Where We Stand: Policies and Priorities
February 13, 2019 11:21 AM
by Anuj Gupta
This article originally appeared in the February edition of Seascape.
In 2018, the City and its State advocates pursued advancement of Council policies and priorities in Sacramento by actively monitoring or taking a position on 82 pieces of legislation, many of which tie in directly to outcomes in the City’s Framework for a Sustainable City of Wellbeing. For more information about the City’s Framework for a Sustainable City of Wellbeing, visit smgov.net/framework.
HEALTH
• The 2018-19 state Budget resulted in more than $600 million in new funding to address homelessness, focused on planning, prevention and emergency aid.
• SB 1045 establishes a new category of conservatorship for a person who is chronically homeless and incapable of caring for their own health and wellbeing due to a serious mental illness and substance use disorder, as evidenced by highly frequent emergency department use, jail detention, or frequent detention for evaluation and involuntary treatment.
PLACE AND PLANET
• SB 100, signed into law by Governor Brown, establishes the 100% Clean Energy Act which increases the Renewable Portfolio Standard to 60% by 2030 and sets the state on track to meet its goal of 100% clean energy by December 31, 2045.
• Executive Order B-48-18, issued in January 2018, set a Zero Emission Vehicle target of 5 million vehicles in California by 2030 and calls for the construction and installation of 200 hydrogen-fueling stations and 250,000 zero-emission vehicle chargers by 2025.
LEARNING
• The 2018-19 State Budget directs $78.4 billion in funding to K-14 schools, a 66% increase in annual funding from seven years ago.
• The Budget also increases funding for the state’s university and community college system with no tuition or fees hikes and established the state’s firstever online community college.
SAFETY
• AB 2989 sought to create a new classification in the CA Vehicle Code exempting motorized scooters from several key safety measures that currently apply, including a prohibition on sidewalk riding and the requirement that operators have a valid CA Driver’s License. The City of Santa Monica successfully negotiated amendments to the bill that removed the most egregious language that would have severely impacted public safety and local control. The bill signed into law by Governor Brown removes the helmet requirement for users 18 years of age and older.
• AB 2938 allows for a tax exemption until January 1, 2025, on the gross receipts from 500 bicycles purchased by the City of Santa Monica in 2015. This measure signed into law by Governor Brown will allow for smoother integration of the City’s Breeze bikes with the bikeshare programs of neighboring cities, further encouraging active transportation in the region, decreasing vehicle trips and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This legislation is also expected to save the City more than $100,000.
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
• SB 946, signed into law by Governor Brown, decriminalizes street vending and prohibits a municipality from prohibiting or regulating vending without the adoption of a local licensing program. The bill was written in response to actions taken by the federal government to establish rules for the deportation of undocumented immigrants convicted of a crime. With street vending deemed a criminal offense in many jurisdictions and largely practiced by immigrant communities, the change in federal policy opened many of these individuals up to deportation proceedings.
Authored By
Anuj Gupta
Deputy City Manager