2024 Q3 Legislative Action Summary
Below is a summary of the actions that were taken during 2024 Q3 in alignment with the City of Santa Clara’s 2024 Legislative Advocacy Positions (LAPs), guiding principles for legislative advocacy, approved City policies (e.g., City Council Goals and Priorities), and/or Council action.
Water Supply and Conservation LAP
• November 4, 2024 Letter of support for Santa Clara Valley Water District’s WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Program Application for the Landscape Rebate Program to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Multiple Legislative Priorities
• August 2024 Joint letter of support to establish a White House World Cup Task Force from U.S. Host City Mayors to President Joe Biden (Organized by U.S.
Conference of Mayors)
• August 8, 2024 Cities Association of Santa Clara County Legislative Action Committee Discussion Bills
• October 18, 2024 Letter of support for Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Dam Safety grant application for the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project to Director Karma Nemeth, California Department of Water Resources • October 18, 2024 Letter of support for the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project to Acting Secretary Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
1500 Warburton Avenue ● Santa Clara, CA 95050 ● Phone: 408-615-2200 ● Fax: 408-241-6771 ● SantaClaraCA.gov Mayor
Lisa M. Gillmor
November 4, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Financial Assistance Management Branch
Attn: Mr. Josh German
Mail Code: 84-27814
P.O. Box 25007
Denver, CO 80225
Dear Mr. German,
On behalf of the City of Santa Clara, I am writing in support of Valley Water’s grant application to the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation’s (USBR) WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Program for the ir Landscape Rebate Program. With this funding opportunity, the program seeks to convert approximately two million square feet of turf or functional pool area over the course of three years to low -water use plants, achieving a savings of approximately 221 acre-feet per year (AFY) by fiscal year 2028. If awarded, the program is anticipated to conserve a lifetime savings of nearly 3,200 acre-feet (AF) through incentivizing low-water use landscapes and high-efficiency irrigation equipment upgrades, including EPA WaterSense- labeled smart controllers and rainwater capture systems.
In Santa Clara County, nearly half the water used in homes and businesses is used for outdoor irrigation. The Landscape Rebate Program helps achieve a permanent water savings that positions the region closer to Valley Water’s conservation target of 126,000 AFY by 2050 as outlined in Valley Water’s Water Supply Master Plan.
The program is one of Valley Water’s most prolific water-saving resources for the community.
Our region is susceptible to droughts, which are only becoming more frequent and severe with climate change.
During dry periods, conservation becomes critical to protect our groundwater basins from over -pumping.
Additionally, conserving beyond dry years is an important step toward bolstering the reliability of our water supply and decreasing dependency on imported water . Reducing ground water pumping and reliance on imported water also results in energy savings by reducing the energy used to pump, treat, convey, and deliver water to our residents and businesses.
As the wholesale water supplier for Santa Clara County, Valley Water works diligently toward diversifying and strengthening our water supplies to address t he impacts of climate change on our natural resources. This program will empower residents and businesses in adopting lifestyle changes that will build resilience against droughts in our community as a whole. If awarded, the funds will be used toward a rebate for participants who complete a landscape conversion project.
I strongly encourage USBR to award the requested funding to support Valley Water’s Landscape Rebate Program, which will help achieve long-term conservation and contribute to sustainable water resource management and drought resilience in our cities. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Lisa M. Gillmor
Mayor
City of Santa Clara
Dear President Biden,
As you know, North America is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup—the single largest sporting event in the world—in just under two years, with 11 cities in the United States of America set to host matches, including the World Cup final. This World Cup will be the largest sporting event in our nation’s history, attracting more than five million estimated international visitors and generating tens of billions in economic activity. But this unprecedented and much-needed economic activity can only be achieved if there is seamless coordination between our cities and the federal government, including, importantly, ensuring all international visitors can obtain visas in time to travel to the United States for the tournament.
