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Meeting Information



2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 

CITY ANDCOUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

2008 STATE AGENDA

 

 

 

The City and County of San Francisco will support or sponsor state legislation and administrative action in pursuit of the following goals:

 

 

I.  Environment

 

  1. GreenBuilding: 
    1. Promote adoption of state-wide residential green building guidelines and/or energy conservation standards on residential properties at time of sale
    2. Provide increased financial incentives for green building and renewable energy projects in the private sector i.e., exempt green building improvements from reassessment
    3. Ban hazardous substances from being used in new construction i.e. Leno’s legislation to ban toxic fire retardants on furniture purchased by the State
    4. Promote new development on remediated Brownfield sites
    5. Encourage/incentivize commercial buildings to have Performance Verification or Retro-Commissioning at specified time intervals
    6. Reduce toxins and indoor contaminants in residential buildings, especially low-income housing through use of green building practices

 

  1. Water & Wastewater: 
    1. Support legislation to promote water conservation, recycled water, desalination, and other sustainable water measures.
    2. Promote legislation that ensures safe drinking water standards for San Franciscans and Californians.
    3. Endorse legislation that helps prevent hazardous waste materials (such as pharmaceutical drugs from households, or hazardous chemicals from construction sites) from being dumped into local wastewater systems.
    4. Support legislation that gives guidance to local agencies on the safe use of gray water for indoor non-potable use (such as toilet flushing).
    5. Promote legislation that directs state funds towards flood management, particularly addressing the needs of combined sewer systems.
    6. Endorse legislation that ensures San Francisco and the SFPUC water customers remain on a level playing field in securing regional water grants.
    7. Support legislation that protects local agency ratemaking controlling authority and protects San Francisco’s historic water rights.
    8. Support legislation to reduce the use of bottled water.

 

  1. Protect the Bay: Explore and support state legislation or regulations that will prevent future oil spills like the Cosco Busan incident

 

  1. Energy and Alternative Fuels:  Expand energy reliability and the use and implementation of renewable energy projects and funding programs, such as solar and wind power, as well as exploring the potential for tidal energy projects. 
    1. Increase the current renewable energy portfolio standard for utilities
    2. Support legislation that provides incentives for renewable power, such as tax incentives, and rebates.
    3. Promote energy reliability, safety of energy delivery systems, prevention of power failures, and reduction of blackouts.
    4. Support energy efficiency measures such as reductions in uses of incandescent light bulbs.
    5. Endorse legislation on the research, development and use of cleaner fuel technologies.
    6. Promote incentives for microturbine generation on existing hydropower facilities.
    7. Endorse legislation that streamlines government reviews for renewable energy facilities, including the review process for installing solar power on public school rooftops.
    8. Support studies on the impact of renewable energy on distribution grids in order to better manage the expansion of renewable energy in California.
    9. Protect energy consumers from price gouging among energy markets.
    10. Ensure that inappropriate fees shall not be applied to the City of San Francisco, such as Exit Fees for former military facilities like Hunters Point or Treasure Island.
    11. Support legislation that protects San Francisco’s historic Hetch Hetchy Power generation rights.

 

  1. Clean Air/Climate Change:
    1. Support legislation to create a State-wide carbon offset program
    2. Encourage or incentivize large employers to help reduce their employee’s commute by offering commuter assistance programs
    3. Improve air quality by regulating stationary or automobile sources emissions, providing incentives for the purchase of low emission vehicles, ensuring funding for air quality mitigation projects, and strengthening existing air quality regulations and provide stiffer enforcement penalties
    4. Provide financial and technical assistance to low-income residents and communities of color to prevent and reduce disproportionate impacts of climate change
    5. Work with Cal ISO on commitments to shut-down the Potrero Power Plant when adequate back-up energy sources (i.e. combustion turbines) are on-line
    6. Support legislation that directs state agencies (such as the Department of Water Resources) to plan for the impacts of Climate Change.

 

  1. Zero Waste:
    1. Mandate strong recycling goals for key products, such as supermarket bags and used tires
    2. Ban polystyrene food service ware and require disposable ware to be compostable or recyclable
    3. Incentivize reduction of yard trimmings in landfills
    4. Encourage manufacturers to reformulate their products to make them less toxic and easier to recycle, as well as take actual or financial responsibility for recycling their products
    5. Expand the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act to include wine and liquor bottles, aseptics, cartons, and other plastic bottles.
    6. Mandate that recycled content be used in motor oil sold in California
  2. Toxics:
    1. Require manufacturers to take back certain products such as batteries, pharmaceuticals, or electronics at the end of their useful life
    2. Expand the number of chemicals tracked in the State’s Bio-monitoring program authorized by SB 1379
    3. Strengthen chemical labeling requirements on consumer products
    4. Empower the Department of Toxic Substance Control to require manufacturers to submit health and environmental data on chemicals they sell in California
  3. Urban Forestry:
    1. Require use of sustainably harvested or reclaimed wood for state government projects and contracts
    2. Increase funding for urban forestry programs
    3. Create conservation easements for land near metropolitan areas
    4. Include tree planting, maintenance, and protection as mitigation for new infrastructure initiatives
    5. Create an emergency tree plan designating chain of command, equipment and funds to deal with tree clean up and disposal resulting from natural disasters

