HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 11720
City of Palo Alto (ID # 11720)
Policy and Services Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 12/8/2020
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: 2021 Legislative Guidelines and Lobbyist Presentations
Title: Update From the City's State and Federal Legislative Advocates, and
Discussion and Recommendation on the 2021 Legislative Guidelines
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Policy & Services Committee (a) receive a legislative update from
the City’s state and federal advocates, and (b) subject to the Committee’s discussion and
revisions, recommend that City Council approve the 2021 Federal and State Legislative
Guidelines.
Background
As part of the City’s legislative program, staff and the City’s contracted federal and state
advocates work to identify and analyze potentially impactful legislation and communicate the
City’s public advocacy positions to legislators. The program is guided by the Advocacy Process
Manual, last approved by City Council on January 13, 2020 (CMR #10772). In addition to the
Manual, the City maintains a City Council-approved set of legislative guidelines that provide
additional City Council policy direction to staff and the City’s state and federal legislative
advocates.
The guidelines were last discussed at the Policy & Services Committee on November 12, 2019
(CMR #10640) and approved by the City Council on January 13, 2020 (at the same meeting City
Council approved the Manual and the legislative guidelines for the Utilities Department). For
2021, the Utilities Advisory Committee approved the 2021 Utilities legislative guidelines on
November 4, 2020. The 2021 Utilities guidelines remain unchanged from 2020. The City Council
will receive the Utilities legislative guidelines in January 2021 when this Policy & Services
Committee Legislative Guidelines item comes to City Council for approval.
Discussion
State and Federal advocates
Niccolo De Luca, the City’s Sacramento-based advocate with Townsend Public Affairs, and Steve
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ALTO
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Palmer, the City’s Washington, D.C.-based advocate with Van Scoyoc Associates, will make brief
presentations and respond to questions from the Committee regarding legislation.
Legislative program
To expand on the above, the Legislative Guidelines enhance and add content to the City
Council’s overarching priorities; they do not supplant them. The guidelines provide direction to
staff and the City’s legislative advocates on issues that are both (a) important to the City
Council, and (b) fairly likely to become a legislative issue in 2021. The guidelines are not rank
ordered and are intentionally reasonably broad rather than specifically narrow to allow for a
flexible and quick response.
Further, the guidelines are not proactive instructions; they act as a means by which staff and
advocates can respond to federal and state government action, without returning to the City
Council each time a bill is introduced or amended. The draft 2021 guidelines are a compilation
of the current, approved guidelines, City Council’s 2020 priorities, and policy issues staff and
the City’s legislative advocates believe may appear in 2021.
Suggested changes to the 2021 legislative guidelines
Staff suggests changes to the guidelines as demonstrated through redlines in Attachment A,
with a clean version in Attachment B. These suggestions Include:
• Clarifying the meaning of the guidelines by offering a brief explanation at the top of the
document
• Phrasing items in a manner that allows the reader to understand what items the City
supports
• Adding items likely to appear next year, such as public safety reform and COVID-19
economic relief
• Further refining City Council’s intent. For example, one of the November 2020 ballot
measures related to funding for the Palo Alto Unified School District. As schools were not
mentioned in the 2020 guidelines, staff was unable to recommend that City Council
support the ballot measure when the item was deliberated by City Council in September
2020. The draft 2021 guidelines add “other local governments and organizations” to the
guideline regarding supporting the work of regional partners. This added language allows
staff to recommend support of PAUSD, and other like-minded organizations, in the future.
• Reflecting the City Council’s direction to add police reform to the list of Legislative
Guidelines (per City Council action on November 16, 2020)
Resource Impact
There is no resource impact associated with adopting legislative guidelines and hearing from
our state and federal advocates.
Environmental Review
This report is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act; an
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environmental review is not required.
Attachments:
• Attachment A: 2021 draft guidelines-redlined
• Attachment B: 2021 draft guidelines-clean
The City of Palo Alto’s 20210 Federal and State Legislative Guidelines
Page 1 of 3
These Guidelines reflect and activateenhance and add to the City Council’s priorities; they do not
supplant them. They work to guide staff and our legislative advocates on issues that are important to
the Council, and fairly likely to become a legislative issue. These Guidelines are not rank ordered and are
meant to allow for a flexible and quick response by staff and advocates, without the need to return to
Council to seek guidance. The Guidelines work in conjunction with the City Council approved Advocacy
Process Manual.
