City of Sacramento
Law and Legislation Committee Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2023-01678 5/21/2024 Consent Item 3.
Legislative Advocacy Correspondence
File ID: 2023-01678
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and file.
Contact: Consuelo Hernandez, Director of Governmental Affairs, (916) 808-7395, [email protected], Office of the City Manager Presenter: None.
Attachments:
1-Legislative Advocacy Correspondence
Date Bill/Subject Author Description of Issue Position Notes/Status 4/15/24 AB 2200 Kalra California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act (CalCare) Support 4/9/24 SB 1218 Newman Emergency Water Supplies Support Coaliton letter 4/4/24 REAP 2.0 REAP 2.0 Funding
Request to the Legislature to reject a
proposed $300 million cut
4/1/24 SB 1139 Ashby SAFCA Urban Flood Protection Deadline Extension Support 3/28/24 AB 2236 Bauer-Kahan Eliminating Plastic Bags Support 3/28/24 SB 1110 Ashby Reasonable Enforcement of Water Use Efficiency Support 2/2/24 LIWHAP Padilla LIWHAP Establishment Act Support
9/25/23 SB 51 Bradford Cannabis Provisional Licenses: Local Equity Applicants Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/25/23 SB 669 Cortese Veterinarians
Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 AB 28 Gabriel Firearms and Ammunition: Excise Tax Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 AB 40 Rodriguez Emergency Medical Services
Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 AB 316 Aguiar-Curry Autonomous Vehicles
Request for Governor's
signature Vetoed by the Governor
Position Letters 2023-2024
9/22/23 AB 350 Aguiar-Curry Regional Transportation Plans: SACOG Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 AB 645 Friedman Vehicles: Speed Safety Pilot Program Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 AB 1052 McCarty Sacramento Regional Transit District's Ballot Authority Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 AB 1078 Jackson Instructional Materials and Curriculum: Diversity Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 ACA 13 Ward Voting Thresholds
Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
9/22/23 SB 659 Ashby California Water Supply Solutions Act of 2023 Request for Governor's
signature Signed by the Governor
8/28/23 AB 316 Aguiar-Curry Autonomous Vehicles Support Vetoed by the Governor 8/28/23 ACA 13 Ward Voting Thresholds Support Signed by the Governor 7/11/23 AB 223 Ward Confidential Proceedings Support Signed by the Governor 7/11/23 AB 783 Ting Single-Use Restrooms Support Signed by the Governor 7/11/23 AB 957 Wilson Family Law and Gender Identity Support Vetoed by the Governor 7/11/23 AB 994 Jackson Law Enforcement: Social Media Support Signed by the Governor 7/11/23 AB 1078 Jackson Instructional Materials and Curriculum: Diversity Support Signed by the Governor 7/11/23 SB 372 Menjivar DCA Licensee and Registration Records Support Signed by the Governor 7/11/23 SB 760 Muratsuchi School Facilities: All Gender Restrooms Support Signed by the Governor 7/10/23 AB 1052 McCarty Sacramento Regional Transit District's Ballot Authority Support Signed by the Governor 7/7/23 AB 645 Friedman Vehicles: Speed Safety Pilot Program Support Signed by the Governor 6/23/23 AB 40 Rodriguez Emergency Medical Services Support Signed by the Governor 6/21/23 AB 28 Gabriel Firearms and Ammunition: Excise Tax Support Signed by the Governor 6/9/23 SB 407 Wiener Foster Care: Resource Families Support Signed by the Governor 6/9/23 SB 659 Ashby California Water Supply Solutions Act of 2023 Support Signed by the Governor 6/9/23 SB 511 Blakespear Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories Support Held in Assembly Appropriations
Committee
6/9/23 AB 350 Aguiar-Curry Regional Transportation Plans: SACOG Support Signed by the Governor 5/23/23 Regulation Change re the Striped Bass Slot Limit Coalition letter to California Fish and
Game Commission
4/11/23 Budget request to fund 30x30 Support
4/11/23 SB 511 Blakespear Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories Support Held in Assembly Appropriations
Committee
4/4/23 AB 735 Berman Workforce Development: Utility Careers Support Held in Assembly Appropriations
Committee
