HomeMy WebLinkAboutSB 231ENROLLED_LtrToBrown_20171003Office of the City Council
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249
805.781 7114
sloay of J
September 29, 2017
The Honorable Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 558-3160
RE: SB 231 (Hertzberg). Local L-overnment: fees and charLres.
Request for SIGNATURE (As Enrolled)
Dear Governor Brown:
The City of San Luis Obispo strongly urges you to sign SB 231, which would add storm
water to the definition of "sewer" in the Proposition 218 Omnibus Implementation Act, and
is an important step toward smarter utilization of wastewater as an integral part of both
sewer and water systems.
As storm water washes down city roads, parking lots, lawns and buildings, it picks up major
pollutants including sediment, oil and grease, metals and other toxins which require city
clean-up. Options for cities to pay for this clean-up effort are limited. SB 231 provides a
needed tool to assist cities in complying with federal and state storm water clean-up
requirements by clarifying how local governments may use a constitutionally -permissible
property -related service fee to safely and effectively manage storm and flood waters.
State and federal clean water laws combine to require cities, counties, and other local
governments that own storm water systems to reduce the level of pollutants discharged.
Compliance with the state and federal requirements is costly, with local governments facing
annual funding shortfalls. In 2015, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) estimated
the funding gap at approximately $500-800 million annually. Failure to comply with state
and federal requirements can result in fines of up to $10,000 per contaminant per day.
We are happy to support a bill that maintains the strict transparency and accountability
requirements in Proposition 218, which ensure that local fees be used only for the purposes
for which they were collected and only in amounts necessary to meet local needs.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo urges you to sign your SB 231.
Sincerely,
l
N
Heidi Harmon
Mayor, City of San Luis Obispo
cc: The Honorable Robert Hertzberg, fax (916) 651-4918
Tom Dyer, Office of Governor Brown (916) 558-3160
San Luis Obispo City Council
State Senator Bill Monning, fax (916) 651 — 4917
State Assembly Member Jordan Cunningham, fax (916) 319-2135
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities, dmullinax(n4cacities.org
Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, mdesmond(a,cacities.org