HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC AG PKT 2010-03-22 #EAGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: March 22, 2010
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THRU David N. Carmany, City Manager
FROM: Jill R. Ingram, Assistant to the City Manager
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION IN
SUPPORT OF THE LOCAL TAXPAYER, PUBLIC
SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION PROTECTION
ACT OF 2010
SUMMARY OF REQUEST:
That the City Council consider the adoption of Resolution No. 5973, A Resolution
of the City Council of the City of Seal Beach, California, In Support of the Local
Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act of 2010.
BACKGROUND:
A coalition of local government, transportation, and public transit advocates
recently filed a constitutional amendment with the California Attorney General,
known as the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act of
2010, for potential placement on the California November 2010 statewide ballot.
Approval of this ballot initiative would close loopholes and change the
constitution to further prevent State politicians in Sacramento seizing,
diverting, shifting, borrowing, transferring, suspending or otherwise taking or
interfering with tax revenues dedicated to funding local government services,
including redevelopment, or dedicated to transportation improvement projects
and mass transit.
The Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protect Act is designed to:
J Prohibit the State from taking, borrowing or redirecting local taxpayer
funds dedicated to public safety, emergency response and other vital local
government services The measure would close loopholes to prevent the
taking of local taxpayer funds currently dedicated to cities, counties,
special districts, and redevelopment agencies. It would also revoke the
State's authority to borrow local government property tax funds.
Agenda Item E
Page 2
J Protect vital, dedicated transportation and public transit funds from state
raids The measure would prevent State borrowing, taking or redirecting
of the state sales tax on gasoline (Prop 42 funds) and Highway User Tax
on gasoline (HUTA) funds that are dedicated to transportation
maintenance and improvements. It would also prevent the State from
redirecting or taking public transit funds.
J Protect local taxpayers by keeping more of our local tax dollars local
where there's more accountability to voters, and by ensuring once. and for
all that our gas taxes go to fund road improvements. The measure also
reduces pressure for local tax and fee increases that become necessary
when the State redirects local funds.
J Reform state government and enhance fiscal accountability This
measure is a key step in reforming California's broken budget system by
restoring more local control and accountability. It also stops the
irresponsible practice of the State borrowing special funds that have to be
repaid with interest, which only puts our State further in debt.
This year's borrowing and raids of local government, redevelopment and transit
funds, as well as previous, ongoing raids of local government and transportation
funds have lead to severe consequences statewide, including layoffs of police,
fire and paramedic first responders, fire station closures, stalled economic
development, healthcare cutbacks, delays in road safety improvements, public
transit fare increases and cutbacks in public transit services. For example, the
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) recently announced that
beginning March 14 th , it would reduce bus service by approximately 8 percent in
response to state budget cuts, sales tax drop, and declining ridership. The
OCTA Board voted last November to eliminate 150,000 annual hours of bus
service through a combination of eliminating routes, reducing bus frequency,
restructuring routes, and reducing trips. While the service reductions will save
the OCTA approximately $13 million, it faces a budget shortfall this year of more
than $30 million. Since 2007, OCTA has experienced an estimated loss of $145
million in state transit funding, and since September 2008, they have reduced 20
percent of bus service, equating to 383,000 revenue vehicle hours, to bring
service in line with available revenue. Therefore, this is just another local
example illustrating that the ballot measure is desperately needed to protect
taxpayers and the vital local government and transportation services that support
our quality of life and economy.
Filing the ballot measure with the California Attorney General's Office is just the
first step of a significant time and labor intensive process, including qualifying the
ballot measure for the November 2010 ballot, and subsequently securing voter
approval. The League of California Cities is assisting the Californians to Protect
Local Taxpayers and Vital Services in securing the required one million
signatures in order to qualify the measure for the November 2010 ballot. To
Page 3
assist in this endeavor, the League is requesting that city councils adopt the
attached resolution in support of the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and
Transportation Protect Act, which will also assist in the signature gathering
endeavor. Californians to Protect Local Taxpayers and Vital Services, which is a
coalition of taxpayers, public safety, local government, transportation, business
and labor, with major funding from the League of California Cities and the
California Alliance for Jobs — Rebuild California Committee, need to collect more
than 1.1 million signatures to ensure it meets the required 694,354 valid
signatures to qualify the constitutional amendment for the statewide ballot.
Tony Cardenas, Public Affairs Regional Manager to the Orange County Division,
League of California Cities, will be present at the March 22 City Council
meeting to address any questions about the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and
Transportation Protection Act of 2010, signature gathering process, and efforts of
the League of California Cities in this endeavor.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact for the adoption of a resolution in support of the
Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act of 2010.
However, the State recently passed a budget that borrows and takes
approximately $5 billion in city, county, transit, redevelopment and special district
funds statewide this year. That, along with previous, ongoing raids and
borrowing, is continuing to jeopardize public safety, emergency response,
transportation, transit, and other vital local services.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council consider the adoption of Resolution No. 5973, A Resolution
of the City Council of the City of Seal Beach, California, In Support of the Local
Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act of 2010.