Global sporting events like the 2025 Club World Cup, which the United States will also host, and the 2026 World Cup are opportunities to not only strengthen our nation’s economy but also demonstrate America’s leadership and showcase our amazing cities on the world stage. As representatives of the 11 U.S. host cities, we are aware of the major logistical, technical, and security challenges associated with producing this event, and we are eager to work hand-in-glove with the federal government and across all agencies. We have greatly appreciated your engagement thus far, especially at the last two U.S. Conference of Mayors meetings in Washington, D.C. and Kansas City. Your administration’s efforts to advance these tournaments’ needs will leave a lasting legacy, both for the sport and for our country.
To further solidify the imprint of your administration’s tireless efforts on putting on this tournament, we are urging you to immediately establish a public, Cabinet-level White House World Cup Task Force to oversee the preparation and security of the games, especially through seamless international visa processing, comprehensive security scenario training, incident response, transportation, diplomatic security, intelligence gathering and dissemination, and securing critical protective assets.
Fortunately, there is ample precedent for establishing such a task force for large-scale public events. In September 1998, then-President Clinton created a White House Task Force on the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Games nearly three-and-a-half years ahead of the start of the Olympic games in Salt Lake City. Three years ahead of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Vice President Gore chaired a similar effort, and when the U.S. last hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994, official federal government preparation began in June 1987 with Congress passing S.J. Res. 175, recognizing the efforts to bring the 1994 World Cup to the US and provide support as needed to meet the requirements of a host country.
With the United States poised to host not just this historic event in 2026 but also the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, and the Winter Olympics in 2034 in Salt Lake City, it is essential that our federal government have a dedicated working group in place focused on interagency coordination for these events, particularly as it relates to lessening visa wait times.
For example, as of June 2024, in the largest non-Visa Waiver Program countries, average interview wait times were nearly 300 days. In Colombia, the next available visitor visa interview is in March 2026, which leaves three months until FIFA World Cup 2026. The United States will see as much economic benefit from the World Cup as it allows global fans to visit our country and attend matches. We are eager to work with the Administration to establish goals to lower these figures and more expediently process visas ahead of the games
We, as America’s host cities, are and will continue to do our part in ensuring physical infrastructure and preparing local agencies for these games, and a clear and public federal leadership is both appropriate and necessary. We hope the creation of a White House Task Force will create an unforgettable legacy of leading and coordinating federal efforts to address these and other concerns critical to the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We stand ready to work with your administration in any capacity to achieve our shared goals.
Sincerely,
xxx
1 August 8, 2024 Cities Association
Legislative Action Committee Meeting
Bill Summary and Positions
Bill Number Summary City Position LAP Alignment
AB 2513
(Pellerin)
This bill prohibits a person from
selling or offering for sale a gas
stove that is manufactured or sold
online on or after January 1, 2025,
or sold in a store on or after
January 1, 2026, unless that gas
stove contains a specified warning
label.
No Action The City’s LAPs do not
cover this topic.
SB 1130
(Bradford)
This bill expands eligibility for an
existing electric utility bill discount
program to households with fewer
than three members and requires
electric utilities to report on
program enrollment.
Watch
While this bill fits within the
Energy Legislation
Regulations and Issues
LAP, as currently drafted,
does not impact Santa
Clara residents or SVP
customers as it is only
applicable to the 3 large
Investor Owned Utilities.
SB 892 (Padilla) Directs the California Department
of Technology to craft a
procurement standard for the
acquisition of automated decision
tools (ADTs), and imposes a
moratorium on the state
procurement of new ADTs until that
standard is in place.
Watch Human Resources and
Public Sector Employment
LAP states “Monitor efforts
to regulate the use of
artificial intelligence by
public agencies.
1500 Warburton Avenue ● Santa Clara, CA 95050 ● Phone: 408-615-2200 ● Fax: 408-241-6771 ● SantaClaraCA.gov Mayor
Lisa M. Gillmor
October 18, 2024
Karla Nemeth
Director, California Department of Water Resources
P.O. Box 942836
Sacramento, CA 94236-0001
Re: Support for a Dam Safety Grant for the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project
Dear Director Nemeth:
On behalf of the City of Santa Clara, I write to express my strong support for the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) application for funding through the Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program for the Stage 2 Diversion S ystem, a component of the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (ADSRP). The ADSRP is a critical seismic safety, water supply, flood risk reduction, groundwater recharge, and environmental enhancement project. The estimated $1.9 billion project cost is beyond what local ratepayers can bear without financial assistance from the state and federal governments.