3/28/23 AB 285 Luz Rivas Pupil Instruction: Science Requirements: Climate Change Support Signed by the Governor 3/27/23
Budget request to fund the Local Equitable Access to Food (LEAF) Program Support Coalition letter
3/21/23
Budget request for Continued Assistance for Customer Water and Wastewater Arrearages Accrued During the Pandemic Support Coalition letter 3/21/23 AB 333 Nguyen Abandoned Vehicle Service Authorities Licenses and Permits Support In Assembly Transportation
Committee
3/6/23 AB 350 Aguiar-Curry Regional Transportation Plans: SACOG Support Signed by the Governor Ma
rch 25, 2024
S
enator Dave Min
Chair, Senate Natural Resources Committee
1021 O Street, Room 3220
Sacramento, CA 95814
R
E: SB 1100 (ASHBY) REASONABLE ENFORCEMENT OF WATER USE
EFFICIENCY - REQUEST FOR SUPPORT
D
ear Senator Min:
O
n behalf of the City of Sacramento (City), I write to express our support of SB 1100 (Ashby). It would give state regulators flexibility to consider disparate impacts on communities and lower-cost alternatives in the enforcement of water use efficiency requirements.
The City delivers about 37 billion gallons of potable water per year. Our one-half million customers are in a 100 square-mile service area in Sacramento. Our water system includes various surface water treatment works, storage facilities, groundwater wells, and approximately 1,700 miles of pipeline. Like every community in California, reliable water is essential for basic existence, but also to support local economies, and housing development. Beyond commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential customer uses, water is used for a variety of non-revenue, but otherwise beneficial uses.
Examples include firefighting and water main flushing to ensure clean safe drinking water, parks, and maintaining our vast urban forest to support shade trees. Our state has made significant investments to protect and enhance our water supplies in the face of rising temperatures, flooding, and wildfires. For this reason, we think it’s imperative that we spend our water dollars wisely and that state regulators strike the appropriate balance between advancing water use efficiency and guarding against disproportionate impacts or expenses that are not cost-effective.
Improvements in water use efficiency have been a great success story in California.
Statewide per capita urban water use was down 32% by 2020 and 97% of agencies met state requirements
1. In the Sacramento region over the last 23 years, the region’s water use has been steady even though the population grew nearly 43 percent from 1.5 million to almost 2.2 million people.
Water use efficiency will remain a key strategy in effective water management for the foreseeable future. The state is currently in the process of developing new water use efficiency requirements. It is important that the enforcement of those regulations be flexible to allow for water management approaches that achieve equal or greater benefits. The state’s analysis of the new requirements found that they would cost $13.5 billion and generate a savings of 1-2 percent of statewide water use
2. Both the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)3 and the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO)4 have raised concerns about the cost of the regulations. The PPIC's analysis concluded that the state’s proposed regulations would likely cost water suppliers and their customers more than $15 billion to implement while providing only $8 billion in benefits and hit the pocketbooks of inland, low-income, smaller communities hardest.
The LAO concluded that for the modest amount of water that might be saved by these regulations and the amount of work and implementation costs, the merits of the proposed regulations are “highly questionable.”
SB 1110 strikes a balance between the need to advance water use efficiency while maintaining the affordability of water and improving overall water management. The legislation provides state regulators the authority to consider implementation costs at the enforcement stage and ensures the state’s retail water suppliers have the flexibility to develop tailored efficiency objectives that factor in their local characteristics.
