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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-19 - Approving a Legislative PlatformRESOLUTION NO. 2013 -19 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH APPROVING A LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM WHEREAS, the City Council historically promotes legislative actions consistent with the goals and functions of the City of Newport Beach; and WHEREAS, these legislative actions are typically included within the City's adopted Legislative Platform; and WHEREAS, this promotion once required separate City Council actions to approve individual letters of support or opposition related to specific pieces of legislation; and WHEREAS, this piece -by -piece approval can delay important actions necessary to assist in the passage or defeat of legislation; and WHEREAS, the City Council seeks to efficiently pursue legislation that reflects the Legislative Platform and the goals of the City, now, therefore be it: RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Newport Beach that the City Council hereby adopts the attached Legislative Platform, and be it also: RESOLVED that the Mayor is hereby authorized to make statements and write letters necessary to support legislative actions consistent with the City's adopted Legislative Platform. If the Mayor is unavailable to sign a City advocacy letter, the Mayor may designate the Mayor pro Tempore or the City Manager to sign and issue the letter in the Mayor's absence. All correspondence prepared on the City's behalf will be copied to each Council member. ADOPTED this 12th day of February, 2013. ATTEST: a , �.,- Leilani I. Brown City Clerk Keith D. Curry Mayor • i • • r. - . Legislative Platform Adopted February 12, 2013 (term indefinite until repealed or replaced) GENERAL PLATFORM ISSUES, The following six categories are supplemental to the above Areas of Focus and generally reflect priorities of the City on a regular and long- term basis: I — AVIATION. As a neighbor to John Wayne Airport (JWA), the City is actively involved in efforts to protect its residents from the impacts of the airport. The City shall advocate for legislative and executive actions consistent with the Council's Airport Policy (A -17) and/or that: (a) Preserve and, assuming the terms and conditions are consistent with Council Policy A -17, amend or otherwise extend the JWA Settlement Agreement. (b) Preserve and, if appropriate, expand upon, the 2006 Cooperative Agreement between the County of Orange and the City regarding a second runway at JWA. (c) Oppose changes in regional aviation policies that would regionalize aviation administration or that would allow a regional entity the power of eminent domain to expand airport capacity. (d) Support local control over local airports, including the ability the City of Ontario to assume control over Ontario Airport (e) Support efforts to increase usage of airports with excess capacity such as Ontario and Palmdale airports provided the increased usage does not materially impact the quality of life of nearby residents. II — LAND USE REGULATIONS, The City seeks to protect and strengthen the City's land use authority, including regulation of residential recovery facilities and group homes, zoning, incorporation, annexation, and community development. Therefore, the City shall: (a) Support efforts that would allow cities and counties greater control over the placement and management of residential recovery facilities, parolee homes, sober living homes, and other group accommodations in residential areas, while respecting disabled persons' right to the housing of their choice. (b) Support efforts to strengthen the legal and fiscal capability of the City to prepare, adopt and implement plans for orderly growth, development, beautification and conservation of local planning areas, including but not limited to, regulatory authority over zoning, subdivisions, and annexations. (c) Oppose development agreements in cities' spheres of influence in undeveloped areas that do not conform to city standards. (d) Support legislation that simplifies requirements for General Plan Mousing Elements. (e) Support Federal, State or local efforts to improve or otherwise streamline local governments' working relationship and permitting ability with State and Federal resources agencies and commissions. !!I — FISCAL STABILITY. The City's objective is to protect existing city revenue sources and to limit the cost of government upon the taxpayers of Newport Beach. The City also seeks to protect Newport Beach residents and businesses from onerous fiscal actions by other levels of government which may impair our ability to protect our quality of life. Therefore, the City shall: (a) Support legislation leading to greater financial independence from State government and which would result in greater predictability in local government budgeting. (b) Oppose legislation that would impose state and federal mandates for which there is no or inadequate local reimbursement or offsetting benefits. (o) As 2010's Affordable Care Act is implemented, support legislation to ensure that employers that today provide health care coverage or access to coverage for employees are not disadvantaged by additional costs, changes in tax policy, or more limited flexibility to adjust to a changing marketplace. (d) In the absence of statewide fiscal reform, oppose legislation that reduces or eliminates existing local revenue sources,. (e) As a part of a comprehensive reform package, support changes in the State - Local fiscal relationship if the changes maintain or improve revenues to local governments, promote local discretion on land use