Agenda

1.

Introductions

Chair Carlson convened the meeting of the Legislation Committee at 1:07 p.m., introducing himself. Vice Chair Burgis introduced herself and noted staff and attendees would introduce themselves as needed.

2.

Public comment on any item under the jurisdiction of the Committee and not on this agenda (speakers may be limited to three minutes).

Public comment was offered by Call_in_user_1, who expressed that certain bills needed more technical expertise and analysis. The caller suggested that the pro's and con's of the legislation needed greater consideration and expertise.

3.

Staff recommends APPROVAL of the Record of Action for the February 6, 2023 meeting of the Legislation Committee.

The Record of Action was approved as presented.

AYE:	Chair Ken Carlson
	Vice Chair Diane Burgis

Attachments:

DRAFT Record of Action

4.

ACCEPT the report on the State budget and State Bills of Interest to Contra Costa County and provide direction and/or input to staff and the County's state lobbyists as needed.

Staff provided a brief recap of the staff report. The County's state lobbyists noted they were working with the County's Sustainability Coordinator, Jody London, on SB 511 (Blakespear), one of the County's sponsored bills. The bill was expected to be heard in Senate Environmental Quality Committee on 3/29 (although it was not). Ms. London was expected to be a primary witness for the bill. With regard to AB 592 (Wilson), the County's sponsored bill related to illegal dumping, the bill only recently became eligible for referral to Committee (and was subsequently referred to Assembly Local Government). A meeting was scheduled with staff and the lobbyists for later in the week to discuss possible bill amendments. Public comments from Call_in_user 1 included preference for freedom of choice and helping people to make their own choices.

AYE:	Chair Ken Carlson
	Vice Chair Diane Burgis

Attachments:

Attachment A

Attachment B

Attachment C

5.

CONSIDER recommending a position of "Support" to the Board of Supervisors on SB 287 (Skinner) and directing staff to place the item on a Board of Supervisors agenda on Consent for consideration.

Vice Chair Burgis presented the item, noting she had been approached for support. She had reached out to the Health Department for their input, and Dr. Tzvieli was "strongly" supportive of the bill and would be present to address the Committee.Dr. Tzvieli noted that social media accounts are not "free" because you/your information is the product being sold. The algorithms used by social media platforms were designed to keep people on their screens, leaving less time for family, hobbies and exercise, and providing more opportunity for bullying. He added that due to the increasing number of fentanyl related deaths in the U.S., there were many reasons for Health Services to be concerned. Vice Chair Burgis agreed with the caller about the benefits of personal freedom but noted that not everyone has parents who can promote good health. These platforms can lead to mental health challenges for youth, can affect academics and inter-personal relationships. Chair Carlson agreed that there was targeting through algorithms on these platforms and indicated he was strongly supportive. Vice Chair Burgis added that this effort was not just symbolic but an attempt to participate in solutions to mental health and behavioral health issues, such as substance abuse.

AYE:	Chair Ken Carlson
	Vice Chair Diane Burgis

Attachments:

Attachment A: Draft Letter of Support

6.

RECOMMEND to the Board of Supervisors a position on AB 817 (Pacheco) or find the bill consistent with the Board's adopted 2023-24 State Platform.

The County's lobbyist, Geoff Neill, provided a recap of the bills introduced thus far related to the Brown Act, noting that AB 817 was co-authored by a member of our delegation, Assemblymember Wilson. He indicated that the goal of the bill was to allow members of bodies that were not decision-makers to participate in public meetings remotely without having to publish their address on the agenda. Call_in_user1 noted that this was an "extremely important issue," but she had "ambivalent feelings," and was questioning intentions since the spirit of the Brown Act is related to transparency in government and prior to Zoom she wasn't able to know about or attend some public meetings; her challenge was now related to two standing committee meetings occuring at the same time, contending that the County didn't want transparency. Chair Carlson indicated this bill wasn't related to the notification of public meetings but participation in meetings. He indicated higher rates of participation in public meetings through COVID because of technology measures such as Zoom, noting it was often more efficient and easier for people to attend, especially those who previously had to travel across the county. Because of increased public access, he indicated the County should support the bill (AB 817). Vice Chair Burgis added that remote participation also decreases greenhouse gas emissions, another benefit of the technology improvements. AB 557 was also discussed briefly, noting it would eliminate the sunset provisions of AB 361 and extend the renewal period from 30 to 45 days. The Committee expressed support for that bill as well.