 

 

 

II. Health Care

 

 

  1. Healthy San Francisco: 
    1. Secure additional State and federal resources to support Healthy San Francisco.
    2. Support legislation that expands access to purchasing pools for small employers.

 

 

  1. Behavioral Health Services
  1. Restore funding for the AB 2034/Integrated Services for Homeless Adults with Serious Mental Illness program.
  2. Increase funding for San Francisco under the Prop. 63/Mental Health Services Act, which is disadvantaged under a funding formula that allocates funds based on population rather than on need.
  3. Support full retroactive and prospective reimbursement of costs incurred by county mental health departments for providing eligible mental health treatment services to Special Education Program (SEP) pupils (AB 3632).
  4. Support legislation to clarify language in SB 1895 and previous legislation to simplify the SB 90 mandate claims process for the AB 3632 program.
  5. Protect Realignment funding, including vehicle license fee resources.
  6. Support efforts to increase the recruitment and training of the public mental health workforce.
  7. Support policies that make the mental health and alcohol and drug treatment systems better able to provide treatment to individuals with co-occurring disorders.
  8. Support legislation that allows for the exchange of substance abuse and mental health records and data between clinicians for purposes of patient treatment.
  9. Monitor legislation and adopt positions as appropriate that support San Francisco’s Treatment on Demand efforts.
  10. Monitor legislation and adopt positions as appropriate that support local drug courts.

 

  1. Emergency Medical Services
    1. Support legislation that will enhance the provision of emergency and/or trauma services and increase funding for the various components of emergency and trauma care and systems, including operations, equipment, infrastructure, ancillary services, public health interventions, and physician reimbursements.
    2. Support legislation that would ensure that hospitals are able to respond appropriately in the event of emergency or disaster, including supporting the development of disaster hospitals, hospital membership in the national disaster medical system, clarification of allowable changes in the standard of care provided during a public health emergency, and conversion of current non-acute beds into disaster beds in time of emergency.
    3. Support legislation that develops a regional focus for the Statewide Trauma Plan

 

  1. Environmental Health
    1. Support legislation that promotes safe and healthy living and working environments, including:

                                                               i.      Protecting children from asthma and lead poisoning;

                                                             ii.      Addressing socio-economic/social equality issues, such as food access, livable neighborhoods, and family support policies;

                                                            iii.      Improving the livability of the built environment;

                                                           iv.      Protecting occupational health, including occupational health advocacy and prevention programs for garment workers, sex workers and day laborers;

                                                             v.      Investigating public health nuisances;

                                                           vi.      Regulating restaurants and other establishments that sell food;

                                                          vii.      Protecting drinking and recreational water; and

                                                        viii.      Monitoring businesses involved in hazardous materials and/or hazardous waste.

  1. HIV/AIDS
    1. Support legislation that expands HIV testing options and includes expanded links for treatment based on medical necessity.
    2. Monitor and adopt positions as appropriate on legislation that supports informed consent for HIV testing for individuals able to consent.
    3. Monitor and adopt positions as appropriate on legislation affecting Title II (ADAP), including any changes to the funding formula or formulary.
    4. Monitor and adopt positions as appropriate to oppose efforts to redefine consent for previously HIV tested individuals who were tested under prior confidentiality rules.

 

  1. Medical Respite Facilities
    1. Provide resources for San Francisco’s two medical respite facilities, which provide transitional housing and treatment to homeless individuals who are ready for discharge from San Francisco General Hospital, but who still require some degree of treatment and care.

 

  1. Hospitals
    1. Pursue legislation or other authority to facilitate regional planning for compliance with SB 1953 seismic safety requirements.
    2. Monitor legislation relating to charity care and adopt positions that are consistent with the City’s charity care ordinance.
    3. Monitor legislation related to ratios for non-nursing professional staff.
    4. Support legislation that expedites OSHPD reviews and approvals for facility development.
    5. San Francisco General Hospital Rebuild

                                                               i.      Support legislation to provide funding or financing for costs associated with compliance with hospital seismic safety standards (SB 1953).

                                                             ii.      Ensure that SFGH is able to benefit from the two-year extension granted under SB 1661.

 

  1. Laguna Honda Assisted Living Facility
    1. Provide State and federal resources for the Laguna Honda assisted living facility.

