HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/08/24 LEGISLATION & LITIGATIONLEGISLATIVE AND LITIGATION COMMITTEE
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AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING
BAKERSFIELD
February 8, 2024
4:00 p.m.
City Hall North Conference Room A
1600 Trwdun Avenue
Committee Members:
Bruce Freeman
Andrae Gonzales
Manpreet Kaur
POSTED ON
by City Clerk's Office
City of
1. Roll Call
2. Public Statements
a. Agenda Item Public Statements
b. Non -Agenda Item Public Statements
3. Adopt Agenda Summary Report
a. Adoption of November 8, 2023, Special and December 7, 2023, Regular Agenda
Summary Reports
Staff recommends adoption of summary reports.
4. New Business
a. Federal Legislative and Funding Update
Staff recommends Committee discussion and direction and to receive and file the
presentation.
b. State Legislative and Funding Update
Staff recommends discussion and direction and to receive and file presentation.
5. Committee Comments
6. Adjournment
Staff: Committee Members:
Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager Councilmember, Bruce Freeman - Chair
Councilmember, Andrae Gonzales
Councilmember, Manpreet Kaur
Special Meeting of the
Legislative and Litigation Committee
of the City Council - City of Bakersfield
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
12:00 p.m.
City Hall North, First Floor, Conference Room A
1600 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield CA 93301
Agenda Summary Report
Meeting called to order at 12:03 p.m.
1. ROLL CALL
Committee members present: Councilmember Bruce Freeman
Councilmember Andrae Gonzales
Councilmember Manpreet Kaur
City Staff: Christian Clegg, City Manager
Ginny Gennaro, City Attorney
Ashley Zambrano, Deputy City Attorney
Julie Drimakis, City Clerk
Tammy Davis, Animal Control
Sandra Alvarez, Animal Control
Joe Conroy, Crystal Rubio, City Manager's Office
Additional Attendees: Members of the public and other City Staff
2. PUBLIC STATEMENTS
a. Agenda Item Public Statements
None.
b. Non -Agenda Item Public Statements
None.
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3. ADOPT JUNE 8, 2023, REGULAR AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
Motion by Councilmember Gonzales to adopt the June 8, 2023, Regular Agenda
Summary Report. Motion unanimously approved.
4. NEW BUSINESS
A. Staff update on City Animal Control issues and options for possible Municipal
code amendments concerning the same for Committee discussion and
direction.
(Staff recommends receive and file presentation and committee direction.)
City Manager Clegg made staff comments.
Deputy City Attorney Zambrano and Assistant to the City Manager Rubio, Animal
Control Supervisor Davis, Animal Control Senior Officer Alvarez, Animal Care
Center Shelter Director Buck, made staff comments and provided a PowerPoint
presentation.
City Attorney Gennaro made additional comments.
Motion by Councilmember Gonzales to receive and file the presentation and propose
the four ordinance options presented to full Council for adoption. Motion unanimously
approved.
5. COMMITTEE COMMENTS
None.
6. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:43 p.m.
Bruce Freeman, CHAIR
LEGISLATIVE AND LITIGATION COMMITTEE
ATTEST:
JULIE DRIMAKIS, MMC
CITY CLERK and Ex Officio Clerk of
the Council of the City of Bakersfield
Legislative and Litigation Committee
3 Special Meeting November 8, 2023, Agenda
Page 2
BAKE"FIELD
Staff:
Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager
Committee Members:
Councilmember, Bruce Freeman - Chair
Councilmember, Andrae Gonzales
Councilmember, Manpreet Kaur
Regular Meeting of the
Legislative and Litigation Committee
of the City Council - City of Bakersfield
Thursday, December 7, 2023
10:00 a.m.
City Hall North, First Floor, Conference Room A
1600 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield CA 93301
Agenda Summary Report
Meeting called to order at 10:04 a.m.
1. ROLL CALL
Committee members present: Councilmember Bruce Freeman
Committee members absent: Councilmember Andrae Gonzales
Councilmember Manpreet Kaur
City Staff: Christian Clegg, City Manager
Josh Rudnick, Deputy City Attorney
Anthony Valdez, City Manager's Office
Scott Andrews, City Manager's Office
Juan Heredia, City Manager's Office
Julie Drimakis, City Clerk
Joe Conroy, City Manager's Office
Jennie Byers, Economic & Community Development
Additional Attendees: Members of the public and other City Staff
2. PUBLIC STATEMENTS
a. Agenda Item Public Statements
None.
b. Non -Agenda Item Public Statements
None.
CI
3. ADOPT NOVEMBER 8, 2023, SPECIAL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
City Clerk Drimakis announced at the request of staff the item is being moved to the
next meeting due to no Quorum.
