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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-10-30 - AGENDA REPORTS - REGIONAL GOVERMENT (4)L� RESOLUTION NO. A.RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LYNWOOD, CALIFORNIA, OPPOSING ANY LEGISLATION ON REGIONAL GOVERNMENT AND PROPOSING THAT CITIES -ORGANIZE THE NECESSARY AGENCIES AT, THE LOCAL REGIONAL LEVEL , WHEREAS, the Lynwood City Council has previously approved Resolution 9164 proposing amendments to AB 4242; and WHEREAS, upon futher consideration, the Lynwood City Council hereby retracts Resolution 9164; and ., WHEREAS, the following bills have been presented and not passed by the Legislature: AB 4242 (W.Brown) — Would have created regional development and infrastructure agencies AB 969 (Bergeson) - Would have enacted the Southern California Association of Governments law SB 2391 (McCorquodale)- Would have authorized the creation of regional fiscal authorities with the ability to raise revenues AB 4235 (Farr) - Would have created the State planning agency SB 1332 (Presley) - Would have created the Subregional Planning Act; and WHEREAS, an in-depth review of all legislation relevant to Regional Governance has revealed a totally unsatisfactory array of dictates;,and WHEREAS, the cities in the Southeast Los Angeles County are opposed to Regional Government dictated-without.-City- Goverment ictated without -City-Government input; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Lynwood, California, as follows: SECTION 1. That the Council of the City of Lynwood is opposed to all the above-named bills, and, any proposed legislation that would impact local activities by regionalizing them; SECTION 2. That the City of. Lynwood proposes that all regionalization activities be propagated by the cities themselves. SECTION 3. The adoption of this force and effect. PASSED, 1990. ATTEST: City Clerk City Clerk shall certify to the passage and resolution, and it shall thereupon be in full APPROVED AS TO FORM: City Attorney City of Lynwood APPROVED AND ADOPTED this day of Mayor, City of Lynwood City Manager City of Lynwood AMWA ITMI 1 of I • SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL GOVERNANCE ISSUES Effectively responding to the problems confronting California's urban regions is one of the most critical factors facing our State today. Presently the Southern California Region is faced with such problems as: 1) Achieving Air Quality Standards 2) Transportation Deficiencies 3) Water Quality & Availability 4) Solid Waste & Hazardous Material Management 5) Lack of Affordable Housing 6) Growth Management 7) Limited Political Leadership & Commitment 8) Institutional arrangements that fail to address regional concerns. Unfortunately, no single municipality or present regional agency can effectively manage such issues. The potential "spillover" effects resulting from each of the problems listed must be addressed on a region -wide basis. Those regions which successfully identify, mobilize and merge collective resources available hold the greatest potential to confront and .address the regional problems presented. The term governance alone signifies a calling for collective choices and the need to act upon such choices. Our goal is to develop a point of action for the Southern California region. While every region in California does have some form a governance, we need to find ways to improve the present system so that the specific needs of Southern California are addressed. CRITICAL FACTORS FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGION At present, there is now more likelihood for changes in how Southern California issues are approached. Factors causing this pressure for change include: - 1 - I . Tremendous Growth in the Southern California economy emergence of major trade and economic center of Pacific Rim. 2. Increasingly diverse population of Region. 3. Lack of Investment in Public Infrastructure. 4. Increased NIMBY Factor. 5. Fiscalization of Land use heightened by. the passage. of Proposition 13. 6. Decline in public support of regional governments. 7. Lack of a political constituency (elected body) which supports the advocacy of regional perspective. PRESENT STRUCTURE AND FACTORS WHICH IMPEDE REGIONAL GOVERNANCE The Southern California region does not lack regional governance. Currently, the following, regional institutions exist: - SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) - LACTC (Los Angeles County Transportation Commission) - SCAQMD_(South Coast Air Quality Management District). - SCRTD (Southern California Rapid Transit District) - SCHWA (Southern California Hazardous -Waste Authority) - MWD -(Metropolitan Water Districts) - LAFCO's However, these regional institutions are considered issue specific and widely regarded as not having the capability to fully address the problems identified. In addition, these institutions are forced to compete for funds and advocate their position when it may in fact be detrimental to the overall benefits of the region. For example, the South Coast Air Quality Management District may be seen as weakened by its focus on a single