The below Foundational Principles represent the ideals that form the core of the City’s policy
agenda. The legislative guidelines all rise from and strengthen our four foundational principles:
1. Protect local revenue sources and prevent unfunded mandates
2. Protect, seek, and increase funding for programs, projects, and services
3. Protect and increase local government discretion. Oppose items that preempt or reduce the
authority or ability of local government to determine how to effectively operate local programs,
services, activities, and governance.
4. Protect the health and safety of the community
The below Legislative Guidelines create the framework for organizing the City’s policy interests,
while guiding staff and contracted lobbyists in their advocacy efforts on behalf of the City. The
items below provide direction for the City’s efforts when addressing reasonable government
actions.
Transportation
The City supports government action that:
• Deters single occupancy drivers and alleviates local traffic congestion
• Supports local and regional public transportation
• Regulates technology that diverts traffic into residential neighborhoods
• Provides funding for rail grade separations, rail efficiency improvements, and other means
of reducing the local impacts of regional transportation systems
Environmental
The City supports government action that:
• Reduces GHG emissions
• Reduces airplane noise, health impacts, and/or airplane emissions
• Promotes residential and vehicle electrification programs
The City of Palo Alto’s 20210 Federal and State Legislative Guidelines
Page 2 of 3
• Promotes the use of renewable resources, water conservation, and the flexible use of
existing resources
• Supports a statewide ban on polystyrene containers and packaging materials
• Provides opportunities for staff to work with the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers
Authority and other regional stakeholders in efforts to improve the creek’s watershed and
floodplain
• Supports efforts to protect local communities from sea level rise and other impacts of
climate change
Financial
The City supports government action that:
• Supports the long-term stability of CalPERS and the ability of local governments to mitigate
and manage with flexibility its pension obligations
• Protects the funding levels of City services
• As needed, seek to protect the funding of ambulance, paramedic, and other emergency
services
• Provides for COVID-19 related expenses and revenue losses
• Supports the continued deductibility of tax-exempt municipal bonds and the restoration of
Advance Refunding of Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds
Public Employment
The City supports government action that:
• Preserves local government’s ability to manage its own employment issues, including, but not
limited to hiring, evaluating, disciplining, and/or terminating and negotiating collective
bargaining agreements with employees’ representatives
Technology
The City supports government action that:
• Supports reasonable regulatory efforts surrounding policies regarding cybersecurity,
drones, shared mobility services, returning to Obama-era net neutrality regulations, and
smart city initiatives
Housing
The City supports government action that:
The City of Palo Alto’s 20210 Federal and State Legislative Guidelines
Page 3 of 3
• Supports reasonable housing and land use policies that recognize local autonomy to
maintain the local public process, and preserve local government’s ability to determine land
use policies and development standards
• Provides funding for (a) affordable housing and (b) infrastructure (such as parks, utilities,
roads, and transit) required to support the increased housing production
• Fosters reasonable ratios between jobs and housing
• ; opposing attempts to remove from localities the ability to determine their own land use
policies or stymie the local political process
• Supports the development and implementation of efficient and environmentally sustainable
land use and building practices
Health
• Encouraging reasonable action to prevent minors from purchasing or using tobacco and/or
vaping products, and reducing or eliminating the negative health and environmental
impacts of such products
Police
The City supports government action that:
• Supports efforts which seek to modify policing services, including but not limited to
alternative public safety models and funding to address community mental health issues,
expansion of requirements regarding police data, and rules regarding prior employment
information transparency.
