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Townsend briefs Avalon council on Sacramento items, Brown Act changes, and grant work including South Beach restoration
Summary
Townsend Public Affairs updated the council on Sacramento legislation and budget issues — including CEQA exemptions, cap-and-invest allocations, and Brown Act modernization requiring agenda translation and two‑way public communication — and said the firm is helping submit Measure A funding and other grants for South Beach restoration.
Townsend Public Affairs representatives Eric O'Donnell and Ryan McCarthy briefed the Avalon City Council on recent state legislative actions, budget context and local grant efforts.
O'Donnell summarized Sacramento outcomes: roughly 2,397 bills introduced statewide with 917 passed; a shifting budget picture that drew down reserves; the Prop. 4 climate bond allocation (about $3.3 billion front‑loaded for parks and outdoor recreation this year); and CEQA exemptions for smaller infill and wildfire mitigation projects. He highlighted Brown Act modernization (SB707) as a two‑phase change: stricter meeting‑notice/telecommunications rules effective in January and agenda translation/two‑way public‑comment requirements phased in July.
Ryan McCarthy reviewed grant work Townsend is managing for the city, including a Division of Boating and Waterways shoreline grant application and an LA County Measure A application for the South Beach Restoration Project with a near deadline; he said teams are coordinating weekly to meet the Oct. 30 submission.
Council thanked Townsend for grant support and asked staff to continue outreach and map coordination with state parks where appropriate.
