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q.A -11 Legislative Bill Action ................................ ............................... as well as to consolidate this program with related historical preservation services provided through the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP). The Main Street Program has been a successful program from many years providing technical assistance to communities seeking to reinvigorate their historic downtowns, and promoting local economic development. The author is continuing to purse the restoration of budget funds for this popular program. The League supports programs that assist local economic development efforts. If consolidating the Main Street program within the OHP is a means of preserving this popular pro- gram in the current budget environment, then it is worth supporting. Staff. Dan Carrigg, Status: Passed the AsJbEcDev &Ecnmy on April 22nd, will be heard next in Arts April 29th, Position: Sup- port. AB 1426 (Steinberg) Sacramento Region: Affordable Housing Standard. As introduced, AB 1426 would create a pilot affordable housing production standard program within Sacramento region. All communities are essentially required to participate in the program and the bill outlines actions communities must take in order to pro- duce more affordable housing. Other provisions of AB 1426 would provide cities that meet the affordable housing production standards with priority status for as yet unspecified grant funds and penalize those communities that fall short of the goals established by the bill. Although the legislation only applies to the Sacramento region, the League remains con- cerned that AB 1426 would establish statewide precedents that could be detrimental to jurisdic- tions beyond the bill's influence. In addition, the bill includes a number of provisions that closely resemble legislation the League is on record opposing, including provisions which would eliminate public hearings for any residential developments or select commercial mixed use projects and allow developers to appeal local land use decisions to the State Tax Credit Allocation Commission. Since last fall, discussions about the develop- ment of an affordable housing standard have been underway in the Sacramento Region. Although this bill is considered to be a "work in progress; a number of affected jurisdictions have recently come out in opposition. Staff: Dan Carrigg, Status: Pending in Senate Housing and Commu- nity Development Committee, Position: Watch. A letter outlining the League's concerns has been sent to the author. AB 1268 (Wiggins) Inclusionary Zoning, Urban Growth Boundaries. AB 1268 was re- cently amended to require general plans to identify 20 -year urban growth boundaries, beyond which infrastructure services cannot extend. In addition, this legislation would require all jurisdictions to adopt inclusionary zoning by January 2005. This rather extreme proposal conflicts with existing annexation and sphere of influence laws, as well as mandates inclusionary housing statewide. The momentum on this proposal is questionable, however, it is worth paying attention to. Staff Dan Carrigg, Status: Assembly Local Government Committee; Hearing 4/30, Position: Oppose. ENVIRONMENTAL AB 334 (Goldberg). Water Softeners. Cities and other local governments need the authority to regulate water softeners in a way that meets their specific needs and water quality challenges. AB 334 would delete restrictions in existing law that limit how cities and counties may regulate water softeners and instead authorize cities to regulate water softeners. Specifically, the bill would autho- rize a city, county, or special district to adopt an ordinance to "limit the availability or use, or prohibit the installation, of water softening or conditioning appliances that discharge to the community sewer system." Self- regenerating water softeners continually discharge salt into public sewer sys- tems, which makes it difficult for waste water systems to meet their NPDES permit require- ments in addition to causing serious environmen- tal and health problems. Staff: Yvonne Hunter, Visit the League's Official Web Site-- www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 17