T he League's CA Cities Advocate is publishing early due to
the Labor Day holiday on Monday and all of the hot news out of the Capitol today.
League News

The Assembly Appropriations Committee announced on Friday, Aug. 30 its decision to pass SB 5 (Beall, Mcguire, Portantino) and send the bill to the Assembly floor for a vote. This was a key win for this important bill, which would create an ongoing, sustainable source of funding for affordable housing construction, and would make the state a long-term funding partner with cities across California to immediately build affordable housing.

The Senate Appropriations Committee held the League-opposed AB 516 in suspense on Friday, Aug. 30, effectively killing the bill this legislative session. AB 516 would have limited cities’ ability to manage the public right-of-way, including reducing traffic congestion on local streets and roads, preventing stormwater pollution runoff, limiting public works services such as waste management, promoting turn over for scarce parking spaces aimed at increasing patronage of brick and mortar businesses and preventing the storage of private vehicles on public roads as well as blight.

The Appropriations Committees of both houses met on Friday, Aug. 30, to decide the fate of hundreds of bills calling for significant new funding, including many that affect cities. With these bills decided on, the stage is set for the final two weeks of the legislative session where bills face a Sept. 13 deadline.

To address the shortage of housing in California, under direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order, the Department of General Services (DGS) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) developed an interactive map showing state-owned property suitable for cost-effective housing projects.
Education and Conferences

It is rare for the Supreme Court’s docket to be so interesting before the term has even started! Join this free webinar on Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. for a discussion of the most interesting and important cases of the term for states and local governments on topics including: guns, DACA, Bridgegate, copyrighting statutory annotations, school choice and many other topics.

The League's City Clerks Workshop, "Through the Lens of a Voter — A Closer Look at Elections," will be held on Oct. 16 during the League’s 2019 Annual Conference & Expo. Participants will learn how national and state conversations in the elections space affect local elections, why it is important to understand community demographics to fully engage our constituency and the social responsibility of the local elections official on the front lines of this democratic process.
More News & Events

The California Supreme Court issued a decision last week in a case challenging the legality of a common practice among law enforcement agencies — to disclose to prosecutors the names of officers appearing on a so-called “Brady list." In a carefully crafted opinion, the Court upheld such disclosures when “a peace officer on that list is a potential witness in a pending criminal prosecution.”

Serving as a member of a League policy committee is often the first introduction to League engagement. Share the issues facing your community and collectively help identify and develop policy recommendations that will establish the League’s policy direction in the state Capitol.

The League's Mayors and Council Members Department honors the hard work and dedication of its peers through its Leadership Academy Torch Program. A recognition ceremony will be held at the Mayors and Council Members Department meeting at the League’s annual conference to honor the participants who have completed Levels II and III of the Torch Program. 

The League’s co-sponsorship of the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA) continues to be one of the most significant benefits for League members. CSCDA announced the issuance of $55.4 million in tax-exempt multi-family affordable housing bonds for Cameron Park Apartments in West Covina.