For the reasons stated above, the City believes that SB 1110 will maintain a focus on water use efficiency without losing overall water management as the top priority and I respectfully request your support of the bill. Should you have any questions about our
1 California Department of Water Resources Report to the Legislature: Status of 2020 Urban Water Management Plans (ca.gov)
2 Assessment of proposed Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life:
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/conservation/regs/docs/2023/sria-making-water-conservation-a-california-way-of- life.pdf
3 https://www.ppic.org/blog/a-better-way-to-promote-urban-water-conservation/
4 https://www.lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4823
support, please contact Consuelo Hernandez, Director of Governmental Affairs, at 916- 808-7395 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Katie Valenzuela
Chair, Law and Legislation Committee
March 25, 2024
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks
Chair, Assembly Appropriations Committee
1021 O Street, Room 8220
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 2236 (BAUER-KAHAN) ELIMINATING PLASTIC BAGS - REQUEST FOR
SUPPORT
Dear Assemblymember Wicks:
On behalf of the City of Sacramento (City), I write to express our support of AB 2236 (Bauer-Kahan) and SB 1053 (Blakespear). These bills would take aim at eliminating plastics bags and waste by doing away with the option to receive a plastic bag at retail stores that include food items and grocery stores.
The City provides drinking water, wastewater and storm drainage services to our one- half million customers in a 100 square-mile service area. AB 2236 and SB 1053 would end the use of thick plastic bags in grocery stores, while allowing for the sale of genuinely reusable tote bags, and the continued use of paper bags. For context within the City, the thicker plastic bags that have been adopted are an ongoing issue with clogging in our drainage system (pipes and screens) as well as our pump stations. If plastic bags continue to be used, or even get thicker, even if they are compostable, the amount of material and the strength of the material will continue, and likely increase, to be an issue for our system O&M. One important note is that bags that are removed from the sewer/drainage system will not be recycled or composted and will go straight to a landfill. AB 2236 and SB 1053 have been determined to be a benefit for the City when it comes to source control in our storm drainage system as well as easing the compliance with the trash TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads) of our NPDES permits.
AB 2236 and SB 1053 take a proactive approach to addressing eliminating plastics bags and waste in the state as well as great potential to reducing the plastic waste in our waterways.
For these reasons, the City believes that AB 2236 and SB 1053 will provide benefits to the environment as well as local stormwater agency compliance with NPDES permits and TMDLs. If you have any questions about our support, please contact Consuelo Hernandez, Director of Governmental Affairs, at 916-808-7395 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Katie Valenzuela
Chair, Law and Legislation Committee
April 1, 2024
Senator Dave Min
Chair, Senate Natural Resources Committee
1021 O Street, Room 3220
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 1139 (ASHBY) SACRAMENTO FLOOD CONTROL AUTHORIZATION –
REQUEST FOR SUPPORT
Dear Senator Min:
On behalf of the City of Sacramento (City) and as the co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1139 (Ashby) I write to express our support of SB 1139, which would extend the deadline for the City and County of Sacramento to achieve the urban level of flood protection from 2025 to 2030.
The Sacramento Region is rated as the second-h ighest region at risk of major flooding in the nation. As such, cities and counties in the region that are protected by the State Plan of Flood Control are prohibited from approving new dev elopment or increasing housing density unless there is flood protection that meets the urban level of flood protection (ULOP), enough protection necessary to withstand a 200-y ear flood. Areas that do not have urban level of flood protection must achieve, or make adequate progress towards achieving, the urban level of flood protection by 2025.
State law requires that cities and counties within the Central Valley make specified findings before approving development agreements , tentative maps, discretionary permits, and ministerial permits for new residences. One of these findings is that the local flood management agency has made adequate progress on the construction of a flood protection system to provide an urban level of flood protection by 2025.
The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) is the local flood management agency that oversees the efforts to improve the regional flood protection system,
including projects across Sacramento County. The majority of funding for these projects comes from state and federal agencies outside of SAFCA’s control. Due to funding and construction delays, it’s likely that the 200-year flood protection will not be fully achieved by the 2025 deadline.
B
y extending the deadline for SAFCA to complete the necessary projects to achieve the required urban level of flood protection from 2025 to 2030, SB 1139 will ensure that necessary flood protection projects can be completed without delaying development including much needed housing for the region.
F
or the reasons stated above, I respectfully request your support of SB 1139. Should you have any questions about our support, please contact Consuelo Hernandez, Director of Governmental Affairs, at 916-808-7395 or
[email protected].
