BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 324
                                                                  Page  1


          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
          AB 324 (Buchanan)
          As Amended  March 15, 2011
          Majority vote 

           BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS     7-0  APPROPRIATIONS      11-5        
           
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          |Ayes:|Hayashi, Allen, Butler,   |Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield,     |
          |     |Eng, Hill, Ma, Smyth      |     |Bradford, Charles         |
          |     |                          |     |Calderon, Campos, Davis,  |
          |     |                          |     |Gatto, Hill, Lara,        |
          |     |                          |     |Mitchell, Solorio         |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |     |                          |Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly,         |
          |     |                          |     |Nielsen, Norby, Wagner    |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           SUMMARY  :   Requires the Department of General Services (DGS) to 
          consider specified factors in selecting a location for the 
          lease, lease with the option to purchase, construction, or 
          purchase of a state building in excess of 10,000 square feet.  
          Specifically,  this bill  : 

          1)Requires consideration of the location of the community or 
            population served by the state building.

          2)Requires consideration of the residential location of the 
            workforce to be housed in the building, and priority may be 
            given to the locations that demonstrate the highest reduction 
            of miles traveled by its workforce.

          3)Requires consideration of the availability and proximity of 
            high quality and frequent transit service, including regularly 
            operated bus lines that are operational at the time a state 
            agency occupies the building. 

           EXISTING LAW  : 

          1)Requires DGS to prepare plans and specifications for any 
            public building constructed pursuant to the State Building 
            Construction Act of 1955, which generally sets forth 
            procedures for the acquisition and construction of state 








                                                                  AB 324
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            buildings.

          2)States that the "Capitol Area Plan" (Plan) is the official 
            state master plan for development in the central city area of 
            the City of Sacramento for the location of state buildings and 
            other improvements.  The Plan serves as a guide for future 
            state policy in the locating of state buildings and other 
            facilities in the metropolitan area.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   According to the Assembly Appropriations 
          Committee, DGS indicates that, on behalf of state departments, 
          it enters into about 100 leases for new space each year, and 
          that most of these leases are for less than 10,000 square feet.  
          If one-fourth of this activity involved leases exceeding 10,000 
          square feet, and assuming the additional analyses regarding the 
          workforce to be housed at prospective state offices cost an 
          average of $2,000 (40 hours of staff time at $50 per hour), the 
          annual costs would average about $50,000 from the Service 
          Revolving Fund (ultimately funded by the General Fund and 
          numerous special funds depending on the particular state 
          departments involved).

           COMMENTS  :  According to the author's office, "DGS currently does 
          not consider the residential locations of the majority of their 
          workforce when planning for the construction or acquisition of 
          new state buildings.  As a result, communities with the highest 
          concentration of state workers often have to travel further 
          distances to get to work.  California's shortage of public 
          transportation systems amplified this problem, particularly in 
          the rural areas of our state.  This bill would allow the DGS to 
          consider where the workforce lives when planning the lease, 
          purchase or construction of a state building."

          Currently, DGS has numerous statutes and mandates to comply with 
          when selecting state buildings.  Executive Order D-46-01 ordered 
          that sound and smart growth patterns shall receive maximum 
          support consistent with the foregoing state priorities and 
          specified considerations. 

          According to the City of Elk Grove, it is the second largest 
          city in Sacramento County with a population of 140,000 
          residents.  There are 12,625 Elk Grove residents that are state 
          government workers, and 76.9% of those workers, which equals 
          nearly 10,000 cars, drive to work alone.  The remaining 12.7% of 








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          state workers residing in Elk Grove carpool.  The resulting 
          impact of these motorists is an average annual commute of 7,195 
          miles per vehicle, totaling 90,836,875 miles for the entire 
          population.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Joanna Gin / B.,P. & C.P. / (916) 
          319-3301 


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