OFFICE of the CITY MANAGER February 23
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OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER February 23, 2018 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager AT SUBJECT: General Information Notable Items On Wednesday of this past week, a press conference was held at the State Capitol to announce the introduction of AB 3171 (Ting). This legislation comes after the Mayors of California’s eleven largest cities (known as the Big 11) sent a letter to legislative leaders in early February requesting state funding to assist cities with the growing issue of homelessness. This legislation is designed to utilize a portion of the state’s current budget surplus to provide one-time funding to cities in California to assist them with combatting homelessness. Several Mayors from the Big 11 and legislators participated in the press conference which emphasized the importance of state action to help address this statewide crisis. Both the letter and the press release are attached. The Big 11 includes: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim and Santa Ana. The Recreation and Parks department is moving along in their effort to replant approximately 2000 trees across the city. See below for some photos of the latest plantings on Baker St. Last week Friday, city and contract crews completed work on repairing the sinkhole and other line work at Harris & Ashe. Tremendous thanks goes to the Public Works Department and their staff for their quick action and non-stop efforts to remediate the issue! General Information February 23, 2018 Page 2 Councilmember Referral Vice Mayor Smith o Speeding on Allen Rd. Traffic Advisories Northbound State Routh 99 and Ming Avenue off-ramp closures The nighttime closures previously scheduled for paving operations in the vicinity of the northbound State Route 99-Ming Avenue off-ramp have been re-scheduled to Sunday, February 25 through Thursday, March 1 due to low nighttime temperatures. The two outside lanes on northbound State Route 99, as well as the Ming Avenue off-ramp, are expected to be closed between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. while work is underway. Electrical work along State Route 58 continues, requiring closures of the eastbound State Route 58-Union Avenue on-ramp, the westbound State Route 58-Union Avenue on-ramp, and the westbound State Route 58-Chester Avenue off-ramp. The two outside lanes of eastbound State Route 58, between State Route 99 and H Street will also be needed for placement of a new sign structure. This work is expected to be underway Sunday through Thursday nights, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. At least one freeway lane will remain open to traffic while work is underway, but motorists will need to enter or exit the freeway from an adjacent interchange during the ramp closures. Full Weekend Closure for Northbound State Route 99 to Eastbound State Route 58 Connector Ramp: March 2-5, 2018 A full closure of the northbound State Route 99 to eastbound State Route 58 Connector Ramp has been scheduled for the weekend of March 2-5. The closure, which is expected to be in effect from 9 p.m. Friday, March 2 through 5 a.m. Monday, March 5, is needed to complete work prior to switching traffic onto the newly constructed connector bridge. During the closure, northbound truck traffic should use State Route 223 to access eastbound State Route 58. Other vehicles can exit northbound State Route 99 at the Stockdale Highway exit and enter eastbound State Route 58 via the on-ramp at Real Road. Reports Streets Division work schedule for the week of February 26th Event Notifications Event calendar for the Rabobank Arena Theater and Convention Center For a limited time, Critters Without Litters is offering $10 feline spay and neuter procedures to City residents. Appointments are limited and can be scheduled by calling 661-831- 6000. See attached flyer. PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 21, 2018 Contact: Jaycob Bytel, [email protected] or (916) 538-0781 California Big 11 Mayors and State Lawmakers Announce Legislation for $1.5 Billion to Address Homeless Crisis Sacramento, CA – Today, the mayors of the eleven largest cities in California and a bi-partisan group of state lawmakers announced the introduction of AB 3171, which targets 25 percent of the $6.1 billion budget surplus to help address the growing homeless crisis. Assemblyman Phil Ting (D- San Francisco) and State Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) will champion the effort in their respective houses. “Homelessness is first and foremost a humanitarian crisis, but it is also the single greatest threat to the economic prosperity, opportunity and growth our cities are fighting for,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who leads the Big 11. “We are on the front lines of providing compassionate and effective solutions to this issue, and we request that our state partners make alleviating homelessness in our cities an even greater priority.” According to 2017 statewide counts, California’s homeless population has ballooned to 134,278. In response to the surge, cities across the state have utilized their general fund resources and local voter-passed revenue measures to provide housing, shelter, supportive services and outreach to people experiencing homelessness. Despite these efforts, substantial assistance from the State is needed to address the magnitude and complexity of the statewide homelessness issue. AB 3171 calls for one-time funds to be allocated to cities on a matching basis, resulting in over $3 billion in collective State and local funds to meaningfully address one of the most intractable issues facing cities. “Last year, I fought to get billions appropriated in our state budget to fight homelessness across California, but we have so much more work to do,” said Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who is also Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. “Homelessness is a state crisis, but we cannot do it alone. This year, we need to identify resources to partner with cities to build more shelters and augment additional services so we can get people off our streets and into shelter as fast as possible.” “The Legislature has confronted the crisis of homelessness with new funding for supportive housing and by helping people overcome their barriers to finding homes,” said Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens). “Despite all of our efforts, homelessness is on the rise, and we need to partner with local leaders who are coming up with humane and creative solutions.” The mayors sent a letter to legislative leaders earlier this month, urging them to set aside part of the budget surplus to help boost services to the homeless. The group of mayors are planning to lobby lawmakers next month to ensure the passage of AB 3171. "Cities across California are struggling with a homelessness crisis that requires an extraordinary statewide response," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "This critical funding will help cities like L.A. provide emergency bridge housing and services that help people with the most desperate needs — so that they can begin rebuilding their lives safely and with dignity." “Homelessness is not just an issue. It is the most pressing issue facing California cities today,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “Cities are responding to this crisis with more local resources and programs, and we need support from our partners in the Capitol too. We are asking State leaders to help us make a real difference on our streets.” “Cities across the state must continually grapple with the human, economic and social toll being caused by the growing homelessness crisis. This funding will go a long way to support some of the innovative measures being taken at the local level to house more of our homeless neighbors and confront this crisis head-on.” “While we are exploring every solution possible to address our homelessness crisis, cities alone cannot solve this challenge,” said San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell. “Additional funding support from the state will help San Francisco expand homelessness initiatives proven to be successful, including our Navigation Centers, which have become a nationally recognized model.” “I am glad to join with my fellow Mayors in a bipartisan effort to address this crisis,” said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand. “The problems and issues are different for every city in California and this proposal will help give our cities the resources they need to develop comprehensive, compassionate solutions.” “Long Beach, like most large cities in California, is facing a housing affordability crisis,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. “Cities need the state’s help to finance affordable housing developments and this proposal to use surplus funds to match cities’ housing investments will help California build its way out of this crisis.” “Oakland stands united with California’s largest cities to call upon the Legislature and Governor to address the homelessness crisis now,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “Although we are investing in innovative strategies, cities cannot sufficiently contend with the rapid increase in people living on our streets simply because they cannot afford to pay skyrocketing rent. As one of the wealthiest and most innovative places in the world, California can and must do better. We need a substantial investment from the State, one that acknowledges the severity and the human costs of this crisis.” The Big 11 also strongly encourage the Governor and the Legislature to get out funds from the No Place Like Home initiative passed in 2016. Those resources are an important compliment to AB 3171. The California Big 11 Mayors is a bipartisan group comprised of the most populous cities in the state. Member cities include: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Long Beach, Sacramento, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim and Santa Ana.