Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2402-2635CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Special Meeting Monday, May 06, 2024 Council Chambers & Hybrid 5:30 PM     Agenda Item     12.Policy & Services Committee Recommendation Regarding State and Federal Legislative and Budgetary Updates and Positions on Pending State Legislation City Council Staff Report Report Type: CONSENT ITEMS Lead Department: City Clerk Meeting Date: May 6, 2024 Report #:2402-2635 TITLE Policy & Services Committee Recommendation Regarding State and Federal Legislative and Budgetary Updates and Positions on Pending State Legislation RECOMMENDATION The Policy & Services Committee recommends the City Council confirm support positions for AB 2485, SB 903, SB 915 and receive the attached reports for a state and federal legislative update. BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS The Policy & Services Committee received an update on state and federal legislative and budgetary issues at the April 9, 2024 meeting (Staff Report 2403-2801)1. The Committee unanimously recommended that the City Council confirm support positions for AB 2485, SB 903, SB 915. All three bills fit within the City’s Legislative Guidelines and thus staff is only asking Council to confirm the proposed positions. AB 2485 will enhance transparency in the Housing and Community Development’s regional housing needs calculation process. SB 903 will prohibit the manufacture, distribution, or sale of “forever chemicals.” SB 915 will grant local governments regulatory authority of autonomous vehicles operating in their jurisdictions. The Committee asked staff for additional information about the funding that the City receives from the State government. Staff researched this information within the 1-hours rule and found the following information: In FY 2024, as of 3/31/24, a total of $41.2M has been received from the state. Of this amount: •$36.4M are for State Revolving Loan Fund reimbursements for two major capital projects at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant •$2.6M in grants, majority being the Local Housing Trust Fund •$2M for the Newell Bridge Project, allocated under Priority Legislative Budget Projects 1 Item 1, Action Item, https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=52846 Included in this update is a memo from Townsend Public Affairs (TPA) (Attachment A) with the status of state bills on which the City has adopted positions and bills TPA is monitoring for the City. The memo details each bill’s summary and status, its Palo Alto-specific impact, and the City’s position. The Committee also recommended some additional bills to be placed on the monitoring list and Townsend will include those on future update lists if the bills are shown to have Palo Alto impact and are moving forward this legislative session. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT There is no additional funding needed for this update report. The City Council budgets annually for legislative advocacy services and these efforts are led by staff in the City Clerk’s Office with stakeholder support across departments on key issues. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Staff from multiple departments are involved in the legislative process. Staff help to review the impacts of bills as well as discuss grant opportunities linked to state and federal programs. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The City’s legislative advocacy activities are not a project under section 15378(b)(25) of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines (administrative activities that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment). ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Update Memo from Townsend Public Affairs Attachment B: Bill Analysis on AB 2485 Attachment C: Bill Analysis on SB 903 Attachment D: Bill Analysis on SB 915 APPROVED BY: Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk 1 M E M O R A N D U M To: Council Members Kou, Lythcott-Haims, and Tanaka (Policy and Services Committee) cc:Ed Shikada, City Manager; Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager From: Townsend Public Affairs Niccolo De Luca, Vice President Carlin Shelby, Associate Date: March 22, 2024 Subject: State and Federal Legislative Updates Townsend Public Affairs, Inc. (TPA) has prepared this report for the City of Palo Alto’s Policy and Services Committee to provide a summary of State and Federal efforts, highlight the current status of the legislative process, and identify various pieces of legislation that may be of interest to the City. State Legislative Updates The State Legislature convened the second year of the 2023-2024 legislative session on January 3, 2024. Since then, the Legislature has introduced a total of 2,124 bills before the bill introduction deadline of February 16. Of the total bills introduced, there were 619 Senate Bills and 1,505 Assembly bills. This total is comparable to previous legislative sessions, which typically hover around 2,000- 2,200 bill introductions total. Following this bill introduction milestone, the months of March and April will continue to be