4. NEW BUSINESS
A. Discussion of the City's Recent Selection of Federal Legislative and Funding
Advocate Summit Strategies.
(Information item only, staff recommends receive and file presentation.)
Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager's Office, made staff comments.
Mark Dederick, Teddy Huebert, and Ramon Ramirez, Summit Strategies, made
comments.
B. Discussion of Quarterly Legislative Update from the City's State Legislative and
Funding Advocate Renne Public Policy Group.
(Information item only, staff recommends receive and file presentation.)
Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager's Office, made staff comments.
Dane Hutchings and Jake Whitaker, Renne Policy Group, made comments and
provided a PowerPoint presentation.
Councilmember Freeman recessed the meeting at 10:34 a.m. and reconvened the
meeting at 10:37 a.m.
5. COMMITTEE COMMENTS
None.
6. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:52 a.m.
Bruce Freeman, CHAIR
LEGISLATIVE AND LITIGATION COMMITTEE
ATTEST:
JULIE DRIMAKIS, MMC
CITY CLERK and Ex Officio Clerk of
the Council of the City of Bakersfield
Legislative and Litigation Committee
5 Regular Meeting December 7, 2023, Agenda
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BAKERSFAD
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: February 8, 2024 AGENDA CATEGORY: New Business
TO: Legislative and Litigation Committee
FROM: Christian Clegg, City Manager
DATE: February 8, 2024
SUBJECT: Federal Legislative and Funding Update
Update from the Federal Legislative and Funding Advocate Summit Strategies
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends Committee discussion and direction.
BACKGROUND:
The City recently contracted for the first time with a lobbyist firm to represent Bakersfield interests with
the Federal government. Staff will provide a report on federal legislative advocacy and funding efforts,
including the outcomes of a recent legislative advocacy visit in the Capitol.
Attached is a report from our Federal lobbyists.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Innovative and Efficient City Government
ATTACHMENTS:
2024 DC Meetings Debrief — Summit Strategies
SUMMT
To: CHRISTIAN CLEGG, CITY MANAGER, THE CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
From: MARK DEDRICK & TERRY HEUBERT, SUMMIT STRATEGIES
RE: DC VISIT DEBRIEF
Date: FEBRUARY 21, 2024
440 11t Street, NW, Suite 440
Washington, DC 20001
During the U.S. Conference of Mayor's (USCM) annual conference, your Summit team conducted a
variety of meetings with Mayor Karen Goh and Anthony Valdez aimed at building relationships and
advancing the City's federal agenda.
This memo is intended to debrief you on the meetings that were held parallel to Mayor's USCM
meetings and events.
CONGRESSMAN DAVID VALADAO
Rep. Valadao is obviously a friend of Bakersfield, and this was a very friendly and helpful meeting.
Congressman Valadao was enthusiastic and eager to help Bakersfield with your US Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps) issue, and asked for an update following our meeting with the Corps. We have
followed up with his staff about setting up a meeting in California with the Congressman in
attendance.
The Mayor raised the City's community center priority and the Congressman was very interested in
assisting. We spoke with his staff about seeking funding through the appropriations which will start
in the next several weeks.
SENATOR ALEX PADILLA'S LEGISLATIVE TEAM
Senator Padilla's legislative team was very helpful and expressed a willingness to provide letters of
support for the City's grant applications. We also covered the community center project and they
seemed very positive about the process and interested in exploring funding options in the next
appropriations cycle.
MATTHEW CEJA WITH SENATOR LAPHONZA BUTLER
This was the City's first meeting with the new Senator's office and it allowed us to make
introductions and to talk about the City's needs. The bulk of the meeting focused on the community
center, and its associated benefits. Since this is the Senator's only chance to advance projects in the
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appropriations process, it is very unclear how she will proceed. Further, she is unlikely to be in
office when the FY25 funding bills finally pass. We will continue to work this office. Everyone is in
unchartered waters with Sen. Butler.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY DR. KID�IBERLY MCCLAIN & DEP. ASSISTANT SECRETARY PATRICK BYRNE
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD)
HUD is an important agency where we want to build relationships. We had a very productive meeting
with Asst. Sec. McClain where we were able to highlight several priorities:
• The Mayor expressed our challenges with people experiencing homelessness and talked
about new initiatives to add beds.
• McClain expressed her interest in the power issue where developers could leave Bakersfield
because they can't get electricity.
• HUD talked about looking into programs like Community Development Block Grants
(CDBG), Choice Neighborhoods, and commercial to residential conversion.
o Choice Neighborhoods provides holistic opportunities and provides money for
planning ($5-$10 million) and implementation ($40-$50 million).
o Choice Neighborhoods Implementation is very flexible.
