Stockton, CA – Yesterday, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved the 2023-2024 State and Federal legislative platforms which are playbooks that set forth County policy goals and priorities and provide general direction to departments and the County’s legislative advocates as they advance County interests.
The State platform includes four projects and 51 legislative or regulatory issues involving issues related to water, homelessness, behavioral health, transportation and infrastructure, and law and justice. Notably, the State platform incudes an item to provide funding for the Sheriff’s Office in regard to outlaw motorcycle gangs as well as providing for increase water reliability in meeting County agricultural, public, industrial, and ecosystem needs, particularly for funding new and replacement water infrastructure.
The Federal platform contains four projects and 34 legislative or regulatory issues related to water, specifically Emergency Management Performance grant funding for flood preparedness, transportation and infrastructure. It also seeks to obtain Federal funding to combat illegal drugs, like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other narcotics, in addition to seeking funding for pest prevention and surveillance to protect the County’s $3.2 billion-dollar agricultural commodities.
As part of the State legislative platform report, the Board heard a presentation about Assembly Bill 305 from Israel Landa, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua. The measure, which is authored by Assemblymember Villapudua, would enact the California Flood Protection Bond Act of 2024. If approved by the voters, it would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $4.5 billion for flood protection projects, many of which are proposed for the Central Valley. If the bill becomes law, a measure would be placed on the ballot for voter consideration during November 5, 2024, Statewide general election.
The Board also discussed the TradePort California Project (TPCA) which is proposed to deliver a next-generation ecosystem for goods movement and boost the economic competitiveness of California’s economy while vastly improving air quality and reducing highway road congestion and maintenance needs on State Route 99.
Implementation of the TPCA will require formation of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to serve as the governance structure and make administrative/management decisions related to the operation of the facility. The Board unanimously approved an item that directs County staff to enter into preliminary discussions related to the formation of the TradePort California Joint Powers Authority with the understanding that before entering into a formal agreement to participate in the TradePort California JPA, a resolution authorizing formal participation in the JPA will be brought back to the Board for consideration.
Supervisor Robert Rickman, Chair of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors concluded the discussion stating, “The proposed TCPA project will serve as a national model of coordinated multi-modal systems of integrated clean and highly efficient truck, rail, and cargo facilities. It would not only provide jobs and an economic boost to our region, it would also address national chain supply issues while helping to reduce overall pollution in our region. Even though this County and our Valley Air District have done a great job of drastically reducing air pollution over the past two decades, there’s always more that can be done and the TradePort will help facilitate that. We look forward to the next steps in developing this JPA.”
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