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Council Agenda - City of BurbankTuesday, June 14, 2005Agenda Item - 9 |
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BACKGROUND:
At City Council meeting on April 26th Council member Todd Campbell asked that staff bring back a discussion of pending State legislation that would affect or change the CEQA process as a first step in the one step-two step process. This staff report is the first step to determine if the City Council would like staff to bring back a second-step report and what that report should include.
The City subscribes to a number of services that provide routine status reports and advise on the potential impacts of pending legislation. We receive routine written reports and e-mails from our paid lobbyist in Sacramento, Ken Emmanuels, and from the League of California Cities, on pending legislation that could affect our ability to govern our City. In addition, we receive routine updates from the American Planning Association�s lobbyist in Sacramento, Sande George, on pending legislation that would affect the CEQA process or the City�s ability to address planning related issues. Both of these lobbyists, and the League of California Cities, provide an evaluation of proposed legislation and encourage each City to submit comments to the author of the bill, the State Assembly, Senate, and the Governor if the proposed legislation would affect our ability to govern our City. Staff routinely responds to each opportunity to submit comments on any proposed legislation that would impact any aspect of our ability to govern our City with a letter of opposition from the Mayor�s Office.
There are currently 23 pieces of State legislation under consideration that could affect the CEQA process. We�re monitoring the progress of all of these bills, and we are paying particularly close attention to two of them (AB 1387 and SB 326) that could have an impact on the application of CEQA provisions in discretionary considerations that affect housing. We have already prepared a letter for the mayor�s signature in opposition to SB 326, and a signed copy is attached. There are also two additional bills (SB 435, and SB 549) that we are concerned about that would affect our ability to provide housing in the City, and we are preparing letters for the mayor�s signature in opposition to both of these bills.
Following is a list of the 23 Assembly and Senate Bills that are currently under consideration that could affect the CEQA process.
Pending Legislation
1. AB 375-Cogdill
*CEQA:
telecommunications lines: exemption.
8. AB
1387 - Jones
11.
SB 44 - Kehoe
21.
SB 948 - Murray
In response to the City Council�s concern about future legislation that may affect the City, staff will begin providing a monthly update on pending planning related legislation and the bills we�re monitoring. Our next update will be in June, and we�ll include a list of pending planning related bills, and we�ll also attach any comment letters that we have prepared and have been signed and sent.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council determine if they would like the matter placed on a future agenda, and also to direct staff on what additional information would be desired for that report.
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