focused on policy committee hearings, which serve as the first filter for the consideration of the practical impacts of proposed legislation. The first house policy committee process is a critical time to suggest policy amendments to bills before they move on to their appropriations Committee for consideration of their fiscal impact (if there is one) and the floor for consideration from the entire legislative body. Notable trends that have emerged during the 2024 Legislative Session include development impact fee transparency and delays, organized theft prevention, utility rate affordability, and autonomous and active transportation reforms, among others. Priority Legislation for the City of Palo Alto 1. Bills With City Positions The following chart provides an overview of bills with pending positions taken as of March 22, 2024. 2 BILL SUMMARY/STATUS CITY IMPACT POSITION SB 1193 (Menjivar) Phases out the sale and use of leaded airplane fuel at airports in California Status: Pending consideration from the Senate Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee This bill is likely to result in airplane emissions and health impacts associated with the flight paths over the City, which aligns with the City’s Legislative Guidelines. City Position: Support 2. Bills With Recommended Action The following chart features four measures that TPA advocates have identified at this time with recommendations for the City to take a formal position on. Based on the existing legislative guidelines, the City could take these positions through Mayoral review pending Council consideration and approval. BILL SUMMARY / STATUS CITY IMPACT RECOMMENDATION SB 1210 (Skinner) Prohibits utility hook-up fees from exceeding 1% of the reported building permit value of the unit for new housing construction. Status: Pending consideration from the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee. If passed, this bill could negatively impact local utility revenues and could impact service quality long-term. Recommendation: Oppose AB 2485 (Carrillo) Enhances transparency in HCD’s regional housing needs calculation process by creating an advisory panel and requiring the publication of methodologies used on HCD’s website. Status: Pending consideration from the Assembly Housing Committee. For future RHNA cycles, this bill would increase transparency for how HCD calculates its regional housing needs numbers, which could offer the City more clarity moving forward. Recommendation: Support SB 903 (Skinner) Beginning 2030, prohibits the manufacture, distribution, or sale of any product that contains intentionally added PFAS. Requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to include on its website products that meet criteria for unavoidable use and requires them to be reassessed regularly. Status: Pending consideration from the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. If passed, this bill could work to reduce the presence of “forever chemicals” in public water supplies, thus increasing public health and alleviating costs and resources associated with its remediation. Recommendation: Support SB 915 (Cortese) Grants local authority over the operations and regulations for autonomous self-driving vehicles. Status: Pending consideration from Senate Local Government Committee. Given the presence of self- driving vehicles in the City and the Bay Area, this bill would offer the city more local control over the operations of these vehicles to protect the public’s safety. Recommendation: Support 3 3. Notable bills with Recommendations to Monitor Progress The following chart encompasses priority legislation TPA advocates are monitoring on behalf of the City (in addition to the bills listed in the previous tables). Any positions shared beyond “Monitoring” is as of this moment based on current TPA advocates recommendations and are subject to change, pending a review of each bill’s impact on the City. Should the City Council or staff note any additional pieces of legislation to incorporate into this chart, TPA advocates will gladly accommodate. BILL SUMMARY POSITION Energy and Utilities AB 2037 (Papan) Grants county sealers jurisdiction over publicly-operated electric vehicle (EV) charger to test all weight and measuring devices. Authorizes county sealers to charge a "registration fee" to cities they service. Monitoring AB 2427 (McCarty) Requires GO-Biz's Zero-Emission Vehicle Market Development Office to develop a model permitting checklist, model zoning ordinances, and best practices for permit costs and permit review timelines to help local governments permit curbside charging stations as part of the office’s development of the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permitting Guidebook or any subsequent updates. The bill would also require the office to consult with local governments, electric vehicle service providers, and utilities while developing the above-described materials. Monitoring AB 2601 (Ramos) Requires that energy-efficient appliances provided pursuant to the Energy Savings Assistance Program shall only replace natural gas appliances with electric appliances. Monitoring AB 2619 (Connolly) Repeals