decisions, and result in the long -term stability of local government revenue sources. (f) Oppose actions to change 1978's Proposition 13, including the development of a "split roll" property tax valuation system. (g) Support legislation that reforms California's tort system to curtail unreasonable liability exposure for public agencies and restore the ability of public agencies to obtain affordable insurance. (h) Oppose any changes in State law that would limit the ability of charter cities to manage their affairs. (i) Support existing protections for charter cities to choose whether to pay prevailing wage on public works projects. IV — LABOR RELATIONS. The City respects the working conditions, benefits, and rights of Newport Beach employees and the conservative fiscal management principles of the community. Therefore, the City shall: (a) Support efforts to further reform State and local pension programs to build on 201 I's PEPRA provisions and ensure that these pension programs' benefits adjust to the public- and private - sector marketplace of retirement programs in 2013 and beyond, which may include defined contribution or other hybrid plans, additional tiers, additional contributions by employees, and more. (b) Oppose legislation that imposes mandated (State or Federal) employee benefits that are more properly decided at the local bargaining table. (c) Support repeal of or oppose efforts that reduce local control over public employee disputes. (d) Oppose legislation that would grant public employees the right to strike. (e) Support legislation to reform worker's compensation formulas to rely on higher thresholds for compensability or a proportionate exposure formula. (f) Support workers compensation reform which curtails stress claims by stipulating that benefits can only be paid when it can be shown that a sudden and extraordinary job event was the predominant cause of the stress injury and would repeal the minimum rate law. (g) Oppose workers compensation reform that would exclude police officers, firefighters, and others with life- threatening jobs from the increased proof stress threshold. V— TRANSPORTATION, The City supports multi -modal transportation systems, programs and services. Therefore, the City shall: (a) Encourage Federal, State, and Local programs to increase funding and simplify permitting for transit, bicycling, and pedestrian travel. (b) Support legislation and voter - approved bond measures that help local agencies finance local transportation facilities. (c) Oppose legislation that requires additional State and Federal review of projects that are predominantly of regional or local significance. (d) Support legislation that gives local agencies greater access to and discretion over transportation funds. VI —WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, The City supports effective measures to improve the environment, including water quality, solid waste, hazardous materials clean -up, and ocean, beaches and bay protection. Therefore, the City shall: (a) Support projects, legislation and funding measures (including statewide bond measures) that would increase water supply and improve water quality in this region. (b) Support legislation that would establish or increase funding for local agencies to analyze and mitigate potential impacts of sea level rise on coastal communities. (c) Support measures that maintain and enhance local authority and flexibility to regulate solid waste and recyclable materials. (d) Support legislation that limits local government liability as a third party in Super€und cleanup litigation. (e) Support efforts that provide a dedicated stream of funds to projects benefiting area beaches and waterways, including adequate and independent funding for boating and waterways. (f) Seek any appropriate one -time and /or long -term sources of funds and /or services to enhance and protect Newport Bay, including Lower Newport Bay and Upper Newport Bay dredging activities. (g) Oppose legislation that would allow the development of new oil platforms along the Orange County coastline. (h) Support measures that improve funding resources and the science associated with water quality testing and beach closure standards. (i) Advocate for Regional Board control over fines and fees collected from water quality violations so that such fines and fees remain in the region to be used directly for water quality improvements. Q) Support funding for remediation of closed oil operations where the land will transition to habitat and open space, including in the Banning Ranch. (k) Support efforts to complete and fund the Orange Coast River Park. (1) Support changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that retain CEQA's foundation of appropriately addressing environmental impacts but that ensure that CEQA is not used as a tool for litigation and the delay of important projects. STATE OF CALIFORNIA } COUNTY OF ORANGE } ss. CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH } I, Leilani I. Brown, City Clerk of the City of Newport Beach, California, do hereby certify that the whole number of members of the City Council is seven; that the foregoing resolution, being Resolution No. 2013 -15 was duly and regularly introduced before and adopted by the City Council of said City at a regular meeting of said Council, duly and regularly held on the 12'" day of February, 2013, and that the same was so passed and adopted by the following vote, to wit: Ayes: Gardner, Petros, Hill, Selich, Henn, Daigle, Mayor Curry Nays: None IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the official seal of said City this 13" day of February, 2013, City Clerk Newport Beach, California (Seal)