AgdaPkt 2009-05-18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Oppose Bill That Limits Local Authority to Seek Reimbursement for Emergency Response Expenses The League urges cities to oppose AB 1004 (Portantlno), a bill which would infringe on local authority to levy fees or seek reimbursement for emergency response costs unless that Incident Is clearly the fault of a non-resident of that local jurisdiction. In addition, AS 1004 could have far. reaching consequences that further limit a city's ability to levy fees on other public services. Take Actlonl The League encourages cities to send letters to their legislators requesting a "no. vote on AS 1004. A sample letter is available at www.cacities.oraIbillsearch by entering "AB 1004" In the search field. Support Greater Local Agency Flexibility In Alcoholic Beverage Licenses Review Send your S8 415 Letter to Your LegIs/ator Today The League urges cities to give their support to SB 415 (Oropeza), a bllt which would Increase local agency flexibility in reviewing alcoholic beverage license requests. Under current law, a city may request a 20 day extension in their review of alcoholic beverage license requests through their police chief. SB 415 would provide local agencies with an additional 10 days on the extension request, for a total of 30 days, to review the license requests and also allow any member of the city council, planning department, or law enforcement to ask for the 30 day extension. The 30 day review period would better accommodate public meeting schedules and ensure adequate staff review. This is especially important in these tough economic times as cities are reducing business hours and In some cases staff positions. Take action and send you letter of support today. A sample letter can be found online at www.caclties.ora/billsearch by entering "SB 415" In the search field. An Open Letter from CalPERS CEO to California Cities Dear League Member, As the new chief executive officer of CalPERS, I appredate this opportunity to Introduce myself and address a few topics of mutual Interest. As you may be aware, prior to my appointment as CEO, I was CaIPERS' ,chief operating Investment officer. Before that, I served as chief deputy State Treasurer. I recently had the opportunity to meet with League Executive Director Chris McKenzie and Deputy Executive Director Dwight Stenbakken to make sure that there are open lines of communication between CalPERS and our contracting cities. The meeting gave me a greater appreciation of the concerns of cities. There Is no question that we are in challenging economic times. By all accounts, we are in our deepest economic recession since the Great Depression. Our Investment and financial markets are being severely tested. All investors have seen significant lossot asset values, from personal retirement savings to big public pension funds like CaIPERS. If your city contracts with CalPERS for retirement benefits. you are understandably concerned about how recent Investment losses will affect your future retirement costs. The good news Is that your CalPERS employer contribution rates will be largely unchanged next year, the 2009--10 fiscal year. SA Page 13 4