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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB2586_LtrToBrown_20160920Office of the City Councl'l ("A 14011-324`-` 0 Pahn, Stre,­_t San Luks 01r,,tispo. 4 September 20, 2016 The Honorable Jerry Brown Governor, State of California State Capitol, First Floor Sacramento, CA 95814 Via email :leor �u� n . t fa) aov. c ca.goy lti RE: AB 2586 (Gatto). Par (as enrolled) Request for VETO Dear Governor Brown: The City San Luis Obispo respectfully requests your veto on AB 2586 (Gatto), which would restrict the ability of local governments to regulate local parking. This bill unnecessarily upends local authority to regulate parking, an authority that cities have had since at least 1959. In 2013, the state enacted AB 61 (Gatto, Chapter 71, Statutes of 2013), a bill narrowly targeted at broken parking meters which is set to expire at the end of this year. The bill currently before you, AB 25 86, if signed will permanently delete the sunset of AB 61, despite some preliminary evidence that vandalism has increased since its passage. It should also be noted that most cities do not have any parking meters at all, other cities already had existing ordinances to not ticket cars at broken meters, and broken meters typically represent a fraction of all meters in the cities that have them, making this an unusual candidate for permanent statewide policy. Furthermore, AB 2586 goes beyond the expiring provisions and meddles into city street sweeping and contracting activities. The bill takes a one -size -fits -all approach by requiring that cities make parking promptly available once street sweeping and other maintenance activities have been provided. For most cities, this is not only impractical, but also a waste of limited resources. The bill also prohibits cities that contract out for parking enforcement from providing contract incentives. Our local streets and roads are an essential part of our overall infrastructure and provide much more than just parking for our residents. Our urban forestry, undergrounded %-1 utilities, stormwater ways, and other essential infrastructure are inextricably linked to our local streets and roads. While parking is something cities strive to make available as much as possible, our residents also expect their cities to deliver other services, such as tree trimming, garbage collection, and debris removal. This bill would only create confusion on when someone can or cannot park in any given spot, potentially leading to more tickets and more frustration for our residents without providing any meaningful benefits. No entity is better equipped than local government to regulate the parking needs of its residents and as cities continue to demonstrate their willingness to adapt to those needs, it is unnecessary for the state to insert itself into this core local issue. For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo requests your veto of AB 2586. Sincerely, Jan owell Marx Mayor Cc: San Luis Obispo City Council State Assembly Member Mike Gatto, fax (916) 319 - 2143 State Senator Bill Morning, fax (916) 651 — 4917 State Assembly Member Katcho Achadjian, fax (916) 319-2135 Michael Martinez, Deputy Legislative Secretarv., Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr, fax (916) 558-3177 Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities, dmuIIinax(a,)cacities.org Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, mdesmond(iDcacities.grg