BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Fran Pavley, Chair |
| 2011-2012 Regular Session |
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BILL NO: AB 955 HEARING DATE: July 3, 2012
AUTHOR: Huber URGENCY: No
VERSION: June 25, 2012 CONSULTANT: Alena Pribyl
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: Recreational trails: California Recreational Trails
Committee.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
California Recreational Trails Act
In 1968, the California Recreational Trails Act (CRTA) was
passed. The CRTA requires the director of the Department of
Parks and Recreation (DPR) to prepare and maintain a
comprehensive plan for the development and operation of a
statewide system of recreation trails, called the California
Recreational Trails System Plan (trails plan). The trails plan
assesses present and future demand for recreational trail use
and recommends a system of trail routes designed to provide a
wide range of recreational opportunities. One of the goals of
the trails plan is to assure access and linkage to scenic,
natural, historic, and recreational areas of statewide
significance.
As part of the CRTA, the California Recreational Trails
Committee (Committee) was created to assist with implementation
of the trails plan. The Committee has several duties, including:
Coordinating trail planning and development among
cities, counties, and districts
Advising the director of the Department of Parks and
Recreation on developing standards for trail construction
so efforts will be uniform across the state
Advising the director in the preparation and maintenance
of the trails plan
Studying and advising the director on issues relating to
the use of private property for recreational trails
The Committee is made up of seven members appointed by the
governor that represent different regions of the state. Members
are selected from lists submitted by private organizations that
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have a demonstrated interest in the establishment of
recreational trails. The members serve four-year terms and
typically hold public meetings on a quarterly basis in various
venues around the state. These meetings provide the public an
opportunity to voice their concerns or bring up issues with
non-motorized trails. The members serve without compensation but
are reimbursed for their travel. Due to budget cuts and a loss
of staff support from DPR, several meetings were cancelled in
2009-2011.
In 2010, AB 2130 (Huber) selected the Committee for sunset
review and amended the CRTA to sunset the Committee on January
1, 2013.
Sunset Review
In the self-evaluation report completed for the Joint Sunset
Review committee by the Committee, the Committee indicated the
only statutory duty still relevant to them is advising the
director on the preparation and maintenance of the trails plan.
The other duties are no longer relevant. The Committee indicated
their main strength is the public meetings they hold to get
input from the public when the trails plan needs to be updated.
They also indicated they have been useful in helping prepare the
bi-annual progress reports on the trails plan.
In the March 14, 2012 sunset review, the sunset committee
indicated a problem the Committee faced was that although they
provide a forum for the public to present trail issues, the
Committee is not empowered to resolve trail use issues and
user-group conflicts. The sunset review also indicated the
Committee has contributed significantly to trail development and
management in California. The Committee created the online Trail
Manager's Toolbox, which is an online resource guide for trail
and open space managers to develop and improve their local
programs. The Committee also developed the California Trails and
Greenways Conference in 1984 to address the growing demand for
technical assistance by trail professionals and volunteers
throughout California. The conference is now managed by DPR and
the California Trails Conference Foundation.
In the review, the sunset committee noted stakeholders expressed
significant concern that the public may be losing its
opportunity to discuss trail issues directly with DPR
representatives, although DPR had concerns about ongoing costs.
DPR said it would be possible for them to give public notice for
the California Trails and Greenways Conference and for updates
to the trails plan to afford public participation in
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California's trail planning process. The recommendation of the
sunset committee was to allow the Committee to sunset.
California Trails & Greenways Foundation
The California Trails & Greenway Foundation is a nonprofit
organization that provides small grants to other trail
organizations in California. They consider the benefits of the
Committee to far outweigh the costs and have offered to cover
the cost of one meeting of the Committee per year and are
willing to help DPR find sponsors to cover the cost of other
meetings.
The sunset review committee responded that the offer is evidence
of the importance of the Committee to public and grassroots
organizations. They said that DPR is supportive of collaborating
with the Foundation to keep the Committee functioning, with
minimal impact to DPR's budget.
PROPOSED LAW
This bill extends the sunset of the California Recreational
Trails Committee to January 1, 2028 and updates their
responsibilities. Specifically, this bill:
1) Extends authorization for the Committee until January 1, 2028
and requires members be appointed based on their demonstrated
interest and involvement in the establishment and promotion of
recreational trails.
2) Amends the duties of the Committee to include the following:
Coordinate trail planning among cities, counties and
districts by reviewing statewide planning efforts,
assisting with resolution of trail issues and user-group
conflicts, and advising in the development of trail
planning and management guidelines.
Advise the director in the preparation and maintenance
of the trails plan and the development of state park trail
guidelines
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the author, the Joint Sunset Review Committee
reviewed the Committee on March 14, 2012 and stakeholders
expressed significant support for its continuance, although the
California Parks and Recreation Department had concerns about
ongoing costs. The Department has accepted the offer by the
California Trails and Greenways Foundation to fund one meeting
of the Committee per year.
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ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None received
SUPPORT
None Received
OPPOSITION
None Received
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