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2015 State Legislative Summary Page 4 of 7 <br />RDA Dissolution <br />Another top priority for the City in the 2015 legislative session was to support legislation or <br />regulations that provide relief from past RDA dissolution actions and oppose legislation or <br />regulations that may cause setbacks to successor agencies. Whereas the dissolution of <br />redevelopment agencies has been coming to a close, there was one major outstanding item that <br />was introduced as part of the Governor’s budget proposal. <br />AB 113 (Budget Committee) was the first iteration of an RDA clean-up bill introduced in 2015. From <br />the moment AB 113 was introduced, TPA and San Leandro had numerous discussions on how this <br />proposal would impact the City, what proposed changes needed to occur, and next steps going <br />forward. TPA worked closely with the City to craft and distribute several letters from Mayor Cutter <br />outlining the negative impacts of AB 113 and how it had the potential to wipe out $13.6 million in <br />loan commitments and funding obligations. Once the City’s position was official, TPA worked with <br />our East Bay delegation, office of the Assembly Speaker, and a large State wide coalition to help <br />remove the harmful provisions of AB 113. AB113 stalled and did not move forward. <br />SB 107 (Budget Committee) was amended to become the final package of a redevelopment <br />agency dissolution proposal. Due to our extensive efforts dating back to January, none of the <br />harmful provisions in AB 113 were included in SB 107. SB 107 also includes provisions for cities to <br />access bonds that redevelopment agencies sold during 2011. Those bonds that were issued for <br />affordable housing purposes can be accessed at a 100% level, while those for non-housing <br />purposes can be accessed on a sliding scale ranging from 20% to 45%, depending upon the date <br />of issuance. <br />Assembly Bill 57 (Quirk) Telecommunications: Wireless Facilities <br />The bill, while written with noble intentions, places high burdens on local governments to meet <br />deadlines that can be unfeasible and strips away the autonomy of local control when it comes to <br />approving telecommunication/cell tower applications. San Leandro’s geography, which includes <br />steep hillsides east of Interstate 580, does not always lend itself to easy resolution of <br />telecommunication company requests. Following some minor amendments, this legislation was <br />signed into law on October 9, 2015. <br />Homelessness <br />Whereas addressing the homeless and helping to provide support is a great need for cities, some <br />legislation was put forward this year that included some potentially harmful provisions for local <br />governments. AB 718 (Chu) would have prohibited a city from penalizing, by impoundment or other <br />method, the act of sleeping in a lawfully parked vehicle. This measure was introduced as a means <br />to help address homelessness by not criminalizing those who are forced to sleep in their vehicles. <br />This bill received significant opposition from local governments, as well as law enforcement <br />organizations, claiming that it would infringe upon local governing powers. <br />Additionally, there were significant concerns about what impact this bill might have on the health, <br />safety, and broader public welfare in communities across the State. Ultimately, when AB 718 was <br />considered on the Senate Floor, it did not garner enough support for passage and failed on an 18- <br />14 vote, and was then moved to the Inactive File. While this bill will be eligible to be reconsidered <br />again in January, it is likely that the Legislature will look at broader legislation dealing with issues of <br />homelessness. <br />E Cigarettes <br />The rise in popularity of e-cigarettes and lack of centralized regulations has forced local and state <br />governments to begin enforcing their own e-cigarette ordinances. San Leandro’s Second Hand