On an annual basis, in concurrence with Santa Clarita 2025, the Santa Clarita City Council adopts a Legislative Platform for the upcoming year. The purpose of the Legislative Platform is to outline the position of the City Council on priority issues and matters that impact the City’s ability to operate effectively, promote City interests and protect local authority. Furthermore, during the course of each year, the City Council reviews bills pending in Congress and the California Legislature.
The following are federal and state bills that the City Council has taken a position on during the current Federal and State Legislation Session. Included with each of the bills listed is a link to the bill language, the City’s staff report to the City Council regarding the measure, and letters to legislators communicating the City Council’s official position on each bill, which is reflective of the position adopted by the City Council.
Questions regarding the process for the City Council to consider specific legislation or the City Council’s position on federal or state bills may be directed to Masis Hagobian, Intergovernmental Relations Officer, at (661) 286-4057 or mhagobian@santaclarita.gov.
| 2021-2022 Legislation |
| 2019-2020 Legislation |
| 2017-2018 Legislation |
State Legislation
2023-2024 Legislative Session
AB 23: Theft: Shoplifting: Amount
Authored by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-66-Torrance), Assembly Bill 23 amends state law that was established by Proposition 47 (2014) by reducing the threshold amount for petty theft and shoplifting from $950 to $400.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 14, 2023.
AB 367: Controlled Substances: Enhancements
Authored by Assembly Member Brian Maienschein (D-76-San Diego), Assembly Bill 367 imposes a sentence enhancement of 3-5 years in state prison for a person who inflicts great bodily injury when they sell, furnish, or give away a controlled substance.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
AB 474: State Threat Assessment Center: Transnational Criminal Organizations
Authored by Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez (D-52-Pomona), Assembly Bill 474 requires the State Threat Assessment Center and the California Office of Emergency Services to prioritize cooperation with state and local efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks trafficking opioid drugs.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
Vetoed by Governor Newsom on October 8, 2023.
AB 701: Controlled Substances: Fentanyl
Authored by Assembly Member Carlos Villapudua (D-13-Stockton), Assembly Bill 701 would add fentanyl to the list of substances subject to weight enhancements that increase the penalty and fine for trafficking, ensuring that possession of large amounts of fentanyl is punishable to the same extent as substances containing heroin and cocaine.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
Approved by Governor Newsom and chaptered by the Secretary of State (Chapter 540, Statutes of 2023) on October 8, 2023.
AB 1308: Planning and Zoning Law: Single-Family Residences: Parking Requirements
Authored by Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-65-Fullerton), Assembly Bill 1308 prohibits local governments from increasing the minimum parking required as a condition of approval for a project that remodels, renovates, or adds to a single-family residence.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
Approved by Governor Newsom and chaptered by the Secretary of State (Chapter 756, Statutes of 2023) on October 11, 2023.
AB 1490: Affordable Housing Development Projects: Adaptive Reuse
Position Letter
Authored by Assembly Member Alex Lee (D-24-San Jose), Assembly Bill 1490 requires all entitlements and permits to be approved within 30 days from the date a housing project application is submitted and all building and permit fees to be waived for a housing project that converts an existing building to a housing development that dedicates 100 percent of the housing units to low-income households.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
Approved by Governor Newsom and chaptered by the Secretary of State (Chapter 764, Statutes of 2023) on October 11, 2023.
AB 1532: Office Conversion Projects
Authored by Assembly Member Matt Haney (D-17-San Francisco), Assembly Bill 1532 makes the conversion of office buildings to residential units, that dedicates 10 percent of the total residential units to low- or moderate-income households, a streamlined ministerial approval, restricting cities and counties from requiring a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary local review or approval that would require a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. Projects under a ministerial review are not subject to an appeals process, public hearing, and CEQA review.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
AB 1630: Planning and Zoning: Housing Development Approvals: Student Housing Projects
Authored by Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia (D-36-Coachella), Assembly Bill 1630 requires cities and counties to approve, through a streamlined and ministerial process, residential developments that dedicate at least 20 percent of the residential units to students or faculty and is located on property within 1,000 feet of a university. Additionally, this bill restricts cities and counties from requiring a minimum parking requirement, conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary local review or approval that would require a CEQA review.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
AB 1631: Water Resources: Permit to Appropriate: Application Procedure: Mining Use
Authored by Assembly Member Pilar Schiavo (D-40-Chatsworth), Assembly Bill 1631 requires the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) to issue a new notice and provide an opportunity for a public hearing on water appropriation applications for a beneficial use or uses that include mining use that have been pending for more than 30 years.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 14, 2023.