Attachments:

Attachment A: AB 817 Fact Sheet and Coalition Letter

Attachment B: Fact Sheets AB 557 and SB 411

7.

RECOMMEND to the Board of Supervisors a position of "Support" on AB 240 (Kalra) and DIRECT staff to place on the Board's consent agenda for action, or FIND the bill consistent with the Board's adopted 2023-24 State Legislative Platform.

Staff to the Committee provided comments from Animal Services Director, Beth Ward, who was unable to attend due to a conflict: "We are experiencing an increase of families with animals in our county that are needing support from our agency. Many people are challenged with being able to afford necessary medical care for their pets and having to consider relinquishment of their pets due to behavior issues that could have been minimized or eliminated if their pet was altered. We are beginning to see a rise in the number of dogs/cats that are coming to the shelter pregnant or with a litter already on the ground! Our shelter has a limited number of cages and kennels to hold the animals in need of help, without adequate, accessible, affordable Spay and Neuter in our county we will begin to see an increase in euthanasia of animals just due to the simple math problem of too many animals, not enough cages. This bill, AB240, will help reduce the population of pets in Contra Costa County and ultimately save more lives of the animals in our county." Vice Chair Burgis noted there is not enough funding for spay-neuter services and not enough veterinarians or vet techs to perform the work. She inquired about an estimate of the funding the bill would be expected to generate. The County lobbyist Geoff Neill added there was a nationwide shortage of veterinarians, but there were other related bills moving forward to address that problem. Call_in_user1 commented that she didn't have anything against animals but she was "really tired of paying for people with animals," and shouldn't be made to pay. The Committee noted the funding from the bill would be generated from pet food manufacturers, whose customers would ultimately pay a cost.

AYE:	Chair Ken Carlson
	Vice Chair Diane Burgis

Attachments:

Attachment A: Fact Sheet

8.

CONSIDER recommending to the Board of Supervisors a position of "Sponsor" on AB 540 (Wicks) Social Service Transportation Improvement Act, and direct staff to send this to the Board of Supervisors for consideration on their March 21, 2023 agenda.

The County's transportation planning lead, John Cunningham, presented the item and described the goal of the legislation. He noted that outreach was still needed to local transit districts. Concerns about the revenue mechanism had been expressed and was still in development. Mr. Cunningham noted that the County's transportation lobbyist, Mark Watts, was in attendance, as was the bill sponsor, Debbie Toth from Choice in Aging. Vice Chair Burgis inquired about the issues with a $10 fee increase. Mr. Cunningham responded that transit agencies were facing tremendous financial issues, particularly as a result of the pandemic and lost ridership, and many agencies need revenue for their own survival. Mr. Watts noted that he and Mr. Cunningham had been working on this bill concept for many years and that it was "foundationally important" to have capital funding for accessible transportation services. Chair Carlson inquired about who would potentially pay the $10 fee. Mr. Watts explained the funding mechanism was modeled on the Vehicle License Fee, as a surcharge on vehicle registration. Vice Chair Burgis noted that eventhough this is a cost, the cost of transporting people is high though we seek a more streamlined and less expensive way. Additionally, she noted that as people age and can no longer drive, accessible transportation can provide comfort, respect, and dignity and allow people to remain living in their homes and get out to appointments and visits. She concluded that this may be an investment that returns benefits several fold.Chair Carlson noted there would be better health outcomes, resulting in lower costs to society. Debbie Toth added that when you talk about the price of transportation, you should factor in the cost of skilled nursing facilities. She commended the County for leading the way on the Accessible Transportation Plan. Call_in_user1 commented that she wanted more numbers, details, and assurances that the money raised would actually provide help to the people who need it. Vice Chair Burgis responded that this would be a fiscally responsible bill, allowing people to live independently and not require supportive housing. She invited the public to be more curious and informed, noting the bill would have a financial benefits on several fronts. She requested staff to provide bullet points to highlight fiscal benefits of the bill but indicated the County should "definitely sponsor" the bill.

AYE:	Chair Ken Carlson
	Vice Chair Diane Burgis

Attachments:

Attachment A: Press Release and Background Statement

Attachment B: CCC Letter of Support

9.

ACCEPT the report and provide direction/input to staff as needed.

The County's federal lobbyist, Paul Schlesinger, provided a summary of the County's efforts to submit Community Project Funding requests to our congressional delegation for their consideration. There was no public comment.

AYE:	Chair Ken Carlson
	Vice Chair Diane Burgis

Attachments:

Attachment A

10.

The next meeting is currently scheduled for Monday, April 10, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

11.

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m.