City of Santa Monica
State Legislative Platform
2023 Update – DRAFT
ATTACHMENT A
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
2023 STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
The City of Santa Monica, California is an innovative, progressive and diverse beachfront community of approximately 93,000 residents on the Southern California coast.
Historically, the City Council’s key legislative priorities have been focused in the following policy areas:
§ Affordability
§ Addressing Homelessness
§ Climate Change
§ Keeping Neighborhoods Safe
§ Enhancing Mobility and Access
§ Engaged and Thriving Community
On March 11, 2023, the Santa Monica City Council held a special session to set community priorities for the next two years to guide the biennial (FY2023-25) budget adopted in June 2023.
The City Council selected the following priorities to guide City policy and budgetary decisions:
Addressing Homelessness: Prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless and increase the supply of affordable housing; address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable individuals; and advocate for regional capacity to address homelessness.
Clean and Safe Santa Monica: Create an atmosphere marked by clean and safe public spaces and neighborhoods, including parks for recreation and leisure activities.
Cultivate Economic Recovery & Expand Community and Cultural Offerings: Cultivate economic opportunity and recovery and invest in community and cultural amenities and programs for all community members, focused on expanding opportunities for youth, teens and seniors.
Racial Justice, Equity, and Social Diversity: The City of Santa Monica acknowledges the effects of generational and institutional racism and discrimination, and its consequences that continue to impact our residents and businesses. These lessons of our history cannot be ignored. The City is committed to advancing racial equity and social diversity to improve the wellbeing of people who live, work, learn, play, and do business in our City and create a community where differences in life outcomes cannot be predicted by race, class, gender, disability or other identities. Everyone in Santa Monica must have an opportunity to thrive.
Sustainable and Connected Community: Ensure that City policies and programs enhance our resources, prevent and remedy harm to the natural environment and human health, and benefit the social and economic wellbeing of the community for the sake of current and future generations.
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These priorities guide City policy and budgetary decisions, and engagement with state Legislators and the Governor’s Administration on legislative and regulatory matters.
The City’s key priorities are reflected in the policy positions below for state engagement efforts, including other noted goals and objectives.
ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS
HOMELESSNESS
§ Support legislation and secure resources, either directly or in partnership with other entities, that address and prevent homelessness with innovative strategies that maintain and expand the inventory of affordable and permanent supportive housing; protect low-income renters from discrimination and eviction; promotes income stability; provide direct services and housing to people who are homeless or at high risk of homelessness; remove barriers to and expand availability of mental health and substance use disorder treatment; improves service coordination; supports alternatives to incarceration; and expands and maintains availability of basic needs for food, hygiene and safety with emphasis placed on highly vulnerable populations including persons living with a mental health diagnosis, persons with a substance use disorder, veterans, older adults and persons with disabilities.
§ Support a balanced approach in addressing homelessness legislatively that considers the need for assistance and services for people experiencing homelessness while providing for the health, safety, and welfare of all people in Santa Monica, and advocate for regional initiatives involving county, state and federal governments to reduce chronic homelessness.
§ Support legislation that would provide state resources to address and prevent homelessness directly to cities.
§ Seek resources for street based multi-disciplinary outreach and street medicine teams for those affected by homelessness and behavioral health issues. § Support state investment for homeless services, homelessness prevention, and rapid rehousing/supportive housing to meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness and the chronically homeless veterans in the City.
§ Support legislation aimed at reforming the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act so that individuals who are gravely mentally ill can be placed under a court-ordered conservatory to prevent harming themselves or others.
§ Support legislation that requires the appointment of local educational agencies to identify homeless youth.
§ Support efforts to end youth homelessness in the state. § Support legislation and resources that facilitate the expedited identification, assessment, and linkage of homeless individuals to housing and supportive services. § Support legislation that allows for appropriate data sharing between municipalities and treatment providers.
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§ Support legislation that safeguards against the criminalization of homelessness. § Support legislation to strengthen the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act, which provides for the Judicial Council to appoint legal representation for unrepresented low-income parties in civil matters involving critical issues affecting basic human needs, including in unlawful detainer matters.
§ Support legislation that would allow for the establishment of community paramedicine programs.
