Federal and state legislative representatives and the city's contract lobbyists briefed the Carlsbad City Council legislative subcommittee on Jan. 14 about funding prospects, committee assignments and early bill activity for the 2025 legislative sessions.

Salome Tash, field representative from Congressman Mike Levin's office, said Levin was sworn into the 119th Congress, won a seat on the House Appropriations Committee and introduced a bipartisan Prevent Family Fire Act to incentivize retailers to sell firearm safe-storage devices. Tash said the congressman backed short-term government funding that extended federal spending through March 14 and helped secure $250 million for improvements at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Matt Rubel from State Senator Catherine Blakespear's office said the senator was appointed chair of the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, which oversees climate, CEQA, waste and water policy. He told the subcommittee the senatoris following the city's 2025 legislative platform and thanked staff for coordination; the senator will attend the evening council meeting.

An assembly office representative described two early bills from Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (?)'s office: AB 86 would standardize health education materials for K-8 statewide; AB 87 is a spot bill intended to clarify that density bonus law applies only to 100% residential projects, a response to projects using density bonuses with short-term vacation rentals. (The presenter said both bills were set for committee hearings in early February.)

David Wetmore of Carpe and Clay, the city's federal contract lobbyist, said Congress met a December funding deadline and extended funding through March 14. He highlighted that Representative Levin's service on Appropriations helps the region and said the city secured a community-project funding submission for the city's double-track trenching project and expects $850,000 in the House Transportation-Housing appropriations bill; final inclusion depends on the broader appropriations process. Wetmore urged continued coalition work with associations such as the National League of Cities and the League of California Cities to protect state and local funding amid expected federal debates over discretionary caps and reconciliation measures.

Kobi Pizzati of California Public Policy Group (CPPG) reviewed early California legislative activity: roughly 200 bills introduced so far, with an expected total in the low thousands by the Feb. 21 introduction cutoff; the proposed 202526 2026 budget total was described in presenter slides (figures cited in the briefing). He listed committee chair assignments relevant to the city's interests and noted key deadlines including the Feb. 21 bill introduction deadline, April committee activity through the April "spring reset," and the June 15 budget passage requirement.

City staff said Salome Tash has helped arrange a staff-level meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration later in January to begin public engagement about Palomar Airport; staff and the congressman's office will participate. Councilmembers suggested future presenters including the Coastal Commission, California Public Utilities Commission and California Energy Commission, and discussed local topics such as battery storage, wastewater and regional water costs.

Ending: No formal motions on legislative positions were taken. Staff will continue to coordinate with legislative offices and the city's lobbyists on funding opportunities, the community project funding process, and scheduling future agency briefings.