7 minute read
Legislative Report
from Spring 2021
by Albert Tran
The West San Gabriel Valley REALTORS® (WSGVR) Legislative Committee has compiled the following legislative reports for each of our cities (Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, and Temple City). In addition, it also reports on the legislative issues within Los Angeles County via the Los Angeles County Business Federation, also known as BizFed. BizFed is a massive, diverse grassroots alliance that unites and amplifies the voice of businesses in and around the Los Angeles area.
Alhambra
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After rejecting The Villages at the Alhambra in January 2021, Alhambra has been focusing on processing applications for additional dwelling units (ADU) to fight the housing shortage. A total of 62 applications have been submitted during the current reporting period (3/1/2020 - 12/31/2020), and a total of 170 ADU applications have been processed since 2017. Alhambra has also been working on reviving commercial activities in the CBD-DRD (Central Business District Downtown Revitalization District) zones. Additionally, planning commissioners are inclined to repurpose unused retail space to make the best use of the land. The Villages at the Alhambra project was rejected by the Planning Commission and the City Council. However, there is an appeal in which a subcommittee was formed, consisting of two of the councilmembers to work with the Developer for any resolutions and to come before the City Council a second time for reconsideration. Appeal is set for Monday, March 22, 2021.
Rosemead
The City is in the process of updating the Housing Element for the 20212029 planning period. On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, the Rosemead City Council and Planning Commission held a Teleconferencing Workshop “Study Group for 2021- 2029 Housing Element” Update .. The City’s Housing Consultant, RRM Design Group, provided the City Council and Planning Commission with a presentation on the City’s Housing Element Update.
The City of Rosemead, along with all jurisdictions throughout the State, is mandated by California State Law to prepare a Housing Element update for State certification. This update will cover the housing planning period between 2021 and 2029, often referred to as the 6th Cycle. This update began in the fall of 2020 and must be completed prior to October 2021. Companion tasks to the Housing Element Update include focused updates to the General Plan relating to the Public Safety Element and addition of environmental justice policies to comply with State legislation.
State law requires the Housing Element to be updated every eight years. The City’s current Housing Element for the 2014 to 2021 planning period (5th Cycle) is linked below, which will remain valid until the Housing Element Update (2021-2029) is adopted in Fall 2021. Link: City of Rosemead Housing Element (2014-2021)
Monterey Park
Monterey Park City Council unanimously approved a motion to adopt the DA-20-0 on February 17, 2021. This project would allow construction of a 107,850 square foot self-storage facility on a 0.93-acre of land located at 2500 Davidson Drive. The facility will consist of five stories, two of which are below and three abovegrade. After the approval of the final plan, the groundbreaking will begin at the end of 2021 with an estimated completion date in early 2023.
The main objective of this ordinance, as part of adopting the 2020 Business Recovery Program (“BRP”), is to review and update the city ordinance dealing with noise regulations, to facilitate the recovery of the local economy, promote additional economic growth, and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are three main objectives to be considered: 1) Codify the noise regulation, 2) Consolidate into one chapter and 3) Add in a general noise disturbance language. The Monterey Park City Council motioned to approve the review and the proposed changes to this ordinance passed.
San Gabriel
The San Gabriel Mission is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, located at 428 S. Mission, was founded in 1771 and is a 215-yearold Roman Catholic mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. On July 11, 2020, a devastating fire broke and perished the mission church. The mission is being rebuilt and the completion of its restoration is anticipated in November of 2021. Meanwhile, a temporary roof was placed to protect the commenced work of the mission during the rainy season of 2020- 2021. The aim of the historic preservationist and conservationist teams are to rebuild it to look the way it was.
In 2020, San Gabriel used a new technique to repave 12 miles of streets, including main arterial streets going through the city. This year, San Gabriel plans to use portions of their 2021 Community Block Development Grant to continue street repavement of additional streets in the city of San Gabriel in accordance with the city’s Pavement Rehabilitation Project.
Temple City
The Temple City City Council has approved to award a Public Works Contract to CEM Construction Corp for the Primrose Park Project. This authorizes the City Manager to execute the Contract in an amount of $2,470,087.50. The City Council was awarded a Contract for Direct Purchasing of Playground and Exercise Equipment and Flower shaped Shades Equipment thru CMAS (California Multiple Award Schedules) or other Purchasing Systems used by Public Agencies. This authorizes the City Manager to execute the Contract in an amount not to exceed $425,000. The City expects to receive $2,972,058.00 funding from California Department of Parks & Recreation for Primrose Park (Proposition 68 Grant) for this project.
Temple City City Council’s approval of the Third Amendment to the Agreement with Athens Services for collection of solid waste, recyclables, and yard waste to comply with State law and will transition residential customers to multi-cart container automated collection system and once-a-week pick up verses two days a week pickup. All single family residential customers will receive new standard 64-gallon carts, which are specially designed plastic wheeled containers (regular waste, recyclables, and green/organic food waste) without charge. Single-family residents may choose to have a 96 gallon container or a 32-gallon container for a slightly different monthly service rate. Qualifying seniors who are the head-of -household living in singlefamily residence may opt to receive base service at a reduced rate utilizing 32-gallon carts. Commercial customers and the multi-family housing complexes that use bin services will also be receiving new bins in most cases. Similar to residential customers, commercial and multifamily customers will require separate organics collection to comply with the State law. The two days a week pickup to one day would translate to less trucks on the road. Athens will also be providing new clean-fuel collection vehicles. The completion of this conversion to this new system will be by July 1, 2021.
BizFed
Chaired by Senator Scott Wiener, the California Senate Housing Committee will discuss and take action on SB 15, a forward-thinking bill, that will increase workforce housing production.
BizFed SUPPORTS SB 15 (Portantino) as it will provide sales tax rebates to local governments when they convert idle commercial sites and buildings to workforce housing. SB 15 will enable local cities to receive from HCD the average of the annual amount of sales tax revenue generated by that site for the last seven (7) years if the site has been converted and occupied with new housing. The city would expect to receive that averaged amount for a total of seven years.
Office of Senator Anthony J. Portantino SB 15–Fact Sheet Contact: Tara McGee – (916) 651- 4025 or Tara.McGee@sen.ca.gov.
BizFed OPPOSES AB 273, as introduced, Irwin. Cannabis: advertisements: highways.
Existing law, (the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), an initiative measure approved as Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election), authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adultuse cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. Existing law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), among other things, consolidates the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities. MAUCRSA generally divides responsibility for the state licensure and regulation of commercial cannabis activity among the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Public Health, and the Bureau of Cannabis Control, which MAUCRSA establishes within the Department of Consumer Affairs.
MAUCRSA prohibits a licensee from advertising or marketing on a billboard or similar advertising device located on an interstate highway or on a state highway that crosses the California border. This bill instead would prohibit a licensee from advertising or marketing on a billboard or similar advertising device visible from an interstate highway or on a state highway within California.
Legislative Report Contributors: - Tom Tseng, Alhambra City Liaison, Global Business Council Vice Chair - Tomas Wong, Monterey Park City Liaison, Legislative Committee Chair - Mindy Yeh, Rosemead City Liaison, 2020/2021 President - Nanette Ong, San Gabriel City Liaison, Membership/Special Events Chair - Shun Zhang, Temple City City Liaison, Global Business Council Chair - Lucia Tam, Liaison to BizFed
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