My Burbank City Council Goals for 2022
At 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 31st, the Burbank City Council will be meeting to set our City Council goals for 2022. This annual meeting is an opportunity for the City Council to establish the city’s goals and staff priorities for 2022 with community input!
Each City Councilmember is asked to come with 10 goals. As I head into this important meeting with my colleagues, I’d like to take this opportunity to share my complete list of proposed goals and priorities with all of you:
Proposed City Council Goals for 2022
1. Comprehensive COVID-19 Response – Work closely with BUSD, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, and other community partners to set up testing and vaccination sites, while also educating the public with factual and scientific information about the virus.
2. Economic Recovery: Continue finding creative ways to reduce barriers to locally owned and small business, including streamlined permit review processes, reduced costs, and policies that provide flexibility to our recovering businesses (e.g., dining in parking lots).
3. Affordable Housing: Explore creative options to facilitate the addition of affordable housing, including pre-approved ADU floorplans and incentives for developers to exceed affordable unit minimum requirements, while implementing enhanced tenant protections.
4. Homelessness: Develop and approve a 5-year homeless action plan that compassionately and comprehensively reduces the number of our unhoused residents by at least 50 %, including the exploration of sites for a homeless shelter and/or safe overnight parking.
5. Sustainability: Build upon our commitment to sustainable practices by hiring a Sustainability Coordinator, implementing our drought mitigation measures, and continuing to pursue investments in electric vehicle charging and solar energy storage.
6. Climate Resiliency: Support a “Green New Deal” for Burbank, which includes the transition to 100% renewable energy on the earliest feasible timeframe and all-electric construction requirements, while also adopting an updated Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, and implementing citywide organic waste collection services pursuant to Senate Bill 1383.
7. Preserving Quality of Life: Develop standards and metrics to appropriately plan for the growth of city services (e.g., firefighters and BWP personnel) to keep our high level of quality services as our city population naturally increases.
8. Transportation and Infrastructure: Utilize all state and federal funding opportunities to make pedestrian, equestrian, and bicyclist safety improvements to our streets, as well as prioritize speed reductions under Assembly Bill 43 and neighborhood protection measures to mitigate traffic impacts in our neighborhoods.
9. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI): Build upon our commitment to a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community by undergoing a citywide organizational audit conducted by a third-party, while exploring the creation of a DEI citizen commission.
10. Community Workforce Investments: Incorporate a “community wealth policy” into our updated Housing Element and various Specific Plans to ensure that a locally hired, skilled, and trained workforce is utilized under appropriate labor standards (wages, benefits, etc.).