Townsend briefs Soledad on 2024 legislation and $3.3M grant pipeline

Andres Ramirez of Townsend Public Affairs told the City Council on May 1 that the 2024 legislative calendar is narrowing and that the state’s May budget revision and mid-May appropriations deadlines will shape which bills remain viable. “The legislature just finished the house of origin committee deadline,” Ramirez said, and noted the governor’s May revision and the June 15 budget deadline that could shift funding availability.

Ramirez described recent advocacy in Sacramento at the Cal Cities summit and urged the council to consider a small legislative subcommittee to monitor fast-moving bills and advise the city on letters of support or opposition. He highlighted the city’s formal positions taken so far and discussed ballot measures that could affect local revenue, including the Taxpayer Protection Act and ACA 1.

Anastasia Heaton, Townsend’s grants lead, reported the firm’s 2023 grant work (two awarded, three unawarded, one pending) and said the city currently has roughly $3.3 million in pending grant requests, including applications for Safe Streets and Integrated Climate Adaptation Planning in May and additional competitive proposals in June. She urged staff coordination to strengthen future submissions.

Council members pressed for follow-up on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity funding; Townsend said it would share a short list of AI-related bills and noted a pending Cal OES cybersecurity grant the city is monitoring.

City Manager and council members thanked Townsend for the results. The council asked staff to circulate the city’s legislative platform and to consider the recommended recurring subcommittee and targeted advocacy trips to Sacramento or Washington, D.C.

Next steps: staff will distribute Townsend’s written summaries and return with options for a council legislative subcommittee and a narrowed set of grant priorities.