This report offers evidence as to why rent control is a sensible and necessary strategy to address the renter crisis, describes the benefits of rent control, and shares policy recommendations to bring rent control to our communities.

An ordinance requiring that planned superstores complete an economic impact analysis before seeking approval for their projects, giving community members and elected officials more control over these development projects.

This ordinance encourages the government to procure goods through local businesses with price preferences. Small businesses (those with 35 or fewer employees) receive a 5% price preference in the awarding of city contracts. For services provided through a request-for-proposal process, local small businesses receive a 10% point advantage. Local businesses of all sizes also receive a 2.5% preference, but the city defines a 'local' business as any business with a location in Santa Clara County.

This report discusses the concept, features, and implementation of municipal-level community benefits agreements (CBAs) in California. This report notes that these agreements enhance trust and cooperation between employees, businesses, communities, and governments by contractually binding them to one another following CBA negotiations. Notably, where large scale development projects are bound to a community through a CBA, this report finds that the economic growth and development is more wide spread across the community where developers and communities have a CBA in place than in cases where developers are not bound to the community through some contract. This report finds that CBAs both open lines of communication between community groups and developers and foster greater coordination between communities and developers by establishing goals of development.

This resolution specifies mandatory recycling programs for residences and businesses within city limits. It provides evidence generally linking public health outcomes to recycling programs and practices. It applies concepts and terms from those studies to recycling practices and establishes clear restrictions on what types materials must be recycled.

The ordinance requires the City to annually disclose energy and water use in all its facilities for the previous calendar year. All large and medium buildings or groups of buildings are required to report annual energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions through Energy Star Portfolio Manager or an equivalent mechanism. The requirement would first apply to non-residential buildings 50,000 square feet and up in 2014 for the 2013 calendar year, and then to residential buildings 50,000 square feet and up, in 2015, non-residential buildings 35,000 square feet and up in 2016, and residential buildings 35,000 square feet and up in 2017. The City would make energy and water use per square foot, Energy Star ratings, greenhouse gas emissions, and other identifying and contextual information for individual buildings available on the Internet. Buildings not demonstrating high energy performance, continual improvements or other appropriate exemption criteria would be required to conduct energy assessments or actions every 5 years to identify opportunities for energy efficiency investment. Building owners would not be required to act on their energy assessments. Failure to comply with reporting requirements will result in fines for building owners. The development of regulations and implementation of the ordinance are overseen by the Air Pollution Control Commission.

The ordinance mandates that, depending on square size and building type, new residential buildings must be 30%-75% more efficient than 2006 International Energy Conservation and Insulation Code levels. Depending on size, major renovations must be 15%-50% more efficient than IECC levels (Home Energy Rating System score of 70-100). To obtain a residential building permit applicants must meet Green Points requirements and obtain energy audit. For commercial buildings, mandates energy modeling for large buildings and a 30% increase in commercial construction requirements.

The ordinance requires all new single family residential units, as defined by the 2006 International Residential Code, to be certified according adopted energy standards.

This ordinance adopts the 2012 Edition of the International Green Construction Code of the International Council. The ordinance regulates the construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, demolition, use, and maintenance of construction with in the city. The ordinance provides for a penalty not to exceed $2,000

This ordinance sets energy benchmarking requirements on buildings over 20,000 square feet. It also changes the enforcement process for individuals that do not submit an energy benchmark report by moving from accruing fines daily to quarterly fines. The ordinance formally creates an exemption for buildings used in industrial manufacturing, authorizes the delegation of enforcement authority, and authorizes the establishment of grace periods.