BILL ANALYSIS SB 1450 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 4, 2010 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Felipe Fuentes, Chair SB 1450 (Simitian) - As Amended: August 2, 2010 Policy Committee: Water, Parks and Wildlife Vote: 12-1 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No SUMMARY This bill authorizes the Delta Stewardship Council to use an expedited contracting process for development of the "Delta Plan" for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. Specifically, this bill: 1)Allows the council to use a streamlined competitive bid process, which exempts it from procedural requirements for contracting with private entities, to hire consultants, engineers or architects for: a) preparing the Delta Plan and associated environmental review; b) performing its responsibilities; c) determining consistency of state and local public agency actions with the Delta Plan; or, d) performing scientific review to inform water and environmental decision-making in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. 2)Requires the council to establish procedures for contracting for these services. FISCAL EFFECT SB 1450 Page 2 Potential, minor administrative cost savings to the council resulting from simplified contracting procedures. COMMENTS 1)Rationale . According to the author, the Water Package of 2009 calls on the council to establish, by January 1, 2012, a plan for management of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. The author contends this bill provides the council the flexibility to quickly secure contracts for completion of work integral to the Delta Plan so that the council can complete the plan by the 2012 deadline. 2)Background . Last year's water package established the coequal goals of protecting the Delta ecosystem and ensuring a reliable water supply for California. The package created the Delta Protection Council as the governing body responsible for developing, by January 1, 2010, the Delta Plan-a comprehensive, long-term management strategy for the Delta. Existing law includes many procedural requirements public agencies must follow when considering a contract for services with a private entity. Those procedures include adoption of regulations describing procedures the public agency will follow to ensure certain public goals and standards are met and demonstration that the contract will result in cost savings. The analysis of this bill completed by the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife describe a recent committee hearing during which concern was expressed over the ability of the newly created council to develop the Delta Plan by January 1, 2012, given the legal constraints it faces in contracting with private entities. Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081