§ Support legislation that would allow first responders to take those experiencing acute behavioral health crises to alternate destination healthcare facilities. § Support legislation and resources to provide mental health training for public safety officers and to hire behavioral health and other social work professionals for alternative responses to non-violent calls for service.
§ Support the Care Act, which creates a new pathway to deliver mental health and substance use disorder services to the most severely impaired Californians to help prevent them from falling into homelessness or incarceration.
HOUSING
§ Support legislation and resources that would provide housing and other services for veterans at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration site. § Oppose legislation related to homelessness rooted in approaches other than a housingfirst solution to homelessness. § Support legislation allowing local governments to utilize state facilities such as armories to provide emergency housing to the homeless.
§ Support legislation that exempts from CEQA the construction of emergency shelters, supportive housing, and affordable housing, including motel and hotel conversions to transitional housing.
§ Support legislation and secure resources that provide for the creation and preservation of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing in the City. § Support legislation and budget resources that fund and support the construction of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing programs. § Support the expedited CEQA administrative and judicial review procedure established by the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act for “environmental leadership development projects” and expands the Act’s eligibility to include smaller housing projects.
§ Support legislation that would call for the zoning and building of affordable housing on surplus or underutilized state properties.
§ Oppose legislation that erodes the City’s local autonomy over land-use decisions or weakens the City’s ability to ensure the future welfare of its residents through local control of the planning process.
§ Support legislation that streamlines the RHNA planning process. 5 | Page
§ Support legislation that establishes a fair and equitable formula for how allocations are made to localities under the RHNA planning process and seek state resources to fund the construction of affordable housing in furtherance of those allocations. § Support legislation and state programs that create an inventory of potentially seismically vulnerable buildings and/or provide funding resources for the seismic retrofit of such properties.
§ Support legislation that prohibits discrimination in housing based on veteran or military status.
§ Support legislation that repeals Article 34 of the State Constitution. § Support legislation that incentivizes the supply of social housing and co-housing in the state.
§ Support legislation that incentivizes and streamlines the process to construct accessible dwelling units.
§ Support legislation that promotes the production of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the Coastal Zone by removing onerous parking requirements in existing laws and regulations.
CLEAN AND SAFE SANTA MONICA
PUBLIC SAFETY
§ Support legislation and resources available to local first responders in the event of wildfires, earthquakes, and other events.
§ Support legislation to authorize superior courts to develop and implement mental health courts, which may operate as a pre-trial diversion program or a deferred entry of judgment program.
§ Supports legislation that restricts the manufacture, importation, and sale of any device capable of converting an ammunition-feeding device into a high capacity magazine. § Support legislation that will require a person to apply to obtain, from the Department of Justice, a unique serial number or other mark of identification prior to manufacturing or assembling a firearm in order to restrict the use of “ghost guns”. § Support legislation that restricts the quantity of firearms and ammunition sold in this state, including expanding the list of persons prohibited from purchasing a firearm; prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from purchasing a firearm; requiring background checks of those wishing to purchase a firearm; and supporting additional taxes on retailers who sell firearms or ammunition.
§ Support legislation that would create the crime of organized retail theft and other proposed reforms to Proposition 47 of 2014.
§ Support legislation that maintains local control on cannabis cultivation, distribution, and sales within the City.
§ Support legislation that seeks to eradicate human trafficking. 6 | Page
§ Support legislation that prohibits a law enforcement agency from authorizing the use of a carotid restraint or choke hold.
§ Support legislation that will have the state Department of Justice review local use-offorce policies upon the request of local law enforcement agencies. § Oppose legislation that proposes unfunded mandates on training for officers. § Support legislation that promote alternatives to incarceration and that aim to end systemic racism and disparities in the treatment of people of color within the criminal justice system.
§ Support legislation and initiatives that seek to reform the criminal justice system’s sentencing guidelines and practices that have disproportionately impacted people of color.
§ Support legislation that improves California’s existing conceal-carry weapon laws to address recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision in New York Rifle and Pistol Association v Bruen by ensuring that those carrying firearms in public are law-abiding citizens who do not pose a danger to themselves or others; are at least 21 years of age; and identify certain areas where guns may not be carried.
§ Support legislation and resources that support the behavioral health needs and wellbeing of public safety personnel.
