City, county each approve 2020 legislative agenda

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With the new year just around the corner, the Santa Clarita City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors each approved their 2020 state legislative agenda, highlighting priorities ranging from supporting infrastructure legislation to homeless services efforts. 

On Tuesday, council members unanimously adopted their newest legislative platform, which “outlines policy statements regarding legislative and regulatory issues that are of interest to the city of Santa Clarita and may come forward during the 116th Congress and the California Legislature’s 2019-20 session.”

Much of what is outlined in last year’s platform remains in the 2020 agenda, but some of the changes are a continuation of what was accomplished in 2019. 

For example, Santa Clarita prioritized supporting legislation to establish the St. Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial and National Monument. President Trump agreed to the formation of a national monument in March. The 2020 platform now states support for funding opportunities to be used toward the construction and management of such a monument. 

Amid the controversial public safety power shutoffs by utilities that have left thousands of local residents in the dark, the city emphasized supporting legislation that aims to accelerate the implementation of enhanced electrical utility infrastructure to prevent future shutoffs. 

Supporting legislation with a focus on securing funding for Santa Clarita’s emergency management services and pre-disaster mitigation funding, such as for wildfires, was also on the legislative platform.  

Cannabis also made the list, with the addition of a line to support legislation that authorizes “a local agency the authority to regulate the delivery of cannabis or cannabis products within its jurisdictional boundaries.”

Other priorities outlined include supporting legislation for infrastructure and grant funding “for a federal investment in transportation, water resources, and housing directly to local governments,” as well as funding for local governments to address homeless issues, according to the city staff report. 

Homelessness also appeared on the county’s legislative priorities, which said that 2020 “will be primarily concentrated on expanding access to homeless services,” but will also focus on “affordable housing, health care, child welfare and early childhood development, justice reform, infrastructure investment, promoting business development and employment, and environmental protection and sustainability,” according to the county agenda report. 

The county also detailed supporting proposals that will fund initiatives to reduce and prevent the issue, expand the availability of interim and permanent supportive housing and allow counties to maximize federal, state and local funds to provide services for those facing homelessness or considered “at-risk.” 

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