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Home My WebLink About2009-11-24 - AGENDA REPORTS - SUSTAINABLE CMTY STRATEGY (2)Agenda Item: CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA I2EPOlt'1' CONSENT CALENDAR City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: DATE: November 24, 2009 15 - SUBJECT: RESOLUTION SUPPORTING COLLABORATION WITH THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES STRATEGY DEPARTMENT: Community Development RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council adopt a Resolution supporting collaboration with the Southern California Association of Governments regarding development of the Regional Sustainable Communities Strategy. BACKGROUND Through Assembly Bill 32, a statewide emissions target has been set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources to 1990 levels by 2020. This reduction is equal to over 170 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Senate Bill 375 (SB375) requires cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle miles traveled as they relate to land use patterns. The preliminary statewide emission target for SB375 comprises Five million metric tons, which is roughly 3% of the 170 million metric ton target from all sources SB375 requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to prepare a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) to identify how this target will be met for their region. This responsibility falls on the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Santa Clarita's regional MPO. The SCS integrates land use, housing and transportation plans and will constitute the land use component of SCAG's 2012 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Future transportation projects and funding priorities are required to conform to the RTP. Aa Is Pe-x). 09— JDQ Subregions may prepare their own SCS, which would be added to the regional plan The subregion must ensure that its SCS achieves GI -IG reduction targets, as determined by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). However, it is important to note that SCAG will not be generating subregional targets for each of the 14 subregions which makes it difficult to gauge successful compliance. SCAG has drafted a process and timeline for the region's SCS, and intends to release the first draft in November, 2011 In September 2009, SCAG released a framework document outlining the proposed process for subregional "delegation." SCAG then developed a second framework document describing its proposed "collaborative" process The collaborative process is flexible and allows the subregions to participate within their existing resources as they deem necessary and appropriate. By December 31, 2009, each subregion must inform SCAG whether it intends to accept delegation or participate in SCAG's collaborative process. It should be noted that there are no funds available to subregions at this time to accept delegation and prepare their own SCS. Because there is no formal Council of Governments (COG) in the North Los Angeles County Subregion, the three individual cities (Santa Clarita. Palmdale and Lancaster) and the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County have worked cooperatively on monitoring this process and issues as they develop. In the absence of a COG, each municipality in the North Los Angeles County Subregion must choose one of the options by December 31, 2009. ANALYSIS At this time, two options are available to the City of Santa Clarita for how to proceed: Accept Delegation: If the North Los Angeles County Subregion wishes to prepare its own SCS, SCAG will assist with data development and use of its models, but the responsibility for producing the document would fall to the Subregion's staff. SCAG does not intend to '`assign" subregional targets, so the subregional SCS would focus on demonstrating the measures that the various jurisdictions are undertaking, or plan to undertake. 2. Accept Collaboration: SCAG envisions the collaborative process as a series of iterative discussions between SCAG, its subregions, counties and cities, with the collective goal of' identifying GI -IG reduction strategies. This will include identifying transit projects, policies that promote alternative transportation, and jurisdictional land use and transportation policies and BMPs that will lead to reduced GI -IG emissions. Process Recommendation Staff recommends participation in SCAG's collaborative process. The process provides the City with sufficient opportunity for participation and input on the issues that will matter most to the subregion and to the individual jurisdictions. Collaboration would provide SCAG with accurate data for the North Los Angeles County Subregion assuring that the SCS is representative of planning processes currently underway while not overburdening the member cities. Factors to consider are: Y Financinl There is no funding available to produce a subregional SCS. City staff could not gather, process and analyze the data and prepare the report without outside consultant help, even with SCAG's assistance in running its models. • Liability SCAG cannot indemnify subregions that prepare their own SCS, so the North Los Angeles County Subregion would retain liability for legal challenges. • Cost/Benefit Considering the additional financial burden and demand for staff time, the benefits of accepting delegation would have to be high. and the concerns or detriments of participating in the collaborative process would need to be insurmountable. Neither of these conditions exist, indicating that subregional SCS preparation through a delegation process would not be a valuable exercise. • Timina If the North Los Angeles County Subregion were to prepare its own SCS, it would be expected to meet certain deadlines despite the fact that data critical to completing the plan may not exist or be delayed in its creation furthermore, the SCS would be subject to the timelines of other processes outside the SCS including the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RI -INA). This could place the North Los Angeles County Subregion in a difficult position, attempting to complete the analysis and prepare the documentation without critical data. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Other alternatives as identified by the City Council. FISCAL, IMPACT None, ATTACI-IMEN"fS Resolution RI-SOI_.0 fION 09- A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL Ol` THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING COLLABORATION WITH THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES STRATEGY WHEREAS, the City of Santa Clarita is dedicated to protecting and preserving the quality of life within the City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Valley; and WHEREAS, California Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, requires that Greenhouse Gas Emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020, and WHEREAS, California Senate Bill 375 requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations to create Sustainable Communities Strategics to implement innovative land use policies to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions associated with cars and light trucks; and WHEREAS, the Southern California Association of Governments is the Metropolitan Planning Organization preparing the regional Sustainable Communities Strategy that will include the City of Santa Clarita: and WI-1ER1 AS, the City of Santa Clarita is a willing partner of the Southern California Association of Governments in creating the regional Sustainable Communities Strategy. NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita does hereby resolve as follows: SECTION 1. The City of Santa Clarita accepts the Collaborative Process for preparation of the regional Sustainable Communities Strategy in partnership with the Southern California Association ol'Governmcnts SECTION 2, The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution. PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this day of 2009. MAYOR ATTEST: CITY CLERK STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss. CITY OF SANTA CLARITA ) I, Sharon L. Dawson, MMC, City Clerk of the City of Santa Clarita, do 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 day of 2009, by the following vote: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NOES: COUNCILMIMBERS: ABSENT. COUNCILMIMBERS. 2 CITY CLERK C STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss. CITY OF SANTA CLARITA ) CERTIFICATION OF CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION I, Sharon L. Dawson, City Clerk of the City of Santa Clarita, do hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of the original Resolution 09-_ adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita, California on , 2009, which is now on file in my office. Witness my hand and seal of the City of Santa Clarita, California, this day of , 2009. Sharon L. Dawson, MMC City Clerk By Susan Caputo, CMC Deputy City Clerk 3