the CPUC net energy metering 3.0 (NEM 3.0) ruling that cut incentives for customers to install solar and would restore the previous net energy metering incentives/market. Monitoring AB 3011 (Bains) Provides that any electrical rate schedule that imposes rates on vulnerable customers (senior citizens, medically or economically vulnerable, etc.) above baseline rates during any hour where the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration of the hour is considered an unreasonable hardship. Monitoring Environmental Quality AB 2346 (Lee) Authorizes local jurisdictions to be credited for the procurement of recovered organic waste products through an agreement with a direct service provider and would allow the direct service provider agreement to include the procurement of recovered organic waste products on a prospective or retrospective basis as long as the purchase of those products occurs during the year for which the local jurisdiction seeks credit. The bill also allows local governments to count investments made for the expansion of capacity of compostable materials into their procurement targets. Monitoring 4 BILL SUMMARY POSITION Governance and Transparency AB 2032 (Addis) Existing law establishes Brown Act remote teleconferencing allowances for local agency officials and limits them to no more than 3 consecutive months or 20% of the regular meetings for the local agency within a calendar year, or more than 2 meetings if the legislative body regularly meets fewer than 10 times per calendar year. This bill would revise those limits, instead prohibiting such participation for more than a specified number of meetings per year, based on how frequently the legislative body regularly meets. Monitoring SB 1032 (Seyarto) Allows local agencies additional time to respond to PRA requests during a state of emergency.Monitoring Homelessness AB 2338 (Jones-Sawyer) Requires the Governor to appoint a Statewide Homelessness Coordinator to serve as the lead person for ending homelessness in California. The Coordinator would be tasked with identifying a local leader in eeach local government throughout the state to collaborate on homeless solutions. Monitoring SB 1011 (Jones) Prohibits unhoused individuals from loitering on public property, so long as peace officers provide them with 72 hours of notice and resources related to available services and housing. Monitoring Housing and Land Use AB 1889 (Friedman) Requires local governments to incorporate a wildlife connectivity plan into the next update or amendment to its general plan beginning after January 1, 2025 Monitoring AB 1886 (Alvarez) Clarifies that the builder’s remedy is applicable to cities and counties that have not received official certification of housing element compliance from HCD. Additionally creates a rebuttable presumption of the validity of HCD’s findings as to whether an adopted element or amendment complies with housing law. Monitoring AB 2243 (Wicks) Makes various changes to the objective standards and affordability and site criteria applicable to an affordable housing development or mixed-income housing development subject to the streamlined, ministerial review process under AB 2011 (Statutes of 2023) Monitoring AB 2430 (Alvarez) Prohibits local governments from charging monitoring fees on developments that include a 100% affordability component for lower income households and have received a density bonus. Additionally, the bill phases out all monitoring fees on existing properties that meet these standards beginning 2025. Monitoring AB 2553 (Friedman) Revises zoning standards by which a local government may impose a vehicular traffic impact fee from a “transit station” to a “major transit stop,” thus narrowing the applicability of sites eligible for the imposition of those fees. The bill further modifies the definition of what constitutes a major transit stop to increase the frequency of service intervals from 15 to 20 minutes. Monitoring AB 2584 (Lee) Prevents institutional investors that own more than 1,000 single-family homes from purchasing additional properties and converting them into rentals. Monitoring AB 3057 (Wilson) exempts from CEQA the adoption of an ordinance by a city or county to provide for the creation of junior accessory dwelling units in single-family residential zones. Monitoring 5 BILL SUMMARY POSITION SB 1211 (Skinner) Streamlines the development of ADUs on properties with multifamily housing. (In spot form, lacks substantive language) Monitoring SB 1212 (Skinner) Bars hedge funds and other corporate investment entities from buying single- family homes in California.Monitoring Labor Relations and Retirement AB 2561 (McKinnor) Requires each public agency with bargaining unit vacancy rates exceeding 10% for more than 90 days within the past 180 days to meet and confer with a representative of the recognized employee organization to produce, publish, and implement a plan consisting of specified components to fill all vacant positions within the subsequent 180 days. Monitoring SB 1116 (Portantino) Allows striking workers to collect unemployment insurance benefits after two weeks. Monitoring Public Safety