For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
BROADBAND, CABLE SERVICES, AND WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES Overview
The wireless telecommunications industry has made efforts to limit or preempt local control over placement of wireless facilities and supporting structures in and outside the rights of way. Over the past several years, actions by federal and state lawmaker s have resulted in the adoption of regulations and orders controlling local authority over placement of wireless facilities , including the adoption of “shot clocks” requiring local agencies to complete review of projects within a specified time period.
Additionally, through the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed rulemaking, there have been efforts in recent years to address whether local franchising authorities (LFAs) can regulate incumbent cable operators and cable television services. The City has its own government access channel (Santa Clara City Television on Comcast cable channel 15 and AT&T U-verse 99), which may be negatively impacted by such rulings and similar legislation and activities. Santa Clara City Television is used to provide important information to the public, such as live and recorded airings of Council meetings, City special events, programs, and public service announcements.
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
The City believes that it should maintain local authority over the placement of wireless telecommunications facilities, in order to ensure that a balance is reached between the infrastructure needs and the needs of the community. As such, the City:
• Supports efforts to increase access to broadband to address the digital equity divide, including in underserved urban communities , while ensuring the placement and installation of needed equipment does not undermine local permitting authority and does not pose an undue nuisance for residents.
• Supports efforts to retain and expand local control of permitting wireless telecommunications and non-cable services facilities in the public-right-of-way. • Supports legislation that provides opportunity for public input on the placement of wireless telecommunications facilities.
• Monitors legislation related to distributed energy generation via back-up power at wireless telecommunications facilities.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Oppose legislation and efforts to limit the amount of time, or scope, of local review of the placement of wireless facilities.
Legislative Advocacy Position
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Overview
The City of Santa Clara offers a wide range of community services through Santa Clara City Library, parks and recreational facilities, and in partnership with community organizations and non-profits. The Santa Clara City Library is a dynamic community hub that provides access to information, literacy resources, educational programming, and civic engagement opportunities for the Santa Clara community. Through its three branches at Central Park Library, Northside Branch Library, and Mission Branch Library and the Bookmobile, Santa Clara City Library delivers high quality, efficient services in collections, technology and information access, literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL), programming, community partnerships, and facilities. The City’s Parks and Recreation Department provides planning, development, operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the City's twenty-seven (27) neighborhood parks, thirteen (13) mini parks, two (2) community parks, three (3) open space sites, ten (10) recreation buildings, four (4) trails, eleven (11) joint use facilities, and eleven (11) bodies of water at five sites. Facilities include community centers, neighborhood park buildings, community gardens, playgrounds, pools, restrooms, picnic areas, turf, trees, vegetation, athletic fields, and joint use facilities. The Department also assists the public with facility rental s, community services, cultural programs, special events, enhanced natural environments, fitness and wellness programs, as well as sports and aquatics opportunities.
Additionally, the City partners with community organizations and non-profits like Triton Museum of Art to provide the Santa Clara community with services such as free public access to art exhibitions and educational programs.
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
With the goal of enhancing community sports and its recreational and arts assets, the City:
• Supports legislation and efforts that provide direct funding to cities based on needs, regardless of cities’ income level, for community services including staffing, infrastructure, and materials.
Legislative Advocacy Position
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Supports collaborative efforts between local water districts and local jurisdictions to address carbon sequestration and water retention to directly benefit parks and city facilities.
• Supports efforts to restore the nature environment specially through parks: revegetation, reforestation, urban forestry programs.
• Supports funding for accessibility improvements that support developmentally based play for all ages and abilities.
• Supports funding and efforts that enhance programs that serve low-income seniors.
• Support funding and efforts to provide resource and recreational services for unhoused individuals, as well as resources for training staff who come in contact with vulnerable populations.
• Supports California Library Association’s positions on priori ty legislation that benefits Santa Clara.
• Supports funding and efforts to promote early literacy, family literacy, and life-long learning.
• Supports legislation that promote equity, diversity, and inclusion- related staffing, collections, and programming.
• Supports funding and efforts to increase afterschool enrichment activities for students.
• Supports legislation, funding, and resources to offer wraparound services to vulnerable populations.
• Supports funding and efforts to provide programs and services that encourage sustainable practices in the community.
• Supports funding, additional resources, and additional staffing to provide outreach and mental health resources to communities that currently lack adequate ac cess to these services.
