April 25, 2023
The Honorable James Ramos
California State Assembly
State Capitol, PO Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 942419
Subject: SUPPORT AB 1748 (Ramos) – Qualifying Logistics Use Projects
Dear Assembly Member Ramos,
On behalf of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Rialto, we are writing to express our support for AB 1748.
As currently written, this legislation sets reasonable setback requirements for qualifying logistic use facilities from sensitive use areas. Establishing a greater distance for setbacks would radically limit the ability of local governments to approve of any new logistics centers and negatively impact future economic investments. Further, AB 1748 allows cities to approve qualif ying logistics facilities if they comply with local industrial guidelines or policies, granting greater flexibility to local leaders to make critical policy decisions.
The logistics industry is a major economic driver not only for our region, but for our state and nation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 195,000 jobs were created because of the logistics industry. Further, this is a growing in dustry with an expected growth rate of 28% by 2030, faster than the national average for other industries. While the City of Rialto recognizes the collective impact of logistics facilities on our communities in terms of traffic, wear and tear on our roads and air quality, the economic benefit from these facilities is very clear.
As stated in your own fact s heet, previous attempts to establish setback requirements or buffers strip local agencies of their local control within their communities. Other similar pieces of legislation suggesting a 1,000 ft setback could essentially create a moratorium. The City of Rialto will continue to eval uate and assess the collective impacts of these facilities in our communities and how we can mitigate these impacts at the local level.
The City of Rialto again offers our support for AB 1748 and its balanced approach in addressing the needs of sensitive land uses while also protecting local control. If you have any questions about our position, please reach out to our Acting City Manager Arron Brown by email [email protected].
Respectfully, the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Members of the City Council