• HUD mentioned Jeff Bezos's new initiative to partner with cities to develop tech hubs.
Secs. McClain and Byrne expressed genuine interest in assisting Bakersfield. We feel this is a
relationship that should be fostered.
SHANNON LONG, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
COMMUNITY ORIENTATED POLICING (COPS) OFFICE; DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (DO,)
This was an important relationship to establish, given the law enforcement needs in the City of
Bakersfield. While the hiring program, which is the bread and butter of the COPS office, isn't always
a great fit for a city's needs, Justice has a number of different grant programs and other services that
could be helpful to Bakersfield. Shannon informed us that COPS, like most DOJ offices, is holding
all grant Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) until the budget is complete for the year, but that
they hope to have a bunch of opportunities ready to go very soon. These include:
• The Office of Juvenile Programs (OJP) has a big focus on Community Violence Interrupters
and is a good place to look for assistance in this area.
• COPS unique and very flexible microgrant program: Grants of $175,000 for two years, do
not require a match, and can be used for a wide range of things. This is worth exploring
particularly if you are looking to start up a new policing initiative and need seed money.
• Both COPS and OJP have funding for police officer mental health initiatives.
• COPS has a sophisticated technical assistance where their experts could work with the city
and assess law enforcement's practices.
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LANDON BAILEY, INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS ADVISOR AND TOIYRIAH TURNER
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT)
As with DOJ, DOT is an important relationship for the City to foster. DOT is sitting on an
unprecedented amount of money right now and has frequent NOFOs that can address different City
transportation priorities.
Highlights from this meeting:
• The Mayor thanked USDOT for the City's $10 million RAISE Grant.
• Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grant Program
o The "planning" side is undersubscribed and therefore less competitive than the
"implementation" side of the program.
o SS4A will reopen in February or March.
SUSAN LUCAS, PROGRAM MANAGER
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
This was an important meeting to restart communication and partnership with the Corps. Both the
Mayor and Susan were able to share their understanding of the history of our stalled issue. Both
Susan and the Mayor committed to ensuring that a meeting in California would happen, and that the
lines of communication would be open going forward.
Follow up to this meeting should include sorting out the City's understanding of project history,
which is not consistent with the Corps'. The Mayor passed along information which was provided to
us. We should discuss this issue in more detail.
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"`m`°°c,�ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: February 8, 2024 AGENDA CATEGORY: New Business
TO: Legislative and Litigation Committee
FROM: Christian Clegg, City Manager
DATE: February 8, 2024
SUBJECT: Discussion of State Legislative and Funding Update
Discussion of quarterly legislative update from the City's state legislative and funding advocate, Renne
Public Policy Group (RPPG)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends discussion and direction and to receive and file presentation.
BACKGROUND:
Staff will provide a report on State legislative advocacy and funding efforts. Attached is a regular report
from our State lobbyists.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Innovative and Efficient City Government
ATTACHMENTS:
RPPG Bakersfield January 2024 Legislative Summary
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n
ADVOCACY FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD.
illlil/1II '• e
February 1, 2024
To: Christian Clegg, City Manager
Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager
City of Bakersfield
From: Sharon Gonsalves
Director of Government Affairs
Renne Public Policy Group
RE: RPPG Monthly Legislative Summary —January 2024
LEGISLATURE RETURNS
The California State Legislature officially reconvened for the second year of the 2023-2024 legislative
session on January 3. Committee hearings began the second week of January, with dozens of two-year
bills heard.
Two -Year Bills
Two-year bills which made it out of their house of origin by the January 31 deadline are now subject to
normal deadlines forthe remainder of this legislative session, which ends on August 31. Atwo-year bill is
a bill that was introduced in the first year of session but did not advance to the Governor's desk in that
first year. Below are some key legislative items that continue to move forward as well as one that failed,
as of January 31:
Still Moving
• AB 637 (Jackson) Zero -emission vehicles: fleet owners: rental vehicles
• AB 817 (Pacheco) Open meetings: teleconferencing: subsidiary body
• AB 846 (Bonta) Low-income housing credit: rent increases
• AB 1082 (Kalra) Authority to remove vehicles
• AB 1297 (Quirk -Silva) Public restrooms
• AB 1567 (Garcia) Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood
Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation, Clean Energy, and Workforce Development Bond Act of
2024
• AB 1657 (Wicks) The Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2024
• SB 7 (Blakespear) Planning and zoning: annual report: housing for extremely low income
households
• SB 537 (Becker) Open meetings: multijurisdictional, cross -county agencies: teleconferences
• SB 867 (Allen) Drought, Flood, and Water Resilience, Wildfire and Forest Resilience, Coastal
Resilience, Extreme Heat Mitigation, Biodiversity and Nature -Based Climate Solutions, Climate
Smart Agriculture, Park Creation and Outdoor Access, and Clean Energy Bond Act of 2024
Failed
• SB 719 (Becker) Law enforcement agencies: radio communications
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Leadership Changes
On January 31, a resolution was introduced in the Senate to officially elect Mike McGuire (D, Geyserville)
as President pro Tempore of the Senate. He will be sworn in on Monday, February 5. We will report on
any significant changes to leadership and committees that are subsequently announced. We anticipate
changes to top leadership positions and to the Appropriations Committee. There may be movement on
some other key legislative committees, but as this was a smooth transition from one pro Tempore to the
next, it is not thought that the status quo will be immediately challenged.