SUBMITTED BY: NOTED AND APPROVED:
Jill
L gram
istant to the City Yanager
David N. Ca any
City Manager
Attachments:
A. Resolution No. 5973
B. Ballot Measure Fact Sheet
RESOLUTION NUMBER 5973
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL
BEACH, CALIFORNIA, IN SUPPORT OF THE LOCAL
TAXPAYER, PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION
PROTECTION ACT OF 2010
WHEREAS, California voters have repeatedly and overwhelmingly passed
separate ballot measures to stop State raids of local government funds, and to
dedicate the taxes on gasoline to fund local and state transportation
improvement projects; and
WHEREAS, these local government funds are critical to provide the police .
and fire, emergency response, parks, libraries, and other vital local services that
residents rely upon every day, and gas tax funds are vital to maintain and
improve local streets and roads, to make road safety improvements, relieve
traffic congestion, and provide mass transit; and
WHEREAS, despite the fact that voters have repeatedly passed measures
to prevent the State from taking these revenues dedicated to funding local
government services and transportation improvement projects, the State
Legislature has seized and borrowed billions of dollars in local government and
transportation funds in the past few years; and
WHEREAS, this year's borrowing and raids of local government,
redevelopment and transit funds, as well as previous, ongoing raids of local
government and transportation funds have lead to severe consequences, such
as layoffs of police, fire and paramedic first responders, fire station closures,
stalled economic development, healthcare cutbacks, delays in road safety
improvements, public transit fare increases and cutbacks in public transit
services; and
WHEREAS, State politicians in Sacramento have continued to ignore the
will of the voters, and current law provides no penalties when state politicians
take or borrow these locally- dedicated funds; and
WHEREAS, a coalition of local government, transportation and transit
advocates recently filed a constitutional amendment with the California Attorney
General, called the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety, and Transportation Protection
Act of 2010, for potential placement on California's November 2010 statewide
ballot; and
WHEREAS, approval of this ballot initiative would close loopholes and
change the constitution to further prevent State politicians in Sacramento from
seizing, diverting, shifting, borrowing, transferring, suspending or otherwise
taking or interfering with tax revenues dedicated to funding local government
services, including redevelopment, or dedicated to transportation improvement
projects and mass transit.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH DOES HEREBY
RESOLVE and formally endorse the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and
Transportation Protection Act of 2010, a proposed constitutional amendment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SEAL BEACH DOES HEREBY authorize the listing of the Seal Beach City
Council in support of the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation
Protection Act of 2010 and instruct staff to fax a copy of this resolution to
campaign offices at (916) 442 -3510.
Resolution Number 5973
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Seal
Beach at a regular meeting held on the 22nd day of March , 2010
by the following vote:
AYES: Council Members
NOES: Council Members
ABSENT: Council Members
ABSTAIN: Council Members
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA }
COUNTY OF ORANGE } SS
CITY OF SEAL BEACH }
I, Linda Devine, City Clerk of the City of Seal Beach, do hereby certify that the
foregoing resolution is the original copy of Resolution Number 5973 on file in
the office of the City Clerk, passed, approved, and adopted by the City Council at
a regular meeting held on the 22nd day of March -1 2010.
City Clerk
rl= Callifomians to ,;, YES to Protect Local Taxpayers and Funding
PROTECT
LOCAL ® for Public Safety, Transportation & Other Vital
Taxpayers & VIW Services Local Services from State Raids
www.savelocalservices.com
THE PROBLEM: STATE RAIDS AND BORROWING ARE JEOPARDIZING PUBLIC SAFETY,
EMERGENCY RESPONSE, TRANSPORTATION, TRANSIT AND OTHER VITAL LOCAL SERVICES.
California voters have overwhelmingly passed separate ballot measures to dedicate local funding sources to essential
local services and to prevent the State from shifting or raiding local government, transit and transportation funds.
Despite this, the State recently passed a budget that borrows and takes approximately $5 billion in city, county, transit
redevelopment and special district funds this year This year's raids and previous, ongoing state raids and borrowing are
jeopardizing the services Californians need most:
• Police, Are and emergency 911 services have been cut.
• Healthcare services for children, seniors and the disabled are being slashed.
X Road repairand maintenance, congestion reliefand safety improvements are constantly at risk.
X Public transit like buses, commuter rail and shuttles are being slashed and fares are being raised.
X Parks and libraries are closing, and other local government services critical to protect our
neighborhoods and improve our quality of life are shutting down.
X Vital community economic development and job creation projects are being shut down.
State raids of local funds are fiscally irresponsible. The fiscally irresponsible practice of borrowing local taxpayer and
transportation funds makes our budget problems worse down the line because local government and transportation
funds have to be repaid, with interest. Additionally, many of the outright raids are ultimately rejected by the courts,
creating even larger state budget deficits down the line.
THE SOLUTION: PROHIBIT THE STATE FROM RAIDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TRANSIT AND
TRANSPORTATION FUNDS.
The Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act, scheduled for the November 2010 statewide ballot, would:
✓ Prohibit the State from taking, borrowing or redirecting local taxpayer funds dedicated to public safely,,
emergency response and other vital local government services The measure would .close loopholes to prevent
the taking of local taxpayer funds currently dedicated to cities, counties, special districts and redevelopment
agencies. It would also revoke the State's authority to borrow local government property tax funds.
✓ Protect vital, dedicated transportation and public transit funds from state raids The measure would prevent
State borrowing, taking or redirecting of the state sales tax on gasoline (Prop 42 funds) and Highway User Tax on
gasoline (HUTA) funds that are dedicated to transportation maintenance and improvements. It would also prevent
the State from redirecting or taking public transit funds.
✓ Protect local taxpayers by keeping more of our local tax dollars local where there's more accountability to voters,
and by ensuring once and for all that our gas taxes go to fund road improvements. The measure also reduces
pressure for local tax and fee increases that become necessary when the State redirects local funds.
✓ Reform state government and enhance fiscal accountability_ This measure is a key step in reforming California's
broken budget system by restoring more local control and accountability. It also stops the irresponsible practice of
the State borrowing special funds that have to be repaid with interest, which only puts our State further in debt.
Paid for by Californians to Protect Local Taxpayers and Vital Services, a coalition of taxpayers, public safety, local government, transportation,
business and labor, with major funding from the League of California Cities (non - public funds) 1121 L Street, #803 — Sacramento, CA 95814