Title
Recommendation to Approve the State and Federal Legislative Agenda for the City of Alameda. (City Manager 2110)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Eric Levitt, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) adopts an annual Legislative Agenda to guide the City’s legislative advocacy efforts during the year. By adopting a Legislative Agenda, both staff and the City Council are able to react quickly to most legislative issues as they arise and ensure there is a formal City position on a variety of legislative matters. Having a Legislative Agenda in place also allows the City to continue to engage in legislative efforts that impact the City should they be placed on the ballot for voters to consider.
BACKGROUND
A draft Legislative Agenda was reviewed by City department directors and includes their feedback on legislative priorities, legislation to implement the CASA Compact as directed by the City Council, and most of the 2019 Strategic Goals established by the League of California Cities. Not included is reforming recently enacted criminal justice laws through the Police Chief’s/Grocer’s-sponsored criminal justice reform measure eligible for the November 2020 ballot, however this measure could be supported or opposed at the City Council’s direction.
Following City Council adoption, the City’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20 Legislative Agenda will be shared with the City’s State and Federal representatives, and will be a road map for the City’s advocacy efforts in coordination with the City’s State and Federal lobbyists during the FY 2019-20 legislative session.
Any issues that develop and are not covered by the Legislative Agenda, issues that may conflict with one another, or issues that are of significant and urgent nature will be brought to the City Council for consideration.
Previous versions of the Legislative Agenda were adopted on December 3, 2013, December 2, 2014, November 3, 2015, March 21, 2017, and March 20, 2018.
DISCUSSION
The following draft is the City’s Legislative Agenda for the City Council’s consideration (a redlined draft is attached as Exhibit 1):
General Principle
The City opposes any legislation or regulations that preempts local authority, negatively affects the City’s budget, or imposes unfunded mandates on the City. The City supports the use of incentives to encourage local government action, rather than the imposition of mandates.
Base Reuse
Support legislation and policies that preserve the City’s interests related to base reuse, clean-up, and conveyance.
• Promote construction of the Seaplane Lagoon ferry terminal and expansion/improvement of Bay Area-wide water transit, with an emphasis on ferry service in Alameda.
• Continue work for Veterans Affairs federal construction funding and project completion.
• Seek transportation, park and open space, affordable housing, and infrastructure funds.
• Work with the Army Corps of Engineers and other relevant agencies on shoreline stabilization and seek funds for implementation.
• Promote funding of environmental clean-up and expedited property conveyance.
• Support efforts to create and enhance financing tools, such as tax increment financing, for the funding of parks and infrastructure.
• Support efforts to retain MARAD (United States Maritime Administration) ships in Alameda.
• Seek funding for dredging at the Alameda-based MARAD facility as it may relate to Homeland Security.
Redevelopment
Support legislation that assists cities to address issues stemming from the State of California’s dissolution of Redevelopment in 2011.
• Support legislative efforts, commonly referred to as Redevelopment 2.0, to provide a funding mechanism and other strategies to promote economic development and affordable and middle-income housing programs.
• Support the implementation of the State housing bills passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Brown in 2017.
• Support legislation regarding the unwinding of redevelopment that maximizes the former redevelopment agency’s flexibility and authority regarding enforceable obligations, implementation of Disposition and Development Agreements (DDA’s), etc.
Land Use
Support legislation that improves the quality of life for the City’s residents and businesses.
• Support incentives that assist local governments to accommodate new growth in existing communities.
• Support transportation, land use, and building policies that encourage maximum use of resources and lower energy consumption.
• Promote local control over drone regulations.
• Support actions that minimize noise impacts from planes on the City’s residents.
• Preserve/expand maritime uses, including derelict vessels, dredging, marina upgrades/grants, and regulations.
• Oppose legislation that would limit the City’s ability to control the time, place, manner, and cost of wireless communication facilities on City property and within the public right of way.
Transportation
Support measures that reduce or help alleviate on- and off-island traffic concerns and safety.
• Support Webster/Posey Tube and Broadway/Jackson traffic improvements.
• State, County, and Federal transportation funding for:
o Stable and reliable revenue streams for transportation reconstruction and maintenance that is available for local priorities and transportation needs.
o Implementation of the Citywide Transportation Choices Plan and other City transportation efforts to minimize traffic congestion.
o Fruitvale lifeline bridge and other egress off of Alameda.
o Additional crossing on the west end for bicycles and pedestrians.
o Transit access to Oakland and BART.
o Greenhouse gas reduction.