• Support state and federal funding and resources to provide free meals and accompanying education opportunities to students.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Overview
As exemplified by the COVID -19 Pandemic and recent all -hazard emergencies, emergency preparedness and management are essential to the City’s ability to effectively respond and provide continued services to the community. The City’s Office of Emergency Services maintains an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in “response-ready” condition to serve as the City’s hub for emergency management activities in support of large-scale emergencies or planned events.
In the event of any all -hazard emergency, the City will closely monitor county, state and federal orders, guidance and legislation to see how they apply to Santa Clara, advocate for regional, state, and federal resources and funding to provide as needed assistance to individuals and businesses that have been negatively impacted, and focus on economic recovery.
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 adequately prepare for and manage emergencies to protect the community, the City of Santa Clara:
• Supports efforts to provide direct relief funding to local jurisdictions, especially small and medium-sized cities, which can be utilized to mitigate, prepare, respond to, and recover from any all-hazard emergencies and emergent crises and threats, including offsetting lost revenue and reimbursing incurred costs.
• Supports the temporary suspension of certain time-specific statutory and meeting requirements and flexibility to adjust city services as needed to mitigate, prepare, respond to, and recover from any future all-hazard emergencies. • Supports federal and state efforts to help mitigate the economic impacts from all-hazard emergencies on the City and its’ businesses and residents. • Supports public health efforts and resources to help mitigate the spread of infectious disease, including providing access to personal protective equipment and encouraging residents to receive approved vaccinations.
• Supports legislative efforts and funding for mutual aid to assist with emergency operations and streamline reimbursement processes.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Supports legislation efforts and funding for emergency management infrastructure. • Oppose efforts to reduce local jurisdictions ’ autonomy as it relates to disaster recovery and management.
• Opposes efforts to shift responsibility, to the City, of programs that have traditionally been carried out, or funded, by federal, state, or county governments. • Monitor homeowner and renters’ insurance efforts and legislation, and advocate for reasonable, affordable, and accessible programs for Santa Clara residents.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
ENERGY LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS AND ISSUES
Overview
The City’s electric utility, Silicon Valley Power (SVP) has a mission to be a progressive, service- oriented utility, offering reliable, competitively priced services for the benefit of Santa Clara and its customers. Additionally, S VP has an adopted Strategic Plan that is intended to address the challenges fac ing the utility over a ten-year period. The Strategic Plan contains over thirty strategic initiatives in four distinct areas: Utility Performance Excellence; Customer Engagement and Satisfaction; Progress and Innovation Focus; and Community and Environmental Stewardship. The Legislative Advocacy Position works to further the objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan, and complements the other Legislative Advocacy Positions adopted by the City.
Guiding Principles
The City follows the below guiding principles for all areas of legislative advocacy:
• Support the positions of the League of California Cities, and National League of Cities, 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 that benefit the City of Santa Clara and its residents.
• Protect and/or increase local government discretion.
• Advance approved policies, such as the City’s Statement of Values, the General Plan, and the Climate Action Plan.
Legislative Advocacy Position
In order to ensure the City can provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy to ratepayers, while operating in an environmentally and fiscally conscious manner, the City will:
• Support policies that will help ensure that transmission level Public Safety Power Shut- offs (PSPS) events do not unnecessarily burden local communities that are dependent on investor owned utility (IOU) transmission infrastructure. • Support legislation that would provide local public agencies with financial resources to prepare for, and mitigate the impacts from, planned power outage events. • Support efforts to align wildfire-related liability with fault, safeguarding public utility customers against exorbitant rate increases when their utility acts prudently. • Support efforts to expand energy generation and transmission infrastructure, including CEQA streamlining, that will help the City meet the pace of decarbonization goals. • Support legislation and efforts to enhance funding for clean energy, energy storage, and transmission development.
• Support policies that recognize energy affordability and provide financial incentives or assistance to residents and businesses.
• Support legislation or regulatory efforts that would allow Tier 4 diesel generators or better to run to help support the grid during peak demand periods.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Monitor PG&E’s rate-making and regulatory activities to ensure it meets its obligations and agreements and advocate for changes that would mitigate adverse impacts to SVP and other publicly owned utilities (POUs).
• Monitor the development of new market initiatives from state and regional grid operator s which may result in new energy-related products and changes to electric grid operations.
Staff will advocate for changes that would benefit or protect SVP ratepayers. • Monitor and participate with federal, state and local governments and stakeholders in the development of new regulations and advocate for changes that enhance system reliability and mitigate operational and ratepayer impacts.
