Council hears legislative briefing; appoints ad hoc committee to update city legislative platform

SAN LUIS OBISPO — City staff briefed the San Luis Obispo City Council on key outcomes from the 2023–24 California legislative session and proposed next steps for updating the city’s legislative platform. After the presentation, the council appointed a two-member ad hoc committee to work with staff to review and recommend updates to the platform.

Deputy City Manager Greg Herman and Policy and Programs Manager Natalie Harnett summarized the session’s volume and implications: the Legislature introduced roughly 2,200 bills, about 1,200 reached the governor’s desk and about 1,100 were signed, with a veto rate of approximately 16 percent, staff said. Many bills go into effect Jan. 1, 2025, though some urgency measures took effect immediately and others have delayed effective dates.

Herman described the city’s legislative program — housed in the City Manager’s Office and led by the city’s policy manager — as “a set of preapproved policy positions from the full city council” that enable quick responses when Cal Cities or other partners request city letters of support or opposition. “It is a living document,” Herman said, and staff advised the council that an ad hoc committee could spend extra time working through the platform before staff return in April with a recommended update.

Harnett summarized major subjects that passed or advanced and that could affect city work, including housing and homelessness, environmental quality and climate adaptation, transportation and infrastructure, governance and transparency, and emerging areas such as artificial intelligence oversight. She noted Proposition 1 (a 2024 state bond measure to fund behavioral health and supportive housing projects) as a major development; staff flagged uncertainty about how the measure will reallocate tax revenue between counties and the state and the potential effects on local programs.

On housing, staff described new reporting categories and housing-element changes that could increase local work effort and noted bills that may require local zoning ordinances to allow more units on certain parcels (staff referenced SB 1123 and SB 1211 as examples of state-level changes requiring local action). On transportation, staff highlighted AB 98 — a circulated bill that would require updates to local circulation elements to reflect truck-route traffic — and flagged compliance timelines and potential penalties for noncompliance.

Councilmembers discussed appointing an ad hoc committee to review the platform and coordinate with regional partners. Councilmember Francis urged forming an ad hoc this year given the shifting political and funding landscape. Councilmembers Boswell and Marks volunteered to serve. Councilmember Francis moved to approve staff recommendations and appoint an ad hoc committee of Councilmember Boswell and Councilmember Marks; Councilmember Boswell seconded the motion. The council approved the appointment on a 5-0 roll-call vote.

Why it matters: The legislative platform guides staff recommendations on state and federal bills and determines whether the city writes letters of support or opposition. The ad hoc committee will help staff align the platform with current council priorities and coordinate with regional platforms, the council said.

What’s next: Staff will convene the ad hoc committee for at least one meeting before presenting an updated legislative platform for council adoption in April 2025; staff noted the April 1 meeting date is tight and offered the option of moving the adoption item to April 15.