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Record of Proceedings

Law and Legislation Committee Special Meeting Summary – April 20, 2021

Law and Legislation Committee — Tuesday, April 20, 2021
BodySacramento, California
SessionLaw and Legislation Committee
DateTuesday, April 20, 2021
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:19

Chair Shneer's staff is ready when you are.

0:22

Great.

0:23

Let's go ahead and call this meeting of the law and legislation committee to order.

0:27

It is 420, which is appropriate since we have a cannabis item on the agenda today.

0:34

Let's go ahead and call the role to establish the quorum.

0:38

Thank you.

0:38

Councilmember Harris.

0:40

Here.

0:41

Council Member Valenzuela.

0:44

Here.

0:44

Chair Shaneer.

0:46

Here.

0:47

And I expect Councilmember Guetta momentarily.

0:50

Okay, great.

0:51

Well, we'll go ahead and get started.

0:53

We have a very full agenda today.

0:56

So let's go ahead and start with the consent calendar.

1:00

Any comments or questions on the consent calendar?

1:03

Chair, I do have a question or actually I just let a request of uh Consuelo on the advocacy position letters.

1:12

I'd just like to ask that when there are issues that have to do with water or water agencies that they'd be brought to my attention before they go on the log uh as chair of the water committee so we can decide whether or not it's appropriate to discuss our water committee.

1:29

Okay, we'll do.

1:30

Thank you, Consuelo.

1:31

Other than that, I'll move consent.

1:33

Okay, so we have a motion.

1:35

A second.

1:36

And the second, uh, please call the roll.

1:40

And for the record, I have no callers on the consent calendar.

1:43

Thank you.

1:43

Council.

1:44

The record appreciates that.

1:45

Thank you.

1:46

Councilmember Harris.

1:47

Aye.

1:48

Councilmember Valenzuela.

1:50

Yes.

1:51

Chair Shaneer.

1:53

Yes.

1:54

And Councilmember Gay is absent.

1:57

Okay.

1:59

Um let's go ahead with item four.

2:03

And I know that Mr.

2:05

Gera has some of this was uh emanated from his office.

2:11

But uh let's go ahead and get that started.

2:14

And Madam Clerk, maybe you could check with his office and check on his timing.

2:22

All right.

2:22

Good afternoon, Council members.

2:24

My name is Garrett Norman, associate planner, and I'm here to introduce the 2021 Title 17 omnibus ordinance or often referred to as the bundle.

2:33

Staff proposes an omnibus ordinance for the planning and development code on an annual basis to help keep the code internally consistent and up to date.

2:40

Most of the amendments are administrative cleanup items that delete old code references, fix typographic errors, or provide better clarification to certain standards.

2:49

At times, more substantive amendments are included, which I will focus on for this presentation.

2:55

The first is to the highway commercial zone or the HC zone.

2:59

Staff is proposing to add two new land uses, commercial services and alcohol sales for off-site consumption.

3:05

The commercial services, which includes daily services like salons and dry cleaners, will be allowed by right.

3:11

The alcohol sales will allow for a CUP process at the planning and commission planning commission level, which is typically requested by a gas station operators who are likely located in the highway commercial or HC zone.

3:25

The second amendment is to codify into city code a requirement for indemnification on planning entitlement applications.

3:34

This will only apply on third-party appeals, like from a neighbor, or if the city loses and needs to recoup damages.

3:40

It also only applies if the city must use outside council to help with the case.

3:45

However, the attorney's office has told us that it is uncommon to rely on outside council to defend projects, and they do every effort to litigate in-house.

3:55

This amendment helps the city minimize risk to the city's budget and recoup the actual cost of development and is common in jurisdictions across California.

4:04

The third amendment is related to correctional facilities definition, and it's a revision to the definition to make it more clear how this land use is applied and accounts for, and it accounts for a recent zoning administrator interpretation that occurred a few years ago and was upheld by the planning commission to include a day reporting center under this definition, which requires a conditional use permit at the planning commission level.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Cannabis Regulation██████████████████████████████████34%
Shared Mobility Regulation████████████████████20%
Land Use Planning████████████████16%
Healthcare Policy███████████████15%
Community Engagement█████5%
Public Safety████4%
Procedural███3%
Housing██2%
Environmental Health█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Law and Legislation Committee Special Meeting – April 20, 2021

The Law and Legislation Committee met on April 20, 2021, at 12:30 p.m. via teleconference to discuss six agenda items, including consent calendar items and three substantive discussion items related to planning code amendments, the Cannabis Opportunity Reinvestment and Equity (CORE) Program, and shared-rideable regulatory changes. Public comments were received on items 5, 6, and matters not on the agenda. Key decisions included continuing the Title 17 omnibus ordinance for one month, recommending a one-year extension of the CORE pilot program, and forwarding shared-rideable ordinance changes to City Council with a request for a six-month report on fine pass-through.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1 – Law and Legislation Log: Approved by motion (Harris/Valenzuela).
  • Item 2 – Legislative Advocacy Correspondence: Received and filed.
  • Item 3 – Parks and Community Enrichment Commission Ordinance: Reviewed and forwarded to City Council; expands commission from 11 to 12 members and adjusts voting minimums.
  • The consent calendar was passed unanimously (Harris, Valenzuela, Schenirer; Guerra absent).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 5 – CORE Program: Three callers spoke:
    • Pat Van Cushita (President/CEO, Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber) expressed support for making the program permanent, noting the chamber's role in delivering business education.
    • Malachi (Institute for More) urged the city to address all core and equity issues together, requesting exclusive licensing for core participants until 50% of all licenses are held by core businesses, and directing all cannabis tax revenue to an equity fund.
    • Raquel Brown (core graduate) supported continuing the program, emphasizing the need to achieve social equity and generational wealth, and raised concerns about delivery caps in District 6.
  • Item 6 – Shared-Rideable Changes: One caller spoke:
    • Bob (Bird Scooters) supported most staff recommendations but expressed concern about the lock-to requirement, noting it could limit availability in opportunity areas lacking bike racks; suggested alternatives like community outreach and rider accountability.
  • Public Comments – Matters Not on the Agenda: Seven callers spoke in favor of a city resolution supporting single-payer healthcare (CalCare AB 1400 and federal Medicare for All HR 1976). Speakers included residents, nurses, and community organizers who shared personal stories of medical debt, coverage gaps, and the impact on families and retirees.