• Monitor and support transmission related activities focusing on enhancing the reliability and deliverability of clean energy resources and advocating for greater transparency and assurance that transmission access charges are allocated equitably between the various beneficiaries.
• Oppose legislation and efforts that limit the amount of time, or scope, of local review of energy-related developments within the City.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
HOUSING
Overview
The lack of affordable housing in the State and region continues to have an increasingly profound impact on the C ity of Santa Clara. In January 202 2, Santa Clara County conducted its biennial Point-in-Time Count and found that there were over 10,028 individuals living on the streets, in shelters across the county, reflecting a more than 3 % increase in the homeless population over a 3-year period. During the same period, homelessness increased in the City of Santa Clara by 35%. As c ities across the state struggle to address the growing affordable housing and homelessness crisis as housing prices continue to soar, housing continues to be a key legislative priority for the State Legislature and regional agencies.
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
The City of Santa Clara is committed to being a leader at the local level in providing affordable housing, as well as making a fair share contribution to the overall need for housing production within Silicon Valley, and will continue to proactively take concrete steps to realize new housing production within the City. Santa Clara is also prepared to participate in broader regional efforts that are collaborative, recognize the unique characteristics of local jurisdictions , and provide opportunities for local representation.
The City is concerned about potential measures imposed at the State or regional level that reduce local control, recognizing that in some instances such measures can be necessary or helpful to advance common goals across multiple jurisdictions, but is also recognizing that such efforts may have unintended consequences, limited effectiveness, or create inequities due to a lack of consideration of localized circumstances.
In an effort to achieve these goals, the City will:
• Advocate for more regional, state and federal resources (e.g., funding, more housing vouchers, legal authority, technical s upport, streamlining administrative processes) to address local housing needs.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Support legislation that would establish additional ongoing funding streams for the construction, preservation, and operation of local affordable housing developments. • Support legislation and efforts that provide increased access to resources to address the needs of the most vulnerable residents through street outreach and assessment, case management services, capital and operating dollars for shelter, interim and transitional housing, supportive housing, extremely low -income affordable housing, and homelessness prevention services.
• Support legislation and efforts that provide resources for small to medium sized cities to plan and implement strategies that address the impacts of homelessness on public facilities and services.
• Support efforts to collaborate with the State, County, local jurisdictions, business sector, non-profit, and philanthropic partners to leverage available resources and bring in new funding streams to expand the reach of the interim and supportive housing system. • Support federal efforts to preserve and strengthen the low -income housing tax credit program and federal tax exemptions for private activity bonds. • Support legislation preserving and expanding, federal tax exemptions for state and local taxes, including state and local property, sales, and income taxes, and maintaining federal tax exemptions for mortgage interest payments on primary residences. • Support legislation that provides local jurisdictions with authority over land use decisions and fully incorporates the involvement of local community members and an understanding of the conditions unique to the community.
• Support efforts to streamline California Environmental Quality Act provisions to facilitate the production of affordable housing and reduce delays due to unmerited litigation. • Support provisions to allow school districts to effectively mitigate the impacts of new development, including the ability to consider increasing the allowable school mitigation fee level.
• Support efforts to increase and index school mitigation fee rates to more realistically reflect current school facility costs.
• Support legislation that aims to increase homeownership, particularly for first-time buyers and workforce housing, through down payment assistance, increasing the ability to borrow money, or through other forms of assistance.
• Oppose measures that reduce local control over land use and planning decisions and are punitive in nature towards local government.
• Oppose efforts to reduce local, state, and/or federal funding for affordable housing, rehabilitation of substandard housing, new park facilities, neighborhood improvements, and public services, such as public safety and emergency response. • Monitor legislation related to the zoning and development of housing in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
• Monitor legislation related to the facilitation/streamlining of housing in Industrial Zoning districts or General Plan designations, which would further reduce local discretion on such projects.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
HUMAN RESOURCES AND PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT
Overview
The City of Santa Clara provides a myriad of services to the community, including police, fire, public works, electric utility, planning, parks and recreation, and library services. The City employs over 1,100 part-time/seasonal and full-time employees that provide the and other services to the community. These services provide opportunities and careers for all types of interests, and the City should endeavor to leverage the rewards and benefits that come with working for the City.
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 ensure that the City can compete with other local municipalities, and the private sector, to attract, hire and retain a talented workforce, the City:
• Supports efforts to preserve local government’s ability to manage its own employment issues, including, but not limited to, hiring, evaluating, disciplining, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements.