Vetoed by Governor Newsom on September 30, 2023.
AB 1708: Theft
Authored by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-66-Torrance), Assembly Bill 1708 amends Proposition 47 (2014) by requiring a person convicted of theft of a vehicle or firearm, identity theft, or credit card fraud to be charged with a felony.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
AB 1772: Theft
Introduced by Assembly Member James Ramos (D-45-San Bernardino), Assembly Bill 1772 amends Proposition 47 (2014) by reinstating the ability to charge a repeat offender, convicted of petty theft or shoplifting and who has two or more prior theft-related offenses, with a felony.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
AB 1779: Theft: Jurisdiction
Introduced by Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin (D-42-Thousand Oaks), Assembly Bill 1779 expands the jurisdictional authority for city and county prosecutors to prosecute thefts that occur across jurisdictions.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
AB 1802: Crimes: Organized Theft
Introduced by Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-57-South Los Angeles), Assembly Bill 1802 extends the sunset provisions for special sentences for organized retail theft to be punishable as a misdemeanor or felony and existence of a taskforce led by the California Highway Patrol to January 1, 2031.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
AB 1804: Crime: Fentanyl Trafficking
Introduced by Assembly Member Jim Patterson (R-8-Fresno), Assembly Bill 1804 reduces the amount of fentanyl involved in an investigation to authorize law enforcement to intercept communication involving the suspected parties.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
AB 1848: Controlled Substances: Fentanyl
Introduced by Assembly Member Laurie Davies (R-74-Laguna Niguel), Assembly Bill 1848 adds fentanyl to an existing prosecutorial enhancement involving selling a controlled substance to a minor.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
AB 2309: City Attorney: State Law: Misdemeanor
Introduced by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-66- Torrance), Assembly Bill 2309 removes the requirement that a city, in seeking the authority to prosecute misdemeanors, must obtain consent from their District Attorney.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 26, 2024.
AB 2814: Crimes: Unlawful Entry: Intent to Commit Package Theft
Introduced by Assembly Member Evan Low (D-26-Campbell), Assembly Bill 2814 makes it a crime to enter the exterior of a home with the intent to steal a package and makes the crime punishable as a misdemeanor or felony.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 26, 2024.
AB 2943: Crimes: Shoplifting
Introduced by Assembly Member Rich Chavez Zbur (D-51-Los Angeles), Assembly Bill 2943, also known as the California Retail Theft Reduction Act, creates a new crime of retail theft with the intent to sell, punishable for up to one year in county jail and allows for arrests of suspected shoplifters to be made even if an officer does not physically witness the crime.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 26, 2024.
AB 3068: Adaptive Reuse: Streamlining: Incentives
Introduced by Assembly Member Matt Haney (D-17-San Francisco), Assembly Bill 3068 would deem an adaptive use project a use by-right, regardless of local zoning of the site, and subject to a streamlined, ministerial review process if the project meets specified requirements.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on March 26, 2024.
AB 3109: Theft
Introduced by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-66- Torrance), Assembly Bill 3109 amends Proposition 47 (2014) by reinstating the ability to charge a repeat offender, convicted for a specified theft offense, with a misdemeanor or felony.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 26, 2024.
AB 3171: Controlled Substances: Fentanyl
Introduced by Assembly Member Esmeralda Soria (D-27-Fresno), Assembly Bill 3171 adds a sentence enhancement for the possession with intent to sell fentanyl.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 26, 2024.
ACR 92: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian Memorial Highway
Authored by Assembly Member Pilar Schiavo (D-40-Santa Clarita), Assembly Concurrent Resolution 92 dedicates a portion of Interstate 5, between the Pico-Lyons Overcrossing and the McBean Parkway Overcrossing, as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian Memorial Highway.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
SB 4: Planning and Zoning: Housing Development: Higher Education Institutions and Religious Institutions
Authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-11-San Francisco), Senate Bill 4 requires cities and counties to approve, through a streamlined and ministerial process, residential developments that dedicate 75 percent of the residential units to lower-income households, 20 percent to moderate-income households, and 5 percent may be for staff on property owned by a religious or higher-education institution. Additionally, this bill restricts cities and counties from requiring a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary local review or approval that would require a CEQA review.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
Approved by Governor Newsom and chaptered by the Secretary of State (Chapter 771, Statutes of 2023) on October 11, 2023.