AB 2309 (Muratsuchi) Authorizes the city attorney of any general law city or chartered city to prosecute any misdemeanor committed within the city arising out of violation of state law without the consent of the district attorney. Monitoring AB 2574 (Alvarez) Codifies existing case law from 2019, which determined that unlicensed recovery homes operating as part of a licensed treatment facility located elsewhere may be considered unlawful business use within a residential zone. Monitoring SB 22 (Umberg) Proposes Proposition 47 reforms including aggregating theft amounts to amount to grant theft felony, adding enhancements for organized theft crimes, includes enhancements for the trafficking and furnishing of fentanyl, among other provisions. Monitoring SB 905 (Wiener) Removes hurdles to prosecutors holding auto burglars accountable by removing the requirement that a victim prove a vehicle was locked in order to establish a crime. Monitoring Revenue and Taxation AB 2488 (Ting) Authorizes a local government to designate one or more downtown revitalization and economic recovery financing districts for the purpose of financing office-to-residential conversion projects with incremental tax revenues generated by office-to-residential conversion projects within the district. Monitoring AB 2813 (Aguiar-Curry) Makes statutory changes to ACA 1 which will appear on the November 2024 ballot to lower the voter threshold for the passage of general obligation bonds from 2/3 to 55%. This bill modifies the allowable uses of funds generated via bonds to include affordable housing programs. Further, the bill specifies that special taxes are limited to a useful life of at least 15 years or 5 years if the funds are used for public safety purposes. The bill also specifies that a local government may commit revenues to projects or programs administered by nonprofit organizations for affordable or permanent supportive housing programs. Monitoring 6 BILL SUMMARY POSITION SB 955 (Seyarto) Requires the Office of Planning and Research, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish the Infrastructure Gap-Fund Program to provide grants to assist local agencies in developing and constructing infrastructure projects. Monitoring Transportation AB 2744 (McCarty) Beginning on January 1, 2025, prohibits the addition of a right-turn or travel lane within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk where there is not already a dedicated and marked right-turn or travel lane, and prohibits vehicles from using this 20-foot area for right turns unless the area is already marked as a dedicated right-turn lane before January 1, 2025. Monitoring SB 1031 (Wiener) Authorizes Bay Area voters to consider a measure to fund climate-friendly transportation investments in the San Francisco Bay Area as early as 2026. requires a minimum of $750 million in revenues from a future Bay Area transportation measure to be annually allocated to public transportation operations and regional transit coordination initiatives directly related to operations spending, Monitoring State Budget Update State lawmakers this year are focused on mediating the issues associated with an anticipated budget deficit. Following the release of the Governor’s January Budget Proposal which outlined a spending plan to absorb the impacts of a $38 billion deficit, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) did its own update to State Revenues and projected deficit. The LAO reports a revised budget shortfall of $73 billion which is $15 billion more than was previously forecasted in December. These numbers contrast significantly with the Governor’s budget proposal, mostly due to anticipations surrounding revenue returns. The LAO said that the actual budget shortfall will depend on a variety of factors, such as mandatory Proposition 98 spending on schools and community colleges. To mitigate the impacts of this anticipated shortfall, the LAO suggests that lawmakers find “new budget solutions” to ensure a balanced budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The LAO said solutions could include increasing revenue, reducing either – or both – one-time and ongoing spending, and exploring the possibility of cost shifts or dipping into reserves. Lawmakers are exploring a number of proposed avenues to temporarily cut one-time spending to manage the issue, totaling $16 billion. Categories of cuts include business and labor, criminal justice, education, health and human services, housing and homelessness, resources and environment, and transportation. Looking forward, the budget process will continue to unfold with the introduction of April tax receipts, which could change the deficit picture. The Department of Finance emphasizes that the State is still forecasted to see more than $51 billion in income and corporate tax receipts. The State’s progressive taxing structure oftentimes leads to a boom and bust cycle with most revenues tied to the performance of high-income earners. This creates volatile budget cycles, which can change within a matter of months depending on revenue returns. 