In a City Council Meeting held in February, the City Council adopted its first-ever Legislative Platform. The purpose of the Legislative Platform is to continue to improve the quality of
life for residents and businesses while contributing to the greater goals of the region as the City advocates for funding opportunities and local priorities.
The Legislative Platform was developed to support the successful implementation of the City’s adopted Strategic Plan which serves as the roadmap to advance the City’s mission, vision, and values by aligning the City’s resources and activities, the City Council’s policy direction, and the desires of residents, businesses, and community stakeholders.
The Legislative Platform will establish the City’s position on matters of priority and importance to the City. By adopting this Platform, staff will actively collaborate with Federal, State, regional, and local elected officials and their staff, partners, and stakeholders to implement the goals and deliverables outlined by the City Council for the betterment of this community. This platform supplements and aligns with existing City Council-established goals and policies adopted in various documents such as the General Plan, the City’s Strategic Plan, and approved Resolutions.
The Platform is flexible, allowing staff to review it regularly and update it, as needed, on an annual basis.
The adopted Legislative Platform includes the following goals:
» Streamline the ability of City staff to act on legislation, policy, or funding opportunities that either impact or benefit the City.
» Identify and support Federal, State, and regional legislation, regulatory policies and funding programs that align with the Platform.
» Identify and oppose Federal, State and Regional proposals or policies that do not align with the Platform.
» Authorize City staff to prepare position letters and Resolution language that supports, opposes or directs staff to work with the author on proposed legislation.
» Authorize City staff to actively and regularly brief and correspond with elected bofficials and their respective staff, regulatory partners, and stakeholders to advance policy priorities and funding opportunities.
» Authorize City staff, in coordination with the City Council, to invite elected officials, regulatory partners and stakeholders to attend and participate in City community events and programming.
» For emerging issues or situations not outlined in the Legislative Platform, City staff will work with the City Council for further direction.
“The Legislative Platform will put the City in a better position at higher levels of government,” said City Manager Steve Carmona. “This will literally give us the platform to advocate for all the things necessary for our residents to have an improved quality of life here in the City.”
With its passing, copies of the Platform will now be distributed to the City’s panel of on-call consultants that provide federal, state, and regional advocacy and grant-writing support services. Furthermore, City staff will work with the City Council and the on-call advocacy consultant to implement the priorities outlined in the Platform, including but not limited to favorable legislative outcomes and funding requests for parks and open spaces, infrastructure projects, economic development, preservation of local control, and public health and safety initiatives.
To view the full Legislative Platform, visit the City’s website at pico-rivera.org.