• Funding for bicycle, pedestrian, and trail improvements.
• Support pedestrian and bike safety as well as access improvements throughout the City with an emphasis on enabling residents to get to BART, ferries, and other methods of commuting.
• Protect existing transportation funding and oppose efforts that would reduce or eliminate funding for cities.
Public Safety and Homeland Security
Support legislation that funds resources for police and fire services, disaster preparedness, and resiliency.
• Seek funding and resources for disaster preparedness, prevention, recovery, and response for all-hazard threats.
• Maintain federal investment in resources critical to enabling local law enforcement to adequately provide public safety such as the Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) program funding.
• Maintain full federal funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) grant programs and retain the local cost share waiver for the AFG program.
• Support the proposed legislation to remove public transport agencies from the Ground Emergency Medical Transport (GEMT) and Quality Assurance Fee (QAF) programs into an Inter-Governmental Transfer (IGT) program to enhance the reimbursements for emergency ambulance transports.
• Support the proposed legislation to allow City and County Fire Departments the same authority to implement cost recovery for emergency services as current State law applies to fire districts and special districts.
• Continue and enhance funding for estuary/marine debris removal.
• Support efforts to improve patient care and reduce costs through an alternate destination project, where patients who are suffering from minor cuts or illnesses are asked by a trained paramedic if they can be transported to an urgent care center or physician’s office instead of an emergency room for treatment.
• Support the League of California Cities’ strategic priority to address:
o Provide resources to cities and expand partnerships to better prepare for and recover from wildfires, seismic events, erosion, mudslides, and other disasters.
o Improve community preparedness and resiliency to respond to climate-related, natural, and man-made disasters.
o Protect public safety by reducing access to firearms for the mentally ill.
o Protect existing city authority to deliver local emergency services.
Health & Human Services
Support legislation that improves the health and well-being of the City’s residents and promotes social equity.
• As a Sanctuary City, the City Council has directed the City Manager to report to the City Council regarding any requests or mandates from the federal government for the use of City resources or requests for information. The City supports efforts to provide pro bono and other low cost services to residents who are immigrants and refugees.
• Support efforts to make permanent the most cost-effective and efficient components of the State’s Community Paramedicine Pilot Program to reduce hospital readmissions and provide nursing level support once released from the hospital.
• Support efforts that help address inequities that impacted minorities prior to the decriminalization of cannabis.
• Protect State rights regarding legalization and decriminalization of cannabis.
• Support the work of national organizations, such as the National Institute of Health, to conduct scientific research that studies cannabis as a substance, its uses and side effects, and its classification and possible removal as a Schedule 1 drug.
• Support research regarding the health benefits of cannabis and reducing opioid abuse.
• Support legislation on funding and other resources for testing for lead poisoning.
• Support gun safety and common-sense gun laws and policies that keep guns out of the wrong hands, including background check requirements.
• Support efforts that promote public health and sanitation.
• Support efforts to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our residents, including helping prevent youth smoking and reducing the consumption of sugary beverages.
• Support the League of California Cities’ strategic priority to address:
o Increase resources to provide emergency shelter, alcohol and drug treatment, housing, mental health and other wrap-around services and facilities to assist people of all ages, including seniors, experiencing homelessness.
o Ensure the availability of adequate water supplies to support new growth.
o Support additional tools and resources to address critical community challenges such as homelessness, mental health, domestic violence, drug rehabilitation, human trafficking, and workforce development for ex-offender reentry.
Parks and Open Space
Support legislation that supports the development, expansion, and maintenance of Alameda parks.
• State, County, and Federal funding for park development, infrastructure, and maintenance.
• San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail development and the development of a new regional park at the Northwest Territories in Alameda Point.
Revenue and Taxation
Support or oppose legislation to ensure a positive financial impact on the City.
• Expand economic, business, and job development.
• Support legislation that will help local governments recover taxes from remote sellers (e-commerce).
• Support legislation that will prevent State from redirecting or taking away local revenue sources.
• Increase grant funding opportunities with reduced local match requirement.
