BILL NUMBER: AB 1426 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Wolk
FEBRUARY 23, 2007
An act to add Chapter 1.57 (commencing with Section 5095.50) to
Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, relating to parks.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1426, as introduced, Wolk. Parks and nature education
facilities: Central Valley Vision.
The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control,
River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, an initiative statute
adopted by the voters at the November 7, 2006, statewide general
election, among other things, makes $400,000,000 in bond funds
available to the Department of Parks and Recreation for development,
acquisition, interpretation, restoration, and rehabilitation of the
state park system and its natural, historical, and visitor serving
resources.
This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation to
develop a detailed plan of implementation for its Central Valley
Vision. In developing the plan, the department would be required to
identify and prioritize specific sites and projects for acquisition
and development in the Central Valley with respect to the protection
of natural, cultural, and historical resources and access to
recreational opportunities at state parks.
The bill would require the department, by January 1, 2009, to
report to Legislature on the plan and its timeline for implementation
of the plan. The bill would provide that its provisions would be
implemented to the extent that funds are appropriated pursuant to
those provisions of the initiative or any other source.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. 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) The Central Valley is home to several of the fastest growing
counties and communities in the state. The number of residents in the
Central Valley is projected to grow from 6.3 million in 2005 to
close to 12 million by 2040. With this increase in population will
come a corresponding increase in the need for open space and for
parks and recreational resources.
(b) Providing access to parks, open space, and outdoor
recreational opportunities is key to preserving the quality of life
for Central Valley residents. Access to such services is fundamental
to the physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being of
children, youth, and adults.
(c) The Department of Parks and Recreation's Central Valley Vision
documents the serious lack of existing park and recreational
services in the Central Valley to meet the needs of the region's
growing population.
(d) Park and recreation service providers in the Central Valley,
compared to other areas of the state, have received significantly
less park bond funding and other financial support. The Central
Valley is the largest geographically identifiable region in the state
with the greatest unmet need for park services.
(e) Through data collection and public input the Department of
Parks and Recreation has determined that there are significant
resource protection and recreation opportunities in the Central
Valley through which the department could better meet the needs of
Central Valley residents.
(f) The Central Valley also contains important natural, cultural,
and historical resources that are at risk of being lost to increased
growth and development, including, but not limited to, riparian and
wetland habitats, blue oak and sycamore woodlands, Native American
sites, and cultural and historical resources related to California's
agriculture and the many contributions of California immigrants.
(g) The rapid increase in population growth and development in the
Central Valley means that the state must act in a timely manner to
acquire and protect these resources before they are lost.
(h) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that the
Department of Parks and Recreation develop a detailed plan for
implementation of the Central Valley Vision, and that a proportionate
amount of the funds authorized in Section 75063 of the Public
Resources Code for development, acquisition, interpretation,
restoration, and rehabilitation of the state park system and its
natural, historical, and visitor serving services, or other funding
sources that may become available, be used for those purposes in the
Central Valley and for implementing the Central Valley Vision.
SEC. 2. Chapter 1.57 (commencing with Section 5095.50) is added to
Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
CHAPTER 1.57. CENTRAL VALLEY VISION
5095.50. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions
apply:
(a) "Central Valley" means the geographic region extending from
approximately the City of Redding in the north to the Tehachapi
Mountains in the south, and from the valley floor up to 2000 feet
elevation along the coastal range in the west and the Sierra Nevada
range in the east.
(b) "Plan" means the detailed plan of implementation developed by
the department for its Central Valley Vision.
5095.51. The department shall develop a detailed plan of
implementation for its Central Valley Vision. The plan shall identify
and prioritize specific sites and projects for acquisition and
development in the Cental Valley, based on the following objectives:
(a) Expansion of resource protection and access to recreational
opportunities at existing state parks and other public lands.
(b) Acquisition of lands with important natural, cultural, and
recreational values, focusing on lands that link state parks with
other public lands, particularly along water corridors.
(c) Preservation and interpretation of historical and cultural
resources.
(d) Expansion of interpretive and recreational programs and
opportunities in state park units.
5095.52. To the extent feasible, the plan shall do all of the
following:
(a) Identify specific opportunities and priorities for acquisition
and development of new and existing parks and recreational
opportunities, with priority given to the following:
(1) Areas with significant or threatened natural resource values,
as blue oak and sycamore woodlands, riparian and wetland areas, and
native grasslands.
(2) Areas along river corridors and other water bodies, and in the
Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.
(3) Areas that can be linked with other state park units or public
lands, providing natural corridors and linkages for wildlife and
trails.
(4) Areas with unique California cultural and historical values.
(5) Areas with capacity to support recreational activities for
which there is a demonstrated unmet public interest and demand.
(b) Expand opportunities and facilities for multiple and diverse
recreational activities, based on identified public interest and
demand.
(c) Expand educational and interpretive services and facilities,
focusing on the unique cultural and historical resources of the
Central Valley.
5095.53. The plan shall include a specific timeline for
implementation. By January 1, 2009, the department shall report to
the Legislature on the plan and timeline for implementation of the
plan.
5095.54. This chapter shall be implemented to the extend that
funds are appropriated pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 75063
or any other source.