• Supports working with City bargaining units in finding solutions to address the service delivery needs of the community while being mindful of the City’s revenue and expenditures, and recruitment and retention of the City’s workforce. • Supports efforts to increase the long-term financial stability of CalPERS. • Supports federal and state efforts to create a more informed, engaged, and welcoming experience for immigrants.
• Supports comprehensive immigration reform which provides opportunities to achieve economic and educational success and contribute to our community. • Supports and increase in work visas allowing employers to hire foreign workers that require advanced technical skills, as well as support programs that stimulate the economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. • Supports efforts that protect children, including undocumented children, with the continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program and the Dream Act.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Monitor efforts to regulate the use of artificial intelligence by public agencies. • Opposes new federal or state unfunded mandates that would increase the City’s post- employment obligations.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 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 level s 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 City Council Consideration on December 12, 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 First Responder 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 and emergency public information outreach.
• 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 enforcement, and non-law enforcement, response to individuals experiencing mental health and substance abuse issues, including de-escalation training.
• Support legislation that promotes third-party communication and translation resources (e.g., sign language and/or foreign language training, document translation, etc.) as well as professional development resources among First Responders to increase the nu mber of multi-lingual professionals and enhance written communication tools to the public. • Support the i nclusion of stipends, reimbursement and/or allocation associated with new legislation that increases data collection and re porting, particularly when there is a need for specialized software or equipment to do so.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Support legislation and efforts that aim to provide public safety resources that will be used and implemented to ensure safe and successful major events throughout the City. • Monitor the California Police Chiefs Association positions on legislation and advocate for those that benefit Santa Clara and align with the League of California Cities’ position. • Oppose public safety legislation that imposes unfunded mandates on local agencies for new programs or increased service levels.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
REGIONAL ISSUES AND COLLABORATION
Overview
While the City of Santa Clara is unique in many ways, it experiences many of the same issues as other cities in the region . The City works closely with other jurisdictions to address a variety of issues that impact residents and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as affordable housing, transportation, water conservation, and airplane noise.
Guiding Principles
The City follows the below guiding principles for all areas of legislative advocacy:
• Support the positions of the League of California Cities, and National League of Cities, 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 that benefit the City of Santa Clara and its residents.
• Protect and/or increase local government discretion.
• Advance approved policies, such as the City’s Statement of Values, the General Plan, and the Climate Action Plan.
Legislative Advocacy Position
The City recognizes the importance of regional collaboration and, as such, the City:
• Contributes to, and supports the efforts of, regional organizations such as Santa Clara County Cities Association and Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance to advance regional goals that benefit the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley. • Supports federal and state legislation to provide fundi ng for regional solutions to problems, such as housing, homelessness, emergency management and response, water supply and resiliency, and transportation.
• Continues to support regional efforts to work with local agencies and federal representatives to mitigate the effects of aircraft noise. • Supports legislation that provides funding to assist with the mitigation of impacts from aircraft noise.
• Supports efforts to engage local public agencies and members of the community prior to any changes in flight paths, or airport operations that may impact surrounding areas. • Supports state and regional water conservation efforts as Santa Clara moves to adopting “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life” regulations while advocating for state funding and technical assistance to limit impacts on rate payers . The City also supports efforts to work with local, state and federal partners to mitigate the effects future droughts on water supply reliability using a streamlined and flexible regulatory framework. • Supports efforts to mitigate supply chain and workforce issues across energy, water, transportation, development and maintenance sectors.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Supports regional, State, and federal funding and resources that will assist the City, Santa Clara Stadium Authority, and greater San Francisco Bay Area with hosting upcoming major events at Levi’s Stadium.
• Monitors regional issues and new legislation to ensure that they benefit the region and its residents.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Overview
The City of Santa Clara is committed to creating a sustainable city for its residents and businesses. The City strives to conduct its operations in a way that is environmentally conscious and promotes sustainability. The City is dedicated to collaborating with regional stakeholders to improve the air quality, water quality, and overall environmental quality of life for the residents and businesses of the City.
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
There continues to be a strong interest in sustainability and environmental issues at both the state and federal levels which will likely result in new legislation and regulatory changes that could significantly impact the City. Monitoring and advocacy efforts will be geared towards ensuring that emerging legislation and regulations align with the City’s interests in providing sustainable services to its residents and businesses through the following:
• Support opportunities to further reform the California Environmental Quality Act process to match California’s very ambitious and accelerated goals related to sustainability and environmental protection, including Greenhouse Gas emissions reductions while protecting local land use authority.
