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Home My WebLink About0283.095.- City of Palo Alto City Manager's Report HONOllARLE CITY COUNCIL FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: City Manager DAlE: Jone I, 1995 CMR:283:9S SUBJECT: Slate and Federal Legislation 0( Interest to Council -Status Report CouDCi! Memben bave e>q>reSSed interest in several legislative proposals under consideTanon this year by the Stare Legislahlre and Congress. The pu~ of this report is 10 update Couocil on the status of those specifk bills and the acnons ",!rich the City has taken. BEC~ATIONS This is an informanon report. No Cooocil action is requested. l'OUCY IMPI ICA110,,"'S Positioos which !he City takes on legislative proposals are basro on Ccu0Cl1 poIjcy. Legislalioo. is evaluated be its consis-.ency ""tit existing Council positions and be lts potential impact on the City. it. operatioos and it; constituency_If Cooocil bas DO existing position relevant 10 • specific legislative issue ",!rick could bave a significant impact on the City, CouDC11 direction is requested before any lobbying activity is undertaken_ Wrilleg communication. expressing the City's position 0. legislation customarily bear Ihe signature 0( \be Mayor. Copies 0( the letters are distributed in the Council's weeldy packet 10 assure !bat CouDCi! Members and department heW are !rept informed of the City's actions. EXECIIIIYESL'MMARY Following is I brief summary of the slatus of !he bills wbich the Cily has taken action on 10 dale this year. ·\. . -. " -- . -,' '-0' -'-..-,,' ,. ~ St,.,. J egislarion AB ~2 (Pringle) -Booking Fee Refonn_ SUPPORT_Booking f""s could be increased only 11 sIarl of fisca1 year and only after D06c«I public hearing. The bin lias pas sed the Assembly. AB 318 (Ka!z) -Water and Power Utility Rates. OPPOSE. The bill .. 'ouId restrict the ability of cities I<> transfer funds from their utilities I<> their geoera! funds. The bin passed the Assembly (611195) by. vOle of 44-12-24, ",here it was amended on the floor to provide that transfer. could continue if the volen by • majocily vole specifically appcoved the transfers. Assemblyman Byron Sher spoke i. opposition I<> the bill. AB 970 (Sher) -Palo Alto Intermodal TJ1Insportalion Station. SUPPORT. Assemblyman SIler has inlrodured this bill on behalf of the City. It .. 'ould appropriate $400,000 from the Petroleum YlOIation Escrow AxounllO fund design development for tne downtown Coltrain station project. 'The bill sbould be acted on this week in the Assembly Appropriations Coounittee. AB 14}6 (Burton) -F1CS! Responde, Costs. SUPPORT. All new and ameoded health insurance plans would be required 10 provide reimbursemenl for the initial stabilizing medical services provided by City firefighters and paramedics. 'The bill has passed the Assembly. AB 1941 (Battin) -Hazardous Material. and Local Regulatioo. OPPOSE. 'The blll would require cities 10 use standard. and procedures when adopting or mo<ftfying local ordinances tha! would be duplicative, burdensome, wnfusing .od ~ostJy 10 cities. Barely making it througll 111e Assembly Appropriations Committee, the bill i. now on the floor of the Assembly_ SB II (Ayala) -Unfunded Slate Mandates. SUPPORT. The bill provides that new slat.: mandated local programs would be inoperative unless fully funded by the state. 'The bill has passed the Senate all<! awaits hearing in the Assembly Local Government Committee. SB 61 (Kopp) -City aod County Char1ers. OPPOSE. This bill subSlantially reduces the number of signature. required 10 qualify an initiative amendmenllo city chaner •. The bill has passed the Senate and is in the Assembly Elections Committee. SB 74 (Leooard) -Concealed Weapons Permits. OPPOSE, The bill would have removed the discrelion give. local police d.iefs and sheriffs in the issuance of coocealed weapons permits. It failed passage in the Senate Crimi"'" Procedures Committee. SB 176 (Alquist) -Household Hourdou. Waste Information. OPPOSE, This bill would have restricfed the ability of a local age ... ), to provide the public "'ith infonnation about safer ~.' .. ' • I fl.' \::.J' substitutes for h<Jusehold ha2acdou, subst.L'lCes. The bill failed passage in the S.:nate Toxic. C¢mmittee. SB 323 (lCow) -Public ~ Act. OPPOSE. Major Cooe<:m •• urround electronio access 10 pIlbIic re.;;oro" vioIatioo. of privacy law. and the cos! implications foc cities. The City Aaorney, working in conjunction with the uaguo of Colifornia Cities and other concerned parIie<, bas secured significant amendments \0 !be bill; hcwever, agre"me!