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Lobby firm Townsend briefs Kingsburg on bills, budget pressure and a $1M earmark
Summary
Townsend Public Affairs’ Spencer Street told the council California faced an estimated $12 billion budget gap that shaped housing and energy legislation; he flagged SB707 changes to Brown Act rules, housing bills and federal earmark progress including a $1,000,000 appropriation from Congressman Jim Costa for Kingsburg city hall and EOC upgrades.
Spencer Street of Townsend Public Affairs briefed the Kingsburg City Council on Oct. 15 about key state and federal developments from the 2025 legislative session and what to expect in 2026.
Street said the state began the year facing roughly a $12 billion structural deficit, which affected energy and housing decisions. “The year in Sacramento started off with about a $12,000,000,000 budget deficit,” he said, and he described how the deficit prompted borrowing, reallocations and a series of trailer bills affecting local programs.
He summarized bills likely to affect local government: Senate Bill 707 (author name in the transcript: senator deRaza) consolidates multiple Brown Act proposals and expands hybrid public participation, agenda access and translation requirements; Senate Bill 79 would enable certain transit‑oriented development projects by right in transit‑dense counties (noting Fresno County is not subject to that bill); Assembly Bill 379 by Assembly Member Schulz tightened penalties related to human trafficking and was signed into law; and Senate Bill 346 (sponsored by Cal Cities) would require greater reporting from short‑term rental platforms and hosts to help local governments collect transient occupancy taxes.
On federal funding, Street said the city has an earmark in process worth $1,000,000 that Congressman Jim Costa included for city hall upgrades and an emergency operations center; other submitted projects for fiber, ambulance/EMS and body/dash cameras were progressing on the House side though not yet finalized in the Senate.
Councilors asked clarifying questions about short‑term rental definitions (less than 30 days) and the scope of hybrid participation under SB707. Street said hybrid requirements apply to both councils and public participation and offered to provide an implementation memo and follow‑up support for the city clerk’s office. He recommended the city send letters supporting members’ bills when appropriate to help secure earmarks and legislative backing.
Street closed by offering continued assistance to identify competitive projects and coordinate with state and federal representatives.