 

  1. Healthy Families
    1. Support legislation that would implement the approved Healthy Families parent expansion, including legislation that would:

                                                               i.      Establish a seamless system of coverage between Medi-Cal and Healthy Families to ensure that all members of a family have equal access to the same provider networks and benefits;

                                                             ii.      Reduce the monthly premium and co-payment maximums for parents and establish a premium scale that is based on income level and household size;

                                                            iii.      Provide discounts for parents who choose the community provider plan that are proportional to the discounts they receive for enrolling their children in the community provider plan;

                                                           iv.      Provide for targeted outreach at the local level;

                                                             v.      Extend coverage to all legal immigrant parents; and

                                                           vi.      Ensure that a broad definition of parent includes non-biological parents who are primary caregivers.

  1. Support expansion of eligibility to include parents of eligible children in families with income levels between 250% and 300% of the federal poverty level.
  2. Support continued expansion of eligibility to include: 

                                                               i.      Legal permanent residents who arrived after the passage of federal welfare reform (8/22/96) beyond the 1999-2000 fiscal year; and

                                                             ii.      Undocumented residents (State-only funds).

  1. Support legislation to simplify and improve consistency and coordination of the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs
  2. Support legislation that would simplify enrollment in the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs (e.g., express lane eligibility).
  3. Support legislation that would maximize federal financial participation from the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

 

  1. Homeless
    1. Support legislation that would enhance DPH’s ability to provide coordinated and integrated services to provide appropriate and quality care for the homeless population.
    2. Support increased funding for the Supportive Housing Initiative Act (SHIA)

 

  1. Medi-Cal
    1. Support legislation that efficiently and cost-effectively addresses the health care needs of populations in the least restrictive settings and avoid costly inpatient services.
    2. Support legislation that would remove barriers and increase access of disabled individuals in returning to work.
    3. Monitor legislation and adopt positions as appropriate to ensure that State-implemented managed care achieves its goal of improving access for the Medi-Cal population and does not adversely affect beneficiaries or revenues.
    4. Support legislation that expands access to dental services under Medi-Cal.
    5. Support legislation that increases Medi-Cal rates for home care.
    6. Support legislation that assures that incarcerated individuals are eligible for Medi-Cal immediately upon discharge.

 

  1. Aging Population
    1. Support legislative and budget proposals that promote and expand access to community-based living options and services that enable the elderly and disabled to avoid institutionalization and receive appropriate levels of support and care in the community

 

  1. Support legislative and budget proposals to increase funding for Adult Protective Services program to ensure counties will be adequately resourced to investigate reports of abuse and neglect and provide appropriate services to elderly

 

 

III. Housing and Homelessness

 

  1. Support CalWORKs funding: 
    1. In Fiscal Year 08-09 state budget increase CalWORKs funding to provide rental assistance to CalWORKs families for whom housing instability is a barrier to employment.
    2. Support legislative and budget proposals that support the ability of CalWORKs and other low-income families to increase their income, build and maintain assets and attain self-sufficiency.

 

  1. Preserve the Transitional Housing Placement Plus: program which funds supportive housing for emancipated foster youth

 

  1. Social Security Insurance: Require the State to provide counties with funding to conduct SSI advocacy for homeless clients

 

  1. Supportive Housing.  Fund more supportive housing through Propositions 1C and 63.  Proposition 1C, passed by California voters on November 7, 2006, will provide funds to build new housing in California, including supportive housing.  Funding from Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (passed by California voters in 2004) can provide the wrap-around services in that housing.

 

  1. COLA for County Welfare Agencies:  Support the implementation of annual cost-of-doing business increases for county welfare agencies beginning in FY 08-09.  While counties are legislatively mandated to administer numerous human services programs, State funding for these services is frozen at 2001 cost levels. This forces counties to backfill the gap with their own limited resources or cut critical services to needy residents, including abused and neglected children, families on welfare, Food Stamps and Medi-Cal recipients, seniors and disabled adults.

 

  1. Proposition 1C:  Closely monitor the development of regulations related to the allocation of Proposition 1C funds, and support legislation and administrative action to that will assist the City with increasing its low income housing stock, including redevelopment of public housing.  In addition, work with the City’s legislative delegation on seeking funds for infrastructure improvement for eligible infill development projects and housing related park grants.

 

 

IV. Public Safety

 

 

  1. Guns Shows:  Support legislation to ban gun shows at the Cow Palace.

 

  1. Probation:  Ensure that adults on probation have their probation supervised in their county of residence.  Some people on probation for crimes committed in San Francisco live in other counties, and vice-versa, which makes it more difficult to monitor probationers.

 

  1. Ex-offender Re-entry Programs.  Expand state funding for ex-offender re-entry.  Programs that help ex-offenders to successfully re-enter society are key to reducing recidivism and homelessness. 

