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Meeting Information



2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 

 

State Legislation Committee

March 27, 2008

2pm

 

City Hall, Room 288

 

Agenda

 

 

MEMBERS

 

Mayor’s Office (Chair) – Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez

Supervisor Peskin – David Noyola

Supervisor Alioto-Pier – Catherine Stefani

City Attorney’s Office – MaryJane Winslow

Treasurer’s Office – Pauline Marx

Assessor’s Office – Alissa Pines

Controller’s Office – Peg Stevenson

 

 

AGENDA

 

I.  ROLL CALL

 

         II. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES

Action Item: the Committee will vote to approve the minutes of the June 20, 2007 meeting of the State Legislation Committee

 

         III. ORGANIZATIONAL DISCUSSION

 

         IV. PROPOSED LEGISLATION

Action Items: vote to support, not support, or take no position on the following state legislation affecting          

             The City andCounty of San Francisco:

 

SF PORT Submitted by: Brad Benson – (415) 274-0498

 

 

AB 2646 Leno
Pending amendment into existing bill
Support
Would allow the Port of San Francisco to capture the State's share of property tax increment in a local Infrastructure Financing District on Port property to fund parks, shoreline access, and environmental remediation and fill removal. The income tax would not be on individuals, only businesses. 



SB 1582 Simitian
Senate Public Safety on April 4
Oppose

Would require cruise lines to have a Department of Justice ocean ranger who is a licensed marine engineer and on board while the vessel is operating in the State's marine waters to monitor the vessel’s

compliance with the existing prohibition against dumping specified wastes in State waters and other applicable federal laws and regulations on waste discharge and to investigate potential criminal activities onboard while in the marine waters of the state, and to evaluate and respond to risks related to homeland.

 

SB 1582 Simitian
Senate Public Safety on April 4
Oppose
Would require cruise lines to have a Department of Justice ocean ranger who is a licensed marine engineer and on board while the vessel is operating in the State's marine waters to monitor the vessel’s compliance with the existing prohibition against dumping specified wastes in State waters and other applicable federal laws and regulations on waste discharge and to investigate potential criminal activities onboard while in the marine waters of the state, and to evaluate and respond to risks related to homeland security. The bill would authorize the department to assess on the owner or operator of a vessel a fee of $1 per berth per day on which the vessel is operating in the marine waters of the State.


Dept. Of Emergency Management: Submitted by: Amiee Albertson: (415) 558-3803


AB 2031 Hancock  

Pending in Committee on Natural Resources
Recommend Support

Would require OSPR to provide training and certification of a local emergency responder that would serve as the local spill response manager, and to authorize the manager to train and certify volunteers. This bill would also require State OES to notify the appropriate local government agencies in the area surrounding the spill.


AB 2547 Leno

Pending in Committee on Natural Resources
Recommend Support

Would require a report every 5 years that evaluates emerging technologies that aid in the prevention, response and cleanup of oil spills. Requires the response plans to include a mandated minimum response on all spills that occur during low visibility, and require mandated response for all groundings, collisions, and allisions. Allows fee revenue to be spent to reimburse mutual aid responders.

The bill also creates the Oil Spill Prevention and Cleanup Technology Grants program, which would be funded by the fee revenue.  The program would provide up to $5 million annually in competitive grants for research, testing, and capital matching grants that bring emerging technologies to market.  Eligible recipients include state agencies, universities, and nonprofits among other; however, local governments are not listed as eligible recipients of these grant funds.

AB 2935

Huffman

Pending in Committee on Natural Resources
Recommend Support

Would require OSPR to develop a hazardous materials training program, no more than 4 hours in length, for volunteers.  In addition, this bill would require the administrator to solicit the cooperation, and maintain a list, of local agencies responsible for emergency response and management of public lands that may be impacted by oil spills.  These local agencies would be required to have available at least one trainer capable of presenting the hazardous materials training program to the volunteers and facilities for the training.

 


Treasurer and Tax Collector
Submitted by: David Augustine (415) 554-7601

 

We'd like the City to support programs related to asset building and financial empowerment, especially given the Mayor's support for Baby bank accounts in his inaugural address. Here are four bills that we support in this realm.

In addition, we'd like to support a bill to amend state law to allow a municipality to vote for a local income tax. There are a lot of tax reform proposals going around, and this would expand the discussion and include an income tax, which we think is fair, easy to administer, and progressive.  Plus San Franciscans would still have to vote for it before it was implemented.  This income tax would not be on individuals, only businesses. 