goal and by a lack of accountability to the region it serves. The. Southern California Association of Governments is often thought to be weakened by its voluntary nature and -by declines in transfers - 2 - of money. to regional and local governments from the national governments. Secondly, current anti -regional State policies which reinforce the competitive stance between municipalities and other institutions hamper regional governance. Perhaps the nature of the local government revenue stream creates the most pressure. Dependence on property and sales tax revenue encourages competition among cities, counties and the corresponding regional agencies. Competition will hamper cooperation in regional problem solving problems. For example, a city's tax base is best served by an emphasis on commercial rather than residential land use. However, by not striving to reach the balance of commercial to residential development, lengthy commutes result which in turn, generate regional air pollution and traffic congestion problems. Improving governance in the Southern California region must be considered from a very broad perspective. The potential interplay and present goals of the various institutions must be carefully examined. When considering the formation of a regional governance agency, the following issues must be addressed: Structure - Is a comprehensive regional agency an alternative? Are sub -regional agencies a factor? Oversight Powers - Would a comprehensive regional agency be established to oversee all state, county, subregional city and district plans? What would be the penalty for failure to comply with such a plan? Limitations - Would the comprehensive regional agency become involved in specific development proposals? Financial Structure - If various institutions were to merge into a comprehensive regional agency, would economics of scale result? Would the agency have power of taxation? Role of the State - What type of state wide goals or policies must be formulated and adopted in order to support or mandate the comprehensive regional agency? Financing Local Government - What current local government financing methods must be reviewed and changed? If property and sales tax are the primary source of local revenue, how will the competition for these. funds bycounty agencies be addresses? Will revenue sharing occur? Regional Political Leadership and Citizenship - How will - 3 - E the development of regional leadership, and far reaching citizen involvement occur? Must potential board members of the comprehensive regional agency be elected in order to be accountable to the citizens? What are the alternatives? CONCLUSION While the pursuit of reformed regional governance is a large task, Southern California is not alone in seeking to improve its capacity to address regional problems. Discovering effective means to service a region as vast and diverse as Southern California is perhaps our greatest challenge as -we move towards the 21st Century. A form of regional governance should be considered if Southern California is to preserve or better yet enhance its quality of life. Without abandoning the strength of Cities, a means to promote a regional partnership must be determined. - 4 - RESOLUTION NO. 90-200 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, REGARDING REGIONAL GOVERNMENT WHEREAS, the 1990 Session of the State Legislature produced various bills dealing with regional government; and WHEREAS, AB 4242 would have created an unnecessary layer of government; and WHEREAS, fortunately for cities, this legislation was not enacted by the State Legislature; and WHEREAS, Santa Clarita has every reason to believe that regional government will be again addressed by the State Legislature in one form or another in 1991 and thereafter; and WHEREAS, the apparent intention of the State Legislature is to dramatically alter the fundamental structure of local government by instituting an additional layer of government in the form of regional government; NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita, California, hereby resolves as follows: SECTION 1. That the stated policy of the City shall be: A. To oppose AB 4242 as presented in the last legislative session,.unless amended to meet League of California Cities and City of Santa Clarita concerns; B. There are problems of regional significance that cities must work on cooperatively and in concert to solve; and C. To support League of California Cities task forces in each region of the State to work on solutions to solve these problems. SECTION 2. That the City of Santa Clarita affirms the Growth Management Strategy policy of the League of California Cities. 0 0 PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita at a regular meeting held on the 30th day of October , 1990 . MAYOR I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita at a regular meeting thereof, held on the 30th day of Octcher 1990 , by the following vote of then Coucil: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Boyer, Beidt, Klajic, McKeon, Darcy NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None CITY CLERK -2- tbm/RES31270