Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-15 LEGISLATIVECITY OF SANTA ANA LEGISLATIVE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE MINUTES OCTOBER 15, 2014 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 12:18 pm by Chair Sarmiento at City Hall Ross Annex, Room 1600. ATTENDANCE Members Present: Councilmember Michele Martinez Councilmember Vincent Sarmiento, Chair Members Absent: none Staff Present were: David Cavazos, Sonia Carvalho, Police Chief Carlos Rojas, Kelly Reenders, Fred Mousavipour, Robert Cortez, Mark Lawrence, Alma Flores, Jorge Garcia, Eddie Duque, Margarita Macedonio and Becky Magallon. Also present were Leslie Pollner and Dan Maldonado (by phone) from Holland & Knight; and Casey Elliott and Cori Williams from Townsend Public Affairs. Members of the public present: Irma Macias Public Comments: No comments. AGENDA ITEMS APPROVAL OF MINUTES — June 25, 2014 Meeting The June 25, 2014 minutes were approved unanimously by a vote of 2:0. Quarterly Federal Legislative Update from Holland & Knight — Report outlining legislative advocacy work July 2014 to September 2014 HK Legislative Advocacy Update (July 2014 to September 2014) Lelsie Pollner provided a legislative advocacy update to the Committee. One of the highlights was their assistance in securing $1.25 million in COPS funding to hire or rehire 10 officers. She also reported that Santa Ana was not successful in receiving a Tiger grant and provided copies of a debrief memo as well as a schedule. Councilwoman Martinez mentioned that it was disappointing that no organization in Orange County received monies from Tiger grants and she thought Santa Ana Legislative City Council Committee Minutes October 15, 2014, Page 1 should have received funding. She suggested using a comprehensive approach when applying for future grants. Chair Sarmiento thanked Dan Maldonado for the summary of the Tiger VII Grant, which provides details about the Tiger Grant process. He added that the memo will be a good tool to use for future opportunities. Leslie Pollner informed the Committee that Holland & Knight will be in Santa Ana in November or December and would like to talk to Committee members and staff about advocacy strategy to position Santa Ana well in getting the funding it deserves. Councilmember Sarmiento thanked Holland & Knight for the new format of their legislative report, and added that the matrix provides a snapshot and quantifies all the work that has been done. Councilwoman Martinez informed Holland & Knight that she would be in Washington, DC November 18 -24 to attend a NALEO conference and would like to take the opportunity to meet with them and /or federal agencies regarding Santa Ana projects. Jorge Garcia reviewed the list of grants recently received by the City of Santa Ana and reported that Santa Ana received over $10 million in grants in federal and state dollars. Councilwoman Martinez thanked Holland & Knight for helping Santa Ana with the CDC grant. Dan Maldonado mentioned that there should be some strategic follow up, and thinks the work Santa Ana has done in this area is very unique. Update on My Brother's Keeper Initiative Leslie Pollner informed the Legislative Committee that Santa Ana has been an early acceptor of the My Brother's Keeper Initiative challenge, and it will be very beneficial for Santa Ana. She added that Santa Ana was acknowledged in the White House press release and that participation in this initiative will involve future opportunities and will pay short and long -term dividends. Jorge Garcia explained the purpose of the My Brother's Keeper Initiative and reported that Santa Ana is focusing on two goals: that all youth are employed and all are safe from violent crimes. He added that the White House is very excited to have Santa Ana involved. Santa Ana has already instituted programs that meet some of the goals during the Strategic Plan implementation process. Staff is preparing for the forum and will be working with non - profits and other community partners to make the program successful. Councilwoman Martinez mentioned that the California Endowment has offered to sponsor Santa Ana's My Brother's Keeper summit but would like to be on the planning committee. She added that partnering with them would help reduce the cost involved in conducting the event and asked staff to consider the possibility. Legislative City Council Committee Minutes October 15, 2014, Page 2 Presentation and Discussion on Federal Promise Zones Proposal Alma Flores reported that the Promise Zone initiative will allow the City and local community partners to receive preferences in accessing existing federal resources to create jobs, improve public safety, enhance public education and identify solutions to overcrowded housing conditions. Santa Ana will apply for round III and it's currently vetting through issues with Holland & Knight in order to apply in 2015. Staff is currently identifying partners such as the school board, the County, nonprofits and others. Chair Sarmiento mentioned that partnerships will be very important such as school districts and non - profits and asked that staff keep Delhi Center in mind as a partner. Councilwoman Martinez suggested that Santa Ana also partner with the Orange County Probation Department and the faith -based community. 