For Council Consideration on July 11, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
PUBLIC SAFETY
Overview
As a city that is consistently named one of the safest cities in the country, Santa Clara is committed to promoting a living and working environment that allows for the best quality of life.
The City believes that c rime prevention and enforcement efforts are integral to creating and maintaining a safe environment for residents and visitors. At the same time, the City recognizes that crime prevention and enforcement efforts alone cannot foster community safety and wellness; education, intervention and prevention efforts on various public safety topics , such as gun violence, gang activity, alcohol and tobacco use, pedestrian, driver and bicycle safety, and driving under the influence, are equally important.
As the State and region continues to experience civil unrest and an unprecedented number of natural and man-made disasters, the City recognizes the importance of a comprehensive risk management approach to emergency preparedness.
Guiding Principles
The City of Santa Clara’s guiding principles for legislative advocacy include and are not limited to:
• Support the League of California Cities and National League of Cities positions on priority bills that benefit Santa Clara.
• Protect local revenue sources and prevent unfunded mandates. • Protect and/or increase funding for specific programs and services. • Protect and/or increase local government discretion.
• Advance approved policies such as the City’s Statement of Values, the General Plan, or the Climate Action Plan.
Legislative Advocacy Position
In order to maintain public health and safety, and promote the best quality of life, the City will:
• Support legislation that seeks to impose stricter gun violence laws and/or requires the safe storage of unattended firearms , including background checks and training requirements for gun sales.
• Support legislation that toughens penalties for chronic criminals. • Support efforts to reduce the list of who can seek early parole and re- classify some theft crimes from misdemeanors to felonies by reforming Assembly Bill 109 (approved by the Legislature in 2011), Proposition 47 (approved by voters in 2014) and Proposition 57 (approved by voters in 2016).
• Support the expansion of the number of crimes where DNA is collected, a list that was limited when some crimes were reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors. • Support legislation that preserves, or expands, funding levels for public safety programs, services, reimbursement of administrative costs associated with grant implementation, record keeping and reporting, and equipment, such as the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants.
For Council Consideration on July 11, 2023
• Support initiatives that maintain existing tools/resources available to officers to respond to calls for service, enhance investigation resources, and aide in crime fighting while increasing officer and public safety.
• Support legislation that addresses crime trends and attempts to curb il legal activity, including but not limited to, illegal street racing and sideshow activity , thefts from automobile burglaries, and organized retail thefts, all of which are growing trends in our region.
• Support efforts to test speed enforcement cameras and corresponding legislation to mitigate traffic-related injuries and deaths.
• Support efforts to fund the towing of abandoned vehicles, including unoccupied recreational vehicles (RVs).
• Support legislation that identifies new funding sources for fire and law enforcement agencies to promote public safety, wellness and employee training. • Support legislation that recognizes the importance of a comprehensive risk management approach to emergency preparedness, fire prevention, fire suppression, and emergency medical services.
• Support legislation that provides funding for emergency preparedness, including community risk reduction strategies like community education programs (e.g., CERT , CPA), staff training, interagency cooperation, and enhanced equipment and technology. • Support legislation that expands the implementation and testing of emergency alert systems.
• Support legislation that enhances public safety professionals’ ability to respond to all types of emergencies and communicate within and across jurisdictions. • Support measures that aim to return revenue generated from the enforcement of crimes back to the originating agency to sustain their efforts. • Support the local regulation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAVs), including the right to authorize use of UAVs by public safety agencies and the right to restrict or prohibit UAV use that interferes with, or poses a threat to, emergency operations or public safety. • Support legislation that aims to assist individuals in crisis, including those who may be homeless, be the victim of human trafficking, domestic violence victims and survivors, and other vulnerable populations.
• Support legislation and efforts that recognizes the importance of developing a comprehensive preparedness strategy (e.g. mutual aid, unified command, interoperability, cyber disobedience, critical infrastructure, social media, etc.) to respond to civil unrest with input from emergency responders and allied stakeholders for local response. • Support more training and funding for law enforceme nt, and non -law enforcement, response to individuals experiencing mental health and substance abuse issues, including de-escalation training.
• Support the inclusion of stipends, reimbursement and/or allocation associated with new legislation that increases data collection and reporting, particularly when there is a need for specialized software or equipment to do so.
• Oppose public safety legislation that imposes unfunded mandates on local agencies for new programs or increased service levels.