CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
Brian Dossey, City Manager
Have you driven by the Town Hall Renovation Project in the past few weeks? The project continues to move forward and now actually looks like a building, thanks to the concrete slab being poured and the walls starting to go up. You can clearly see the building taking shape. The final building construction is estimated to be completed during the summer with the parking lot and landscape features to be completed in the fall. Staff is also working to line up various subcontractors to work on Access Control (security) and Furniture and Equipment for the office space.
As you may know in November 2016, California voters approved proposition 64 allowing for the use of recreational cannabis in the state of California. Shortly afterwards, the City Council adopted an ordinance prohibiting all commercial activities surrounding the sale, growing, testing, etc. of cannabis products. At the January 10th City Council meeting, Council held a study session getting an update to the federal and state laws, information on cannabis permitting, and what other jurisdictions are doing in terms of commercial cannabis ventures. Upon conclusion of the study session, Council stated that they were comfortable with the current ordinance prohibiting cannabis commercial ventures in the Town of Colma; but would monitor how the recreation cannabis industry progresses over the next year or two, and may consider revisiting the issue in the future.
The Mercy Housing project on Mission Road seems to be moving along nicely. During the month of February, crews will continue to level and compact the site and start roughing in the parking area. Renovations on the historic pump building will begin including interior demolition and seismic upgrades. Towards the end of February the crews will begin on preparing the site for utilities.
NEW LAWS IN 2018
Christopher Diaz, City Attorney
It’s that time of year again. Sacramento’s efforts during the past legislative session in 2017 are coming into play now that the new year and effective date for many of these new laws is in effect. Below is a synopsis of various laws that may impact you and the Town in 2018.
AB 1625 — Inoperable parking meters. This measure prohibits local governments from ticketing cars parked at broken meters, but allows local governments to impose four-hour time limits at metered spaces for which tickets can still be issued even if a meter is broken and a car is parked longer than the allowed time frame. The bill also defines broken meters as meters that cannot physically accept payment.
AB 390 — Pedestrian crossing signals. Under existing law, a pedestrian facing a “WALK” or approved “Walking Person” symbol may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal. Existing law makes a violation of this provision a crime. This new law authorizes a pedestrian facing a flashing “DON’T WALK” or “WAIT” or approved “Upraised Hand” symbol with a “countdown” signal to proceed so long as he or she completes the crossing before the display of the steady “DON’T WALK” or “WAIT” or approved “Upraised Hand” symbol.
AB 1367 — Improper signature-gathering tactics. This bill makes it a crime, punishable by a fine not exceeding $5,000 or imprisonment for up to one year, or both, for any entity in charge of a person who knowingly directs an affiant to make a false affidavit, or who knows or should have reasonably known that the affiant has made a false affidavit concerning an initiative, referendum, or recall petition or the signatures appended to an initiative, referendum or recall petition contain a false affidavit.
SB 45 — Political Reform Act of 1974: mass mailing prohibition. This new law codifies the portion of the Political Reform Act of 1974 that prohibits sending mass mailings at public expense. The Act defines “mass mailing” as over 200 substantially similar pieces of mail not including form letters or other mail that is sent in response to an unsolicited request, letter, or other inquiry. An existing FPPC regulation prescribes criteria for mass mailings that are prohibited by the Act and for mass mailings that are permissible under the Act. The bill also prohibits a mass mailing from being sent within the 60 days preceding an election by or on behalf of a candidate whose name will appear on the ballot.
SB 226 — Political Reform Action of 1974: slate mailers by public safety personnel. The Political Reform Action of 1974 regulates a type of mass mailings known as slate mailers that support or oppose multiple candidates or ballot measures for an election. This bill requires slate mailers and mass mailings to disclose on the mailing, in a specified format, whether or not the slate mailer organization who sent them represents the public safety personnel and, if so, how many.
The above is just a short summary of some of the hundreds of bills that went into effect in 2018. I would encourage all of you to watch Sacramento closely in the coming year and get involved in the process early to ensure your voice is heard.