 

AB 2123

Ted Lieu

First Policy Hearing April 7 in the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee

Recommended Support

Will commit the state to start addressing the root causes of personal and state economic struggles precipitated by a lack of financial education. Through the establishment of a dedicated Financial Literacy Advocate and a Financial Literacy Advisory Committee, this bill will codify the state’s financial interest in reducing consumer debt, bolstering savings, and deterring financial predicaments like those evident in the current foreclosure crisis.  AB 2123 will create an information warehouse where Californians can turn to for answers on basic financial questions and for referral to other, more specific resources closer to home. Finally, the bill establishes the Financial Services Corps, designed to be a dedicated cadre of financial planner volunteers committed to helping low and middle-income Californians make sound financial decisions.

 

AB 2368

Felipe Fuentes

Human Services Committee April 15 has not passed the Senate yet

Recommended Support

The CalWORKs Mobility Initiative repeals the vehicle asset limit on CalWORKs applicants and recipients to encourage low-income families become employed and self-sufficient by building the savings they need to permanently exit CalWORKs.  California is currently tied with Texas and Idaho in having the most restrictive asset test for vehicles of any state in the country. Twelve states exclude all vehicles owned by the household; another 15 exclude at least one vehicle per household. The rest have substantially increased the value of the vehicle exclusion. California, however, continues to employ an overly restrictive vehicle asset test – one that undermines a workers ability to gain and maintain employment, thereby encouraging continued reliance on public assistance. A recent report by the County of Los Angeles on the transportation barriers faced by low-income families concludes that “car ownership is strongly correlated with employment status, and increases the likelihood of employment.”
 
AB 2845  

Dave Jones

Karen Bass

Mike Feuer

First Policy Hearing in Banking and Finance Committee

Recommended Support

The Pay Day Loan Reform Act caps the loan rates on ‘pay day loans’ at 36% which typically bear interest rates of 400 percent and traps low-income families in a cycle of indebtedness.

 

AB 2940

Kevin De Leon

Recommended Support

The Golden State Voluntary Savings Account is a retirement savings program that offers a voluntary, universal, portable retirement account for California workers who do not have access to retirement savings plan. The account would supplement the current employer-based system and Social Security.   It promotes expanded retirement security for working Californians by making it easier for them to save while providing smaller employers a basic retirement plan to offer their employees.

 

 

 

 

 

SF Planning Department: Submitted by: Alicia - San Francisco Planning Department (415)558-6547

 

AB 2604

Torrico

Recommended Oppose

Development impact fees are typically collected when building permits are issued. These fees can be very expensive and difficult to deliver in current market conditions. AB 2604 offers some relief. If passed, the bill would allow residential developers to defer payment of fees used to finance public infrastructure until issuance of a certificate of occupancy or even the close of escrow on units, when cash is more readily available. As proposed, the bill would sunset January 1, 2014.

The Department is concerned about this bill for two primary reasons. First, this change would mean that impact fees would be paid to the City potentially years later than is currently the case, resulting in the City's inability to appropriately build and fund capital projects. Second, it is administratively difficult to collect impact fees at certificate of occupancy, and over the years the City has missed significant revenues because of this.


                        SFPD Submitted by: Tom Shawyer, Lieutenant, Chief's Office, (415)553-9866

AB 1767

Fiona Ma, and coauthored by Senator Leland Yee

Assembly Committee on Public Safety.  
Recommend Support
This bill would amend Section 1377 of the Penal Code and would add acts of graffiti vandalism to the list of crimes in which a civil compromise is not allowed. The City of San Francisco spends more than $20 million annually to clean up graffiti. Many taggers are currently settling cases outside of court by agreeing to pay the property owner the costs of removing the graffiti. It’s called Civil Compromise and is legally permitted for certain types of criminal cases. San Francisco is the only county in California that utilizes Civil Compromise as a way to settle graffiti vandalism cases.  

A civil compromise allows a tagger to escape a misdemeanor vandalism charge and prevents the offender from appearing before a judge and performing community service. Persons arrested for graffiti vandalism are permitted to have their defense attorney contact the victim (property owner) and offer them money in exchange for dropping criminal charges. This is a common occurrence in San Francisco.

AB1767 will add graffiti vandalism types of cases in which civil compromise is not allowed.  This will ensure that graffiti offenders actually have to perform community service and are deterred from committing future acts of vandalism.  

This piece of legislation is good for San Francisco and is supported by the Graffiti Advisory Board, DA’s Office, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, numerous community groups, BOMA (Business Owners Managers Association), Safe CleanGreen and other community groups.  Its support was also recommended by the SF Legislative Analysts Office as a way to reduce graffiti vandalism in SF.


DYCF  Submitted by: September Jarrett, September@dcyf.org

For more information contact: Mardi Lucich, Citywide Child Care Administrator regarding AB 659 or SB 1304 or Sandra Naughton,Senior Planner regarding SB 1674.

AB 659
Fiona Ma
Re-referred to Senate Committee on Education
City-sponsored (by HSA & DCYF) and support
Adds “locally funded” to the types of child care (in addition to state or federally funded) to which a contractor is allowed, under certain circumstances, to transfer a family who no longer meet eligibility or need requirements of the program they’re in. The legislation would allow families/children receiving local child care and development subsidies to be afforded the same continuity of services provision as state and federal programs are allowed. Specifically, AB 659 prevents an eligible family from losing access to a child care and development services when it is necessary for them to transfer from a local subsidy into a state or federal subsidy program.

SF has nearly $11 M in local child care subsidies serving thousands of children (infants/toddlers, homeless children and foster children), and without the continuity of care provision allowable between local and sate/federal subsidies, children’s care is being disrupted when they time-out of the local subsidy as they are forced to return to the Centralized Eligibility List to wait for another child care subsidy to become available.

 

SB 1304

Simitian

Set for hearing April  2 nd  in Senate Committee on Education

Recommended support

Extends San Mateo’s individualized subsidized child care pilot for 5 more years. SF has the same individualized subsidized child care pilot (SB 701) that was modeled exactly after San Mateo’s original legislation authorizing their pilot. These pilots are much needed in our two high cost counties to help us maximize reimbursement rates for child care and development services to come closer to covering the cost of doing business, as well as ensures the retention of the child care and development resources allocated by the state to the city/county. SF’s pilot will sunset in 2011, and we will be looking in 2009 to sponsor similar legislation that will extend our pilot, and will need support in our effort when we do so. ‘

 

 

SB 1674

Torlakson

Referred to Senate Committee on Education on 3/13/08

Hearing set for 4/9/08

Sponsored by Bay Area Partnership for Children & Youth, LA’s BEST, League of California After school Providers

Recommended Support

Aims to broaden and diversify the teacher credential applicant pool and address the teacher shortage by creating a career ladder for after school program instructors through the existing California Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program (PTTP). The bill also makes various program improvements to the state’s After School Education & Safety (ASES) Program.

SFUSD has participated in the PTTP program and could benefit from this legislation which would enable the after school program staff of community-based organizations that partner with the schools to participate in the PTTP program. (Note: The majority of SFUSD’s after school programs are operated by community-based organizations.) This proposed pilot would help enhance recruitment and retention of high-quality after school staff in SFUSD’s after school programs, as well as diversify and enhance the local teacher credential applicant pool. SF receives about $11 M in ASES funding to provide after school programming for children in kindergarten through grade 8. This bill clarifies that ASES programs may operate on weekends and requires that any subcontracts to organizations must contain overhead allowances for necessary subcontract administrative costs. Both of these issues will help ensure that ASES funds used in SF can: a) meet parents’ and youths’ needs in terms of when programming is offered, and b) support the infrastructure of after school programs operated by community-based organizations so they operate effectively, and therefore enhance their long-term sustainability. These three bills will help maximize resources and efficiency in our child care and after school systems.  

SF MTA Submitted by: Kate Breene 415-701-4338

SB 1419
Yee
Hearing set for Senate Transportation and Housing on 4/1
Support
Double Fine Zone on 19th Ave/State Route 1
Impact on SF:  This bill follows on legislation approved by the Governor
in 2007 (AB 112) to authorize criteria for designation of double fine zones on specified state highways. Mayor Newsom, Sen. Yee and the SFMTA made an effort to have 19th Ave. included in AB 112 but it was ultimately agreed that separate legislation would be advanced relating to 19th Ave.  SB 1419 (Yee) is the result of this agreement and would, until January 2014, designate specific sections of State Routes 1 and 101 in San Francisco as Safety Enhancement-Double Fine Zones.  The bill would require that a study be conducted on the designated segments that
relate to pedestrian safety and that evaluates the appropriateness of adding specific criteria to determine double fine zone eligibility. This legislation would enhance capital improvements now underway to add traffic signal upgrades, including pedestrian countdown signals, aimed at improving safety in this corridor.


