BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2351| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: AB 2351 Author: Chesbro (D) Amended: 4/15/10 in Assembly Vote: 21 SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE : 5-1, 6/9/10 AYES: Pavley, Kehoe, Lowenthal, Padilla, Wolk NOES: Cogdill NO VOTE RECORDED: Hollingsworth, Huff, Simitian SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-0, 6/28/10 AYES: Kehoe, Cox, Alquist, Corbett, Leno, Price, Wolk, Yee NO VOTE RECORDED: Denham, Walters, Wyland ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 55-18, 5/6/10 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Forest resources: demonstration state forests: campgrounds: user fees SOURCE : Department of Forestry and Fire DIGEST : This bill authorizes the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) to assess recreational user fees for overnight camping and group activities on a demonstration state forest. These fees must be deposited in the Forest Resources Improvement Fund to reimburse CDF's costs of maintaining and improving campground facilities, associated recreational facilities, the natural environment, CONTINUED AB 2351 Page 2 ANALYSIS : Existing law 1. Authorizes CDF, in accordance with plans approved by the Board of Forestry, to acquire, manage, protect, and reforest state forests. 2. Creates the Forest Resource Improvement Fund (FRIF) in the State Treasury, for the deposit of revenues from the sale of forest products from state forests to support the management of these forests, including restoration activities. Any balance in the FIRF must be deposited in the General Fund. This bill: 1. Authorizes CDF to charge and collect recreational user fees for overnight camping and reserved group activities on a demonstration state forest. CDF is prohibited from charging a fee that exceeds the amount necessary to reimburse CDF's costs for maintenance and improvement of campground facilities, associated recreational facilities, natural environment and access thereto. 2. Requires CDF to deposit all recreational user fees into the FRIF on a monthly basis to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to reimburse the CDF's cost of maintaining and improving the campground facilities, associated recreational facilities, natural environment, and access thereto. Background According to CDF's Website, as of September 2006, "[CDF] operates eight Demonstration State Forests totaling 71,000 acres. The forests represent the most common forest types in the state. The State Forests grow approximately 75 million board feet yearly and harvest an average of 30 million board feet of timber each year, enough to build 3,000 single-family homes. In addition, the forests provide research and demonstration projects on forest management, while providing public recreation AB 2351 Page 3 opportunities, fish and wildlife habitat, and watershed protection." The eight state forests are: Jackson (Mendocino County), Boggs Mountain (Lake County), Latour (Shasta County), Mountain Home (Tulare County), Soquel (Santa Cruz County), Las Posadas (Napa County), Mount Zion (Amador County), and Ellen Pickett (Trinity County). Jackson State Forest, at over 50,000 acres, is the largest state forest. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No According to the Senate Appropriations Committee analysis: Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Fund New fee revenues ($80) to ($120) per year Special * *Forest Resources Improvement Fund SUPPORT : (Verified 6/29/10) Department of Forestry and Fire (source) California Licensed Foresters Association California Native Plant Society County of Mendocino, Board of Supervisors ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, "Since camping on the Demonstration State Forests has been free of charge, law enforcement, campground access, and maintenance and improvements to the campgrounds has been funded by timber sales. In economic recessions, when timber revenues are low and recreational use increases, the financial and environmental impact on the Demonstration State Forests can be significant." ASSEMBLY FLOOR : AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Blakeslee, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Cook, Coto, Davis, De AB 2351 Page 4 La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Monning, Nava, Niello, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Skinner, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez NOES: Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Conway, DeVore, Emmerson, Fletcher, Gaines, Garrick, Hagman, Knight, Logue, Miller, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Silva, Smyth NO VOTE RECORDED: Bass, Block, Fuller, Gilmore, Harkey, Mendoza, Vacancy CTW:do 6/29/10 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END ****