ACTION:
____________________________
Clerk/Secretary
Department: City Manager Item No: C8
Prepared by: Kaitlyn Elliott-Norgrove, Management Analyst Meeting Date: January 11, 2022 Approved by:
Amanda Lee, Assistant City Manager
Patrick Johnson, City Manager Agenda Location: Consent Calendar SUBJECT: 2022 CITY LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
RECOMMENDATION: Approve the Legislative Platform and Legislative Policy Objectives.
CORRELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS: All goals.
PRIOR ACTION: On January 12, 2021, approved the 2021 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5-0).
On January 14, 2020, approved the 2020 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5-0).
For a complete list of prior City Council actions, please see Exhibit 2.
STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT: Each year, there are issues before the State Legislature and U.S.
Congress that impact local governments. City Council approval of a designated Legislative Platform enables staff to act in support of or in opposition to proposed legislation or policy that is covered by the platform without taking each item before the City Council for an approved position. Through the adoption of the legislative platform, staff can respond in a timely manner to pending legislation and have the City’s position considered during legislative hearings. Using broad policy guidelines allows the City to support legislation that consistently advocates local control, stronger law enforcement, and reduced regulation of local agencies, while opposing measures that would reduce City autonomy or impose greater restrictions or requirements on local governments, such as unfunded mandates.
The City’s Legislative Platform covers a variety of topics, including protection of local control, funding sources and authority, local government finance, law enforcement, water management, fire safety, and housing and labor relations. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic remained strong on the 2021 legislative session, during which, the City took positions on nine bills. The City took five positions of opposition, and four support positions. Topics of bills covered included planning and zoning, density, wireless facilities, broadband, and employment mandates. Notably, the City supported H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The City also provided letters of support for grants for regional transportation projects and issues.
Each year, thousands of bills are introduced into the Legislature. Staff uses legislative tools provided by the League of California Cities to stay abreast of legislation that may affect the City. Staff places an AGENDA
REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
SUCCESSOR AGENCY
BUENA SANITATION DISTRICT
JOINT POWERS FINANCING AUTHORITY
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Approve the Legislative Platform and Legislative Policy Objectives. Vote: 5-0
MEETING DATE: January 11, 2022 PAGE 2
SUBJECT: 2022 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
emphasis on several high-priority legislative objectives that align with City Council Goals and are followed at a higher level throughout the year.
Staff recommends adoption of the 2022 Legislative Platform.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no direct fiscal impact associated with the staff recommendation.
EXHIBITS:
1. 2022 Legislative Platform
2.Prior City Council Actions
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1 CITY OF VISTA
2022 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
For the purpose of the Legislative Platform, the term “City” includes the City of Vista, the Vista Community Development Commission, Buena Sanitation District, and the Joint Powers Financing Authority. The City supports efforts that promotes its ability to accomplish the City Council’s goals and objectives and which support the effective provision of City services to residents. The City of Vista opposes efforts which reduce local control or local funding sources, and supports efforts which provide greater local control and/or local funding options. Any legislative proposals that would increase taxes or fees, or impose a revenue enhancement upon our citizens, will be placed upon the agenda for City Council consideration prior to any staff action. This platform is a general listing of legislative issues of concern to the City.
CORE POLICY ISSUES
Local Control
a.Advocate efforts that enhance local control of resources, programs, and tools that allow the City to address the needs and concerns of its residents, and oppose any efforts that preempt local authority.
b.Support efforts that reflect a positive, collective, and cohesive approach to regional solutions, as long as local control is maintained.
Local Finance and Revenues
a.Oppose any efforts that negatively impact the City’s fiscal viability by adding further financial burden through unfunded mandates or other means.
b.Oppose any efforts to increase reporting requirements related to locally raised revenues. c.Oppose any efforts to reduce or redirect the City’s current revenues. d.Oppose efforts that would reduce local discretion over local revenues, taxes, fees and other funding sources.
e.Oppose efforts that would reduce the City’s ability to use debt financing and traditional government financing instruments for the purchase or construction of public purpose improvements, and support the enactment of revenue measures and fees that close the gap between the tax revenue from development and the cost of providing city services. f.Advocate State and Federal funding that supports City infrastructure and other projects. g.Oppose efforts that either increase the City’s liability or decrease outside parties’ liability concerning municipal finances.
h.Support a statutory or constitutional redistribution of property tax revenues that more equitably reflects local government responsibilities.
