Bill Talk: Budget blues and other legislative debates
A weekly update from Cal Cities, sorting through the state bill buzz
By Cal Cities Staff
Lawmakers on Friday approved a state budget, but the monetary machinations are far from over. The Legislature will inevitably pass changes to the budget act later this year, especially if the federal administration pulls funding from the state. “The Legislature’s budget blueprint makes progress on several city priorities,” Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman said. “But there’s more work to be done.”
Underscoring that fact, the Big City Mayors coalition, alongside Cal Cities, urged the Legislature to set aside $1 billion in annual funding for the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program before the vote. “Lives depend on it,” the Big City Mayors group said. “Progress depends on it.”
Leaders in smaller cities have a similar message. “Cities cannot address the burden of homelessness alone,” said San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica A. Stewart, whose city spends 3.5 million in General Fund dollars annually to reduce homelessness. “While we remain deeply committed to supporting our community, the lack of ongoing state funding continues to hinder our efforts and makes sustainable progress impossible.”
Similarly, Republican lawmakers reaffirmed their priorities after the budget vote, which include more money for Proposition 36 and wildfire prevention. “We’re doing $100 million just this year [to implement Prop. 36],” said Sen. Kelly Seyarto during a budget hearing. “What about the years to come? You can’t plan if you don’t have more funding.”
Negotiations over the state’s Cap-and-Trade Program are also heating up. Last week, lawmakers signaled in their budget deal that their preferred approach for negotiations is through the legislative process — most likely SB 840 (Limón) and AB 1207 (Irwin). Cities will play a key role in ensuring future funding goes to projects with proven results.
Of course, the budget is far from the only thing going on at the Capitol. Here are six other legislative proposals that city leaders need to know about.
-Brian Hendershot, Cal Cities Advocate managing editor
Sea level rise, disaster aid, and fire severity zones in the hot seat
AB 996 (Pellerin) and AB 846 (Connolly) — both sponsored by Cal Cities — are set for hearings in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water on June 24.
AB 996 would help coastal and bay cities develop mandated sea level rise plans by creating a voluntary early consultation process with the Coastal Commission to help ensure their plans are approved. The bill states that existing sea level rise assessments or plans may meet any or all the required components of the plan. AB 846 would provide cities with a voluntary, streamlined path to secure permits from the Department of Fish and Wildlife for vegetation management. Both proactive measures have received bipartisan support and no opposition.
The Senate Governmental Organization Committee will hear another sponsored measure, AB 262 (Caloza), soon. The bill would help ensure Californians can receive state disaster aid if federal assistance is unavailable. AB 262 would create a parallel structure to how federal assistance is administered, which is currently lacking in state law. The proposal passed out of the Assembly 63-11, with some lawmakers voicing concern about its fiscal impact should the Trump Administration rescind some or all federal funding to California.
SB 629 (Durazo) would require cities to designate a very high fire hazard severity zone and adopt local ordinances for each wildfire burn area that meet specific state criteria, as well as establish enforcement programs for fire protection standards. Cal Cities has expressed concerns about the measure, as it does not align with the current fire hazard mapping process.
Cal Cities is urging the author to adopt changes that would require the State Fire Marshal to make this designation, not cities. Similarly, the state should assess the overall cost before implementing such programs, which fire chiefs anticipate will be high. The bill passed out of the Senate, 29-3. The bill has not yet been set for a hearing, but cities in high-risk areas should submit a concerns letter to their legislators.
- Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative advocate
Well-intended wildlife bill could raise costs for basic road work
The Senate Transportation Committee will take up AB 902 (Schultz) on June 24. The measure would require cities to identify, develop strategies, and analyze ways to increase wildlife connectivity and restore degraded habitat and open space when undertaking transportation projects.
This new rule would kick in even for smaller projects, such as restriping and adding bike lanes. Cal Cities opposes the bill unless the author adopts changes that address feasibility and funding issues. Cities have until July 2 to send a letter to the committee voicing their concerns.
- Damon Conklin, legislative advocate
Short-term rental bill letters due July 2
Lawmakers in the Assembly Local Government Committee will hear SB 346 (Durazo) on July 2. Sponsored by Cal Cities, the bill would require short-term rental platforms, at the request of a city, to provide the address of short-term rentals listed for rent on the platform and provide cities with audit authority over transient occupancy taxes collected by the platforms.
The measure passed out of the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support late last month. Cal Cities is urging lawmakers to ensure cities of all sizes have a baseline level of information to enforce the rules for short-term rentals that their residents asked them to put in place.
- Ben Triffo, legislative advocate
A quick reminder
Bill Talk is a weekly breakdown of the biggest bills, policy committee hearings, and legislative deadlines that city leaders need to know about. To get this list on Monday morning, contact your regional public affairs manager. To access old Bill Talks, visit the archive page. Cal Cities also maintains a live list of all sponsored/hot measures. Lists of all tracked bills are available on individual policy pages.