S
incerely,
K
atie Valenzuela
Chair, Law and Legislation Committee
April 4, 2024
The Honorable Mike McGuire
Senate President Pro Tempore
1021 O Street, Suite 8610
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Robert Rivas
Speaker California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite 8330
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Scott Wiener
Chair, Senate Committee on Budget
and Fiscal Review
1020 N Street, Suite 502
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Jesse Gabriel
Chair, Assembly Committee on Budget
1021 O Street, Suite 8230
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: PROJECT BUDGET FUNDING FOR REGIONAL EARLY ACTION PLANNING GRANTS OF 2021 (REAP 2.0)
Dear President pro Tempore McGuire, Speaker Rivas, Chair Wiener, and Chair Gabriel:
On behalf of the City of Sacramento (City), I write to respectfully urge the Legislature to reject the $300 million cut to the Regional Early Action Planning Grants of 2021 (REAP
2.0) included in Governor Newsom's 2024-25 January Budget proposal. The $300 million recission eliminates half of a $600 million investment to advance the implementation of adopted regional plans by funding planning and infrastructure investments that accelerate infill housing and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
In the six-county Sacramento region, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) has directed all REAP 2.0 funding to infrastructure projects and local land use planning activities that implement our Green Means Go program, which accelerates infill housing development. SACOG has already awarded the full share of the $31.3 million to catalytic projects in local jurisdictions. For our jurisdiction, REAP 2.0 supports three projects that are critical to our goals of developing infill housing, increasing affordable housing options in the City, and addressing climate change.
Grean Means Go funding would make several desperately needed improvements to the City’s infrastructure. These include:
• River District – Sump 111 Improvements ($7,000,000). The project would increase pumping capacity in the River District and install a trash capture device that is required to allow higher density projects without individual site drainage management. The majority of the 2,000 residential units planned for the area will be for lower-income households. Upon hearing of the award of the funds, they were committed as match for a state Housing and Community Development Proposition 1c Grant which is being used for the build out of approximately 900 units in Township 9 in the River District. This build out and corresponding retail will support the State’s new office building across the street from the pump station. Adding this retail will result in fewer trips by the anticipated 5,000 State employees to other parts of the City for lunch and breaks, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Lavender Heights Water Infrastructure Expansion ($1,083,000). The project would extend water infrastructure from 21st to 23rd Street along K Street and extend to Jazz Alley. The proposed extension of water infrastructure would also increase the water main size from a 6” pipe to a 12” pipe thereby increasing capacity sufficient to serve thousands of multi-family residential units and improve fire safety in the Central City Corridors Green Zone. The Central City Plan’s goal is to add 23,000 new dwelling units by 2035 and with densities above 30 dwelling units/acre. There are approximately 900 planned dwelling units within the immediate project area. This part of the Central City has experienced a lot of growth and the expansion of the water line will allow that growth to continue further assisting the live/work balance in Sacramento.
• Del Paso Blvd Area Sewer Improvements ($3,916,000). Del Paso Boulevard is one of Sacramento’s aging commercial corridors and an area that is plagued with inadequate infrastructure and disinvestment since being annexed to the City. The grant would increase sewer capacity by upsizing several segments of sewer pipes, construct a sewer main, and repair portions of the existing infrastructure.
Once a redevelopment area, the corridor has many former redevelopment agency vacant lots that are now experiencing a great deal of interest by housing developers. There are four housing projects with approximately 600 total units in the planning stages on these properties. With a challenging financial market, the future of these projects will depend on being able to offset some of the significant infrastructure costs thus making the REAP funding critical.
REAP 2.0 is vital to California’s strategic investments toward a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future. REAP 2.0 will accelerate progress toward our state housing goals and climate commitments through a strengthened partnership between the state, its regions, and local entities.
This unprecedented retraction in fully committed funding for REAP 2.0 and Green Means Go will result in cancellations or delays in critical infill housing infrastructure that is well underway. Please protect funding for REAP 2.0 by rejecting the Governor’s January proposal.
