BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 693
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 22, 2012

                       ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
                                Cameron Smyth, Chair
                     AB 693 (Huffman) - As Amended:  July 6, 2012
           
          SUBJECT  :   Local government: Sonoma County Regional Climate 
          Protection Authority.

           SUMMARY  :  Extends authorization for the Sonoma County Regional 
          Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) from 2016 to 2020.

           The Senate amendments  delete the Assembly version of this bill, 
          and instead:  

          1)Extend the sunset date for the authorization for the Sonoma 
            RCPA until January 1, 2020.

          2)Find and declare that a special law is necessary and that a 
            general law cannot be made applicable because of the unique 
            greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of the County of 
            Sonoma.

          3)Provide that no reimbursement is required by the bill's 
            provisions because the only costs that may be incurred by a 
            local agency or school district are the result of a program 
            for which legislative authority was requested by that local 
            agency or school district.

           EXISTING LAW  :
           
          1)Creates the Sonoma RCPA until December 1, 2015. 

          2)Provides for the Sonoma RCPA to be governed by the same board 
            as that governing the Sonoma County Transportation Authority 
            and imposes certain duties on the Sonoma RCPA.

          3)Authorizes the Sonoma RCPA, in cooperation with local 
            agencies, as defined, that elect to participate, to perform 
            coordination and implementation activities, within the 
            boundaries of the County of Sonoma, to assist those agencies 
            in meeting their greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and 
            to develop, coordinate, and implement programs and policies to 
            comply with the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 
            2006 and other federal or state mandates and programs designed 








                                                                  AB 693
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            to respond to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill required the Department of 
          Motor Vehicles to provide an online option for drivers to 
          connect to the California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations 
          Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28, negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  :  


          1)AB 881(Huffman), Chapter 375, Statutes of 2009, established 
            the Sonoma RCPA to coordinate and help implement actions that 
            local Sonoma County agencies take to reduce greenhouse gas 
            emissions.  Authorized activities of RCPA include assisting 
            with the reduction of energy consumption, increasing energy 
            efficiency, increasing water use efficiency, addressing carbon 
            sequestration, addressing transportation alternatives, and 
            quantifying greenhouse gas reduction.


            The RCPA has the same board membership as the Sonoma County 
            Transportation Authority (SCTA), but is a distinct legal 
            entity.  RCPA board members include representatives from the 
            County of Sonoma and from all of that county's nine cities.  
            The RCPA may receive grants, and it may use SCTA funds 
            identified to assist in greenhouse gas reduction.  The RCPA 
            cannot override the actions of other local agencies.  Existing 
            law sunsets the RCPA on January 1, 2016.


          2)The purpose of this bill, sponsored by the Sonoma RCPA, is to 
            continue RCPA's authority to assist local agencies in Sonoma 
            County in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


            The RCPA is a single-purpose entity that coordinates 
            county-wide efforts on developing efficient buildings, clean 
            energy, alternative transportation, and other efforts to adapt 
            to climate change.  Examples of RPCA-driven activities include 
            implementation of the Energy Upgrade California residential 
            home program with federal American Recovery and Reinvestment 
            Act funds, receipt of grant funds for greenhouse gas reduction 
            planning, partnerships to develop and install new 








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            technologies, such as an electric vehicle charging station 
            network, and assisting in the development of transportation 
            and land use plans to further the goals of SB 375 (Steinberg), 
            Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008.


            The RCPA has adopted a goal of reducing greenhouse gas 
            emissions 25% below the 1990 level by 2015.  Much work remains 
            beyond 2015 to further address climate change issues.


           3)Support arguments  : Supporters argue that in extending the 
            sunset for RCPA, the Legislature will enable a long term 
            vision to be implemented and will further enhance RCPA's 
            ability to work collaborative, efficiently and effectively.

             Opposition arguments  : None on file.  


           4)The subject matter of this bill has not been heard in any 
            Assembly policy committee this legislative session.


           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          Sonoma County Transportation Authority ÝCO-SPONSOR]
          Sonoma Regional Climate Protection Authority ÝCO-SPONSOR]

           Opposition 
           
          None on file

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Debbie Michel / L.GOV. / (916) 319-3958