3. Quarterly State Legislative Update from Townsend Public Affairs — Report outlining legislative advocacy work July 2014 to September 2014 TPA Legislative Advocacy Update (July 2014 to September 2014) Casey Elliott provided an update on the State legislation that was approved as well as the efforts by Townsend Public Affairs on behalf of Santa Ana. Councilwoman Martinez mentioned that there will be another call for Active Transportation Planning Grant applications and discussed the importance of having shovel ready projects. She also discussed the importance of the Cap and Trade Program and mentioned that SCAG would be having a meeting in a couple of weeks. She added that Public Works and Housing staff will be in attendance and encouraged Townsend Public Affairs to also participate. Chair Sarmiento thanked Townsend Public Affairs for the new report format because it gives a description of the progress on current legislation and it's easier for the Committee to follow. Councilmember Sarmiento requested an update on the Water Bond as well as Edison's deferred decision on a power plant site selection. Casey Elliott reported that the Governor signed a $7.545 billion water bond, which will be on the November ballot as Proposition 1. Polling for the water bond is trending favorably— support in the high 50's with low 30's in opposition. He added that passage of the water bond by the voters will make significant funding available to address many of the water infrastructure needs in the City. Councilwoman Martinez requested that Townsend Public Affairs stay in communication with Santa Ana's Public Works Executive Director to take advantage of the water bond funding. She added that a possible water project could be a wetlands landscape project by Centennial Park. Legislative City Council Committee Minutes October 15, 2014, Page 3 Cori Williams mentioned that there is a water energy opportunity open and the deadline is in December. Update on SB 7 — 2013 Prevailing Wage Measure Townsend Public Affairs provided an update on SB 7 which requires that all public works contracts receiving state funding over $25,000 (construction work) or over $15,000 (alteration, repair, maintenance) must pay prevailing wages. Casey Elliott mentioned that Townsend Public Affairs advises Santa Ana to adopt an ordinance indicating its intent to comply with state prevailing wage determinations. 4. League of California Cities Briefing July 2014 to September 2014 Tony Cardenas provided an overview of the legislation items that the Governor took action on. He reported that the Governor signed 15 League - supported bills, signed four League- opposed bills, vetoed 11 League - supported bills and vetoed three League - opposed bills. He also discussed legislative issues for 2015. Tony Cardenas announced the League of California Cities Legislative Department will be hosting a webinar on November 12th and invited the City of Santa Ana to participate. 5. Briefing on the August 6 -8 2014 Washington, DC Advocacy Meetings David Cavazos thanked Councilmembers Sarmiento and Benavides for participating in the advocacy trip and reported that it was very successful and it will render an incredible return in Santa Ana's investment. Dan Maldonado reported Holland & Knight has continued to have promising discussions with ICE. He added that Santa Ana's commitment to travel to Washington, DC can make a difference in the way things are accomplished. The recent visit was key to set the stage on Santa Ana's transportation priorities. It also reinforced Santa Ana's position on the UASI Program because it has opened the door to have a continued relationship with the Department of Justice. Chair Sarmiento mentioned that he was very pleased with the outcome of the trip and the opportunity to meet with several departments including the Department of Transportation, ICE, COPS, Department of Justice, White House staff and others. He added that he'd appreciate that staff work at personalizing Washington, DC visits, such as preparing hand written thank you cards. He added that he is willing to participate in future visits to Washington, DC on behalf of the Committee. 6. Legislative Platform — Review 2013 Legislative Platform and Discuss Update Mark Lawrence reported the City of Santa Ana had many funding opportunities that it was able to capitalize on. He discussed the Legislative Platform Report Legislative City Council Committee Minutes October 15, 2014, Page 4 Card which shows in red the funding opportunities and how they align to the Strategic Plan. Staffs goal is to bring an updated platform for 2015 to the Legislative Council Committee at their next meeting for review and recommendation for approval by the City Council. 7. Review City's membership in Regional, State and National Advocacy Organizations David Cavazos reviewed the list of annual memberships. Councilwoman Martinez noticed that the City pays over $28,000 for LAFCO membership and asked that the City consider having a seat on the Board of Directors. Councilwoman Martinez mentioned that she serves on the SCAG Board of Directors and even though it's a large time commitment and a big responsibility, it is of great value to the City. She added that in her 4 years on the Board she has helped bring over $4 million which were used for the integration of the SAGIS and SAPIN systems. She thinks it's important that there is Council representation on this board. Councilwoman Martinez also reported that she serves on OCCOG which is a vital regional board. She would like other Councilmembers to consider serving on the Board and believes staff's attendance at the meetings would be beneficial to the City. Ms. Martinez requested that staff review the OCCOG agenda for any items that impact Santa Ana and provide her with a recommendation on how to vote on those items. Councilman Sarmiento asked staff to work with the advocacy firms to quantify the benefits of Councilmembers serving on regional and state boards. This would show the benefits of current memberships and can help staff determine which memberships are more valuable to the City. David Cavazos mentioned that staff will do an assessment of current memberships and will include them in next year's budget. Committee Member Comments Councilmembers Sarmiento and Martinez thanked staff and partners for their assistance and hard work. Future Agenda Items No future agenda items identified. Legislative City Council Committee Minutes October 15, 2014, Page 5 ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned at 1:19pm Becky Magallon Executive Assistant City Manager's Office Legislative City Council Committee Minutes October 15, 2014, Page 6