Thank you for considering our comments. We look forward to working with you to ensure critical infill housing development can progress in your district. Please contact Consuelo Hernandez, Director of Governmental Affairs, at [email protected]
or 916-808-7395 with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Katie Valenzuela
Chair, Law and Legislation Committee
cc: Honorable Members, Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Honorable Members, Assembly Budget Committee
Timothy Griffiths, Consultant, Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Genevieve Morelos, Consultant, Assembly Budget Committee Teresa Calvert, Program Budget Manager, Department of Finance
April 9, 2024
The Honorable Dave Min
Chair, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
1021 O Street, Suite 3220
Sacramento, CA 9581
RE: SB 1218 (Newman): Emergency Water Supplies- Support
Dear Chair Min:
We, the undersigned coalition of statewide associations, cities, water suppliers, business organizations, and regional stakeholders , are writing to express our support for SB 1218 (Newman) and to thank you for authoring this important measure, which would enact a state policy to encourage and incentivize greater investment in and development of emergency water supplies across the state.
The Honorable Dave Min
Chair, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
April 9, 2024
California has always had a climate that cycles between periods of large amounts of precipitation and times of drought. With climate change, however, we are experiencing greater weather whiplash. As the state sees more rainfall and less snow, earlier snowmelt, more intense rain events, aridification, and increasingly more frequent droughts, the state should support every responsible tool to enhance water resilience.
While adherence to feasible water use efficiency standards will continue to play an important role in the face of climate change, water resilience for the future will also require California to maximize various innovative approaches to ensure sufficient water for the state’s ecosystem, urban, and agriculture needs in times of shortage.
The development of emergency water supplies — a water supply that has been developed by a water supplier to enhance its water supply reliability during times of shortage and is a supply in addition to the baseline water supplies that the agency draws upon during non-shortage times to meet water demands within its service area — is one tool that can aid the state in mitigating the impacts of more frequent droughts. Unfortunately, few water suppliers have made the investment in emergency supplies because the state has not formally recognized them.
SB 1218 seeks to remedy this by enacting a policy in the Water Code that recognizes emergency water supplies, encourages their development, and supports their use during times of shortage. Our coalition believes that such a policy will encourage and incentivize greater investment in and development of emergency supplies — making communities more resilient, better able to withstand drought and flood, and more prepared to provide safe and reliable water supplies to residents, business and the environment.
For these reasons, we strongly support SB 1218 and urge you and your colleagues to vote “Aye” on this important measure. Please feel free to contact Christine Compton with the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) at (949) 453-5338 or IRWD’s Sacramento advocate Alfredo Arredondo at (805) 598-9350 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Julia Bishop Hall
Legislative Relations Manager
Association of California Water Agencies
Danielle Blacet
Deputy Executive Director
California Municipal Utilities Association
Aaron Avery
Director of State Legislative Affairs
California Special Districts Assocation
Samuel K. Kim, P.E.
Public Works Deputy Director
City of Garden Grove
Mark Vukojevic
Utilities Director
City of Newport Beach Utilities Department
Katie Valenzuela
Councilmember, District 4, Chair, Law and
Legislation Committee
City of Sacramento
The Honorable Dave Min
Chair, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
April 9, 2024
David Youngblood, P.E.
General Manager
East Orange County Water District
Joe Mouawad, P.E.
General Manager
Eastern Municipal Water District
Dennis P. Cafferty, P.E.
General Manager
El Toro Water District
Greg Thomas
General Manager
Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
Dave Coffaro
Interim CEO
Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce
Shivaji Deshmukh , P.E.
