BILL NUMBER: AB 20 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 7, 2008
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 10, 2007
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Eng
DECEMBER 4, 2006
An act to add Section 33451.6 to the Health and Safety
Code, relating to redevelopment. relating to
intergroup relations, and making an appropriation
therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 20, as amended, Eng. Transit-oriented plan amendments.
Intergroup relations.
Existing law provides that the Attorney General is head of the
Department of Justice and has charge of all legal matters in which
the state is interested.
This bill would appropriate $145,000 to the Attorney General to
enable the California Community Relations Service in the Crime and
Violence Prevention Center to contract with a statewide nonprofit
organization that is composed of human relations organizations to
develop, as specified, an effective approach for preventing and
responding to intergroup tensions and conflict in areas of the state
lacking a human-relations infrastructure.
Existing law requires a redevelopment agency, not later than 45
days prior to the public hearing on a proposed plan amendment to (1)
change the limitation on the number of dollars of taxes that may be
divided and allocated to the agency, (2) change the limit on the
amount of bonded indebtedness that can be outstanding at one time, or
(3) change the time limit on the establishing of loans, advances,
and indebtedness to be paid with the proceeds of property taxes
received pursuant to existing tax increment allocations, and to
prepare and deliver a specified report to the Department of Finance
and the Department of Housing and Community Development that
includes, among other things, specified projections of the tax
revenues that will be generated as a result of the proposed plan
amendment and a description and map of the project area that remains
blighted.
This bill would exempt transit-oriented plan amendments from this
requirement and would instead require that the redevelopment agency
submit a specified written information statement to the Department of
Finance and the Department of Housing and Community Development. The
bill would also require that the proposed plan amendment contain
specified provisions relating to the indebtedness incurred for
redevelopment activities within the transit village development
district or for the improvement of affordable housing within the
community.
Vote: majority 2/3 . Appropriation:
no yes . Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all
of the following:
(a) California is one of the most diverse states in the nation
with no majority racial or ethnic group.
(b) California continues to attract immigrants at a rate much
higher than any other state. The resulting change in the demographic,
racial, and ethnic characteristics of communities throughout this
state is creating a need for information and methodologies on how to
work with diverse populations to prevent and respond to intergroup
tensions and conflict.
(c) Surveys indicate Californians consider intergroup relations to
be a key issue for the state, and see it as having worsened over the
past period.
(d) More than 1,700 hate crimes were reported to the Department of
Justice in 2006 despite the findings of the Attorney General's Civil
Rights Commission on Hate Crimes that victims of hate crimes
frequently do not report them, and that there is confusion among
several law enforcement agencies about what should be reported as a
hate crime. It is estimated by many experts that less than one of
five hate crimes is reported, and a recent survey by the United
States Justice Department found that hate crimes occurred 24 to 28
times more than the number reported by police to the Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
(e) Even more problematic than the number of hate crimes reported
and unreported are the reports from schools and human relations
commissions throughout the state that there are unprecedented levels
of racial- and ethnic-based intergroup conflicts occurring on the
campus and pupil-led segregation of middle and senior high school
campuses by race and ethnicity. School-based hate crimes are
considered by experts to be one of the most grossly underreported
kinds of hate crime.
(f) Although a number of city and county human relations
commissions were established to address intergroup tensions, few of
those are located outside the largest urban areas and are not staffed
full-time or staffed at all.
(g) There are no county human relations commissions in many areas
of the state, such as the rapidly growing areas of the Inland Empire,
San Diego, or the San Joaquin Valley.
(h) This state needs an assessment of the climate of intergroup
relations in its various regions, particularly those with rapidly
growing populations, and recommendations for meeting the needs of
those communities needing help to prevent and respond to tensions.
SEC. 2. The sum of one hundred forty-five thousand
dollars ($145,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to
the Attorney General to enable the California Community Relations
Service in the Crime and Violence Prevention Center contract with a
statewide nonprofit organization that is composed of human-relations
organizations. The grantee organization shall do all of the
following:
(a) Conduct an assessment of intergroup relations throughout the
state on or before December 31, 2009. The assessment shall be
conducted on a regional basis and include information from city and
county human relations commissions, Internet research, and interviews
with public officials, school officials, and community
representatives.
(b) Develop an Internet-based network of individuals and
governmental and private organizations located in ethnically diverse
areas of the state that lack a human-relations infrastructure. The
Internet-based network shall facilitate the sharing of information
and resources, advise on strategies for addressing tensions and
conflicts, identify resources, provide practical tools to help
communities, and provide technical assistance, including, but not
limited to, assessments of the interest and capacity of communities
to address intergroup tensions and conflicts identified as being of
concern.
