TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Justin Clifton, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Isaac Bravo, Management Analyst
SUBJECT:
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Adoption of the 2025 Legislative Platform
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RECOMMENDATION
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Approve the 2025 Legislative Platform as presented; and
Direct staff to gather and incorporate any further priority items identified by the Council for adoption in a subsequent amendment, ensuring alignment with the City's strategic goals and community needs.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On February 16, 2021, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 21-4365, approving the 2021 Legislative Platform (Vote: 5-0).
On January 18, 2022, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 22-4516, approving the 2022 Legislative Platform (Vote: 5-0).
On February 21, 2023, the City Council approved the 2023 Legislative Platform (Vote: 5-0).
On March 3, 2024, the City Council approved the 2024 Legislative Platform (Vote: 5-0).
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Maintain a high performing organization that values fiscal sustainability, transparency, accountability and organizational efficiency.
BACKGROUND
The City Manager's Office exercises day-to-day oversight of legislative matters. Annually, the City Council approves a legislative platform to enable City staff to proactively respond to proposed Federal and State legislation that would impact local government. Additionally, the platform is shared with the City's lobbying consultants to ensure the City's interests are represented in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Throughout the year, proposed legislation that aligns or differs with the City's platform receives a letter of support or opposition. Legislation of concern that is not covered by the platform is routed to the City Council Legislative Workgroup for consideration and recommendation. Based on the workgroup's recommendation, a letter of support or opposition is drafted for signature by the Mayor. If there is not consensus by the workgroup, the position on the legislation is considered and determined by the full City Council. All letters of support or opposition are published on the City's website and shared with the full City Council via link and with the public using a link in the monthly electronic newsletter, More Murrieta.
This year, the format for the 2025 Legislative Platform has been modified to be more streamlined. Generally, a goal for these types of platforms is to keep the policy objectives broader and not too specific, which makes it easier to use the platform as intended because it captures the Council's over-arching objectives.
Highlights of the more substantive changes to the platform for 2025 are listed below:
Formatting Changes:
1. The City Council District Map is now included;
2. The City Council Goals were expanded to provide context;
3. The Executive Summary was removed since the platform is intended to be concise, and therefore, a summary is unnecessary;
4. The "Priority Projects List," which previously only listed the I-215/Keller Road interchange and the Los Alamos Sports Park, was removed since the City has many more critical projects that are actively being pursued; and
5. The assessments of the State of California and the Federal government were removed, as well as the California legislative calendar. Since the forecasts were estimates beyond an initial outlook for the City Council at the beginning of the year, they do not provide much utility. Additionally, the Legislative Calendar is available on the Secretary of State's website.
Changes to the Platform Content:
The draft 2025 Legislative Platform takes the spirit and intent of the prior legislative platforms and condenses the 14 sections adopted in prior iterations to seven (7) sections. This was achieved by consolidating various sections that overlapped. For example, the Fire and Police sections were combined into Public Safety; the Housing and Zoning sections were combined into Planning, Housing, & Zoning. The draft 2025 platform is consolidated into the following sections: 1) General Governance, 2) Public Safety, 3) Infrastructure and Transportation, 4) Economic Development, 5) Housing, Planning, & Zoning, 6) Revenue and Financial Stability, 7) Social and Environmental Programs, and 8) Federal Priorities.
Brief descriptions were added to the list of six (6) Council Goals to provide more context behind the goals set.
Additionally, many legislative points were consolidated under sections. As an example, previously, six (6) items were individually listed in the 2024 platform related to employee benefits and labor relations; in the 2025 draft, they were consolidated under one category, "1.5 Employees and Labor."
A new legislative point," 4.4 Biotech and Medical Industry"," was added to the Economic Development section, recognizing the 'City's efforts to promote biotech and medical innovation through its support of the Murrieta Innovation Center.
Lastly, some legislative points were removed as no longer considered timely, such as language related to COVID-19, producer responsibility and stewardship legislation, and Sister City relationships.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft 2025 Legislative Platform