AB 23
Ma
Passed Assembly, set for hearing March 25 in Senate
Transportation & Housing.
Support (note: Board of Sups has adopted a support position)

Authorizing photo enforcement of illegal turns at Market/Octavia Impact on SF:  AB 23 (Ma) would authorize the City and County of San Francisco to utilize an automated traffic enforcement system, or red
light camera, to enforce the prohibition of an illegal right turn at the intersection of Market Street and Octavia Boulevard. Right hand turns are prohibited on to the Highway 101 freeway on-ramp at this
intersection due to the high levels of pedestrian and bicycle traffic.


Since the opening of the newly-designed Market and Octavia intersection in 2005, there have been a significantly higher number of collisions between automobiles and bicycles at this location than other San
Francisco intersections. Red light camera enforcement of illegal right turns will be an important tool to help make this particular intersection safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Department of Human Services Submitted by: Noelle Simmons 557-5753

SB 1160
Alquist  
Senate Human Services hearing on 3/25/08
RecommendedCityPosition: Support
CWDA-sponsored bill that would exempt adult caregivers in CalWORKs child only cases from having to be re-fingerimaged or re-interviewed by CalWORKs or Food Stamps when changing county of residence. Streamlines administrative procedures for county welfare agencies and families.

SB 1341

Padilla
Senate Human Services hearing on 3/25/08
Recommended City Position: Support
CWDA sponsored bill that would allow CalWORKs clients to retain income-exempt savings and interest for purposes of covering costs associated with securing or maintaining permanent rental housing. Would particularly benefit welfare recipients in high cost housing markets like San Francisco.

AB 2389

Benoit and Emmerson
Assembly Human Services hearing on 4/1/08
Recommended City Position: Oppose
Would require random drug testing of CalWORKs recipients as a condition of continued eligibility for benefits. This bill would result in unfunded increased administrative workload for county welfare agencies and would inappropriately charge such agencies with a punitive law enforcement function.

AB 2399
Portantino
Assigned to Assembly Human Services
Recommended City Position: Support

CWDA sponsored bill requiring that Independent Living Program services be provided to former juvenile dependents placed with non-related legal guardians. ILP services are already available to former foster youth placed with related guardians. This bill would create parity for similarly situated former foster youth in San Francisco.

AB 2543

Berg
Status: Assembly Business & Professions hearing on 4/1/08
Recommended City Position: Support
Supports development of the geriatric and gerontology workforce by creating (1) a fee-funded loan assistance program for professionals working in a geriatric setting and (2) a loan assistance program, subject to appropriation, for students who intend to become employed as licensed health care professionals or social workers in a geriatric care setting.

   V.      SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Discussion item:  members of the Committee may suggest topics for consideration at future meetings.

 

  VI.      GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

Discussion item:  members of the public may address the Committee on items of interest that are within the Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction.

 

  VII.      ADJOURNMENT

 

 
Disability Access

 

Room 305 of City Hall is located at 1 Dr. Carton B. Goodlett Place, and is wheelchair accessible.  The closest accessible BART Station is Civic Center, three blocks from City Hall. Accessible Muni lines serving this location are:  #47 Van Ness, and the #71 Haight/Noriega and the F Line to Market and Van Ness, as will as Muni Metro stations at Van Ness and Civic Center.  For more information about Muni accessible services, call 923-6142. There is accessible parking at the Civic Center Plaza garage. 

 

 

Know Your Rights Under the Sunshine Ordinance

 

Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public.  Commissions, boards, councils, and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business.  This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review.  For information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code) or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the Donna Hall at Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244, San Francisco, CA  94102, by phone at 415-554-7724, by fax at 415-554-7854, or email donna.hall@sfgov.org.  Citizens may obtain a free copy of the Sunshine Ordinance by contacting the Task Force, or by printing Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code on the Internet, at www.sfgov.org/sunshine.

 

 

Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Requirements

 

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance (San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code Sec. 2.100 –2.160) to register and report lobbying activity.  For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the San Francisco Ethics Commission at 30 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA  94102 ; telephone 415-581-2300, fax 415-581-2317, Internet website: www.sfgov.org/ethics.

 

 

Cell Phones and Pagers

 

The ringing and use of cell phones, pagers, and similar sound-producing electronic devises are prohibited at this meeting.  Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.

 

 

Public Comment

 

Public Comment will be taken on each item.

 

Document Review

 

Documents that may have been provided to members of the State Legislation Committee in connection with the items on the agenda include proposed state legislation, consultant reports, correspondence and reports from City departments, and public correspondence.  These may be inspected by contacting Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez, Director of Government Affairs, Mayor’s Office at: (415) 554-4846.

 

Health Considerations

 

In order to assist the City’s efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical-based products.  Please help the City accommodate these individuals.