Discussion Items

  • Item 4 – 2021 Title 17 Omnibus Ordinance (Bundle): Staff presented amendments including new uses in highway commercial zones, indemnification requirements, correctional facility definitions, temporary shelter siting adjustments, and industrial zone changes for urban agriculture and gas stations. Councilmember Valenzuela raised concerns about shelter bed thresholds (24 vs. 80), zoning administrator-initiated special planning district changes, and the CUP requirement for urban agriculture in industrial zones. Councilmember Guerra echoed concerns and requested stakeholder meetings with industrial community. Councilmember Harris noted state law compliance for shelter siting. The committee voted unanimously to continue the item for one month to allow further discussion and stakeholder outreach.
  • Item 5 – Cannabis Opportunity Reinvestment and Equity (CORE) Program: Staff recommended making the program permanent and adopting interim benefits (expedited permits, fee waivers, technical assistance, workforce development). Councilmember Harris argued it was premature without a comprehensive analysis and proposed extending the program for one year. Councilmember Guerra supported extension but raised concerns about waiving the 1% neighborhood responsibility fee. Councilmember Valenzuela supported a one-year extension and noted cannabis tax revenue growth. Chair Schenirer agreed to extend for one year pending a broader cannabis program review. The committee voted unanimously to recommend a one-year extension to Council.
  • Item 6 – Shared-Rideable Regulatory Changes: Staff presented recommendations from council direction and lessons learned: integrated locking mechanisms (lock-to), driver’s license scanning for e-scooters, per-trip invoicing, reduced bike fees, and removal of parking meter impact fee. The Disabilities Advisory Commission expressed strong support for braille and enforcement. Lieutenant Sood noted ongoing issues with speeding and sidewalk blocking, especially in Old Sacramento. The committee forwarded the ordinance to City Council with a motion by Councilmember Harris, seconded by Chair Schenirer, with a request for a six-month report on fines passed to riders.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (3-0, Guerra absent).
  • Item 4 (Title 17 Omnibus): Continued for one month by a 4-0 vote (Guerra, Harris, Valenzuela, Schenirer) to allow stakeholder meetings and address committee concerns.
  • Item 5 (CORE Program): Committee recommended (4-0) extending the pilot program for one year, not permanent, pending a comprehensive cannabis program analysis expected in fall 2021. The 1% neighborhood fee waiver for core participants remains in effect.
  • Item 6 (Shared-Rideable): Ordinance forwarded to City Council with a 3-0 vote (Guerra absent). Councilmember Valenzuela requested a six-month follow-up report on fine pass-through to riders.
  • Future Agenda Requests:
    • Councilmember Valenzuela requested agendizing discussion on conditional use permits for cannabis in C-3 zones and a resolution supporting Medicare for All and CalCare.
    • Councilmember Guerra requested adding workforce development and worker safety issues for the cannabis industry to the Law and Legislation log.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 1:59 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Chair Shneer's staff is ready when you are. Great. Let's go ahead and call this meeting of the law and legislation committee to order. It is 420, which is appropriate since we have a cannabis item on the agenda today. Let's go ahead and call the role to establish the quorum. Thank you. Councilmember Harris. Here. Council Member Valenzuela. Here. Chair Shaneer. Here. And I expect Councilmember Guetta momentarily. Okay, great. Well, we'll go ahead and get started. We have a very full agenda today. So let's go ahead and start with the consent calendar. Any comments or questions on the consent calendar? Chair, I do have a question or actually I just let a request of uh Consuelo on the advocacy position letters. I'd just like to ask that when there are issues that have to do with water or water agencies that they'd be brought to my attention before they go on the log uh as chair of the water committee so we can decide whether or not it's appropriate to discuss our water committee. Okay, we'll do. Thank you, Consuelo. Other than that, I'll move consent. Okay, so we have a motion. A second. And the second, uh, please call the roll. And for the record, I have no callers on the consent calendar. Thank you. Council. The record appreciates that. Thank you. Councilmember Harris. Aye. Councilmember Valenzuela. Yes. Chair Shaneer. Yes. And Councilmember Gay is absent. Okay. Um let's go ahead with item four. And I know that Mr. Gera has some of this was uh emanated from his office. But uh let's go ahead and get that started. And Madam Clerk, maybe you could check with his office and check on his timing. All right. Good afternoon, Council members. My name is Garrett Norman, associate planner, and I'm here to introduce the 2021 Title 17 omnibus ordinance or often referred to as the bundle. Staff proposes an omnibus ordinance for the planning and development code on an annual basis to help keep the code internally consistent and up to date. Most of the amendments are administrative cleanup items that delete old code references, fix typographic errors, or provide better clarification to certain standards. At times, more substantive amendments are included, which I will focus on for this presentation.

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