BILL ANALYSIS
AB 13
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Date of Hearing: May 13, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 13 (Salas) - As Amended: April 29, 2009
Policy Committee: WPW Vote:10-2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill creates the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy,
with a governing board of 11 voting members, to restore,
maintain, and enhance Delta ecosystems, including habitats,
wildlife corridors, native species, and open space.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Ongoing annual costs of about $300,000 to $1,000,000, starting
in 2010-11, to the conservancy to administer its programs,
including restoration, conservation, and long-term management
projects. (General Fund, Environmental License Plate Fund,
bond funds, or other special funds)
2)Ongoing annual costs of about $250,000, starting in FY
2009-10, to the Resources Agency to oversee the activities of
the conservancy. (General Fund)
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author contends this bill reflects an emerging
consensus that the Delta needs its own conservancy. In
October 2008, the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force-a
commission created by the governor to advise on Delta
management-recommended the creation of a Delta conservancy to
implement ecosystem restoration projects. This year, Senator
Simitian convened several stakeholder workgroups, including
one to develop details on a Delta conservancy. The author
reports having relied on the results of that work to develop
the current version of the bill.
2)Background. In the last decade, the Sacramento-San Joaquin
AB 13
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Delta has suffered a substantial ecosystem decline. The
populations of Delta fish species have dropped to
near-extinction levels, resulting in court-ordered
restrictions on water exports to the San Francisco Bay Area,
San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
Federal, state and local agencies have worked on Delta
ecosystem restoration projects for more than 15 years. The
CALFED Bay-Delta Program, a project of existing federal and
state agencies that included an ecosystem restoration program,
has largely failed to make sufficient progress to head off the
ecosystem decline. After fishery agencies reported the Delta
ecosystem crisis in 2005, ecosystem restoration efforts have
accelerated, including an effort by the Natural Resources
Agency to create a "Bay-Delta Conservation Plan" that would
allow receipt of permits under the federal Endangered Species
Act for the state and federal water project exports.
3)Proliferation of State Conservancies. Since establishing the
Tahoe Conservancy in 1973, the state has created eight other
conservancies: State Coastal (1976), Santa Monica Mountains
(1979), Coachella Valley Mountains (1990), San Joaquin River
(1992), San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains
(1999), Baldwin Hills (2000), San Diego River (2003), and
Sierra Nevada (2004).
4)Related Legislation.
a) AB 642 (Huber) also creates a Delta conservancy with a
nine-person board comprised of Delta county supervisors and
Delta residents. AB 642 awaits action before Assembly
Natural Resources.
b) SB 458 (Wolk) also proposes creation of a Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta Conservancy. That bill awaits action before
Senate Appropriations.
c) SB 1108 (Machado, 2008) sought to establish the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy Program,
administered by the State Coastal Conservancy, to restore,
enhance and protect agricultural, economic, natural,
cultural, historical, recreational, public access and urban
waterfront resources of the Delta. That bill was held in
this committee.
AB 13
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Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081