Sacramento Law and Legislation Committee Meeting – December 1, 2020
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Sacramento Law and Legislation Committee Meeting – December 1, 2020
The Law and Legislation Committee of the Sacramento City Council met virtually on December 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. via teleconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee reviewed the 2021 Planning Work Program, discussed an ordinance related to commercial solid waste management, and handled routine consent items. Key decisions included forwarding the Planning Work Program to the City Council and continuing the solid waste ordinance to the December 15, 2020 meeting.
Consent Calendar
- Law and Legislation Log (Item 1) – Approved unanimously (3-0, with Councilmember Hansen absent) as part of the Consent Calendar. The log is a routine summary of legislative activities and positions.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were received for any agenda items or for matters not on the agenda.
Discussion Items
2021 Planning Work Program (Item 2)
- Greg Sandlund, Acting Planning Director, presented the 2021 Planning Work Program, developed with input from the Planning and Design Commission. Key elements included state-mandated documents (e.g., Housing Element due mid-2021), the 2040 General Plan update, climate action initiatives, and the Stockton Boulevard specific plan. The program also includes staff capacity of 11 full-time staff and highlighted commission-recommended changes such as eliminating parking minimums citywide.
- Committee members discussed the value of reviewing the work program annually at this committee. Councilmember Schenirer questioned whether it should bypass the committee, but Councilmembers Guerra, Hansen, and Harris supported bringing it to Law and Legislation for substantive discussion before City Council. Councilmember Schenirer requested staff include an evaluation of community outreach methods and interdepartmental coordination in the work program.
- The committee approved forwarding the work program to City Council (4-0).
Commercial Solid Waste Management Ordinance (Item 3)
- Erin Treadwell, Integrated Waste Compliance Manager, presented an ordinance to establish city regulations for commercial solid waste management, following the county's withdrawal from the Sacramento Regional Solid Waste Authority. The city must assume enforcement by July 1, 2021. Key points included franchise agreements, generator recycling requirements, enforcement procedures, and the use of franchise fees (proposed as a multi-year operating project rather than an enterprise fund). Treadwell cautioned that delays could jeopardize the timeline for issuing franchise agreements.
- Councilmember Guerra moved to continue the item, citing haulers' requests for more time to review the code. Councilmember Harris supported a two-week continuance, noting haulers had already had a month and one meeting. Councilmember Hansen raised concerns about operational issues in mixed-use areas and the need for community outreach. After discussion, the committee voted unanimously to continue the item to the December 15, 2020 meeting, with staff to check in with the chair in about a week.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the Law and Legislation Log (3-0).
- Forwarded the 2021 Planning Work Program to City Council (4-0).
- Continued the Commercial Solid Waste Management Ordinance to the December 15, 2020 Law and Legislation Committee meeting (4-0).
Meeting Transcript
We good to go. Staff is ready when you are. All right. Let's uh call this meeting of the law and legislation committee to order. Please call the role to establish the quorum. Councilmember Harris. Present. Councilmember Gana. Here. Chair Shane. And I do expect Council Member Hanson. He's not here yet. Okay. Let's uh go ahead and get started. See if we can go through the log. Any questions on that? Item one. No, I'll move consent. Chair. I'll second that consent. All right. All those in favor saying oh, I can't do it. I'm sorry. Hello. Council member Heron. I council member Geta. Hi. And Chair Shaneer. Aye. All right. Let's go to item two planning work program. Mr. Sandland, how are you today? Good afternoon, Chair Shaneer, members of the law and legislation committee. My name is Greg Sanlin, Acting Planning Director. And today I'd like to share with you the 2021 planning work program. Get that up on the screen. I thought we banned ties from this committee. Bad habit. So this is the first time we are taking a work program to the planning and design commission committee as well as council. This came out of an ad hoc committee of the planning and design commission. The commission is looking at getting more involved with planning policy and initiatives, taking a greater role in that. And so they wanted a process where they could weigh in on our planning divisions, um, policy initiatives for the coming year. And so the process we're looking at is two meetings with the planning and design commission. So in September, I presented an initial draft work program to the commission, received comments and questions, and then in a report back in October, respond to their comments and recommendations. Um and then they forwarded the revised work program on the council. So I'm here today, December, um, before the committee for your review and comment or your recommendations, any changes or questions you have about the work program. And then we hope to be before the council to approve the work program in January. And let me let me just ask why law and ledge versus just going to the planning commission. Is this a one-time deal for us?
openpublica.com