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council Meeting: October 9, 1990
Santa Monica, California
To: Mayor and City Council
From: City Staff
Subject: Recommendation to Authorize Submittal of Proposed
Resolutions Relating to Home1essness, Renewable Energy
Resources and Water Conservation for Consideration at the
National League of cities Annual Congress of cities
INTRODUCTION
This report requests authorization by City Council to submit
proposed resolutions to the National League of cities for
consideration at the National League of cities Annual Congress of
Cities on December 1-5, 1990, in Houston, Texas.
DISCUSSION
Prior to the annual meeting of the League of Cities, member cities
are invited to submit proposed resolutions for possible adoption
by the Congress of Cities. Those resolutions which are adopted
typically endorse or oppose specific congressional bills or current
Presidential positions. They are transmitted to appropriate federal
officials immediately following the annual meeting. The specific
guidelines for separate resolutions are as follows:
a. they shall--in their subject matter--concern shared
pol icy and program needs I
issues or problems of the
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OCT 9 1990
nation's municipal governments~
b. they shall be concerned with federal government policy
and, therefore, be addressed to federal government
pOlicy-makers;
c. they shall neither contradict nor duplicate existing NLC
policy statements, except where they are intended to
amend or repeal such policy;
d. they shall not compromise the independence or integrity
of individual member cities to pursue any course of
action adopted by appropriate municipal policy-making
bodies; and
e. they shall not compromise the budget-making, program
determining or priority setting role of the NLC Board;
f. non-continuing separate resolutions shall be considered
only when they do not conflict with or contradict the
existing National Municipal POlicy of the NLC.
The proposed resolutions which are recommended to be submitted to
the National League of Cities Congress are attached for your
review. They pertain to the fOllowing national issues:
homelessness, renewable energy resources and water conservation.
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These three issues represent only a few of the City's major policy
concerns but are certainly among the most significant national
issues which impact Santa Monica.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
There is no budget/fiscal impact associated with this staff report.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the City Council authorize the submittal of
the attached proposed resolutions to the National League of cities
for consideration at the Annual Congress of cities.
Prepared by:
stan Scholl, Director of General Services
Peggy Curran, Director of C&ED
Barbara Stinchfield, Community and Neighborhood
Services Manager
Craig Perkins, Admin/Environmental Services Manager
Susan Munves, Administrative Analyst
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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
DECLARATION OF A "STATE OF EMERGENCY" REGARDING HOMELESSNESS
WHEREAS, communities nationwide are experiencing a dramatic
increase in the numbers of homeless persons residing
within their boundaries; and
WHEREAS, these increasing numbers of homeless persons place an
enormous burden on the ability of cities and local
networks of non-profit agencies to create effective
responses; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Government has in the last decade
substantially decreased its funding commitment in the
areas of employment and training, housing and community
development, health and human services; and
WHEREAS, since 1980 T Budget Authority for all federal housing
assistance programs has been cut by more than 75
percent - from $32 billion to $7.5 billion a year:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National League of Cities
declares a "national state of emergency" regarding
homelessness: and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National League of Cities urges
the Bush Administration and all members of Congress to
work quickly and cooperatively to respond to this
national emergency with the same sense of urgency
accorded other natural and economic disasters facing
the nation: and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National League of cities
supports the reauthorization and full funding of the
stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, including
amendments that give localities increased flexibil1ty
to use McKinney Act funds to respond to the unique and
changing needs of their communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National League of Cities
supports all legislation that restores and further
strengthens the Federal Government's role in providing
much needed affordable housing, health, and employment
and training programs that address the root causes of
homelessness.
Submitted by: City of Santa Monica
Date Received:
Referred to:
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES
WHEREAS, a reduction in the reliance by the United States on
non-renewable energy resources is a key element in our overall
national security; and
WHEREAS, the wasteful use of fossil fuels has contributed to
an unfavorable United States trade balance and has caused
significant environmental pollution; and
WHEREAS, the negative environmental impacts from the
production of nuclear energy are too great to be acceptable at
the present time;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the National League of
cities supports a national policy which promotes the use of
renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, safe alternative
fuels and non-environmentally destructive hydroelectricity and
reduces the national reliance on fossil fuels through strict
mileage requirements for new vehicles and strong incentives for
energy conservation by all sectors of the economy.
Submitted by: City of Santa Monica
Date Received:
Referred to:
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
WATER CONSERVATION
WHEREAS, the nation's water resources are increasingly
threatened by industrial and agricul tural pollutants and
shortsighted planning and management practices; and
WHEREAS, continued inattention to the threats
national resource will result in potentially severe
consequences and irreversible environmental damage;
to this
economic
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the National League of
Cities supports a national policy which aggressively promotes the
conservation, renewal, and protection of water resources through
stringent efficiency standards for plumbing fixtures, economic
incentives for reduced agricultural water use, stricter water
quality and pollution control measures, and greatly increased
investment in water reclamation projects.
Submitted by: City of Santa Monica
Date Received:
Referred to: