DATE:
February 13, 2024
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM:
Christina Gilmore, Intergovernmental Relations
Manager
Arn Andrews, Assistant City Manager
VIA:
Kimbra McCarthy, City Manager
TITLE: Legislative Program Priorities for 2024
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Study Session is to receive City Council input on the proposed legislative program priority issues to guide the City’s regional, State, and Federal legislative advocacy during the 2024 session.
Reviewing and updating the Legislative Platform at the beginning of each legislative session is an important component of the City’s legislative advocacy program. This helps ensure that the City Council’s current priorities are reflected in the Platform and provide direction to City staff and the legislative advocate that enables efficient and effective engagement on the regional, State, and Federal issues and initiatives that affect the City’s priorities, programs, or operations.
BACKGROUND
As part of the Fiscal Years 2023 -24 and 2024- 25 Strategic Action Plan, Council reaffirmed their commitment to implementing an enhanced legislative program and maintaining effective intergovernmental partnerships under the Organizational Strength and Good G overnance strategic priority. To support this strategic priority, the City engaged the services of Renne Public Policy Group (RPPG) in 2021 to assist Council and staff on the City’s legislative advocacy efforts.
In February 2023, the City Council adopted a 2023 Legislative Platform developed with input from Councilmembers, key staff from all City departments, and RPPG. The platform carried forward 11 issue areas identified in the 2022 Legislative Platform with 120 policy statements reflecting the City’s legislative priorities. The Legislative Platform provides ongoing direction for City staff and the legislative advocate to engage on a variety of legislative issues and is a guiding document for the City to promote and preserve its interest at the regional, State, and Federal levels.
During the 2023 legislative session, the City, with assistance from RPPG, engaged in 11 regional issues and 16 pieces of State legislation (achieving a desired outcome on 12 of those measures).
In addition, the City engaged in one Federal legislative issue. The City’s advocacy actions included
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February 13, 2024
taking positions on legislation (including positions o f support, opposition, watch, review, and assess) in the following legislative categories: Administration, Finance, Human Resourc es, and Risk Management; Governmental Transparency and Public Access; Housing and Community Development; Supportive Housing; Mental Health; Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability; Water; Public Safety; and Transportation and Public Works.
Sponsored Legislation—AB 971 (Lee)—Vehicles: Transit-Only Traffic Lanes
One of the goals of the expanded legislative advocacy program was to identify and sponsor legislation that allows the City to have more ownership throughout the legislative process. On October 10, 2023, Governor Newsom signed into law the City’s first piece of sponsored legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 971 (Lee). Staff, RPPG, and the author’s office worked tirelessly over 10 months to draft legislative language, meet with legislative policy committee staff, and negotiate with various transportation stakeholders to review and accept amended language and build a diverse coalition of support.
AB 971 will support two key transportation elements in the City’s North Bayshore Precise Plan:
the Shoreline Boulevard Reversible Bus Lane and the Charleston Transit Corridor. With the implementation of AB 971, the City now has the ability to implement multi -modal features to create complete streets in these two corridors that will include dedicated median reversible bus lanes and curb- protected bike lanes, amongst other features, that will significantly move Mountain View toward its goal of reducing greenhouse gases (GHG), vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and support the planned growth of the North Bayshore Area.
Intergovernmental Outreach and Coordination
In addition to the legislative advocacy activities described above, staff has represented the City’s intergovernmental interest in several other areas. This has included:
• Meeting with legislators and staff to communicate the City’s interests;
• Seeking grants and State and Federal earmarks;
• Preparing position papers for meetings during the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference;
• Attending legislative conference s to assist Councilmembers and to represent the City’s interests;
• Coordinating the City’s participation in quarterly meetings with the Moffett Federal Airfield and NASA Ames Community;
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February 13, 2024
• Coordinating meetings between Representative Eshoo, the Departme nt of the Army, and the City to discuss the potential reuse of the Shenandoah Square property;
• Providing intergovernmental support to Councilmember Abe-Koga in her role as President of the Santa Clara County Cities Association and Councilmember Kamei in her role as President of the Cal Cities Peninsula Division; and
• Coordinating the participation of the City’s elected delegation for the Safe Parking Celebration and the 40th Anniversary of the Shoreline Regional Park Community.
DISCUSSION
2024 Legislative Platform
The proposed 2024 Legislative Platform is based on the framework of the adopted 2023 Legislative Platform. Proposed modifications to the Platform are based on feedback received from each City department regarding the major issues the y are focused on. The proposed 2024 Legislative Platform:
• Carries forward 11 policy issue areas identified in the 2023 Legislative Platform with modifications to change the title of the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability issue area to substitute Sustainability for Resilience.
• Includes the modification of 1 1, the addition of five, and the deletion of two policy statements across five issue areas.
• Lists a total of 125 policy statements.
Proposed Revisions for 2024
The proposed 2024 Legislative Platform is included as Attachment 1. All unaltered text has previously been adopted by the City Council as part of the 2023 Legislative Platform. All proposed modifications and additions to the 2024 Legislative Platform can be identified in Attachment 1 in bolded, blue, underlined, and italicized text and are summarized below.
C. Housing and Community Development
• Support legislation that provides more resources and tools that enable Mountain View to address housing needs specific to the community, including resources to fund infrastructure and services to support new housing development. (Modified)
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February 13, 2024
• Monitor and evaluate legislation that protects the City’s ability to implement housing programs that promote equity and inclusion, prevent disparate impacts, reduces barriers, and increases efforts to affirmatively further fair housing, including legislation that supports Mountain View’s efforts to promote greater access to affordable housing, greater housing diversity, and greater access to opportunity. (Combines Policy Statements Nos. 15 and 24)
• Support child-care/day-care legislation to increase child care within the community. (Modified)
• Support legislative or funding mechanisms that promote affordable housing projects to meet the diverse needs of City residents, including housing for people with special needs. (Modified)
• Support legislation that allows for middle income and affordable home ownership opportunities. (Modified)
• In lieu of the loss of revenues generated by redevelopment agencies, support legislation and State funding that would enable the City to enter into or extend local affordability covenants. (Deleted)
• Support legislation to increase funding support for costs related to providing supportive services and case management in affordable housing projects with rapid rehousing and/or permanent supportive housing. (Addition)
• Support legislation to increase funding for transportation demand management programs in affordable housing. (Addition)
E. Economic Development
• Support for legislation and funding to enable work force training and jo b growth to help meet the City’s goal of Economic Vitality. (Modified)
F. Environmental Sustainability, Climate Change, and Resilience
• Support continued funding and incentives to local agencies to improve air quality through the reduction of emissions and advancing economic and technical developments. (Modified)
• Support funding and planning for climate resilience, including extreme heat, sea level rise, air quality due to wildfires, and flood protections. (Modified)
Legislative Program Priorities for 2024
February 13, 2024
• Support policies, guidelines , and incentives for increased production of renewable energy. (Modified)
• Support policies, programs, guidelines, and incentives to transition away from fossil fuels through electrification of buildings and vehicles. (Addition)
• Support funding for carbon sequestration that maintains efforts and support for greenhouse-reduction policies, programs, and incentives. (Addition)
• Support funding and programs for work force training or cross-trade licensing for the electrification of existing buildings, especially for marginalized community members. (Modified)
• Support State analysis of costs and benefits of potential climate policies and policies and practices that facilitate access by local government to use data, such as energy, water, and fuel consumption, to enhance effectiveness of local sustainability program implementation. (Modified)
G. Water Quality and Water Supply
• Support for legislation and funding to enable the City to implement urban greening and green infrastructure projects that improve water quality, protect creeks and waterways, reduce stormwater runoffs, decrease the flow of polluted water into the San Francisco Bay, and enhance regional climate resilience. (Modified)
H. Natural Hazards
• Support funding to mitigate extreme climate -related events for marginalized community members. (Addition)
Council Policy A-16, Positions on Ballot Measures and Legislative Advocacy
The proposed issue areas and policy statements are consistent with the legislative guiding principles outlined in City Council Policy A-16, summarized below (Attachment 2):
• Protects or increases local control or revenue;
• Protects or increases funding or otherwise benefits specific programs or services utilized in Mountain View;
• Opposes an unfunded mandate; and
Legislative Program Priorities for 2024
February 13, 2024
• Is consistent with existing City policy, a past action, or current City Council major goals (strategic priorities).
2024 Legislative Timeline and Important Dates
The State Legislature resumed the 2024-25 legislative session on January 3, 2024. Upcoming key legislative dates are summarized in the table below.
Table 1: Key Legislative Dates
Key Legislative Dates Action
January 10 Governor must present budget proposal to
the Legislature.
January 31 Last day for each house to pass bills
introduced in that house in the odd-
numbered year.
February 16 Last day for bills to be introduced.
March 21 to April 1 Legislative spring recess.
May 24 Last day for each house to pass bills
introduced in that house (house of origin
deadline).
June 15 Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget must be passed
by the Legislature.
June 27 Last day for a legislative measure to qualify
for the November 5 General Election Ballot.
June 30 Governor must sign Fiscal Year 2024-25
Budget.
July 3 to August 5 Legislative summer recess.
August 5 to August 31 Final month of the legislative session.
August 31 Last day for each house to pass bills.
September 30 Governor must take action on all measures
passed by the Legislature.
November 5 General election.
Legislative Program Priorities for 2024
February 13, 2024
RECOMMENDATION
Staff seeks City Council input on the following question:
Are there any policy issues, priorities, or policy statements that Council would like to discuss, seek further clarification on, modify, add, or remove from the proposed 2024 Legislative Platform?
NEXT STEPS
Following feedback from t he City Council at this Study Session, staff will finalize the proposed 2023 Legislative Platform and bring the item to Council for adoption on the consent agenda on February 27, 2024.
PUBLIC NOTICING
The City Council agenda is advertised on Channel 26, and the agenda and this Study Session memorandum appear on the City’s website.
CG-AA/6/CAM
608-02-13-24SS
203797
Attachments: 1. Draft 2024 Legislative Platform
2. Council Policy A-16, Positions on Ballot Measures and Legislative Advocacy