2022 Federal Legislative Platform
The City’s Federal Legislative Platform communicates the City’s federal policy and project priorities to the public, California Congressional Delegation, Congress, and federal agencies. City staff will monitor and track federal legislation, funding and regulatory proposals and take appropriate action to advance and protect the following City priorities.
Legislative Platform Statements
COVID-19 Relief, Mitigation and Recovery
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law. The bill, along with previous funding included in the CARES Act, provides immediate fiscal relief to Santa Rosa that is helping our community respond to and recover from the devasting public health and economic impacts of COVID-19 including:
Direct and flexible funding to units of local governments; Assistance to communities to help with vaccine distribution; Assistance to prevent and address homelessness and housing affordability; Support for households needing financial assistance for broadband connectivity, programs like Emergency Broadband Benefit and Affordable Connectivity Program; Extension of pandemic emergency family medical leave assistance benefits, including extension of tax credits; Extension and support for small business assistance programs like Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other flexible funding sources for local governments for small business assistance programs; Financial assistance to help expand childcare services and childcare business resources; Rental and water utility assistance to help low-income residents, and those financially affected by COVID-19, who are at risk of losing their homes and unable to pay their water utility bills; and Assistance for public transit.
Because of the recent action taken by Congress and the Administration, including passage of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Santa Rosa will be able to make critical investments in our community.
While the funding included in ARPA and CARES Act are critical to helping Santa Rosa recover, the City requests that Congress pass the Build Back Better Act, which will help the City address affordable housing and homelessness, tackle climate change, and provide affordable health and childcare. The City also supports the passage of legislation like the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act (S. 3011 and HR 5735) that provides local governments with additional flexibility to meet community response and recovery needs.
In addition, the City supports 100 percent Federal cost share for all work eligible, Covid expenses and will continue to seek reimbursement from FEMA.
Wildfire Resiliency and Recovery
Wildfires can damage or destroy critical infrastructure, such as homes, transportation systems, communication facilities, storm water pipes, water distribution and wastewater collection systems, and other community infrastructure.
Support federal legislation that provides sufficient federal funding and federal agency resources to support natural disaster mitigation, rebuilding and recovery efforts, including: maximum funding for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program, resources to implement projects and initiatives on the City’s Community Wildfire Protection and WUI 2.0 Plans, construction of a permanent Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), City and regional vegetation management initiatives, including at Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino, and other initiatives that will bolster City’s response to the effects of climate change and extreme weather.
Support federal legislation that permanently authorizes the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and allows the Secretary of Housing Urban Development to provide direct funding allocations to local governments.
Advocate for continued funding and improvement of the Integrated Public Alert Warning System.
Establish and fund improved U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mechanism for emergency response and resiliency to disasters on Corps property.
The City supports passage of legislation, including the FIRE Act, that updates the Stafford Act to ensure FEMA’s recovery and mitigation programs address the unique nature of wildfires and their impacts on urban areas such as: pre-deployment of assets during times of highest risk, red flag warnings, improving relocation assistance for public infrastructure affected by fires, increasing federal cost share for repetitive disasters and examining ways to expedite FEMA’s assistance process.
Surface Transportation
Support federal legislation and funding that invests in surface transportation priorities that: promote equity, address the adverse impact of climate change and invest in resiliency projects like, evacuation routes and vegetative management along roadways; supports bicycle and pedestrian facilities; supports Vision Zero programs and project implementation; addresses significant backlog of deferred pavement rehabilitation, and invests in public transit programs like, fleet electrification, Bus and Bus Facilities, Low No (Low-No) Emissions, Zero Emission Vehicles, and passenger rail service.
Support the promotion of active transportation, complete street implementation, healthy foods, youth programming and maximizing the usage of green space in urban/suburban and rural settings for personal enjoyment.
Support policies that enable technological innovations to improve mobility including connected and automated vehicle (CV/AV) and shared bicycle systems.
Water and Energy Resiliency
Support federal legislation and funding that invest in water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure programs such as: The Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds; recycled water projects, water conservation projects, stormwater, groundwater, watershed protection and improvement, local and regional flood protection, and Sonoma Water projects.
Support funding for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant and Public Assistant Grants for water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure projects and programs.
Monitor development of legislation that regulates contaminants such as, but not limited to, Perfluorooctanoic acid and Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid.
Support legislation to revise EPA’s process for evaluating and regulating new drinking water contaminants under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Support federal programs, like the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), that provides funds to assist low-income households with water and wastewater bills.
Advocate for legislation to exempt utility rebates provided to homeowners and other property owners who conserve water or improve stormwater or wastewater management from federal taxation.
Support the City of Santa Rosa’s long-standing commitment to implementing environmental programs and proactively working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Support new and existing federal resources and grant opportunities for climate adaptation, renewable energy generation and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program that seek to provide federal funding to local governments to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce water use, reduce total energy use, improve energy efficiency, and promote recycling and composting.
Support legislation to provide increased funding and infrastructure, such as within the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, to protect power and communication grids.
Housing and Community Development
Support federal legislation that increases funding and federal incentives to address affordable housing and homelessness including support for Continuum of Care, Emergency Food and Shelter, CDBG, HOME, Universal Vouchers, permanent supportive housing, down payment assistance and other federal programs that invest in helping our most vulnerable residents.
Support federal tax policy that: preserves the tax exemption on municipal bonds, including Private Activity Bonds (PABs), eliminate the $10,000 cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, restores the tax exemption for advance refunding bonds, extends the alternative fuels tax credit, and extends business development tax credits like Opportunity Zones.
Support the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) reauthorization and ability for EDA to assist communities recovering from a disaster, including the dedication of a fund with annual appropriations for immediate responses to economic crises associated with declared disasters or states of emergency. In cases where a major disaster or emergency has been declared under the Stafford Act, EDA should be required to increase the federal share to 100 percent of the project cost, waiving all match requirements for any funding appropriated for the purpose of disaster or emergency response. Support increased funding for EDA for both for broadband access and adoption.
Request that EDA consider current and future impacts of climate change when selecting Public Works projects, creating a separate fund within the Public Works program dedicated to projects mitigating the impacts of climate change, reassessing and reconstituting EDA’s economic distress formula and consider reducing local match requirements permanently, especially when a local jurisdiction has had multiple major disasters declared.
Support legislation and funding, including the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, that supports investments in parks and other outdoor recreation services within the City’s urban core for underserved areas.
Advocate for efforts to increase funding to support new childcare facilities and increase funding for childcare workers.
Public Safety
Advocate for federal funding and legislation that supports emergency response including increasing funding for firefighter equipment and training, community engagement and education, firefighter hiring, and fire station construction.
Recommend funding opportunities be created for public safety to include diversity in police and fire hiring, recruiting and education practices.
Support legislation and funding that promotes public safety infrastructure, support for 9-11 call centers and required technology and equipment, including the use of body-worn cameras and fleet electrification.
Support legislation and funding that will help local governments with improving community policing and rebuilding community trust through officer training and mental health first response for crises involving mental illness, homelessness, and addiction; and support programs like the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. 1 Exhibit A