7 The Legislature is in the process of creating a counter-budget proposal which will kick off negotiations between both houses and the Governor’s office. The next few weeks will feature budget committee hearings and additional insights into the Legislature’s spending and saving priorities. FEDERAL UPDATES Update on Congressionally Directed Spending Submittal Federal Budget Update •Defense •Homeland Security •State •Treasury •Labor •Health and Human Services •Education 8 reduced by six percent from Fiscal Year 2023 levels; other agencies, such as the Education Department, would also be cut. The bill also includes funding for the construction of a new FBI headquarters. State Capitol Office ▪ 925 L Street • Suite 1404 • Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 447-4086 • Fax (916) 444-0383 Federal Office ▪ 600 Pennsylvania SE • Suite 207 • Washington, DC 20003 • Phone (202) 546-8696 • Fax (202) 546-4555 Southern California Office ▪ 1401 Dove Street • Suite 330 • Newport Beach, CA 92660 • Phone (949) 399-9050 • Fax (949) 476-8215 Central California Office ▪ 744 P Street • Suite 308 • Fresno, CA 93721 • Phone (949) 399-9050 • Fax (949) 476-8215 Northern California Office ▪ 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza • Suite 204 • Oakland, CA 94612 • Phone (510) 835-9050 • Fax (510) 835-9030 MEMO City of Palo Alto Townsend Public Affairs March 22, 2024 The official text of AB 2485 can be found here. Summary AB 2485 (Carrillo) seeks to enhance transparency in the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) regional housing needs calculation process by creating an advisory panel and requiring the publication of methodologies used on HCD’s website. Specifically, AB 2485: •Requires, for the 7th and subsequent revision cycles of the housing element, the assembly and convening of an advisory panel that includes, among others, an expert on the data assumptions by each council of governments to advise HCD on the assumptions and methodology it will use to determine each region housing need. •Requires the advisory panel to be comprised of the following: o A United States Census Bureau-affiliated practitioner. o An expert on population projections and transportation needs, and o A representative from the council of governments. •Requires HCD to publish on its Internet website the data sources, analyses, and methodology, including the assumptions and factors used in and applied to the Department of Finance projections and engagement process with the council of governments, prior to finalization of the regional determination. Status AB 2485 was amended into its current form on March 19 and is pending policy committee scheduling. Author’s Statement “In March 2022, the State Auditor conducted an emergency audit to examine the RHNA process and identified several errors in HCD’s housing projections, resulting in a decrease in the housing 2 amounts. Specifically, Sacramento COG fell short by 2,484 housing units and Santa Barbara COG by 1,338 units. Support and Opposition AB 2485 is officially sponsored by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). There are no officially recorded entities registered in support or opposition as of March 22. The release of the measure’s first policy committee analysis will reveal more. Recommended Position Support This bill will increase local government stakeholder engagement on the RHNA allocations for future cycles of the housing element revision process. This in turn will increase transparency and ensure that HCD is responsible for its methodologies in assessing regional housing needs allocations. State Capitol Office ▪ 925 L Street • Suite 1404 • Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 447-4086 • Fax (916) 444-0383 Federal Office ▪ 600 Pennsylvania SE • Suite 207 • Washington, DC 20003 • Phone (202) 546-8696 • Fax (202) 546-4555 Southern California Office ▪ 1401 Dove Street • Suite 330 • Newport Beach, CA 92660 • Phone (949) 399-9050 • Fax (949) 476-8215 Central California Office ▪ 744 P Street • Suite 308 • Fresno, CA 93721 • Phone (949) 399-9050 • Fax (949) 476-8215 Northern California Office ▪ 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza • Suite 204 • Oakland, CA 94612 • Phone (510) 835-9050 • Fax (510) 835-9030 MEMO City of Palo Alto Townsend Public Affairs March 22, 2024 The official text of SB 903 can be found here. Summary SB 903 prevents the sale and use of products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — commonly known as “PFAS” — unless the use of PFAS in the product is necessary and there is not a safer alternative available. Specifically, SB 903: •Prohibits a person from distributing, selling, or offering for sale a product that contains intentionally added PFAS by 2030 •Provides a narrow exemption if the Department of Toxic Substances Control has made a determination that the use of PFAS in the product is currently unavoidable, the prohibition is preempted by federal law, or the product is used. •Requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to maintain on its internet website a list of each determination of currently unavoidable use, when each determination expires, and the products and uses that are exempt from the prohibition. •Imposes a civil penalty for a violation of the prohibition. Additionally establishes the PFAS Penalty Account and requires all civil penalties received to be deposited into that account and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be used for the administration and enforcement of the provisions. •Requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by 2027. Status SB 903 has been referred to the Senate Environmental Committee with a hearing date set for April 3. 