Legislative Advocacy Update July 2023

Updated July 11, 2023

The following are a few of the important legislative advocacy efforts recently undertaken by the City’s Government Relations Team.

The City’s advocacy efforts are defined within the City’s Legislative and Regulatory Platform and reflect the City Council’s goals and priorities as well as its position on issues that are currently, or are anticipated to be, the focus of future legislation and regulation at the state and federal levels.

Using the Legislative and Regulatory Platform as a guide, the City will adopt positions on specific legislation, regulations, and budget proposals.  

Roseville Electric Director shares supply-chain challenges and planning expertise before Assembly Committee

From new businesses and subdivisions to preparing infrastructure to support electric vehicles, Roseville Electric shared the thoughtful effort that is going into planning and readiness for an electrified future with the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee.

On a panel with representatives from the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission and Pacific Gas & Electric, Roseville Electric Utility Director Dan Beans gave an overview of how we plan and develop our electric distribution system in Roseville. He shared the impact that equipment supply-chain delays have been having broadly across the electric sector. He discussed how Roseville Electric has been addressing supply chain concerns by being proactive with our development community, creating new partnerships, and providing innovative solutions to planning and growth.

Beans noted the ongoing and increasing investment in our community and how Roseville Electric Utility is preparing to meet that demand.  As part of the only full-service city in the Capital region, Beans described how the utility is positioning itself to meet the state’s electrification goals and the importance of flexibility and predictability in responding to these and other statewide energy policies.  He concluded by inviting members of the legislature to visit Roseville and see the benefits that publicly owned utilities provide to their communities. 

Roseville seeks federal funding to help build a resilient water future

Roseville and Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) have joined forces for a $94 million water-supply project to secure a reliable water future amid climate uncertainties. 

The project includes components that ultimately will result in a pipeline to provide Roseville access to water upstream of Folsom Reservoir. This pipeline is critical to reduce reliance on the reservoir, particularly during dry or drought years when accessing Folsom water can become more complex.

This project is in the very early stages and will take years to begin construction. However, we have made considerable headway in just a short time. More specifically, our two agencies have jointly secured an initial $21 million federal authorization to work with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to develop and deliver this project. Additionally, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla has submitted a $5 million appropriation request to kick off the first phase of this project, which includes environmental analysis, project design, and permitting related to the phases of the project..  

As part of the City of Roseville’s strategic plan, the Environmental Utilities Department seeks to maintain affordable water rates through strategic partnerships. Partnerships like this with the federal government will allow Roseville to offset 75 percent of the costs to deliver this project.

Roseville IT Director testifies before Assembly committee on cybersecurity

With the pace of cybersecurity attacks increasing, the City of Roseville offered testimony on pending legislation at the State Capitol last week related to enhancing security of state and local government websites.

Roseville’s Chief Information Office/IT Director Hong Sae testified before an Assembly committee about the steps that Roseville takes to protect data, provide access and transparency to the public, and work with regional partners including the federal Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the regional cybersecurity task force to coordinate and monitor defense activities.

Sae is the past president of the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC) and was named Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Year for 2023 by Government Technology Magazine, and one of the Top 10 Technology Professionals in the World at the 2023 OnCon Icon Awards.