CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Signal Hill Legislative Platform is organized around five signature priorities that guide the City's advocacy on federal, state, regional, and regulatory matters. The Legislative Platform’s signature priorities are intended to reflect broader policy direction that articulate the City’s ability to effectively advocate on behalf of the community in specific areas that are most likely to affect its ability to provide services, enable continued economic growth, and provide funding for critical infrastructure projects.
PURPOSE
The City of Signal Hill recognizes that federal and state legislative actions directly affect the City's ability to provide essential municipal services, maintain fiscal stability, protect local decision-making, and implement the community's long-term vision.
This Legislative Platform establishes the City Council's policy direction for legislative advocacy. It provides a framework for evaluating legislation, regulations, and public policies affecting municipal government while preserving the City Council's authority to consider matters not specifically addressed herein.
Signal Hill is committed to working collaboratively with federal, state, regional, and local partners to advance legislation that strengthens communities, promotes responsible economic growth, and preserves the authority of local governments to address the unique needs of their residents and businesses.
LEGISLATIVE PHILOSOPHY
The City of Signal Hill believes California's most successful communities are built through strong local leadership, responsible fiscal stewardship, and collaborative partnerships among public agencies, residents, businesses, and property owners.
Signal Hill has demonstrated its commitment to responsible growth through proactive local planning efforts that expand housing opportunities, encourage economic investment, modernize infrastructure, and support long-term community revitalization. The City supports legislation that provides local governments with the flexibility, resources, financing tools, and strategic investment necessary to implement locally developed solutions while preserving local decision-making authority.
The City supports incentive-based policies that encourage innovation, investment, and responsible development. The City opposes one-size-fits-all mandates that preempt local authority, create unfunded obligations, or diminish the ability of cities to implement locally developed solutions.
SIGNATURE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
1. Preserving Local Decision-Making
Signal Hill supports legislation that empowers local governments to plan for growth and community investment in a manner that reflects local conditions, infrastructure capacity, environmental constraints, and community priorities.
The City supports legislation that:
Preserves municipal authority over land use, zoning, planning, and permitting.
Recognizes locally elected officials make the best decisions affecting their communities.
Streamlines permitting review while maintaining local review and public participation.
Provides flexibility to implement state housing and planning objectives.
Reduces unnecessary regulatory burdens and duplicative review processes.
Preserves Charter City authority and municipal home rule The City opposes legislation that:
Preempts local land use authority or transfers decisions away from local governments.
Eliminates meaningful municipal discretion over development approvals.
Imposes statewide planning standards that fail to recognize local conditions.
Creates unfunded mandates or administrative burdens without corresponding resources.
2. Strengthening Municipal Fiscal Sustainability
Signal Hill is committed to conservative fiscal management and protecting the long-term financial resources necessary to provide high-quality municipal services and invest in the community's future.
The City supports legislation that:
Protects municipal revenue sources and local fiscal authority.
Provides stable and sustainable funding for municipal services and infrastructure.
Fully funds state-mandated programs.
Expands direct funding opportunities for local governments.
Increases local flexibility in the use of state and federal funds.
Establishes financing tools to advance economic development and infrastructure investment.
Preserves and expands available funding for housing production.
The City opposes legislation that:
Reduces municipal revenues.
Transfers local revenues without adequate replacement funding.
Restricts the City's ability to generate local revenues necessary to meet community needs.
Creates new financial obligations without corresponding funding.
3. Supporting Responsible Growth Through Local Planning Signal Hill is implementing long-range planning initiatives that encourage reinvestment, economic diversification, workforce housing, and infrastructure improvements. The City believes successful growth is achieved through thoughtful local planning supported by state and federal partnership and investment.
Through its Opportunity Study Areas initiative, Signal Hill is planning for the long-term revitalization of approximately 210 acres, representing nearly 15 percent of the City's land area. This effort is intended to transform underutilized properties into productive districts that support advanced manufacturing, aerospace industries, commercial investment, workforce housing, hotels, and supporting infrastructure. The City seeks legislative partnerships that provide the tools and flexibility necessary to implement locally developed solutions that strengthen regional economies and address California's housing needs.
The City supports legislation that:
Expands financing tools for locally planned redevelopment and revitalization.
Supports infrastructure improvements that enable housing and economic development.
Encourages adaptive reuse, infill development, and reinvestment in underutilized properties.
Streamlines environmental review and permitting without eliminating local decision-making.
Encourages private investment that creates jobs and strengthens the local economy.
Supports advanced manufacturing, aerospace, technology, and innovation-based industries.
Provides flexibility for cities pursuing locally developed economic development strategies.
4. Facilitating the Revitalization of Complex Urban Sites Signal Hill contains unique land use, environmental, and infrastructure conditions that require locally tailored planning solutions. The City supports legislation that helps communities overcome barriers to reinvestment while respecting existing lawful land uses, encouraging voluntary collaboration, and supporting long-term revitalization.
