Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, September 07, 2021
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER AN UPDATE FROM THE LEGISLATIVE AD HOC COMMITTEE AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER SUPPORTING SENATE BILL 4 (GONZALEZ), ASSEMBLY BILL 14 (AGUIAR-CURRY) (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
This item transmits an update from the Legislative Ad Hoc Committee to the City Council and asks the City Council to consider sending letters of support for Senate Bill 4 (Gonzalez) and Assembly Bill 14 (Aguiar-Curry). Should the City Council concur with some or all these recommendations then staff will transmit the advocacy letters (included as Exhibit 1) to Governor Newsom requesting his signature in favor of the bills.
The League of California Cities supports SB 4 and AB 14 and calls them a step in the right direction for California to ensure the continued collection of an essential source of broadband funding. These measures not only authorize the ongoing collection of the existing California Advanced Services Fund ("CASF") surcharge but also make it easier for local agencies to access CASF grants. In addition to maintaining this essential funding opportunity, SB 4 and AB 14 would expand the definition of "unserved." This change would increase eligibility for the CASF grants, which are currently reserved for areas with the slowest of all internet speeds, leaving out many communities where Californian's struggle to stay connected with slightly faster but still obsolete speeds.
To reinforce the City of Carson's opposition to SB 9, which would preempt local control over land-use and zoning pertaining to single family areas, staff developed a letter requesting Governor Newsom take a public position in opposition to and declare his intention to veto SB 9 prior to the September 14, 2021 Gubernatorial Recall Election. Due to the urgency of transmitting the letter as soon as possible, staff prepared the letter and asked each City Councilmember whether they wanted to have ...
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