2 Author’s Statement “PFAS are used in a wide range of products because of their stain- and water-resistant and nonstick properties. Forever chemicals are used in clothing, packaging, plastic food ware, cleaning products, ski waxes, menstrual products, metal products, paints, propellants, coatings, and much more. According to a new data report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), PFAS has been found in water systems serving at least 25.4 million Californians. A study commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified PFAS in the breast milk, umbilical cord blood, or bloodstreams of 98% of participants. A 2023 report by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that nearly half of the nation's tap water is contaminated with forever chemicals. In addition to being associated to higher rates of kidney and testicular cancer, exposure to PFAS has been linked to high cholesterol and harmful impacts on the liver, kidneys, and immune, nervous, and reproductive systems. Toxic PFAS chemicals have contaminated our water, air, food, and even our bodies. PFAS can cause harm at vanishingly low levels — and yet we continue to pump out vast new quantities of them into the worl. This bill is a sensible and comprehensive approach to phase out unnecessary uses of PFAS so that we stop adding to an already enormous problem.” State Capitol Office ▪ 925 L Street • Suite 1404 • Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 447-4086 • Fax (916) 444-0383 Federal Office ▪ 600 Pennsylvania SE • Suite 207 • Washington, DC 20003 • Phone (202) 546-8696 • Fax (202) 546-4555 Southern California Office ▪ 1401 Dove Street • Suite 330 • Newport Beach, CA 92660 • Phone (949) 399-9050 • Fax (949) 476-8215 Central California Office ▪ 744 P Street • Suite 308 • Fresno, CA 93721 • Phone (949) 399-9050 • Fax (949) 476-8215 Northern California Office ▪ 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza • Suite 204 • Oakland, CA 94612 • Phone (510) 835-9050 • Fax (510) 835-9030 MEMO City of Palo Alto Townsend Public Affairs March 22, 2024 The official text of SB 915 can be found here. Summary SB 915 grants local governments control over the rules and regulations self-driving autonomous vehicles must follow before being deployed within communities. Specifically, SB 915: •Prohibits an autonomous vehicle service from operating within a jurisdiction unless authorized by a local government ordinance. •Authorizes each city, county, or city and county in which an autonomous vehicle has received authorization to operate, to protect the public health, safety, and welfare by adopting an ordinance or resolution in regard to autonomous vehicle services within that jurisdiction. •Requires local governments that adopt an ordinance or resolution to include certain provisions within that ordinance or resolution. These would include a policy for entry into the business of providing autonomous vehicle services including a permitting program, the establishment of reasonable vehicle caps and hours of service restrictions, and the establishment of an interoperability or override system accessible by first responders in case of an emergency. •Authorizes local governments to levy service charges, fees, or assessments in the amount sufficient to pay for the costs of carrying out an ordinance or resolution adopted in regard to autonomous vehicle services. •Makes it unlawful to operate an autonomous vehicle service without a valid permit to operate issued by the local jurisdiction in which the service is substantially located, with violations subject to administrative fines. •Authorizes a local government to enter into an agreement with another local government to form a joint powers authority or into an agreement with a transit agency for the purpose 2 of regulating or administering autonomous vehicle services within jurisdictional boundaries. Status SB 915 has been referred to the Senate Local Government Committee with a hearing date scheduled for April 3. Author’s Statement None available at this time Support and Opposition SB 915 is sponsored by the League of California Cities and has received support from other Bay Area jurisdictions with autonomous vehicle operating agreements in place. The official committee analysis will reveal a more comprehensive list of supporters and opponents. Recommended Position Support This bill provides for additional local control over the operations and licensing of autonomous vehicle services. Given Palo Alto’s location in the Bay Area and proximity to tech sectors, this bill could provide additional guardrails for future agreements with autonomous vehicle companies, providing for the safety and well-being of residents.