Agenda Item: 8
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: February 8, 2022
SUBJECT: STATE LEGISLATION: SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 5 DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office
PRESENTER: Masis Hagobian
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council adopt the City Council Legislative Committee recommendation to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 (Melendez) and transmit position statements to Senator Melendez, Santa Clarita’s state legislative delegation, appropriate legislative committees, Governor Newsom, League of California Cities, and other stakeholder organizations.
BACKGROUND
Authored by Senator Melissa Melendez (R-28-Lake Elsinore), Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 declares the state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor on March 4, 2020, is at an end, thereby terminating the emergency powers granted to the Governor as a result of the proclamation.
State law authorizes the Governor to declare a state of emergency when conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons or property exists and typically implemented in times when the state legislature is unable to safely and adequately operate within the constraints of the state constitution.
Since proclaiming a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Newsom has issued over 80 executive orders, unilaterally changing more than 200 state laws.
Approximately a third of the executive orders issued during the state of emergency have been related to public health. The remaining executive orders have been related to social services, employment protections, housing and eviction restrictions, public meetings, and education. In comparison, the Governor issued approximately eight executive orders in 2019. The current state of emergency is scheduled to end on March 31, 2022, however, the Governor has extended the state of emergency several times since the original proclamation on March 4, 2020.
Although the state legislature expanded its spring and summer recess in 2020 due to the COVID-
19 pandemic, mitigation efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have been implemented since then by Senate and Assembly leadership to safely convene during the 2021-22 legislative session. Temporary rule changes, including remote or proxy voting options have been used in the current legislative session by the Senate and Assembly to continue state legislative operations.
The state legislature has convened for the 2022 legislative year and is responsible, under Article IV of the state constitution, to propose and pass legislation, which it did in the 2021 legislative year.
The recommendation to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 is consistent with the City of Santa Clarita 2022 Executive and Legislative Platform. Specifically, Component 15 under the “State” section advises that the City Council, “Support legislation, regulatory proposals, or administrative actions that end the State of Emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 was introduced on December 22, 2020, and referred to the Senate Governmental Organization Committee on February 10, 2021. This bill has not been scheduled for a hearing at the time this report was developed.
The City Council Legislative Committee met on January 24, 2022, and recommends that the City Council adopt a “support” position on Senate Concurrent Resolution 5.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
1. Adopt an “oppose” position on Senate Concurrent Resolution 5.
2. Adopt a “neutral” position on Senate Concurrent Resolution 5.
3. Take no action on Senate Concurrent Resolution 5.
4. Refer Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 back to the Legislative Committee.
5. Other direction, as provided by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
The resources required to implement the recommended action are contained within the City of Santa Clarita's adopted FY 2021-22 budget.
ATTACHMENTS
Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 - Bill Text