Slide 1
WWW.TOWNSENDPA.COM
SACRAMENTO • WASHINGTON, DC
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA • NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
WWW.TOWNSENDPA.COM
SACRAMENTO • WASHINGTON DC
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA • CENTRAL CALIFORNIA • SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 2023 Legislative
Summary and
Priorities for 2024
January 8, 2024
Slide 2
Overview
Townsend Public Affairs (TPA) has closely partnered
with the City of San Leandro for almost 9 years and
together the team has achieved great results.
This includes 3 City sponsored legislative proposals
signed into law, collaborating on numerous
legislative efforts, providing critical grant writing
support, and helping secure over $21million in state
funding for priority projects.
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Slide 3
Summary
2023 Legislative Session adjourned
on September 14th
• 1,046 bills reached Governors
Desk
• 890 bills signed into law (85%)
• 156 bills vetoed (15%)
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Slide 4
Areas with Significant Legislative Focus
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Housing and Land Use
Behavioral Health Reform
Fentanyl Overdose Prevention
Revenue and Taxation
State Budget
Slide 5
Areas with Significant Legislative Focus
continued
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Leadership Changes
Governance and Transparency
Labor and Employee Relations
Slide 6
State Budget
The 2023 budget process was marred with uncertainty due to deficit concerns and an unprecedented tax return delay in response to the severe winter storms in January 2023.
The 2023 budget agreement closed an estimated $32 billion budget deficit while setting aside $37.8 billion in reserves.
The 2024 budget agreement likely to include:
Careful spending practices to offset any lingering deficit impacts Budget resiliency, shoring up reserve accounts, and prudent spending 2023 Budget Process
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Slide 7
Revenue and Taxation
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Lowers voter threshold, to 55%, for bond/special taxes dedicated to affordable housing and public infrastructure
• Will appear on the November 2024 General Election ballot ACA 1 (Aguiar-Curry)
Slide 8
Revenue and Taxation
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Requires an initiative constitutional amendment to comply with any increased voter approval threshold that it seeks to impose on future ballot measures, and applies to statewide initiative measures that appear on the ballot on or after January 1, 2024
• Likely to appear on November 2024 General Election ballot ACA 13 (Ward)
Slide 9
Behavioral Health Reform
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Governor Newsom and Legislative Leaders made overhauling the State’s existing behavioral healthcare infrastructure a top priority. • Behavioral Health Reform Package includes:
• SB 326 (Eggman): Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) policy reforms • AB 531 (Irwin): $6.38 billion bond proposal to support residential care facility construction
• $1.5 billion specifically for cities and counties
• Both signed by the Governor on October 12 and on the March 2024 ballot Behavioral Health Reform Package
Slide 10
Behavioral Health Reform
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Expands the definition of “gravely disabled,” for purposes of involuntarily detaining to include a severe substance use disorder or mental health disorder and is unable to additionally provide for personal safety or necessary medical care • Signed by Governor Newsom on October 10
SB 43 (Eggman)
Slide 11
Fentanyl Overdose Prevention
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Establishes Fentanyl Misuse and
Overdose Prevention Task Force
• Contains an urgency clause to ensure
the provisions of this bill take effect
immediately
• Signed by the Governor on October
13 AB 33 (Baines)
• Increases penalties for individuals
possessing large amounts of
fentanyl
• Signed by the Governor on October
9 AB 701 (Villapudua)
Slide 12
Fentanyl Overdose Prevention
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• New Committee on Fentanyl, Opioid Addiction, and Prevention • Will work to develop comprehensive legislation for consideration in 2024 New Assembly Select Committee
Slide 13
Labor and Employee Relations
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Enacts a $20 minimum wage for
covered workers in exchange for
the withdrawal of a pending
referendum on landmark
legislation enacted last year (AB
257) to establish a powerful FastFood Council
• Signed by the Governor on
September 28
AB 1228 (Holden)
• Establishes a health care
employee minimum wage with
various phase-in schedules based
upon a classification system using
specified factors
• Signed by the Governor on
October 13
SB 525 (Durazo)
Slide 14
Labor and Employee Relations
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Amends the Meyers-MiliasBrown Act to require the
inclusion of temporary
employees in the same
bargaining unit as permanent
employees
• Signed by the Governor on
October 10
AB 1484 (Zbur)
Slide 15
Governance and Transparency
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Brown Act Reform
• Eliminates the sunset date on provisions of law allowing local agencies to use teleconferencing without complying with specified Ralph M. Brown Act (Brown Act) requirements during a proclaimed state of emergency • Signed by the Governor on October 8
AB 557 (Hart)
Slide 16
Governance and Transparency
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
• Requires cities and counties that
maintain websites to utilize a
".gov" or ".ca.gov" domain by
January 1, 2029
• Signed by the Governor on
October 8
AB 1637 (Irwin)
Slide 17
Leadership Changes
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Assembly Member Robert Rivas
New Speaker
Senator Mike McGuire
New Pro Tem Announced
Slide 18
State Budget Earmark for the City of San
Leandro
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
$2.5 million dollar request
submitted by Assembly
Member Liz Ortega to
support the unhoused at
the Nimitz Motel
Slide 19
Priority Funding Award
$9,328,250 for the Nimitz Motel from the
State Home key Program
For the acquisition and rehabilitation of the
building to create 29 interim housing units
serving individuals experiencing
homelessness and chronic homelessness
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
Slide 20
Looking Forward
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
STATE
BUDGET
• Budget deficit
predicted
• Governor’s budget
released in January
2024.
STATEWIDE BALLOT
INITIATIVES
• ACA 13/Taxpayer
Protection Act
• ACA 1
• Rent Cap constitutional
amendments
STATEWIDE
BONDS
Under Consideration for
November 2024
• Climate Bond
• Housing Bond
• Education Bond
Slide 21
Looking Forward continued
It is expected that the State Legislature will
maintain its focus on:
• Climate Resiliency
• Governance and Transparency
• Homelessness and Behavioral Health
• Housing and Greater Access
• Public Safety and
• Transportation and Infrastructure
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024
2023 Legislative Summary and Priorities for 2024 Slide 22 Contact Information
Christopher Townsend
President
[email protected]
Niccolo De Luca
Vice President
[email protected]
Andres Ramirez
Senior Associate
[email protected]