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE
§ Support legislation and resources to protect the City’s beaches. § Support legislation that bans smoking and vaping on state beaches and parks. § Support legislation and resources to protect existing parks, wetlands, community open spaces, and coastal resources.
§ Support legislation that provides funding for rehabilitation, development, and capital improvements of local parks and community facilities.
§ Support legislation and bond measures that provide per capita grants to local governments to fund parks and capital improvements, as well as recreation programs that enhance the quality of life for residents.
CULTIVATE ECONOMIC RECOVERY & EXPAND COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL OFFERINGS
DIRECT RELIEF FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
§ Support legislation or regulatory efforts to ensure that local governments can provide essential city services in a safe and efficient manner, including securing budget resources to improve existing city infrastructure.
§ Support legislation that allocates state revenues to backfill local government losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding should be determined with an equitable funding formula not solely calculated by population size.
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BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
§ Support legislation that provides funding and other resources to aid in the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sectors, including businesses in these sectors and their workers.
§ Support legislation and administrative efforts to provide regulatory flexibility to allow local businesses to re-open in a safe manner.
§ Support legislation that provides local governments more flexibility in permitting outdoor dining and entertainment to support local business and community needs. § Support legislation that streamlines the process and provides incentives for small businesses to open and expand operations in California while maintaining local control. § Support legislation and funding resources to streamline state and local permitting processes for cannabis businesses while maintaining local control. § Support legislation to provide greater protections to businesses in California regarding third-party Americans with Disability Act frivolous claims and lawsuits. § Support legislation to allow municipalities to adopt and incentivize local purchase preferences in support of buying local, small businesses and minority-owned businesses.
TENANT PROTECTION/ACCESS TO HOUSING
§ Support legislation that provides rent relief to commercial and residential tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
§ Support legislation and resources for eviction prevention, including legal aid. § Support legislation that protects local governments’ ability to regulate transient residential hosting platforms.
§ Support legislation that increases the renter’s tax credit. § Support legislation that amends or repeals the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. § Support legislation that increases tenant protections and eliminates the incentive for property owners to remove rent control eligible properties from the rental market through the Ellis Act or other means.
§ Support legislation and secure resources to advance local efforts to advance the goals of the Fair Housing Act including ending the historic racial discrimination in housing and to satisfy Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
§ Support legislation and secure resources that expand diverse opportunities for affordable home ownership and allow for the transition from renters to owners by residents.
§ Support legislation that increases equitable and affordable housing access, with a particular focus on areas that historically excluded diverse populations and affordable housing.
§ Support legislation that will allow for disabled tenants to swap units in their building if they have a disability related to mobility and live in a building without an elevator. 8 | Page
§ Support legislation that facilitates increased housing production in the City without undermining the City's adopted affordability and inclusionary requirements.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
§ Support legislation to implement any new or alternative approaches to replace redevelopment funding mechanisms.
§ Support legislation that protects the City’s transient occupancy tax revenues. § Support legislation that strengthens and expands ongoing revenues for the City. § Oppose legislation that undermines and preempts local authority over local taxes and fees.
§ Support legislation and resources that will provide tangible and productive tools and incentives to support job creation and retention.
§ Support legislation to increase the amount of state tax credits for qualified expenditures of motion pictures in California.
§ Support legislation that creates opportunities for and invests in artists and other creative workers.
§ Support legislation that streamlines the process and provides incentives for street vendors to go through the applicable local permitting process.
COMMUNITY WELLBEING
§ Support legislation and resources that support mental health (e.g. access to psychiatric facilities, behavioral health care treatment, and street-based services). § Support legislation and resources for youth mental health services, including suicide prevention services.
§ Support legislation that mandates schools to offer one or more courses in mental health education in middle school or high school.
§ Support legislation that mandates requirement on health plans and disability insurers to cover medically necessary treatment of mental health and substance use disorders under the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions. § Support legislation that requires the state Department of Public Health to provide opioid antagonist kits free of charge to as many designated facilities as possible in counties experiencing an opioid overdose crisis, along with easy to understand instructions on the administration of the opioid antagonist nasal spray. § Support legislation that would require schools (K-12 and Higher Education), stadiums, concert venues, and amusements parks to maintain doses of naloxone hydrochloride or other opioid antagonists.
