By Reuben Duarte, Vice President for Policy and Legislation, and Lauren De Valencia, APA California Lobbyist
Summer Recess
The Legislature is on summer recess and will return on August 3. At that time, session will be busy with just four weeks to complete legislative work and send remaining bills to the Governor for consideration. Session will end on August 31, and the Governor will have until September 30 to act on bills that make it to his desk in the final days of session.
APA California continues to track nearly 300 bills of interest to planners while working on several. We continue to share position letters online and remember, and even if you don’t see a position letter on a particular bill, that doesn’t mean we aren’t working on it. We are often working in advance of taking a position to try and address concerns where possible or are asked to provide technical feedback on bills generally as they move. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have questions or thoughts on a particular bill or issue before the Legislature.
Stay Connected on Legislation
If you’re interested in receiving updates on legislative and regulatory issues from the Chapter’s Policy and Legislation Team, please join here. Have questions on policy and legislative related issues, including bills and regulations? APA California members are welcome to reach out to the VP for Policy and Legislation at [email protected].
APA California’s Work in the Legislature
APA California has a robust legislative program at the Chapter level that engages with the California Legislature. The Policy and Legislation team includes an elected VP for Policy and Legislation, two appointed Legislative Technical Advisors, and a Lobbyist retained by the Chapter.
The team engages directly with APA California Section Legislative Representatives from each of the 8 Sections within the Chapter to discuss feedback on legislation and other relevant issues regularly throughout the year. To view the Policy and Legislation team, visit the Board of Directors page.
APA California actively engages in many bills throughout the year. In fact, we work closely with legislative and committee staff on amendments and clarifications to bills before taking a position.
As an organization, APA California is often asked to provide feedback on planning related bills and provide technical expertise, giving a voice to planners and an opportunity to help shape legislation. This is a valuable role that the Chapter works hard to maintain. More broadly, we will continue to discuss the work planners are doing at the local level to implement and keep up with all the planning related bills that pass year over year and how that relates to the cumulative impact of bills on the table this year. We also continue seek opportunities to suggest tangible ways, absent fiscal resources at the state level, that the Legislature can help to make implementation more successful and support the planning community.