>l on an .c~ptab!e bill has no( yet been reacbed. The bill passed the Senate 1udiciary Committee on I 6-2 vote. Scnato< CampbeU, • member of the committee, supported the bUL It will next be heard in the Scoale Approprialioos Committee. SB 553 (Ca.'T1pbeII). Homeless Shelters. SUPPORT. lbis bill would enable St3te armories 10 be made available for use as homeless shelters 00 I year·round basis. II is currently in the . Senate Appcopriations Committee. SB 1266 (Xopp) -.Redevelopment: Use of Eminent Domain. OPPOSE. When originally lntro<lucOO. the bill would have prohibited the use of emine.nt ilomain by redevelopment agencies for the pwpose of assembling and improving parcels fuc resale 10 a business developer. As currently amended, the bill no Iooger prevenls the use of eminent ilomain but require. \be agency to allow the owner 10 rep<ll"chase the property if it is no( "put 10 .50" within !bree years. The bill i. in the Senate Judiciary Committee. In..uycnue .llocatjon mil. Council Memben asked staff 10 evaluate whether the City should support two addilionaJ bills wirieR could have revenue impfications for the City. Senate Bill 556 (CampbeD) would have created an exception 10 the local sales tax allocation rules for integrated manufacturer-retailers with lIlO<e than ooe place of business in the state. For busine.ses meeting this definition, sales tax would be distributed according 10 the location of cropleyees rather !han p<int of sale. Analysis by Municipal Resource Consultants (MRC) suggested that, although there a.re many unknoWn!<, Palo Alto wool<l hkel)' be • substantial Iosct if this bill were 10 pas.. The author has elected noc 10 move forward with the bill. Another bill wlrich attempts \0 reallocate local lues is SB 602 (Wri~l>t). Thi. bill woul<l aIIocaIe!he leased vehicle use !ax 10 the location of the dealer "'bere the lease is negotiated. C'unen! law pnMdcs WI the local use lax is allocated 10 the countywide pool in the lesse.,·, county of residence. That countywide pool. is allocated \0 all laxing jurisdi<:oons within the county. based on their proportionate share of loW local sales tax ~iPIS in the prior fisc&I year. MRC has delcnnined WI. although the bill ..,oold create a rational. equitable anocatioo system, it would be disadvantageous \0 Palo Aho; the Cit)'. current receipts exceed whal would be received if the anocation J'<OC"'s changed. The bill has passed the Senate . • ,-," /-' ':-" .. " , o &dera' r egislatioo l.egisimor. c:oocerning lelccommunicatioos deregulation is expected 10 be passed by Congress this Ie3Sioo. The majoe bills. HR 1555 and S 652, have deficiencies cooceming Ioca! govemmenl authority 10 regulaJe and \() manage and receive compens.600 for the public rlght·<ll-..... y. Lcttus urging amendmeDl have been sellllo Esboo, Feinstein and Boxer. The II!n:aIenfd We 0( CIC I').tAs by the federal government is 0( great eoo<ern 10 Palo Alto. See sIatf report CMR:280:9S. 611195. Updaie 10 C<Juncil Regarding the Proposed Sale 0( the Power Marl<eling Administrations. fcc • detailed update on the statu, 0( u..i. proposal. FISCAl. IMPACT The poIeo!ial fiscal impact is geoerally the primary criterion de!ennining City aCOon on a bill. NtA PREPARED BY: YlCci Rodin, As,istant to the City Manager .nh':~! ""\~ CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ~~~-W< BERNARD M. STRO Assistant City Manager .-"'t-