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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - August 17, 2022 C-15CITY OF AGENDA ITEM C A L I F O R N I A COUNCIL COMMUNICATION AGENDA TITLE: Receive Report Regarding Communication Opposing Senate Bill 932 MEETING DATE: August 17, 2022 PREPARED BY: City Clerk RECOMMENDED ACTION: Receive report regarding communication opposing Senate Bill 932. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The City received a request for communication from the League of California Cities conveying opposition of SB 932. The proposed amendments to SB 932 mandate agencies to develop and implement pedestrian and bike safety elements into their general plans. Application of the new safety measures and evaluation of their effectiveness would need to be completed within 25 years of the passing of the senate bill. However, SB 932 does not provide clear standards or expectations on what improvements must be made to City infrastructure. Additionally, due to the ambiguous nature of the senate bill, the City would be become susceptible to new legal risks. The attached letter, signed by Mayor Chandler, was sent out on August 2, 2022, due to the bill having passed through the Senate and onto the House of Representatives. FISCAL IMPACT: FUNDING AVAILABLE: Signature: - ... ... . (Aug 10, 2022 0904 PDT) Email: sschwabauer@lodi.gov Not applicable. Not applicable, L"Jj'"A(aw Olivia Nashed City Clerk APPROVED: Steve Schwabauer Stephen Schwabauer, City Manager CITY COUNCIL MARK CHANDLER, Mayor CITY OF L O D I MIKEY HOTHI, Mayor Pro Tempore CITY HALL, 221 WEST PINE STREET SHAK KHAN P.O. BOX 3006 DOUG KUEHNE LODI, CALIFORNIA 95241-1910 ALAN NAKANISHI (209) 333-6702 / FAX (209) 333-6807 www.lodt.gov cityderk@1odi.gov The Honorable Chris Holden Chair, Assembly Committee on Appropriations 1021 O Street, Suite 8220 Sacramento, CA 95814 STEPHEN SCHWABAUER City Manager OLIVIA NASHED City Clerk JANICE D. MAGDICH City Attorney RE: SB 932 (Porfantino): General plans: circulation element: bicycle and pedestrian plans and traffic calming plans. Notice of OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED (As amended June 20, 2022) Dear Assembly Member Holden, The City of Lodi must respectfully oppose unless amended SB 932 (Portantino), which would create unfunded mandates for costly improvements to local transportation infrastructure without providing funding for implementation. Also, this bill would expose many local governments to new legal risks that could result in significant litigation costs to defend and settle legal claims. Senate Bill 932 establishes an unfunded mandate, which causes strain on already limited municipal resources, such as personnel and funds. If grants are competitive, small projects would likely not be funded I. Furthermore, SB 932 would overlap the Active Transportation Program by Caltrans and is similar to existing ADA legislation. Among major concerns, once cities integrate the mandatory pedestrian and bike safety elements into the next General Plan update, they must implement them within 25 years and measure the results. However, there is no standard for what improvements must be made. Cities are expected to develop a plan and make unspecified evidence based improvements. This time constraint and lack of standards would pull local, county or even state resources away from needed rehabilitation of roads and streets. With the inclusion of motorized scooters into SB 932, cities must evaluate the impacts of allowing motorized scooter use in our downtown area, as the City is the responsible party for safety regardless the users' behaviors. Finally, additional demands will be imposed on cities to address the installation of "traffic calming" devices, such as speed bumps and stop signs, which will require significant staff time and studies not funded under the proposed bill. For the foregoing reasons, the City of Lodi opposes, unless amended, SB 932. Sincerely, _j l �a.+� cY� Mark Chandler Mayor City of Lodi