MEMORANDUM
Date: 6/17/24
To: Mayor, City Council Members, City Manager Maraskeshia Smith From: Scott Alonso
Subject: Legislative Update
(Informational Item for Council Meeting of July 9, 2024) Attached are support letters for the following state and federal bills:
State Bill -- Support Letter for SB 903 (Skinner): Prohibits the sale of a product containing PFAS starting January 1, 2032. Provided for information.
State Bill – Support Letter for SB 1101 (Limon): Provide streamlining reforms for CAL Fire contracts re: prescribed burns. Also requires better mapping for post-fire response and recovery efforts. Provided for information.
State Bill – Support Letter for AB 817 (Pacheco): The bill would remove barriers to entry in civic participation by aligning provisions for local advisory bodies with state advisory bodies, allowing these non-decision-making sub-bodies of a legislative governing body to participate remotely via two-way virtual teleconferencing without posting of their location. Provided for information.
State Bill – Support Letter for AB 2346 (Lee): The bill would provide additional pathways for local governments to meet Senate Bill 1383 procurement requirements and expand market development for recycled organic waste products such as compost and mulch. Provided for information.
State Bill – Support Letter for AB 2583 (Berman): The bill would increase safety in school zones through lower speed limits, clearer timeframes when the lower speed limits are in effect, and improved planning practices. Provided for information.
State Budget Letter for Homelessness Funding: We urged the leadership of the Senate and Assembly budget committees to prioritize at least $1 billion for a round 6 of the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program in the 2024-25 state budget. Provided for information.
State Bill – Support Letter for AB 2416 (Connolly): Requires the Department of Insurance, starting by December 31, 2027, and every three years thereafter, to evaluate whether to update the Safer from Wildfires regulations to include certain building hardening measures. Provided for information.
State Bill – Support Letter for AB 2776 (Rodriguez): Directs the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to prioritize funding for infrastructure and housing recovery projects due to a major, state or local emergency. Provided for information.
State Bill – Support Letter for SB 1159 (Dodd): Directs the California Natural Resources Agency and the Office of Planning and Research to consider adding roadside vegetation management projects to the list of categorically exempt projects under CEQA. Provided for information.
Federal Bill – Support Letter for HR 6997 (LaLota): This bill would enact the Disaster Contract Improvement Act to establish a Working Group within FEMA to advise the Administrator on debris removal contracts/reforms. Provided for information.
Federal Bill – Support Letter for S 3891 (Carper): This bill would reauthorize the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and enact certain disaster related programs within the EDA. Provided for information.
These issues met the priorities outlined in the City’s adopted 2024 legislative platforms.
Thank you,
Scott Alonso, Government Affairs Officer
City of Santa Rosa
Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Office
637 First Street Santa Rosa CA 95404