The Stage 2 Diversion S ystem is a mission critical ADSRP component that will safely manage water during construction and ensure flood protection during work on the dam embankment removal and reconstruction.
After completing this project component, the Stage 2 Diversion System will enable the rapid drawdown of the reservoir in an emergency. The ability to rapidly draw down the reservoir i s a major dam safety and flood protection improvement that will allow the rapid release of water before atmospheric river storms arrive, reducing downstream flood risk for disadvantaged communities along Coyote Creek.
This diversion outlet system will al so enable the timed release of cold water to support aquatic species, including threatened steelhead trout. Managing water temperature amid extreme heat events is a climate adaptation important for the survival of fish species. The Stage 2 Diversion System will also assist us in maximizing water supply and groundwater recharge capacity and benefits . One of Anderson Reservoir’s primary functions is to store water for releases timed to maximize groundwater replenishment in our high- priority basin. Without managed recharge, which this diversion outlet system supports, well levels would begin failing as the groundwater aquifer depletes in as little as two months.
As you know, the Division of Safety of Dams has determined that Anderson Dam is vulnerable to failure during a large earthquake. The failure of Anderson Dam at full capacity would result in catastrophic losses of life and property, inundating an area that includes many of the cities comprising the San José metropolitan area and southward to Monterey Bay. This kind of failure would impact not only homes and businesses but also critical infrastructure that supports national defense assets, the region’s technology economy, and its nearly two million people. Without the completion of the Stage 2 Diversion Sy stem that would be funded by this grant, construction on the ADRSP could not proceed to the dam removal and replacement.
Water rates in Santa Clara County are already among the highest in the nation, and the ADSRP is responsible for large rate increases that are projected for years to come. This grant can help keep drinking water affordable for our disadvantaged communities while also reducing flood risk, increasing dam safety, supporting the restoration of water supply, and helping threatened f ish species. The ADSRP is worthy of significant financial support from the Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program. I urge the largest award possible for the Stage 2 Diversion System.
Sincerely,
Lisa M. Gillmor
Mayor
City of Santa Clara
1500 Warburton Avenue ● Santa Clara, CA 95050 ● Phone: 408-615-2200 ● Fax: 408-241-6771 ● SantaClaraCA.gov Mayor
Lisa M. Gillmor
October 18, 2024
Debbie-Anne A. Reese
Acting Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE, Room 1A
Washington, DC 20426
Re: Support for the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project
Dear Acting Secretary Reese:
On behalf of the City of Santa Clara, California, I write to express concerns about potential delays to construction of the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (ADSRP). The ADSRP is a critical seismic safety, water supply, flood risk reduction, groundwater recharge, and environmental enhancement project, and its timely completion is a high priority for the people of Santa Clara County.
Any delay in the construction schedule would be costly for the people of this region. S ignificant portions of ADSRP’s construction must occur during the dry season, and even a brief slip in schedule could push construction to the next dry season. This kind of delay would increase the project’s cost to ratepayers by at least $100 million, and it would further delay delivery of the project’s critical public safety and water supply benefits . When full, Anderson Reservoir holds enough water to supply a million people for a year.
The timely completion of ADSRP also has significant implications for the economies that this region supports. Silicon Valley is home to thousands of job- creating businesses that drive the regional, state, national, and international economies. As you know, Anderson Dam has been determined by federal and state dam safety officials to be vulnerable to failure during a significant earthquake. The failure of Anderson Dam at full capacity would result in catastrophic losses of life and property, inundating an area that includes many of the cities comprising the San José metropolitan area and southward to Monterey Bay. This kind of failure would impact not only homes and businesses but also critical infrastructure that supports the region’s economy and its nearly two million people.
I appreciate the opportunity to express my support for moving this project forward as quickly and as safely as possible, while also ensuring robust environmental protection. I respectfully urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure there are no further delay s to completing this critical life safety project. Keeping the ADSRP on schedule is critical for protecting lives, property, and the economic wellbeing of our region.
Sincerely,
Lisa M. Gillmor
Mayor
City of Santa Clara