BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 384
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 384 (Chesbro)
As Amended June 28, 2011
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |70-0 |(May 12, 2011) |SENATE: |37-0 |(July 11, |
| | | | | |2011) |
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Original Committee Reference: B., P. & C.P.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the City of Fort Bragg (City) and the
County of Mendocino (County) to acquire up to 17 acres of the
Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) to develop a solid
waste transfer station, as part of a three-way property transfer
set at fair market value.
The Senate amendments :
1)Require the City or County to indemnify the state against any
liability from injury or contamination on the Caspar Landfill
property once the property is transferred to the state.
2)Require the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to
authorize the county to access the Caspar Landfill to monitor
the property and groundwater to ensure that there is no
leakage or contamination from the landfill.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes the DGS (Department of General Services), subject
to legislative approval, to sell, lease, exchange, or transfer
various specified properties for current market value, or upon
terms and conditions as DGS determines are in the state's best
interests.
2)Authorizes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL
FIRE) to engage in the management, protection, and
reforestation of state forests.
3)Authorizes DPR to have control of the state park system.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill authorized the City and
County to acquire up to 17 acres of the JDSF to develop a solid
AB 384
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waste transfer station, as part of a three-way property transfer
set at fair market value.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, unknown costs, likely in the hundreds of thousands,
fully reimbursed.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "This bill would authorize
ÝCAL FIRE], ÝDPR], the County, and the City, to engage in a
triple land swap in order for the County to build a new solid
waste transfer station on the JDSF property."
The City and County are looking for a site to build a commercial
transfer station for solid waste management. Currently, the
Fort Bragg area does not have a long-haul transfer station, and
in order to dispose of its trash for its 15,000 residents, must
collect trash in Waste Management short-haul collection trucks
that use detachable pods. Each pod holds up to five tons of
trash, first collected at the Fort Bragg Haulers Yard, then
detached and transported three at a time, in 15-ton trips, to
the Willits Transfer Station (WTS). The solid waste is dumped,
repackaged, and reloaded once more in transfer trailers carrying
25 tons to its final destination at the Portero Hills Landfill
(PHL) in Solano County. The entire journey is approximately 120
miles from the Fort Bragg Haulers Yard to the PHL.
The City and County are looking for a site to build a local
transfer station to eliminate inefficiencies in costs, fuel
consumption, and emissions, and to directly haul trash from the
Fort Bragg area to the PHL without stopping at the WTS. The
Mendocino Solid Waste Authority remarks that a new transfer
station would result in an annual cost savings of $162,563.
The City has been looking for a site for a local transfer
station. While the Caspar Landfill is a viable option, it is in
close proximity to a residential neighborhood, poses a potential
public nuisance by bordering state park, and has unsatisfactory
and unfixable access roads. Right now, the Caspar Landfill is a
small-volume self-haul landfill for residents only. A siting
study identified 17 acres of JDSF as a prime location because
the land has no timber crop, recreational function, or adjoining
uses that would conflict with a transfer station.
The City, County, CAL FIRE, and DPR have had positive
conversations about the benefits of a three-way land transfer.
AB 384
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This bill authorizes the land transfers at fair market value,
and allows each party, pending completion of the appraisals, to
compensate for the difference in value to complete the deal or
to reject the deal altogether.
This bill, as amended in the Senate, is consistent with Assembly
actions.
Analysis Prepared by : Joanna Gin / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)
319-3301
FN: 0001457