Other
The City supports government action that:
• Updates, implements, and refines processes, services, and programs affecting the City. This
includes, but is not limited to, public safety reform efforts and streamlining reporting
mandates
• Protects individual privacy and allows the City to safeguard customer information
• Provides for the and the equal treatment of all individuals
• Allows the City to sSupport the collaborative work of regional partners, trade associations,
other local governments and organizations, and Joint Powers Authorities
The City of Palo Alto’s 2021 Federal and State Legislative Guidelines
Page 1 of 3
These Guidelines reflect and activate the City Council’s priorities; they do not supplant them. They work
to guide staff and our legislative advocates on issues that are important to the Council, and fairly likely
to become a legislative issue. These Guidelines are not rank ordered and are meant to allow for a
flexible and quick response by staff and advocates, without the need to return to Council to seek
guidance. The Guidelines work in conjunction with the City Council approved Advocacy Process Manual.
The below Foundational Principles represent the ideals that form the core of the City’s policy
agenda. The legislative guidelines all rise from and strengthen our four foundational principles:
1. Protect local revenue sources and prevent unfunded mandates
2. Protect, seek, and increase funding for programs, projects, and services
3. Protect and increase local government discretion. Oppose items that preempt or reduce the
authority or ability of local government to determine how to effectively operate local programs,
services, activities, and governance.
4. Protect the health and safety of the community
The Legislative Guidelines create the framework for organizing the City’s policy interests, while
guiding staff and contracted lobbyists in their advocacy efforts on behalf of the City. The items
below provide direction for the City’s efforts when addressing reasonable government actions.
Transportation
The City supports government action that:
• Deters single occupancy drivers and alleviates local traffic congestion
• Supports local and regional public transportation
• Regulates technology that diverts traffic into residential neighborhoods
• Provides funding for rail grade separations, rail efficiency improvements, and other means
of reducing the local impacts of regional transportation systems
Environmental
The City supports government action that:
• Reduces GHG emissions
• Reduces airplane noise, health impacts, and/or airplane emissions
• Promotes residential and vehicle electrification programs
The City of Palo Alto’s 2021 Federal and State Legislative Guidelines
Page 2 of 3
• Promotes the use of renewable resources, water conservation, and the flexible use of
existing resources
• Supports a statewide ban on polystyrene containers and packaging materials
• Provides opportunities for staff to work with the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers
Authority and other regional stakeholders in efforts to improve the creek’s watershed and
floodplain
• Supports efforts to protect local communities from sea level rise and other impacts of
climate change
Financial
The City supports government action that:
• Supports the long-term stability of CalPERS and the ability of local governments to mitigate
and manage with flexibility its pension obligations
• Protects the funding levels of City services
• Provides for COVID-19 related expenses and revenue losses
• Supports the continued deductibility of tax-exempt municipal bonds and the restoration of
Advance Refunding of Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds
Public Employment
The City supports government action that:
• Preserves local government’s ability to manage its own employment issues, including, but not
limited to hiring, evaluating, disciplining, and/or terminating and negotiating collective
bargaining agreements with employees’ representatives
Technology
The City supports government action that:
• Supports reasonable regulatory efforts surrounding policies regarding cybersecurity,
drones, shared mobility services, returning to Obama-era net neutrality regulations, and
smart city initiatives
Housing
The City supports government action that:
• Supports reasonable housing policies that recognize local autonomy to maintain the local
public process and preserve local government’s ability to determine land use policies and
development standards
The City of Palo Alto’s 2021 Federal and State Legislative Guidelines
Page 3 of 3
• Provides funding for (a) affordable housing and (b) infrastructure (such as parks, utilities,
roads, and transit) required to support the increased housing production
• Fosters reasonable ratios between jobs and housing
• Supports the development and implementation of efficient and environmentally sustainable
land use and building practices
Police
The City supports government action that:
• Supports efforts which seek to modify policing services, including but not limited to
alternative public safety models and funding to address community mental health issues,
expansion of requirements regarding police data, and rules regarding prior employment
information transparency.
Other
The City supports government action that:
• Updates, implements, and refines processes, services, and programs affecting the City. This
includes, but is not limited to, public safety reform efforts and streamlining reporting
mandates
• Protects individual privacy and allows the City to safeguard customer information
• Provides for the equal treatment of all individuals
• Allows the City to support the collaborative work of regional partners, trade associations,
other local governments and organizations, and Joint Powers Authorities