• Support energy goals and policies that remain technology agnostic and commercially available, and oppose policies that choose specific technologies or energy procurement mandates that can lead to increased customer costs while discouraging innovation. • Support legislation that removes barriers to the electrification of buildings and transportation, as well as legislation that provides regulatory streamlining of reporting and other actions that preserve local decision-making authority. • S upport a comprehensive approach to climate policy that optimizes GHG reductions across multiple sectors (transportation, electricity, buildings, etc.). • Support funding opportunities and other financial incentives that facilitate the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at multi-family housing complexes, schools, and other publicly accessible spaces.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Advocate for the flexibility to optimize the portfolio of GHG emiss ions reduction opportunities identified in the City’s Climate Action Plan and includes , but not limited to , new renewable energy and storage procurement, water conservation and energy efficiency, smart grid solutions, increase waste diversion, sustainable land use, increase tree canopy, building decarbonization, transportation electrification among other actions in the portfolio.
• Support efforts to streamline permitting and construction of compost and other facilities that enable jurisdictions t o comply with SB 1383 and efforts to broaden procurement requirements for local jurisdiction to comply with SB 1383. • Support legislation and funding related to recycled water state, regional, and local efforts to reduce imported water supplies and supplant the use of potable water and preserve local groundwater supplies.
• Support legislation and regulatory efforts that aid the City’s Pretreatment Program, Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) Inspection Program, and Operations and Maintenance of the sanitary sewer collections system.
• Support urban runoff pollution regulations, water conservation and recycling, and pollution controls that benefit the City.
• Support legislation and regulatory efforts that enable the City to collect fees to support the storm drain collection system.
• Support legislation, regulations , and funding to strengthen forest management and fire prevention activities and improve emergency preparedness and response. These include, but are not limited to, the modernization of vegetation and forest management practices for wildfire prevention and carbon sequestration and biomass production for energy, forest thinning, and other activities to improve the health of forests damaged by infestation of bark beetles, plant pathogens, drought, or other hazards that exponentially increase wildfire dangers.
• Support California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) efforts to accelerate building and transportation decarbonization through Title 24 Part 6 (CalGreen) code with consideration of cost effectiveness studies. • Support telework policies that reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion. • Support transitioning from diesel backup generators to battery -based or other environmentally sustainable backup generators technology as appropriate. • Support legislation that provides residents and businesses with incentives for undertaking decarbonization activities, such as replacing aging heat pumps, hot water heaters, and appliances.
• Support efforts to expand energy generation and transmission infrastructure that will help the City meet the pace of decarbonization goals.
• Oppose federal or state efforts to permit additional oil drilling off the California coast to maintain consistency with the City’s Climate Action Plan and efforts to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
• Oppose legislation and regulatory efforts that create new reporting requirements that may be duplicative and resource intensive for local jurisdictions. • Monitor energy related legislation including but not limited to that which impacts renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation, resiliency, smart grid solutions, energy storage, demand response, distributed energy and building and transportation electrification.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Monitor legislation and regulatory efforts that may have a regional and local impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and advocate for effective and equitable approaches to emissions reduction.
• Monitor legislation and water quality regulations related to contaminants of emerging concern and advocate for funding for treatment of these contaminants. • Monitor Lead and Copper Rule Revision legislation and support funding to better protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water.
• Monitor research and regulations on Per-and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) and their impacts on the environment and drinking water, and advocate for funding for treatment of PFASs.
• Monitor legislation and regulatory efforts related to recycling and solid waste and advocate for legislation and regulations that enable mixed waste processing and composting to remain viable pathways for waste compliance.
• Monitor legislation and regulations related to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and support efforts that are attainable and reflect local conditions and circumstances and oppose those that do not.
• Monitor legislation and regulations related to the San Jose/Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF), and support efforts related to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. The RWF is regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit under the Clean Water Act administered by San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. New regulations are focused on Contaminants of Emerging Concern, Toxicity, and Nutrient Reduction.