SB 13: Controlled Substances
Authored by Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-23-Yucaipa), Senate Bill 13 requires a person who is convicted of, or who pleads guilty or no contest to, the possession or purchase for the purpose of selling or administering various controlled substances, including fentanyl, to receive a written advisory of the danger of manufacturing or distribution of controlled substances and that, if a person dies as a result of that action, the manufacturer or distributor can be charged with voluntary manslaughter or murder.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 14, 2023.
SB 14: Serious Felonies: Human Trafficking
Authored by Senator Shannon Grove (R-12-Bakersfield), Senate Bill 14 adds human trafficking within the definition of a serious felony for all purposes, including for purposes of the Three Strike Law.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 14, 2023.
Approved by Governor Newsom and chaptered by the Secretary of State (Chapter 230, Statutes of 2023) on September 25, 2023.
SB 44: Controlled Substances
Position Letter
Authored by Senator Tom Umberg (D-34-Orange County), Senate Bill 44 requires a person who is convicted of, or who pleads guilty or no contest to, the possession or purchase for the purpose of selling or administering various controlled substances, including fentanyl, to receive a written advisory of the danger of manufacturing or distribution of controlled substances and that, if a person dies as a result of that action, the manufacturer or distributor can be charged with voluntary manslaughter or murder.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
SB 423: Land Use: Streamlined Housing Approvals: Multifamily Housing Developments
Authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-11-San Francisco), Senate Bill 423 removes the sunset clause of January 1, 2026, included in Senate Bill 35 (Chapter 368, Statutes of 2017), which requires cities and counties to approve specified residential developments through a streamlined and ministerial process, restricting cities and counties from requiring a Conditional Use Permit, Planned Unit Development Permit, or other discretionary local review or approval that would require a CEQA review.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on April 11, 2023.
Approved by Governor Newsom and chaptered by the Secretary of State (Chapter 778, Statutes of 2023) on October 11, 2023.
SB 450: Housing development: approvals
Authored by Senator Toni Atkins (D-39-San Diego), Senate Bill 450 preempts local land use authority, including prohibiting a local agency to deny a proposed housing development or lot split if a building official determines that the proposed project or lot split would have an adverse impact upon the physical environment.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
SB 489: Marriage Licenses and Certificates
Authored by Senator Scott Wilk (R-23-Santa Clarita), Senate Bill 489 authorizes a city official to directly issue public and confidential marriage licenses.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on March 14, 2023.
SB 905: Unlawful Entry of a Vehicle
Introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-11-San Francisco), Senate Bill 905 removes a requirement that prosecutors prove that a vehicle was locked in order for an individual to be convicted for vehicular burglary and makes forcible entry into a vehicle with the intent to commit a theft an action punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
SB 923: Theft
Introduced by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-30-Pico Rivera), Senate Bill 923 amends Proposition 47 (2014) by reinstating the ability to charge a repeat offender, convicted of petty theft or shoplifting and who has two or more prior theft-related offenses, with a felony.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
SB 928: Organized Theft
Introduced by Senator Roger Niello (R-6-Fair Oaks), Senate Bill 928 extends the sunset provisions indefinitely for special sentences for organized retail theft to be punishable as a misdemeanor or felony.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on February 27, 2024.
SB 1211: Land Use: Accessory Dwelling Units
Introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-9-Berkeley), Senate Bill 1211 prohibits local governments from requiring the replacement of parking spaces when a carport, covered parking structure, or uncovered parking space is demolished in conjunction with the construction of or conversion to an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on a multifamily housing property.
The City Council opposed this bill at the regular meeting on March 26, 2024.
Federal Legislation
118th Congress
H.R. 2887: Helping Invest in Key Environments (HIKE) Act
Authored by Representative Mike Garcia, House Resolution 2887, also known as the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, proposes to expand the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) to include the proposed Rim of the Valley Unit.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
H.R. 3681: San Gabriel Mountains Protection Act
Authored by Representative Judy Chu (D-CA-28), House Resolution 3681 proposes to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by adding approximately 109,000 acres of the western Angeles National Forest, including federally owned open space areas directly east of the City. Additionally, the bill designates 31,000 acres of national forest land as newly protected wilderness areas and adds 46 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
S. 1466: Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act
Authored by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), S. 1466, also known as the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, proposes to expand the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) to include the proposed Rim of the Valley Unit.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
S. 1776: Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act
S. 1776, authored by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), proposes to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by adding approximately 109,000 acres of the western Angeles National Forest, including federally owned open space areas directly east of the City. Additionally, the bill designates 31,000 acres of national forest land as newly protected wilderness areas and adds 46 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The City Council supported this bill at the regular meeting on July 11, 2023.