i.Support efforts to allow access to Redevelopment Bond Proceeds issued in 2011. 01/11/2022 C8 3 of 6EXHIBIT 1
2 SPECIFIC ISSUES
Labor Relations
a.Oppose efforts that would increase the City’s liability for unemployment compensation and retirement pensions including reforms that redefine independent contractors. b.Oppose efforts that would increase employee Workers’ Compensation benefits without system reforms to offset increased employer costs, and that would provide presumptive eligibility for the award of Workers’ Compensation.
c.Support efforts to modify the federal Fair Labor Standards Act to permit adjustable work schedules to meet the needs of management and labor and to eliminate prospective and retroactive overtime payments.
d.Support efforts to enact pension reform to reduce future labor costs. e.Support efforts that provide more employer flexibility for all aspects of Employer-Employee relations to include subject areas of mandated bargaining and mandating additional components to the ‘meet and confer’ process.
Risk Management
a.Oppose efforts that negatively impact limiting the City’s immunity from tort claims.
Law Enforcement
a.Oppose efforts that would impede local law enforcement from addressing crime problems and recovering costs resulting from a crime committed by a guilty party. b.Support efforts that strengthen local law enforcement, including: prevention of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol; effective abatement of illegal land uses and illegal businesses; the sharing of criminal history information between states; registration of sex offenders; the provision of a greater share of seized assets to localities; cost recovery from the guilty party when alcohol or drugs are present; increased sentences for criminals involved in activities such as violence, gangs, narcotics, and human trafficking or repeated offenses.
Housing
a.Support efforts to establish a permanent funding source for the development, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable housing. Advocate for efforts to review and reduce state- mandated regulations on housing development.
b.Support efforts that provide flexibility and give the City greater authority in meeting the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) requirements.
c.Support efforts that provide funding and resources to assure local governments have the ability to address the needs of the homeless in their communities, and protects the City’s ability to preserve public safety and livability.
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3 Fire Safety
a.Support efforts that promote national fire code development using an open, consensus- based process.
b.Support efforts to create a funding mechanism for a regional fire department in San Diego County that does not diminish the ability of cities to provide essential services and mechanisms that increase reimbursement funding for Medicare and Medi-Cal programs. c.Oppose any negative impacts resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, specifically supporting efforts to minimize financial impact on Emergency Medical Services. d.Support efforts that increase state and federal funding for local law enforcement, fire suppression, wildfire prevention, hazardous materials mitigation, and emergency medical services.
e.Support innovative health and safety efforts that improve access to primary and preventive care and decrease use of emergency departments.
Water Management
a.Support measures to increase the water supply or improve water quality within the region and that encourage voluntary water conservation.
Economic Development
a.Support efforts that provide tangible and productive tools to encourage job creation, and economic growth.
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PRIOR CITY COUNCIL ACTIONS
On January 12, 2021, approved the 2021 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5-0).
On January 14, 2020, approved the 2020 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5-0).
On January 22, 2019, approved the 2019 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5-0).
On December 12, 2017, approved the 2018 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5- 0).
On January 24, 2017, approved the 2017 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5-0).
On January 10, 2017, approved the updated Legislative Platform and Legislative Policy Objectives with the addition of the word “voluntary” prior to “water conservation” in the Water Management section and the exception of the statement under the Housing section, which will be modified and brought back for City Council approval (Vote: 5-0).
On January 13, 2015, approved the 2015 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 4-1, Campbell opposed).
On January 14, 2014, approved the 2014 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 4-1, Campbell opposed).
On January 8, 2013, approved the 2013 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote:
5-0).
On February 22, 2011, approved the 2011 Legislative Platform and Policy Objectives (Vote: 5- 0).
On January 26, 2010, approved the 2010 Legislative Platform (Vote: 5-0).
On February 24, 2009, approved the 2009 Legislative Platform (Vote: 5-0).
On February 12, 2008, approved the approved the 2008 Legislative Platform and adopted City Council Resolution No. 2008-32, approving the submittal of Federal appropriations requests for Federal Fiscal Year 2009 (Vote: 4-0, Campbell absent).
On February 13, 2007, approved the 2007 Legislative Platform with amendments (Vote: 4-0, Campbell absent).
On February 14, 2006, approved the 2006 Legislative Platform (Vote: 4-0, Campbell absent).
On January 25, 2005, approved the 2005 Legislative Platform with amendments (Vote: 5-0).
On January 27, 2004, approved the 2004 Legislative Platform with amendments (Vote: 5-0).
On January 28, 2003, approved the 2003 Legislative Platform with amendments (Vote: 5-0).
Between 1989 and 2003, the City Council acted on an annual basis approving a legislative platform.
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