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§ Support legislation that authorizes a pharmacist to furnish an opioid antagonist approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, subject to completion of continuing education on the use of opioid antagonists.
§ Support legislation and resources for school and college facility maintenance and construction.
§ Support legislation and resources, including bonding authority for library construction and maintenance.
§ Support legislation that encourages partnerships between libraries and local school districts.
§ Support legislation and resources encouraging the provision of accessible, affordable, high quality childcare.
§ Support legislation and resources to expand the development of quality before- and after-school programs.
§ Support legislation that provides for aging with dignity. § Support legislation and resources for local arts activities and historic preservation in community life.
§ Support legislation and funding for the restoration and/or enhancement of arts programs in public schools.
§ Support legislation that allows for the continuation of virtual public meetings to allow for flexibility and greater participation, particularly during a state of emergency. § Support legislation and funding for community broadband and infrastructure investments in public parks, beaches, libraries and other public facilities, affordable housing developments and neighborhood commercial districts.
RACIAL JUSTICE, EQUITY & SOCIAL DIVERSITY
§ Support legislation and resources for the development of restorative justice programs at the state level and in local communities.
§ Support legislation that would ensure cities and counties provide adequate opportunities for the development of multi-family mixed-income and affordable housing within high-opportunity areas, while simultaneously protecting and investing in sensitive communities at risk of displacement.
§ Support legislation that establishes community anti-displacement and preservation programs.
§ Support legislation that limits the circumstances under which local law enforcement officials can interact with and assist federal immigration officials and oppose the use of local resources to aid in federal immigration enforcement efforts. § Support legislation and resources to increase consumer protection efforts, including preventing predatory lending.
§ Support legislation that would implement a single payer universal health care delivery system.
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§ Support legislation that requires the state Department of Education to finalize the development of training programs/platforms to support LGBTQ cultural competency training for teachers and other certificated employees and then require one hour of training annually for teachers and certificated employees. § Support legislation that mandates gender-neutral multi-stall bathrooms. § Support legislation to enhance, increase, and expand voting opportunities to eligible voters throughout the state.
§ Support legislation and state resources to encourage the development and implementation of cannabis social equity programs designed to enable communities that were negatively impacted by cannabis criminalization to become legal participants in the cannabis marketplace.
SUSTAINABLE & CONNECTED COMMUNITY
CLIMATE CHANGE/SUSTAINABILITY
§ Support legislation and secure resources for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and protection and preservation of our environment.
§ Secure resources to enhance the City’s continued investment in renewable energy, sustainable procurement, green buildings, green public transit and infrastructure, and socially and environmentally responsible businesses to meet our climate goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.
§ Support legislation and secure resources that would allow for the creation of sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure that is more resilient with a smaller impact on the environment.
§ Support legislation and funding for transportation electrification including electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
§ Support a climate resiliency bond that will provide funding for wildfire prevention, safe drinking water, drought preparation, improving ocean water quality, addresses sea-level rise, and provides parks funding.
§ Supports legislation and resources to address the issue of sea-level rise. § Support legislation and resources that assist local governments in developing and implementing energy efficiency and conservation strategies that maximize available resources, reduce costs, expand community access, and protect public health. § Support legislation that ensures local governments can continue, and not be preempted in, their efforts to achieve economic improvements through increased energy efficiency and conservation plans that seek to decrease carbon emissions. § Support legislation that calls for the elimination of single use plastics. § Support legislation that assists municipalities in their recycling and waste reduction efforts and incentivizes efforts to increase the market for recycling. § Support legislation and regulatory efforts that call for building electrification. 11 | Page
§ Support legislation regarding Extended Producer Responsibility programs. § Support legislation and regulatory efforts that strengthen storm water pollution control standards.
§ Support legislation strengthening the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. § Support the ability of local governments to implement Community Choice Aggregation for the purchase of electricity and oppose legislation that would place new burdens and requirements on the establishment of CCAs and/or procurement activities of CCAs. § Support legislation that expands the use of solar energy systems on residential and commercial properties.
§ Support legislation focused on water re-use, wastewater treatment, water conservation, and stormwater quality improvements.