General Manager
Inland Empire Utilities Agency
Paul A. Cook
General Manager
Irvine Ranch Water District
Keith Van Der Maaten
General Manager
Laguna Beach County Water District
Jeremy Wolf
Legislative Program Manager
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District
Harvey De La Torre
General Manager
Municipal Water District of Orange County
Ivy Brittain
Legislative Affairs Director
Northern California Water Association
Kim Thorner
General Manager
Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Jeff Ball
CEO
Orange County Business Council
Robert S. Grantham
General Manager
Rancho Water
James Peifer
Executive Director
Regional Water Authority
Trent Taylor
Water Resources Manager
Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District
Don Bunts
Interim General Manager
Santa Margarita Water District
Rick Shintaku
General Manager
South Coast Water District
Victoria Hernandez
Executive Director
South Orange County Economic Coalition
Charley Wilson
Executive Director
Southern California Water Coalition
The Honorable Dave Min
Chair, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
April 9, 2024
Matthew Litchfield
General Manager
Three Valleys Municipal Water District
Fernando Paludi
General Manager
Trabuco Canyon Water District
Michelle Reimers
General Manager
Turlock Irrigation District
Craig Miller
General Manager
Western Municipal Water District
cc: The Honorable Members, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee The Honorable Josh Newman, California State Senate, 29
th District
Katharine Moore, Chief Consultant, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee Todd Moffitt, Consultant, Senate Republican Caucus
April 15, 2024
Assemblymember Mia Bonta
Chair, Assembly Health Committee
1021 N Street, Suite 390
Sacramento, 95814
RE: AB 2200 (KALRA) - CALIFORNIA GUARANTEED HEALTH CARE FOR ALL ACT (CALCARE) – SUPPORT
Dear Assemblymember Bonta:
On behalf of the City of Sacramento (City), I write to express our support of AB 2200 (Kalra), the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act. AB 2200 will begin the process of creating a universal single-payer system of health care for every California resident.
The rising cost of health care is unsustainable and is burdening the state economy and working families. Every dollar that goes to pay for health coverage is a dollar that comes out of a family’s budget, a worker’s wages, or a consumer’s savings account. Millions more Californians with insurance are unable to afford care because of increasing copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs. The average cost of family premiums for job-based health insurance climbed 7% to nearly $24,000 each year in 2023, creating an unsustainable burden on workers and employers. Even health plans offered through Covered California are increasing by an average of nearly 10% in 2024, the highest since 2018. For Californians with employer-based coverage, many are unable to afford the high cost of health care or may lose their coverage in an economic downturn.
The only way we can guarantee every person living in California receives the health care they need with a single standard of excellent care is by adopting a single-payer,
CalCare system for all. CalCare would improve and expand upon Medicare and Medi- Cal by consolidating existing health care programs into a single, streamlined health system to cover everyone living in California and providing comprehensive benefits to all. Importantly, AB 2200 would create the necessary infrastructure to target and begin to dismantle the health inequities that our current unjust system is built upon. CalCare will be free at the point of service and will eliminate gatekeeper obstacles to care created by middleman insurers like prior authorization, lifetime or annual limits, and in- network restrictions.
While CalCare would not go into effect until fully funded, AB 2200 will set in motion a single-payer health care system that would help protect California from future deficits through the implementation of a more fiscally efficient and effective system of care.
CalCare would reduce inefficiencies in the current, fragmented insurance system by cutting unnecessary administrative expenses associated with insurance and by reining in skyrocketing prices for hospital services, doctor visits, and prescription drugs.
CalCare would also save money for our state overall. The Healthy California for All Commission found that under a single-payer model, with no cost sharing for patients and long-term care for all, California would save between $32 billion to $213 billion over 10 years compared to our current system. The Commission also estimated that, today, it costs California hospitals, doctors, and other providers $85 billion each year in insurance-related administrative costs alone, and it estimated that, under a single-payer model, California would pay about $42 billion less in administrative costs each year.
Under CalCare, these savings would be redirected to patients to provide comprehensive benefits and expand coverage to all Californians.
By passing AB 2200, California can position itself to seek consolidated federal waivers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These waivers will make it easier for California to consolidate health care dollars, expand benefits, and eliminate cost-sharing. As analyzed by the Healthy California for All Commission, enacting the policy legislation of single-payer health care is the first necessary step that must be completed in the process put forth by the federal government to apply for waivers. AB 2200 provides the required statutory foundation and sets California on the path necessary to have in-depth financing discussions.
For the reasons stated above, the City requests your support of AB 2200. Should you have any questions about our support, please contact Consuelo Hernandez, Director of Governmental Affairs, at 916-808-7395 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Katie Valenzuela
Chair, Law and Legislation Committee