• Track the progress of the South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project and its proximity and potential impacts to the Regional Wastewater Facility, which Santa Clara jointly owns with the City of San Jose, and support regional planning and funding efforts. • Track the progress of the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study and support associated regional resiliency planning and funding efforts to ensure that Santa Clara’s infrastructure and community assets are considered and protected as the Bay Area plans and constructs resiliency projects.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
TRANSPORTATION ISSUES
Overview
The City of Santa Clara believes that a robust transportation network, and related infrastructure, is a critical element to a successful and thriving community. The City works with the federal government, state government, and regional stakeholders to ensure that residents and businesses have access to traditional modes of transportation and promote alternative modes to alleviate traffic congestion and pollution. Additionally, it is important for the City’s transportation network to continue to evolve to best serve the future needs of the community. To that end, local efforts are underway to promote and provide funding for alternative modes of transportation, such as updates to the City’s Traffic Impact Fee program, the City’s Multimodal Improvement Plan, Bicycle Master Plan Update 2018, Pedestrian Master Plan, and Creek Trail Network Expansion Master Plan. Additionally, City staff is working with other transportation agencies to support their significant regional projects, including BART Phase II (VTA), Caltrain Electrification and Caltrain Business Plan, and the High Speed Rail project.
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
To ensure that the City and greater region are able to meet the current transportation needs of the community and plan for future needs, the City is advocating for the following positions:
• Support legislative, regulatory, funding, and regional efforts to reduce the amount of traffic congestion on area freeways and County expressways and reduce vehicle miles traveled. • Support legislation and efforts that provide funding for diverse transportation projects, such as local streets and roads improvements, shuttle programs, public transit, railroad crossing improvements, bicycle and pedestrian projects, intelligent transportation system improvements, corridor capacity improvements, and highway interchange improvements. • Support efforts to ensure accountability and fairness during the implementation of regional transportation ballot measures.
• Support efforts that will alleviate traffic congestion and promote alternative modes of transportation that benefit Santa Clara residents and businesses and that support the City’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
• Support efforts to integrate fare payments, schedules, transfers, and technology across multiple transit agencies to enhance regional transit service connectively.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Monitor efforts to place regional transportation funding measures on the ballot for consideration by voters.
• Monitor legislation related to local operations and regulation of municipal roadways, shared mobility uses in municipalities, and how municipalities study traffic congestion or vehicle miles traveled to measure transportation impacts of projects. • Oppose efforts to reduce the City’s representation on regional transportation planning agencies.
• Oppose efforts to reduce local government access to SB 1 local streets and roads funding.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
Legislative Advocacy Position
WATER SUPPLY AND CONSERVATION
Overview
The City of Santa Clara operates 19 wells that tap the underground aquifers and make up about 62% of the City's potable water supply. The underground aquifers are replenished from local reservoirs by the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) water recharge program. The remaining water is supplied by water imported from the SCVWD and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) through the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir.
For certain approved non-potable uses, recycled water from the San Jose/Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility's South Bay Recycled Water (SBWR) facility is used. This highly treated water delivered through separate pipelines makes up about 19 % of the water sales in the City.
Recycled water offsets the use of potable sources in drought-prone California and is a reliable source for conservation of potable sources. The City continues to work closely with SBWR in order to increase recycled water supplies in order to meet existing demands within the City.
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 ensure that the City is able to maintain an affordable and reliable supply of quality water, the City maintains the following advocacy positions:
• Support and implement water conservation, or demand reduction, measures for businesses and residents including state regulatory efforts which build on ongoing efforts to “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life.” • Support California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) positions on legislation that benefit Santa Clara.
• Support State initiatives to fund water supply projects to improve water supply conditions including expediting permitting for recharge and other projects to mitigate the ongoing climate-driven emergency drought conditions.
• Support regional water conservation including potable and recycled water supply efforts in cooperation with agencies such as Santa Clara Valley Water District, City of San Jose, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency.
• Support efforts to establish alternative funding sources for water infrastructure and improved water quality projects.
For City Council Consideration on December 12, 2023
• Support state and regional efforts to delivery water to Santa Clara customers using clean energy and other environmentally sustainable practices. • Support legislation and funding to protect the public health of the community from the exposure to water quality contamin ants including lead in drinking water at daycares, school facilities, residences, and commercial facilities.
• Support legislation with regional partners that allows purified recycled water to be added to the potable water supply through indirect and direct applications that improve local water resiliency for residents and businesses.
• Support regional partners and wholesal e water providers in their efforts to ensure water supply reliability by protecting against any water rights curtailments under the California current water rights system that might impact Santa Clara customers. • Work with regional partners to maintain the reliability of the water supply and water sustainability to support current customers and to allow for expected growth in the near future and beyond.
• Monitor federal, state, and regional activity related to the Bay -Delta Plan. Support a comprehensive Bay -Delta watershed voluntary settlement agreement between stakeholders that includes SFPUC.
• Oppose legislative efforts to impose new taxes or fees on drinking water.