§ Support legislation and resources that assist local governments in developing and implementing transportation, land use and building policies that encourage maximum use of resources and lower energy consumption.
§ Support legislation that would authorize the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board to impose a transaction and use tax within the district to supplement existing revenues to improve and protect air quality.
§ Support legislation and revenues for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. § Support legislation and regulatory actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars and trucks.
§ Support efforts to incentivize outdoor water-efficiency programs including droughtfriendly landscaping, while preserving local control. § Oppose legislative efforts to impose a statewide water tax or fee. § Support legislation requiring manufacturers to be responsible for safe disposal or for reuse of their products and by-products.
§ Support resources for the California Green Business Program to develop standards for local green business certification programs.
MOBILITY AND ACCESS
§ Support legislation and resources that will improve and enhance mobility throughout the City and the region while ensuring access to a range of equitable transportation options for our residents. This includes local control of our shared mobility programs, ensuring a robust and efficient public transit system, and encouraging active transportation.
§ Support legislation and funding resources to restore connectivity among communities that have been separated and negatively impacted by freeway construction. § Support legislation that reforms existing state statutes and regulations that impede community connectivity and removes those barriers, thereby promoting an environment conducive to attracting investment and fostering economic growth. § Support legislation and resources that would provide the maximum share of funding for local and regional transportation programs.
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§ Support legislation and funding for the expansion of bus service throughout the Big Blue Bus service area, as well as rail service into the City. § Support legislation that would give transit agencies priority access to electricity when confronted with grid disruptions caused by natural or man-made disasters, rolling blackouts, utility company “Public Safety Power Shutoffs,” or increasing demand on California’s electrical grid.
§ Support legislation to reduce or remove demand charges for transit fleet electrification projects.
§ Support legislation that would require expanding mandatory data requirements for sharing autonomous vehicle incident data with local government in the interest of greater public safety.
§ Support legislation to improve the safety of State Route 1 (PCH) and to extend the beach bike path north from the current terminus at Will Rogers State Beach. § Support legislation and resources to transition our Big Blue Bus fleet to a zero-emission fleet and build out the necessary charging infrastructure. § Oppose legislation that would restrict local control over the operation of shared mobility devices in the City, including a City’s ability to collect the data necessary to maintain safe, equitable program operations and to effectively manage the public right of way, with appropriate privacy safeguards in place.
§ Oppose legislation that will restrict local government control over parking enforcement (including towing) and the payment of fines and fees for parking citations. § Support legislation to create a Division of Active Transportation within the California Department of Transportation and other efforts to prioritize pedestrian and bicyclist safety.
§ Support legislation to protect SB 1 (2017) transportation fund from being diverted for other uses.
§ Support legislation and resources to streamline and incentivize the deployment of zeroemission passenger vehicles and the build-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. § Support legislation for State to explore building electric vehicle charging infrastructure on underutilized state property.
§ Support legislation and resources for the maintenance and upgrade of pedestrian bridges and the beach bike path.
§ Support legislative efforts to reduce traffic fatalities through the use of alternate methodologies for determining speed limits.
§ Support legislation and resources for traffic enforcement and pedestrian safety. § Support legislation that provides local governments authority to enact “Slow Streets” to limit vehicular traffic and encourage recreational uses. § Support legislation to pilot automated speed enforcement cameras to enhance the safety of vulnerable roadway users while addressing equity and privacy issues. § Support legislation that continues the state’s involvement in the Safe Routes to School program.
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§ Support legislation to improve speed in bus lanes through the implementation of an automated bus lane enforcement program.
§ Support legislation that exempts from CEQA various transit-related projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities projects, transit prioritization projects, and projects for the institution or increase of new bus rapid transit, bus, or light rail service on existing public rights of-way or existing highway rights-of-way.
ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES
MISC.
§ Support legislation that bans the importation, sale, or intent to sell of any part or product of an exotic animal, regardless of when the parts or dead body were imported. § Support legislation that prohibits the unnecessary and harmful practice of the declawing of animals in the state of California.
§ Support legislation that provides flexibility to local governments regarding the rules around meetings held via teleconference.
§ Support legislation that extends the timeline to complete public records requests from 10 calendar days to at least 10 business days to address limited staff resources at the City level.