2023 State
Legislative Platform
City Council Meeting
January 24, 2023
Lon Peterson, Director of Communications
Scott Alonso, Intergovernmental Relations & Legislative Officer Sharon Gonsalves, Renne Public Policy Group
Presented by:
• Communicates the City’s state policy and project
priorities to the public, state legislative delegation, and state agencies.
• Provides guidance/direction to City staff and state
representatives regarding City’s state funding and
policy priorities.
Purpose of State
Legislative Platform
Introduction
About Renne Public Policy Group (RPPG)
• Hired by the City in 2021 to manage our state advocacy efforts in Sacramento.
• Specializing in critical legislative and regulatory issues facing local government—representing cities, special districts and local government trade associations across the State.
• Decades of advocacy experience, including prior work with Cal Cities and Capitol Staff in Housing, Transportation, and Natural Resources. • Technical expertise in Land Use, Transportation, Public Safety, Governmental Operations, Revenue and Taxation.
• Proven track record in securing funding opportunities and negotiating multiple water, park, housing and transportation bonds. 4 State Bills
The City formally positioned on 22 pieces of legislation Tracked 675 bills
The City achieved the desired outcome on 18 of those
measures
State Earmarks
$12.5 million received by the City in direct state earmark requests
$6 million for the new Fire Station 8
$5 million for the new Roseland Library
$1.5 million for SR Water high-efficiency appliance
install project
2022 Highlights
Proposed 2023 State Priorities
Wildfire Prevention and Recovery,
Hazard Mitigation & Resiliency
6 • Support state efforts to update and prepare earthquake hazard mapping.
• Support policy and funding need outlined in the City’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
• Support efforts to minimize the frequency and impact of electric utility power shutoffs intended to reduce wildfire risk. • Support legislative and regulatory efforts to minimize the frequency and impact of electric utility power shutoffs intended to reduce wildfire risk.
Administration, Human Resources
and Risk Management
7 • Support legislation and policies promoting efforts to advance workplace diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Advocate for efforts to maintain fiscal solvency concerning unfunded pension and retiree healthcare liability.
• Support legislation that facilitates the ability of local government to share resources to increase efficiencies and decrease costs, including local efforts to address regional management of fire services.
Governmental Transparency and
Public Access
8 • Support funding that assists with enhanced public access to public meetings for community members.
• Support legislation to permit the City to provide electronic copies of documents to satisfy the California Public Records Act requirements.
• Oppose legislation that incentivizes increased litigation by removing safe harbor provisions permitted in the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
Economic Development
9 • Support funding mechanisms for economic development tools, including infrastructure investment, housing, childcare, and other needs critical to a foundation of equitable economic resiliency. • Support policies that encourage working with other cities, counties, and government agencies to jointly leverage resources and assets to create and strengthen regional economic clusters. • Support economic development initiatives that preserve and enhance a favorable business climate and maintain and grow the business tax base.
Environment, Climate Change &
Sustainability
10 • Provide funding to enhance or implement climate adaptation planning initiatives, such as programs with combined benefits to air quality, water quality, housing, infrastructure (including multi- modal transportation systems) and public health.
• Increase funding for municipal, residential, and commercial electric vehicle charging stations, electrical infrastructure upgrades, and the purchase of clean fleet vehicles.
• Advocate for funding opportunities focused on coordinating sustainable planning in transportation, housing, and economic development.
• Maintain and enhance local authority and economic flexibility to regulate solid waste and recyclables.
Water Quality and Water Supply
11 • Increase the availability of and funding for water conservation, water reuse technologies, recycled water, local water storage, groundwater storage, recharge and recovery, alternative water supply studies, planning and technologies, watershed protection and improvement, stream restoration, storm/flood risk mitigation, and Integrated Regional Water Management Plans.
• Provide streamlined approval and permitting opportunities for projects such as, but not limited to, water supply, stream restoration, and flood resiliency.
• Advocate for funding and support to continue the operation of the diversion facilities at the Potter Valley Project to protect water supply resiliency and fisheries.
• Continue to support and work with a coalition of water agencies to advocate for continued support and appropriations to the Department of Water Resources’ Atmospheric Rivers program.
Housing and Land-Use Planning
12 • Strengthen local agencies’ legal and fiscal capability to prepare, adopt and implement plans for orderly growth, development, beautification and conservation of local planning areas.
• Support legislation and housing measures to preserve and rehabilitate existing affordable housing.
• Oppose legislation that undermines established general plan, zoning and housing regulations.
• Create efficiencies within CEQA and support local discretion and planning efforts to limit delays.
• Support legislation to lower the state cannabis excise tax. Advocate for continued local control and use of taxes for adult-use cannabis. 13 • Sustain and increase funding for the development and ongoing operations of permanent supportive housing, including resources to finance the development of new units and resources to provide long-term sustainability for supportive services.
• Increase state funding to prevent and reduce homelessness in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County.
• Provide resources to address the mental health and
alcohol/substance use needs of persons experiencing
homelessness.
• Allow local flexibility and/ or state funding mechanisms for safe parking programs to transition the City’s most vulnerable residents to permanent housing.
Homelessness
14 • Advocate for non-competitive per capita funding measures offered through the Natural Resources Agency, State Parks and
Recreation to benefit the City’s parks and recreation capital improvement projects.
• Fund the Housing Related Parks Program offered through the Department of Housing and Community Development.
• Oppose policies that will erode funding for vital regional and community services that negatively impact Californian's access to parks, open space, bike lanes, after-school programming, youth services, senior services, food programs, and facilities that promote physical activity, protect natural resources, and strengthen safety and security.
Recreation and Parks
15 • Strengthen community-oriented public safety policies, including funding for hiring police officers, violence prevention programs and gun violence prevention funding/initiatives, such as policies addressing growing issues surrounding 3D printing and selling of ghost guns.
• Increase 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, such as the inRESPONSE program; and support programs like the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
• Support policies to increase accountability and transparency of law enforcement agencies and personnel.
Public Safety
16 • Encourage regional collaboration and deployment of resources to maximize firefighting efforts, including hiring firefighters, emergency operations personnel and paramedics.
• Support policies and regulatory efforts to improve the coordination when public safety shut-off (PSPS) events occur between customers, regulators, government officials, and public safety partners.
• Advocate for local control of emergency medical and ambulance services, including pre-hospital care and transport.
Fire and Emergency Services
17 • Increase funding for local transportation projects, including road resurfacing projects, local transit operating and capital projects, transit fare subsidy programs, zero-emissions buses and charging infrastructure, adding bicycle lanes, sidewalks and trails throughout the city where appropriate, programs that facilitate development-oriented transit and transit-oriented development and enhancing bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Advocate for policies aimed at equitable access for transportation system users and equitable transportation funding for
disadvantaged communities.
• Support policies and regulatory efforts to preserve net neutrality and increase the funding for broadband, including middle and last- mile expenditures.
Transportation and Public Works
18 • Enable local governments’ efforts to receive direct and flexible funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic or a state public health emergency, including funding for public transportation systems, affordable housing, homelessness prevention, rental and utility assistance programs.
• Advocate for assistance to communities to help with emergency response operations related to a public health emergency, vaccine distribution and testing.
Public Health
19 The Communications & Intergovernmental Relations Office recommends that the Council, by resolution, adopt the City’s 2023 State Legislative Platform.
Recommendation
Questions?