Budget Hearings
The Senate and Assembly budget committees held their first hearings of the year on January 23. During
both hearings, committee members heard testimony by staff from the Department of Finance and from
the Legislative Analyst's Office, the non -partisan research division of the Legislature. Members then made
comments and asked questions of the panelists. Followingthat, testimony from the public was heard. The
subject of these first hearings was a general overview of Governor Gavin Newsom's 2024-25 budget
proposal, with more detailed discussions to follow in the months ahead in budget subcommittee hearings,
which focus on particular issue areas.
By the Numbers
As of January 31, the Legislature had introduced 416 pieces of legislation since reconvening. Many of these
are non -substantive spot bills, which means that full bill language has not been introduced and we do not
yet know their full content. There are currently over 600 active bills. Over the next two weeks, there will
be hundreds more pieces of legislation introduced before the deadline on February 16. It is likely that
many of the bills yet to be introduced will deal with what are shaping up to be some of the key legislative
issues of 2024: public safety, education, and housing.
SENATE INSURANCE COMMITTEE HEARING
The Senate Committee on Insurance held an oversight hearing on January 24 on "California Department
of Insurance: Sustainable Insurance Strategy - A Progress Report on Insurance Market Stabilization."
Oversight hearings, like informational hearings, are designed for the Legislature to gather information
about in a specific subject area so that they may be better equipped to consider any related legislation.
No formal actions are taken at oversight hearings, but comments by committee members and any
testimony presented can provide insight into future legislation that may be advanced by the Legislature.
For more than an hour, committee members heard testimony from Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara
and his team members. There was widespread agreement that the homeowners' insurance market in
California is in a crisis and that urgent action is needed by the Legislature. The primary concerns discussed
were the rapidly rising costs of homeowners' insurance throughout the state and the withdrawal of
several insurance carriers. Commissioner Lara presented a slide deck to the Committee and mentioned
several factors that had impacted homeowners' insurance rates, including growing climate threats,
historic inflation, and outdated regulations. He also spoke about the "need to change how we regulate
the insurance industry."
Hearing Materials:
• Agenda
• Briefing Paper
• Commissioner Lara's Presentation to the Committee
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ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
2024-2025 Budget Proposal
As detailed in the RPPG memo sent to the City on January 12, Governor Gavin Newsom revealed his
proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024-2025 on January 10. Governor Newsom is proposing a
combination of withdrawing of reserves, deferrals, borrowing, reductions, delays, and shifts in funding
sources as part of his $291.5 billion budget (a 1.9% decrease from FY 23-24). It is currently projected that
the state will face a $37.9 billion deficit in FY 24-25. The Governor's budget continued to include a focus
on homelessness, public safety, climate, healthcare, education, and housing. Over the next several
months, the budget proposal will likely be altered, and the May revise may see considerable differences
from what the Governor released in January. We will have a much more complete picture of the state's
fiscal situation when the main budget bill, Budget Bills Jr, and Budget Trailer Bills, are signed in late June.
RPPG MONTHLY LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY
RPPG continues to review priority bills —keeping City staff apprised of developments on legislation during
our standing meetings and throughout the month as needed. RPPG continues to work hand in hand with
City staff to gather client -specific information while actively engaging with lawmakers and agency officials
on legislation of interest to the City.
Budget Memo
RPPG provided the City with a detailed summary of the Governor's budget proposal on January 12. The
full budget proposal can be found here.
AB 205 Updates
RPPG provided the City with an update on AB 205 (Chapter 61, Statutes of 2022) on January 18. The
measure enacted a utility graduated income fixed charge currently being considered by the California
Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
RPPG provided the Citywith an additional update on AB 205 on January31, highlighting a press conference
held by several members of the Legislature that announced the introduction of AB 1999 by
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D, Thousand Oaks) that would repeal the income -graduated fixed charge
proposed by the PUC. The bill is currently in the Assembly Rules Committee pending referral.