 

  1. Human Trafficking:  Reduce trafficking in women and girls.  San Francisco has committed to reducing trafficking through an aggressive anti-trafficking program. 

 

  1. Anti-Violence Programs:  Increase state funding for anti-violence and conflict-resolution Programs.  These programs can prevent violence and reduce entries into the criminal justice system.

 

  1. AlternativeYouth Rehabilitation Center:  Partner with other Bay Area counties to create a regional rehabilitation center to serve as an alternative placement for youth in the most serious trouble who would otherwise go to CYA/DJJ.  Legislation would create a pilot program at the now-closed Hidden Valley center. 

 

 

V.  Transportation

 

  1. Transit Funding: Maximize transit funding for San Francisco

 

  1. High Speed Rail: Support CHSR’s proposal for Pacheco Pass as well as November statewide ballot measure. Continue to advance nexus between High Speed Rail and Transbay Terminus

 

  1. Transbay Terminal: Support TJPA’s efforts to secure state transportation funds

 

  1. Support efforts to permanently secure “spillover” revenue generated when price of gas is higher than overall growth of economy for transportation purposes. These funds are statutorily required to flow to public transportation but have historically been diverted for state General Fund purposes

 

  1. Disabled placards:  Reduce abuse of disabled placards, such as through requirement of inclusion of a photo ID on the placard.

 

  1. 19th AvenueSafety Improvements: Support legislation to designate 19th Ave. as a double-fine zone.

 

  1. Propositions 1B and 1C:  Advocate for the maximum share for San Francisco
    1. Closely monitor the development of regulations related to the allocation of Proposition 1B funds and support implementation legislation and administrative action that is consistent with the City’s transportation funding priorities. 
    2. Monitor the development of regulations for the Transit Oriented Development Implementation Program that is contained in Proposition 1C.

 

  1. Transit Effectiveness Project and Transit First: Sponsor and support legislation that aims to advance the objectives of streamlining delivery
    1. Yield to Bus: Sponsor legislation that would authorize the City to implement and enforce a Yield-to-Bus program in an effort to improve Muni system reliability and performance.
    2. Construction Management Administration: Sponsor legislation to create a construction authority for the purpose of designing, managing and constructing major capital projects including the Central Subway and BRT priority projects.

 

  1. Safety for Parking Control Officers:  Increase the prison time for persons who assault parking control officers, making it a felony rather than a misdemeanor (Note: Kamala Harris may want to sponsor)

 

  1. Fully Fund Prop. 42: Work to assure these funds are not suspended in the face of the General Fund deficit projections

 

  1. Safe Routes to School and Bicycle Transportation Account: Support legislation that seeks to improve the safety and convenience of bicycling and walking.

 

  1. Treasure IslandTransportation:
    1. Reintroduction of AB 1543, legislation enabling the establishment of the Treasure Island Transportation Management District. This would authorize implementation of congestion pricing.
    2. Continue efforts to implement SB 163 and secure state financing for the replacement of the Interstate 80 ramp connections on and off Yerba Buena Island, either through funds identified within Prop 1B or other state/federal resources.

 

  1. Urban Partnership Program implementation: Support legislative proposals to advance implementation of recently awarded USDOT program, including SFMTA’s SFgo and Smart Parking Program initiatives

 

  1. AB 221 (MA) – TIF for TOD

 

  1. Implementation of Water Emergency Transportation Authority: Monitor implementation

 

 

VI. Economic Development

 

  1. SFGH rebuild bond:  Ensure that the City can place a bond initiative on the June 2008 ballot to finance the rebuild of SFGH, without regard to whether CEQA analysis is complete.

 

  1. Hunters Point Shipyard
    1. Enter into a term sheet with State Parks Department to reconfigure state park land at Hunters Point/Candlestick.
    2. 49ers Stadium:  SB 49 (Migden)
    3. Identify and secure state transportation and infrastructure funds for the implementation of the transportation program.

 

  1. Military Base Reuse: Engage the State Office of Planning and research to evaluate and tout the benefits of Governor Schwarzenegger playing a more active role in negotiations with the federal government on transfer of underutilized land at closed military bases to Local Reuse Authorities.

 

  1. ChinaDesk: Work with State agencies to support our efforts to implement a China Desk in San Francisco to facilitate international trade and commerce.

 

 

VII. Children

 

  1. Childcare:  authorize local county childcare subsidies to qualify under the continuity of care standard for receiving state and federal subsidies when children age out of the county program.

 

  1. Foster Youth: Promote positive outcomes for foster children by supporting legislation to extend Independent Living Program services to former foster youth who are placed with non-related legal guardians.

 

  1. Sweetened Beverage Tax: Explore implementing a statewide fee/tax on sweetened beverages to fund childhood obesity programs.