The City supports legislation that:
Provides environmental remediation assistance for complex redevelopment sites.
Expands infrastructure funding needed to unlock redevelopment opportunities.
Streamlines regulatory processes that facilitate locally planned redevelopment.
Encourages adaptive reuse and reinvestment within mature urban communities.
Supports voluntary partnerships among local governments, property owners, and businesses.
Recognizes planning challenges associated with environmentally constrained properties.
Preserves local flexibility to implement redevelopment strategies that reflect community priorities and existing land use conditions.
5. Investing Before Mandating
Signal Hill supports legislation that recognizes successful housing production, economic growth, and community revitalization depend upon adequate infrastructure, municipal services, and sustainable funding. State policy should provide cities with the resources necessary to accommodate growth rather than relying solely on regulatory mandates.
The City supports legislation that:
Expands funding for workforce housing.
Increases financial assistance for affordable housing development.
Provides infrastructure funding that supports housing production and economic development.
Invests in transportation, water, sewer, utilities, parks, public facilities, and civic infrastructure.
Expands grants and financing tools for locally developed capital improvement projects.
Supports reliable, resilient, and sustainable public water systems, including funding for drinking water quality, water supply reliability, conservation, recycled water, groundwater protection, and aging infrastructure improvements.
Supports grant programs for civic facility improvements, including public safety facilities, community centers, libraries, and other public-serving facilities identified through locally adopted master plans.
Expands funding for parks, trails, open space, recreational facilities, and community amenities.
Encourages public-private partnerships that leverage public investment and private capital.
The City believes sustainable growth requires coordinated investment in housing, infrastructure, public safety, municipal services, reliable water systems, civic facilities, parks, and other public amenities that strengthen neighborhoods and support long-term community prosperity.
SUPPORTING LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS
Housing
The City supports legislation that increases housing opportunities through incentives, financing, infrastructure investment, regulatory flexibility, and partnerships with local governments. The City supports expanding workforce housing opportunities while preserving local authority to determine how housing is integrated into the community.
Economic Development
The City supports legislation that encourages business investment, strengthens commercial districts, promotes job creation, expands economic opportunity, and provides cities with effective financing tools to facilitate redevelopment and economic revitalization.
Infrastructure
The City supports sustained investment in transportation systems, water reliability, utility infrastructure, parks, public facilities, broadband, and other infrastructure necessary to support existing neighborhoods and future growth.
As the owner and operator of its municipal water system, the City supports legislation and funding programs that strengthen local water reliability, improve drinking water quality, modernize aging infrastructure, promote conservation, enhance drought resilience, and expand access to state and federal grants.
The City supports funding for locally developed capital improvement projects, including implementation of the City's Civic Center Master Plan, park improvements, recreational amenities, and other public infrastructure investments that enhance quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.
The City supports policies that prioritize direct funding to local governments, recognizing that cities are best positioned to identify and implement locally developed solutions that respond to community infrastructure needs.
Public Safety
The City supports legislation that strengthens local public safety services, emergency preparedness, disaster resilience, cybersecurity, crime prevention, and first responder resources.
Government Efficiency
The City supports legislation that improves coordination among government agencies, reduces duplicative regulations, modernizes permitting processes, expands local flexibility, and encourages innovation in municipal service delivery.
Environmental Stewardship
The City supports legislation that promotes environmental sustainability through practical, locally implementable solutions that balance environmental protection, economic vitality, infrastructure investment, and community development.
The City supports policies that assist communities in addressing environmental constraints through collaboration, technical assistance, and financial investment rather than inflexible mandates.
REGIONAL COLLABORATION
The City recognizes that many legislative issues affecting local government are regional in nature and are best addressed through collaborative advocacy and coordinated policy development. Signal Hill will actively engage with regional, statewide, and national organizations to advance legislative priorities that strengthen local government and improve quality of life throughout the region.
The City will continue partnering with organizations including:
California Contract Cities Association
League of California Cities
Gateway Cities Council of Governments
Southern California Association of Governments
Regional transportation, infrastructure, and governmental partners.
LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
The City will actively engage with federal, state, regional, and municipal organizations to advance legislation consistent with this Legislative Platform. The City Council authorizes staff to advocate on legislative matters consistent with the policies contained herein and to coordinate with municipal organizations and partner agencies in support of the City's legislative priorities.
SUMMARY
Signal Hill is committed to serving as a collaborative partner in addressing California's housing, economic, infrastructure, environmental, and fiscal challenges. The City will continue advocating for policies that strengthen local government, preserve fiscal sustainability, respect local decision-making, and provide communities with the resources and flexibility necessary to implement locally developed solutions.
City of Signal Hill Legislative Platform | 3
City of Signal Hill Legislative Platform