LOOKING FORWARD
• FEBRUARY 16: Last day to introduce bills
• MARCH 22—MARCH 31: Spring Recess
• JUNE 1S: Legislature must pass the main budget bill
• JUNE 30: Governor must sign the main budget bill
• JULY 4—AUGUST 4: Summer Recess
• AUGUST 31: Last day for the Legislature to pass bills; end of the 2023-2024 session
• SEPTEMBER 30: Last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills
GRANT WRITING
RPPG continues to monitor new regional, state, and federal grant opportunities on behalf of the City of
Bakersfield. The January 2024 Funding Opportunities Catalog was sent out on January 22"d. Director of
Grant Services Jake Whitaker met with Anthony Valdez on January 5t' for the biweekly check -in meeting.
On January 8th, Jake attended the Senior Management Team HSR/Wish List Presentation with RPPG
Director of Government Affairs Sharon Gonsalves, Juan Heredia, Anthony Valdez, Michelle Cruze, and Pilar
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Avalos. On January 1111, Jake attended a meeting to discuss EDA Grants with Anthony Valdez, Jennifer
Byers, and Gregg Strakaluse. Jake, RPPG Grants Associate Maira Durazo, and RPPG Grants and Policy
Analyst Cassandra Smith attended the CMO Grants Liaisons meeting on January 18th. Jake also attended
the Safe Streets for All Debrief on January 18th with Gavin Grimes and Paul Archer from the City and
Alessandra Vennema, Nicole Dias, and Alyssa Phaneuf from the U.S. Department of Transportation. On
January 23`d, Bruce attended the OGALS Grant Application Discussion with Rick Anthony, Walter Villa, and
O. Johnson. On January 25th, Jake met with Priscilla Martinz and Jennifer Byers to discuss the Local Housing
Trust Fund program.
Jake, Cassandra, and RPPG Consultant Bruce Rudd attended an EPA Community Change Grant Prep call
with Jason Cater, Jennifer Byers, Paul Archer, Anthony Valdez, and Juan Heredia on January 12th. Jake,
Bruce, Cassandra, Jason Cater, and Paul Archer subsequently joined the Community Change Technical
Assistance Call on January 12th with the following: Amar Azucena Cid, Jess Ison, and Rebecca Aviles from
the Strategic Growth Council (SGC); Sharon Cohen, Merisa-Moy-Kim, and Geoffrey Ross from Horne
Consulting; and Stephen Pelz from the Housing Authority of the County of Kern; this group met again on
January 29th. On January 22"d, Jake, Cassandra, and Jason Cater met to discuss updates related to the EPA
Community Change Grant and the SGC Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Grant. Jake attended
the TCC — Post Award Consultation Check -in with Jason Cater, Zechariah Garcia, Tony Robertson from the
City, Jessica Ison and Sharon Cohen from Horne Consulting, and Neel Kasliwal from the California
Department of Conservation on January 23`d; this group met again on January 30"'.
Grant proposals in -progress include the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP), Assistance to
Firefighters Grant —Operations & Safety, and EPA Community Change Grant. Pending applications include
the following:
• Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership submitted on January 31, 2024 for $13,612,607
Additionally, RPPG sent grant alerts on the following upcoming funding opportunities: Assistance to
Firefighters Grant (AFG), California Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program, Office of
Traffic Safety (OTS) Grants, Assistance for Latest and Zero Building Energy Code Adoption Program, and
the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
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LEGISLATIVE AND LITIGATION COMMITTEE
AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING
BAKERSFIELD
TE SOUND February 8, 2024
4:00 p.m.
City Hall North Conference Room A
1600 Trwdun Avenue
Committee Members:
Bruce Freeman
Andrae Gonzales
Manpreet Kaur
1. Roll Call
2. Public Statements
a. Agenda Item Public Statements
b. Non -Agenda Item Public Statements
3. Adopt Agenda Summary Report
a. Adoption of November 8, 2023, Special and December 7, 2023, Regular Agenda
Summary Reports
Staff recommends adoption of summary reports.
4. New Business
a. Federal Legislative and Funding Update
Update from the Federal Legislative and Funding Advocate Summit Strategies
Staff recommends Committee discussion and direction and to receive and file the
presentation.
b. State Legislative and Funding Update
Discussion of quarterly legislative update from the City's state legislative and funding
advocate, Renne Public Policy Group (RPPG)
Staff recommends discussion and direction and to receive and file presentation.
5. Committee Comments
6. Adjournment