HomeMy WebLinkAbout0485.091I
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October 31, 1991
THE HONORABLE CI'fY COUNCIL
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
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Proposal for & San_till Clara County cities Associ .. tion standing
committee on Legislation
Members of the Council:
Report :in Brief
The council is requested to discuss the proposal for a Santa Clara
County Cities Association standing committe.e on legislation and
report back to t.he asso'.::iation on its interest in supporting and
participating in such a committee.
Body of Report
The Santa Clara County cities Association Board cf Directors has
requested each city council to discuss the attached proposal to
establish a standing copmittee on legislation.
The bylaws of the association currently provide for three standing
committ~es~ the executive cOn".mittee, the city s-election comrt'littee,
and the city managers cOThrnittee. This proposal ~o~ld add a fourth
standing committee.
The attached proposal de~cribes the process suggested for the
committee~ If approved and activel~,r supported by the member
Cities, the prOC€S5 cotild enable the cities of Santa Clara County
to present an organized, and thus stro:r..gcr, voice when lobbying
Sacramento on issues of concern countywjde. This voice could be
exceedingly important in the coming year (s) as the Legislature
addresses the issues of regional governance and gro~th management.
Other advantages ~ould accr~e, particularly for the smaller cities
which have li-rnited resources to devote to independent legislative
analysis and lobbying and 'w'ould have access to this additional
information. 'i'he quality and equitability of legislation affecting
the cities within the county l't,ight. be improved as a result of this
increased attention and visibility.
CMR:485:91
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currently, the level of effort that cities ~ithin the county devote
to analy~ing( tracking~ and lobbying legislation varies widely. At
one end of the spectrum. the City of San Jose has a ful1time staff
lobbyist in Sacrd~,p..1".to to s'Jpple:-nent its intergovernmental staff in
city Hall. on the other. several cf the smaller cities are unable
to dedicate any staff ti.'1'1e to legislation. Due to a fifty percent
reduction in the staff assigned to the legislative prograc, Palo
Alto is presently unable to devote as much effort to legislatior. as
was its practice in the past~
The true effectiveness of the standing committee on legislation
will depend on the will ingness of cou.ncil members from several
cities to participate. Council members ... ·ill be responsible for
referring legislation to ttJe Cities Association and for serving on
the committee which \Ii i 11 make recorn,~endations concerning the
legislation. Furthermore, of particular importance is direct
contact between elected city officials and their representatives in
the state l,egislature~ on behalf of the Cities Association.
CQncluslon
The Cities Association Board of Directors requests that the
Council~ 1) determine if it supports this proposal; 2) ascertain
if there are Council Members interested in serving on the standing
committee on legislation; and 3) instruct the Mayor or his
alternate to provide this input in time for the next meeting of the
Cities Association Board of Directors on November 14.
Respectfully submitted~
(j(A--:E2 __
VIC':::u~
Assistant to the City Manager
JUNE FLEMING
Assistant City Manager
Attachment
CMR:4S5:91
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Cattot"." Crr'{"s
RECEIVED
OCT 2 3 1991
ASSISTA.NT Gif! MGR.
october 21, 1991
TO:
FROM:
RE:
Mayors/City Managers
santa Clara county
penny Lave
President, Cities Association
Standing Committee on Legislation
The attached memorandum conveys a proposal for a Cities Association
Standing committee on Legislation. This committee ~ould provide a
mech~nism fer the Association to begin to advocate in an organized,
effe~tive manner for (or against) legislation under considzration
in Sacramento. Legislative advocacy regarding city issues was s as
you may recall, one of the original goals of the Cities
Association.
The Citias Association Board of Directors has requested each city
to place discussion of this committee on an upcoming council
agenda. We would like your input on the concept promoted in the
proposal, as well as your suggestions for council members ",-ho would
enjoy serving on the committee. Member-ship ,""ould net be limited to
Cities Association Board members; rather, any council member in the
County ~ould be welcome.
Thank you for your assistance~ I look forward to hearing from you.
Santa Clara County Cities Association
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Septernbgr 30, 1991
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TO: Board of Directors
Cities Association
FROM: Executive committee
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RE: Proposed Process for Review of Legislation
1. The Cities Association should establish a standing committee
on legislation to meet ~hen necessary.
2. Referrals to the legislative committ-.ee a_re to be made by
Cities Association board members.
3. Analysis of legislation is to
city ilaxinq the referral,
Association staff.
be done by city staff from the
and coordinated by Citie~
4. Analysis and background material on legislation must be
available to committee members and to Cities Association board
members one week prior to their raspective meeting to review
the legislation.
5. l~9islative positions should ~ taken based on consensus. If
there is a serious division a:rnonq cities, then individual
ci~ies shou~d take position.
7.
The legislative agenda of the cities Associ2!tion should be
limited to allow for focus and effective use of resources.
The Cities Association should meet with the Santa Clara County
State delegation on a yearly basis during the fall recess.
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Santa Clara County Cities Association i::,c:';~-""'a :'-,:,@s
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