The City Manager's Office operates as the City's primary liaison with federal, state and local government entities. Through coalition building, strategic planning and relationship management, the Government Relations team actively promotes the City's projects and priorities while working to shape legislation that affects the City.

Legislative Platform

Each year, there are a number of issues before the State Legislature and U.S. Congress that impact local governments. Annually, the City Council approves a legislative platform, which enables staff to take action in support of or in opposition to a bill that is covered by the platform without taking each item before the City Council for an approved position. Through the adoption of the legislative platform, staff is able to respond in a timely manner to pending legislation and have the City's position considered during legislative hearings.

Legislative Platform 2024

• AB 3093 (Ward) Land Use Housing Element_Veto
• AB 2564 (Boerner) Property tax Postponement_Sr Citizens and Disabled Citizens_Support
• SB 1211 (Skinner) Land Use ADU Ministerial Approval
• SB 972 (Min)_Methane Emissions Organic Waste Landfill Support
• San Diego Region Digital Equity Act Competitive Grant - Vista Letter of Support
• Letter of Support for NCTD and SANDAG Application for Funding from the 2024 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program
• Mayor John Franklin's Letter of Support of Save Oceanside's Application to the California Ocean Protection Council SB1 Funds for Track 1 "Community Visioning"
• SB 1401 (Blakespear): Family Childcare Home: United States Armed Forces Support
• Support for NCTD's Application for Funding from Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program
• SB 982 (Wahab) Crimes Organized Theft Support
• AB 3171 (Soria) Controlled Substances Fentanyl Support
• cc 2024 RES 27 Supporting California Assembly Bill 1999 02_27
• AB 817 (Pacheco) Local Gov Open Meetings Support
• AB 2330 (Holden) Endangered Species: Incidental Take: Wildfire Preparedness Activities Notice of Support
• AJR 12 (Alvarez) Tijuana River-Cross-Border Pollution Letter of Support

Legislative Platform 2023

• COV Avgas Letter of Concern to County of SD - 6.12.23
• Support for AB 40 (Rodriguez) Emergency Medical Services
• Support for AB 46 (Ramos)
• AB 33, AB 367, AB 474, AB 955 (support of fentanyl and substance use related legislation).
• SB 747 (Caballero) The bill takes measurable steps to improve the Surplus Land Act (SLA).
• AB 1708 (Muratsuchi) Notice of support. This bill would reform Proposition 47 to increase accountability for serial theft and encourage responsive intervention programs that divert people away from both crime and prison.
• AB 480 (Ting) Opposition to requirements for the disposal of surplus land by a local agency.
• SB 423 (Wener) Streamlined housing approvals: multifamily housing developments: SB 35 (Chapter 366, Statutes of 2017) Expansion. Notice of Opposition.

Legislative Platform 2022

• 2022-23 State Budget Request to Invest $1.6 billion in the Vitality of Cities
• AB 916 (Salas) Zoning Accessory Dwelling Units: Bedroom Addition  Opposed Unless Amended
• AB 1672 (Boerner Horvath) Public Swimming Pools: Lifeguards Support
• AB 1944 (Lee and Garcia) Local Government: open and public meetings Notice of Support
• AB 1946 (Boerner Horvath) Electric bicycles: safety and training program Support
• AB 1985 (Rivas) Organic Waste. List Available Products. Support
• AB 2011 (Wicks) Affordable Housing & High Road Jobs Opposed
• AB 2097 Friedman Residential & Commercial Development Parking Requirements, Opposed as Amended
• AB 2142 (Gabriel) WaterNow Sign on Senate Signatures Support
• AB 2357 (Ting) Surplus Land Opposed
• ARPA - H Advanced Research Projects Agency Coalition Letter
• SB 897 (Wieckowski) Zoning, Accessory Dwelling Units Opposed as amended 6/20/22
• SB 932 (Portantino) General Plans: Circulation Element: Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans & Traffic Calming Plans. Notice of Opposition unless amended
• SB 1131 (Newman) Extending "Safe at Home" to CA's Public Work Force For Governor's Signature Support
• SB 1131 (Newman) Address Confidentiality: Public Entity Employees & Contractors. Support 

Legislative Platform 2021 

• AB 1401 (Friedman) Residential & Commercial Development. Parking Requirements. Opposed
• AB 215 (Chiu) VETO (Opposition) 
• SB 556 (Dodd) VETO (Opposition) 
• SB 278 (Leyva) Public Employees’ Retirement System. Disallowed Compensation. Benefit Adjustments. Opposed
• SB 4 (Gonzalez) and AB 14 (Aguiar-Curry) Communications: California Advanced Services Fund.
• SB 780 (Cortese) Public Investment Authorities
• AB 215 (Chiu): Housing Element. Regional Housing Need. Relative Progress Determination. As Amended on April 5, 2021. Notice of Opposition.
• AB 43 (Friedman) Traffic Safety,
• Letter of Support 4-5-21
• SB 556 (Dodd) Street Light Poles, Utility Poles, and Support Structures: Attachments, Letter of Opposition 4-5-21
• H.R. 1319: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Letter of Support 1.29.21
• SB 9 (Atkins): Increased Density in Single-Family Zones, Oppose Unless Amended (As Introduced 12/7/20) 2.17.21