HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-12; City Council Legislative Subcommittee; ; Legislative Update and Advocacy ReportCity Council Legislative Subcommittee
Meeting Date:
To:
From:
Item 3:
Oct. 12, 2021
City Council Legislative Subcommittee
Jason Haber, Intergovernmental Affairs Director
Legislative Update and Advocacy Report
{city of
Carlsbad
Recommendation: Receive an update on state and federal legislative and budget activity and
recent and ongoing advocacy efforts, and provide feedback to staff. Discuss and determine the
Subcommittee's recommended advocacy positions on high-priority bills.
Discussion:
Staff and the Renne Public Policy Group (RPPG) will present an update and overview of state
legislative activity (Exhibit 1) through the end of the 2021 legislative session.
Position Letters Submitted to Committees and/or Legislative Offices
• AB 1401 (Friedman)-Opposition (05/07)
• AB 1434 (Friedman)-Opposition (05/07)
• SB 1 (Atkins)-Support (05/07)
• SB 612 (Portantino)-Support (04/05)
• AB 1029 (Mullin)-Support (04/07), Signature Request (9/24)
• AB 377 (Rivas, Robert)-Opposition (04/09)
• SB 278 (Leyva)-Opposition (04/09), Veto Request (9/24)
• SB 556 (Dodd)-Opposition (04/09), Veto Request (9/24)
• SB 54 (Allen)-Support (04/09)
• AB 361 (Rivas, Robert) -Support (06/03)
• AB 718 (Cunningham) -Support (06/03)
• AB 500 (Ward) -Opposition (06/03 & 09/02)
• AB 215 (Chiu)-Opposition (06/03), Veto Request (9/24)
• AB 66 (Boerner Horvath) -Support (06/16), Signature Request (9/24)
• SB 9 (Atkins) -Opposition unless Amended (06/16), Veto Request (09/02)
• SB 344 (Hertzberg) -Support (06/24)
• SB 8 (Skinner) -Opposition (07 /08)
• AB 816 (Chiu)-Opposition (07/08)
Staff are continuing to identify operational needs and policy priorities that might translate into
additional state and federal advocacy initiatives, which will be presented for discussion with
and feedback from the Legislative Subcommittee.
Exhibits:
1. RPPG Legislative Monthly Report -Sept. 2021
City Manager's Office -Intergovernmental Affairs
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VOTE BY MAIL
On Sept. 27, Governor Newsom signed AB 37 authored by Assemblymember Berman
requiring mail ballots to every voter in all elections. This bill will codify a practice that was
temporarily adopted during the pandemic. The new law will also permanently extend the time
mail ballots have to arrive at elections offices from three days to seven days after an election, a
practice adopted in 2020.
BROWN ACT
On Sept. 16, Governor Newsom signed AB 361 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas. The bill
allows for continued flexibility under the Ralph M. Brown Act, by permitting local city councils,
boards, commissions, and other agencies to meet remotely via phone or videoconference during
a Governor-declared emergency that makes meeting in person unsafe, while still maintaining
high levels of public access and transparency. The measure was amended to include an urgency
clause enabling the bill to become law immediately upon the Governor's signature. RPLG and
RPPG's combined legal and policy team put together a comprehensive article on the issue which
can be viewed here.
CLIMATE CHANGE BUDGET PACKAGE
SB 170, a more than $15 billion package of legislation aimed at combating the impacts of climate
crisis, allocates close to $5 billion for immediate drought response, which includes water storage
and water reliability. It puts $3.9 billion toward making California a key player in the electric
vehicle market.
HOUSING AND LAND USE
On Sept. 15 Governor Newsom acted on a package of housing bills aimed to increase production
statewide. The Senate's housing package contained three of the more controversial bills in the
issue area in 2021.
SB 8 (Skinner) -This bill extends the provisions of SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, by five
years to Jan. 1, 2030.
SB 9 (Atkins)-This bill requires ministerial approval of a housing development of no more than
two units in a single-family zone (duplex), and the subdivision of a parcel zoned for residential
use into two parcels (lot split).
SB 10 (Wiener)-This bill permits a local jurisdiction to adopt an ordinance to zone any parcel for
up to 10 units of residential density per parcel, at a height specified in the ordinance if the parcel
is located in a transit-rich area or an urban infill site. It should be noted that the measure would
permit a local government to override a local voter initiative that would prohibit more density.
That portion of the law is currently facing a legal challenge.
On Sept. 28, Governor Newsom signed 28 additional pieces of housing and land use
legislation bringing his total up to 31. Most notably he signed:
Oct. 12, 2021 Item #3 Page 3 of 5