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