(c) Make recommendations to the Legislature on or before March 31,
2010, for a plan of action for the state based on an evaluation of
best practices in order to ensure the state has an effective approach
for preventing and responding to intergroup tensions and conflict.
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares
all of the following:
(a) The Transit Village Development Planning Act of 1994 is part
of a program to increase transit ridership and to reduce vehicle
traffic on the highways. To support this program the Legislature has
sought to encourage local and regional planning agencies to direct
new development close to transit stations.
(b) In recent years, an emerging community and regional planning
paradigm referred to as "Smart Growth" has focused on
transit-oriented development and the implementation of policies
embodied in the Transit Village Development Planning Act of 1994, as
the cornerstones of a sustainable economic development strategy for
the state.
(c) Transit stations, and in particular "bus hubs" and "bus
transfer stations" tend to be located in established urbanized areas.
Encouragement of development in transit village planning district
areas that are located within established redevelopment project areas
will accomplish a "Smart Growth" policy.
(d) The Legislature has previously declared its intention to
encourage local and regional agencies to reduce barriers to new
development in urban areas, especially the development of housing, in
close proximity to transit stations. This act would reduce barriers
to the development of affordable housing in proximity to transit
stations that are located within redevelopment project areas and
would further encourage redevelopment agencies to develop affordable
housing near transit stations where the transit station is also
located within an established redevelopment project area.
SEC. 2. Section 33451.6 is added to the Health
and Safety Code, to read:
33451.6. (a) As used in this section, the following definitions
shall apply:
(1) "Bus hub" means an intersection of three or more public mass
transit bus routes with a minimum headway of 10 minutes during peak
hours.
(2) "District" means a transit village development district as
defined in Section 65460.4 of the Government Code.
(3) "Peak hours" means the time between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.,
inclusive, and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., inclusive, Monday through Friday.
(4) "Transit station" means a rail or light rail station, ferry
terminal, bus hub, or bus transfer station.
(b) Section 33451.5 shall not apply to a proposed transit-oriented
plan amendment that would do any of the following:
(1) Change the limitation on the number of tax dollars that may be
divided and allocated to the redevelopment agency in order for the
redevelopment agency to repay indebtedness incurred for redevelopment
activities within the portion of a redevelopment project area that
lies within a district.
(2) Change the limit on the amount of bonded and other
indebtedness of the redevelopment agency that may be outstanding at
one time in order for the redevelopment agency to undertake
redevelopment activities within the portion of a redevelopment
project area that lies within a district.
(3) Change the time limit for establishing loans, advances, and
indebtedness to be paid with the proceeds of property taxes received
pursuant to Section 33670 in order for the redevelopment agency to
undertake redevelopment activities within the portion of a
redevelopment project area that lies within a district.
(c) For each proposed plan amendment that the redevelopment agency
has determined that no report is required pursuant to Section
33451.5, the redevelopment agency shall submit a written information
statement to the Department of Finance and the Department of Housing
and Community Development by first-class mail not later than 45 days
prior to the date of the public hearing by a redevelopment agency or
the joint public hearing of the redevelopment agency and the
legislative body on the proposed plan amendment, that sets forth all
of the following information:
(1) The name of the redevelopment project area for which the
proposed plan amendment applies.
(2) The text of the proposed plan amendment.
(3) A vicinity map that has been marked to show: (A) the boundary
lines of the redevelopment project area; (B) the boundary lines of
the district; and (C) the location of the transit station in the
redevelopment project area.
(4) If the transit station is a bus hub or a bus transfer station,
the estimated number of bus transit passengers who pass through the
transit station each day.
(5) A listing of the redevelopment activities that are proposed to
be undertaken by the redevelopment agency within the district,
following the adoption of the proposed plan amendment.
(d) A proposed plan amendment for which no report is prepared by
the redevelopment agency pursuant to Section 33456.5 shall contain
the following provisions, as applicable:
(1) Tax increment revenues that may be divided and allocated to
the redevelopment agency in excess of the limitations in effect prior
to the plan amendment shall only be used to repay indebtedness
incurred for redevelopment activities within the district identified
in the statement described in subdivision (c) of Section 33415.6 or
for the improvement of affordable housing within the community.
(2) The increased bonded and other indebtedness of the
redevelopment agency that may be outstanding at one time in excess of
the limitation in effect prior to the plan amendment shall only be
incurred to pay for redevelopment activities within the district
identified in the statement described in subdivision (c) of Section
33415.6 or for the improvement of affordable housing within the
community.
(3) The indebtedness to be repaid with the proceeds of property
taxes received pursuant to Section 33670 which indebtedness is
incurred after the date in effect prior to the plan amendment shall
only be indebtedness incurred for redevelopment activities undertaken
within the district identified in the statement described in
subdivision (c) of Section 33415.6 or for the improvement of
affordable housing within the community.