell wireless equipment or any wireless technology facilities on public infrastructure or in the public right of way.
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b. Oppose regulatory efforts by Congress or the Federal Communications Commission to erode, limit, or eliminate local government authority regarding siting of cellular communications towers, transmission sites, or other infrastructure c. Oppose legislation, regulatory proposals, or administrative actions to limit or eliminate local government authority or mandate by-right approvals relative to the siting or modification of telecommunications equipment or infrastructure.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
George Gabriel
Assistant to the City Manager
310-802-5054
[email protected]
The Manhattan Beach City Council adopted the 2024 Legislative Platform on March 5, 2024.