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02-06-1993 - 1992 Legislative SummaryTO FROM City Council City Manager's Office SUWECr. 1992 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY • City Of West Covina Memorandum AGENDA ITEM NO. K-2a DATE February 16, 1993 SUMMARY: At the end of each legislative session the City Council receives a report providing an overview of the legislative measures on which Council has taken a position. -BACKGROUND Throughout each legislative session the City Council receives numerous requests to either support or oppose specific bills pending before the State Legislature. Requests are received from Councilmembers, local representatives, various organizations, City staff, and the League of California Cities. Each proposed bill is reviewed by staff to determine its effect on the City, our residents, and local government in general. If the proposed legislation falls within the scope of the Council adopted Legislative Platform, a letter from the Mayor, on behalf of the Council, is sent to the appropriate legislators. If ,the legislation is not within the scope of the legislative platform, or upon request by the Council, a report on the legislation is brought before Council for specific action. LEGISLATION SUPPORTED During the 1992 Legislative Session the Council supported eight bills. Three of those bills were signed into law: AB 152, SB 1435, and SB 1679. An overview of these bills is provided below. AB 152 - Transportation Agencies. Los Ancteles County. This bill abolishes the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission district. The bill creates the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority as the successor to these agencies. The bill prescribes the membership of the governing body of the authority and provides for the authority to assume, over a specified period of time, the rights, powers, duties, obligations., and responsibilities of the district and the commission, and prescribes additional powers and duties of the authority. SB 1435 Transportation Planning Programming, and Funding. This bill implements the. federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency.Act (ISTEA). The bill gives cities substantially more money and flexibility in the -transportation area. Thebill stipulates a city may lose its ISTEA funding if the city is out of compliance with the congestion management program. The bill establishes the procedure for. the development of a 20-year plan for California transportation. SB 1679 - San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority. This bill created the San Gabriel. Basin Water Quality Authority and provided a stable funding source for use in groundwater clean-up in the San Gabriel Valley. A five -member Board of Commissioners was created to oversee the Authority. The Board is comprised of one member each from the three water districts overlying the. basin and two city councilmembers elected by the cities in the Valley. (One councilmember. from cities with pumping rights. in the basin, and one. councilmember from cities without pumping rights.) The Council was also active in supporting measures which would have protected city revenues. We will continue to take a proactive approach in 1993 to preserving City. revenues in the face of the State's 1993/94 Budget Crisis. Additionally, the Council supported Federal Cable Television i authorities more control standards. Since the pass Television ActJ of 1992,,s contributing to pending FE regulations through the Lea LEGISLATION OPPOSED isures which would give franchising er the rate structure and service e on the Federal level of the Cable ff has been closely. monitoring and :ral Communications Commission (FCC) .e of California Cities. The Council opposed nine bills in the past Legislative session. Only four of these bills were signed into law, AB 2092, SB 1559, SB 1711, and SB 1977. An overview of these bills is provided below. An LU7L - An 737 1:1t__1gnUR7. U1 deadline by which cities ai Reduction and Recycling and H 1992. In addition, the bil Integrated Waste Management F years or less. of landfill c Plans to the California Integ after the office of Administ regulations. Counties 'which capacity must submit their c months after the Office of I Board's regulation. xencv Measure. This bill extends the d counties must adopt their Source ,usehold Hazardous Elements to July 1, changes the date when a Countywide Lan is due. Counties which have eight .pacity must submit their Countywide -ated Waste Management Board 12 months ative Law approves the Waste Board's have more than eight.years' landfill untywide plans to the Waste Board 18 iministrative Law approves the,Waste Budget Railer Bills. AB 3027 Urgency Measure. SB 1559 enacts a number of provisions related to local government. Among the provisions of interest to cities, the bill enacts: (1) intent language regarding booking fees which counties can charge cities;. (2) authority for counties to refuse prisoners at the county jail who are in need of immediate medical attention; (3) a requirement that annexations to a city and the incorporation of any city in the future be considered "revenue neutral" as defined; and (4) the application of property tax administration charges to redevelopment agencies. In signing SB 1559, the Governor committed that he would secure cleanup legislation to correct drafting errors which he opposed. Subsequently, AB 3027 was ,enacted in the special session on October 15,.1992 to correct SB 1559 and implement cleanup language for the State Budget trailer bills. SB 1711 Housing Element. I This bill defines the meaning of, specific, adverse impact for the purpose of Government Code Section 65589.5 as a significant unavoidable impact as provided in written standards. This bill requires that the housing element and amendments be delivered to all public agencies and private entities that provide these services1 This bill also contains numerous amendments affecting redevelopment. SBr1977 - Notification Requirement for Taxes and Assessments. This bill places a new requirement on local governments notification under the "Brown Act." Prior to enacting any new or increased general taxes or assessments, all local governments must meet the following requirements: (.1) 45 days notice and two new or increased genera new or increased taxe advertisement in a newsy a first class mailing t mailing list must be annually) iblic hearings prior to enacting any tax or, assessment. Notice for any must include a 1/8-page "display .per for three consecutive weeks; and anyone filing a written request (a maintained for a year, renewable (2) Mailings (either bulk or first class) to all property owners affected by new or increased assessment. This requirement is added to the.notice requirements in all of the 17 assessment laws. 4 I Other measures opposed by West Covina which did not pass included bills which. would have expanded the Brown Act in the area of requiring additional notices and reporting requirements for taping of closed sessions and application of the Brown Act requirements to permanent advisory committees with less than a quorum of local government officials. The City took exception to bills that proposed too take. away local revenues, such as shifting Cigarette Tax to the State. In the area of redevelopment, we oppose legislation that would -further reduce revenues to redevelopment agencies, invoke further restrictions and requirements on Project Area Committees (PAC's), and hinder developments in project areas. LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES Staff also reviews how our local representatives vote on those bills of concern to the City. The ability of a legislator to vote on a measure will depend on where the bill is at in the legislative process as several bills are defeated at the Committee level and other legislators never have an opportunity to vote on the measure. The information provided, here is intended only to provide an. overview of how often local representatives voted in line with the City's position. Of the eight bills supported by the City, Senator Frank Hill voted yes on two bills, no on two bills, and was not voting or not able to vote on the other four. Assemblymember Paul Horcher voted yes on 6 bills, and was not able or not voting on the other two bills. Of the nine bills opposed by the City, Senator Frank Hill voted yes on six bills, and was not able or not voting on three bills. Assemblymember Paul Horcher voted yes on four bills, no on three bills,, and was not to vote on two bills. CONCLUSION The City of West Covina, working with our representatives and the League of California_ Cities has continued to be vigilent and active in our legislative lobbying efforts. With the ever increasing number and complexity of bills considered by the'Legislature, it is important to keep.a close watch on the legislative process and to support the League in its efforts to represent the interests of local government. The Legislative Platform is before the Council tonight for review and direction for our lobbying efforts in the 1993 Legislative Session. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that council recieve and file this report. 2c/ Mm y rinistrative Analyst II JO:plp.