October 13, 2016   PROPOSITIONS Proposition 54 would put California bills online for 3 days (Los Angeles Daily News) Activists are asking voters to outlaw that practice in November through Proposition 54, an effort to increase transparency in the Legislature. The measure would require bills to be available for public viewing online for three days before the full Senate or Assembly could vote on them, make the Legislature record and publish videos of all public hearings and allow anyone attending to photograph or record them. Supporters say the three-day bill notice will give lawmakers a chance to read legislation before voting on it, give reporters time to cover it and give Californians an opportunity to weigh in.   No on Prop 53: Outsiders would get voice on local projects (San Diego Union-Tribune) Proposition 53 will lead to lawsuits, delays and higher costs to taxpayers by placing our local projects at the mercy of voters in other areas of the state who don’t even use or pay for these local projects. Voters in Redding and San Jose would vote on improvements that will impact our local economy and quality of life and create jobs. These faraway voters would control our ability to finance improvements to the Coronado Bridge or to San Diego International Airport, and for new classrooms, research labs, student housing and medical facilities at UC San Diego or San Diego State University. And these are only the consequences that we can predict about this ambiguous yet far-reaching measure. The nonpartisan state Legislative Analyst’s Office said the financial impact of Prop 53 is “subject to considerable uncertainty.”   TRANSPORTATION / INFRASTRUCTURE State testing ways to tax road usage, separate from the gas tax (Capital Public Radio) Some 5,000 drivers are taking part in the pilot program – among them is Kelly Garman. Garman works for the American Council of Engineering Companies in California, a group that lobbies for more money for roads. And she’s testing a device plugged into her car to track how much she drives. Last month she got a pretend bill, showing how much she would’ve paid under a road usage charge, compared to the existing gas tax. The gas tax is a declining revenue source, because of electric cars and more fuel-efficient gas and diesel vehicles.   HOMELESSNESS / POVERTY Santa Rosa expands homeless program (Press Democrat) The Santa Rosa City Council, which declared a state of emergency over homelessness in August, wielded its new powers Tuesday to expand a program that allows some private groups to serve the homeless on their properties. The decision allows religious organizations and other private groups to operate overnight shelters, safe camping programs and other services for the homeless year round. Authority to operate these seasonal programs expired in April, though faith organizations continued to serve the homeless on their properties. Without the emergency declaration, it could have taken the city up to nine months to expand the scope of the Community Homeless Assistance Program. But the state of emergency allowed the city to suspend its normal procedures for approving changes to the program and immediately expand its scope without the normal public input process.   Long Beach to study ‘safe parking’ program for homeless (Long Beach Press-Telegram) Long Beach is exploring a new homeless program that would provide safe parking overnight for people living in their vehicles. Modeled after several California cities, the program would also offer basic essential services and connect people with programs that could help them find permanent housing. The idea took root last week at a City Council meeting, the same night the dais was discussing the current state of homelessness in Long Beach and talking about new parking restrictions for RVs and other oversized vehicles, which some said could unintentionally criminalize the homeless. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY State’s environmental program helps raise $64.5 million for housing in LA (Los Angeles Daily News) Several Los Angeles-based affordable housing complexes, including Watt’s Jordan Downs, will benefit from money raised through California’s cap-and-trade program, state and local representatives said Wednesday. Jordan Downs will receive $12 million for its first phase of construction, which includes $2 million for street improvements along Century Boulevard, from a committee that helps award grants and loans from proceeds raised by the cap-and-trade program. The Watts housing project is being remade into a $1 billion redevelopment offering affordable housing, retail, park space, and a community center.   CITY IN THE SPOTLIGHT Nearly 27 miles of new hiking trails coming to Catalina Island (Los Angeles Daily News) The latest and likely last, major expansion of trails on Catalina Island will begin Friday, when the island’s conservancy kicks off Trekking Catalina. The project, part of a larger strategic plan for the island called Imagine Catalina, will add nearly 27 miles of trails. The new pathways will be scattered along the island’s existing trails, creating smaller loops out of major hiking thoroughfares like the Trans-Catalina Trail. It’s a perk for the visitors looking to take advantage of the 42,000 acres of open space on the island, said Tony Budrovich, president and CEO of the Catalina Island Conservancy.   Palm Desert honored for its First Weekend events (The Desert Sun) The city of Palm Desert has received a Helen Putnam Award in recognition of its First Weekend events. The award was presented in Long Beach last week during the League of California Cities annual conference. Palm Desert was among 12 cities to be recognized for their programs, city spokesman David Hermann said. Palm Desert won the Economic Development through the Arts award for First Weekend Palm Desert. The three-day citywide celebration of arts and culture occurs the first weekend of each month, November through May.

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