• Support State efforts that would reduce the vote threshold for local initiatives.
• Maintain and, when necessary, defend funding allocations, particularly as it relates to Sanctuary City status.
• Reduce burdensome financial reporting.
• Support efforts at the State level regarding a solution for cannabis banking.
• Support the League of California Cities’ strategic priority to:
o Continue to work with employee organizations, CalPERS, the Newsom Administration, and the Legislature to drive public awareness of the fiscal challenges cities face as a direct result of growing unfunded pension liabilities and retirement health benefits.
o Work collaboratively to achieve meaningful options and flexibility for cities to address these challenges in order to stabilize local budgets and ensure sufficient funding remains available to provide services to communities.
Employee Relations
Promote attraction and retention of qualified employees in the workforce.
• Maintain decisions about health and retirement benefits at the local level.
• Assistance with Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liabilities.
• Assistance with California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) liabilities.
Environment
Support legislation that promotes environmental protection and sustainability, such as resource and energy efficiency, water quality, and conservation.
• Support additional resources to assist local governments in developing and implementing energy efficiency and conservation strategies that maximize available resources, reduce costs, expand community access, and protect public health.
• Support the adopted plastic bag and straw bans, efforts to expand existing bans, and Alameda’s disposable food service ware reduction law.
• Promote and fund recycling and landfill diversion efforts.
• Encourage funding and resources to promote and implement energy efficiency.
• Support resources to assist local governments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Support funding and resources for local agencies to adapt to the impacts of climate change, including addressing sea level rise and flood protection, implementing drought tolerant, Bay-Friendly landscape (medians and passive park areas), and providing recycled water infrastructure on the main island.
• Support storm water program funding and bring additional resources to support green infrastructure planning and projects.
• Access to cap and trade revenues through appropriations for transportation, sustainable communities, and affordable housing.
• Support State efforts that would grant authority to municipalities to implement congestion pricing.
• Promote regional authority to coordinate climate change responses by local public entities.
Affordable Housing
Encourage legislation that supports the funding and development of affordable and middle-income housing.
• Support legislation and proposals that provide incentives and resources to expand local efforts that integrate housing, transportation, and land use and assist in the reorganization and replacement of existing infrastructure to support California's growing population.
• Support efforts that address the most vulnerable in the City and increase positive outcomes with the mentally ill and our homeless population.
• Support legislation and proposals that promote tax-increment and other financing mechanisms for the provision of affordable housing.
• Support initiatives that expand financial resources for affordable housing development, such as increased access to State bond funds for below market rate loans, grants for special needs housing, and loans and loan guarantees to preserve rental housing for long-term affordable use.
• Support full funding for the National Housing Trust Fund, Section 8, HOME, and the CDBG programs, and legislation that promotes innovation and flexibility for the administration of Housing programs including the Moving to Work program, statutory waivers and a jurisdiction’s ability to respond to housing crises locally. Support measures and funding for those who face additional housing barriers, including the homeless, veterans, seniors, and disabled members of our community.
• Support measures that would reduce income inequalities, including tax deductions for low-income renters.
• Support legislation introduced to implement the CASA Compact, a 15-year emergency policy package published in December 2018 to address the Bay Area’s housing crisis by “identifying and unifying behind bold, game-changing ideas.” The City will support and oppose legislation in accordance with the following 10 Key Elements:
1. Just-Cause Eviction Policy
2. Rent Cap
3. Rent Assistance and Access to Legal Counsel
4. Remove Regulatory Barriers to Accessory Dwelling Units
5. Minimum Zoning Near Transit
6. Reforms to Housing-Approval Processes
7. Expedited Approvals and Financial Incentives for Select Housing Types
8. Unlock Public Land for Affordable Housing
9. Raise $1.5 Billion Annually from a Range of Sources to Fund Implementation of the Compact
10. Establish a Regional Housing Enterprise
• Support the League of California Cities strategic priority to increase state and federal financial support and provide additional local incentives and tools to improve housing affordability and develop more workforce and affordable housing.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact from the adoption of the Legislative Agenda. However, pursuing these agenda items are intended to defend as well as promote the City’s financial stability.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is not a project and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15378 and 15060.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Legislative Agenda for the City of Alameda.
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Henry, Public Information Officer
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibit
1 Draft Redlined Legislative Agenda