BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 34 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 34 (Roger Hernández) As Amended July 8, 2013 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |57-19|(April 29, |SENATE: |32-2 |(September 3, | | | |2013) | | |2013) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: W., P. & W. SUMMARY : Requires Nuestra Seńora Reina de La Paz (La Paz), which includes the home and burial site of the late César Chávez, to be registered as a state historic landmark, and requires the State Office of Historic Preservation to identify other historical resources associated with the labor and civil rights movements or California's modern history appropriate for potential listing on the California Register of Historical Resources. The Senate amendments : 1)Modify the legislative findings and declarations in this bill by deleting reference to a general deficit of sites on the California Historic Register associated with California's modern history and civil rights, and instead declare the Legislature's desire to recognize more historical sites as historical resources, historical landmarks, and points of historical interest that are associated with California's labor and civil rights movements and modern history. 2)Require the State Office of Historic Preservation (the Office) to educate the public on the process for nominating historical resources for listing in the California Register, with particular emphasis on nominating resources associated with the labor movement, civil rights movement, and the state's modern history, by providing information in its quarterly newsletter or other appropriate publications, and on the Office's Internet Web site. 3)Require the Office by January 1, 2015, to identify publicly owned resources that may be appropriate for potential listing as historical resources, historical landmarks, or points of historical interest for their association with the labor AB 34 Page 2 movement, the civil rights movement, or the state's modern history, and require the Office to report its findings to the State Historical Resources Commission (Commission). EXISTING LAW : 1)Establishes the California Register as the authoritative guide to the state's significant historical and archeological resources. 2)Provides three ways in which a historical resource is automatically listed in the California Register: formal eligibility for or listing in the National Register of Historic Places; designation as a California Historical Landmark numbered 770 or higher; or designation as a California Point of Historical Interest in or after January 1998. 3)Provides that the California Register may also include other types of historical resources, including California Historical Landmarks numbered 769 or lower, that the Commission determines are significant based upon the following criteria: a) is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California's history and cultural heritage; b) is associated with the lives of persons important in our past; c) embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values; or d) has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. 4)Authorizes the Commission to adopt procedures governing nominations of resources for listing in the California Register. 5)Defines California Historical Landmarks as sites, buildings, features, or events of statewide significance and value. Provides that to be considered a California Historical Landmark a resource must meet at least one of the following criteria: a) the property is the first, last, only, or most significant historical property of its type in the region; b) the property is associated with an individual or group having a profound influence on the history of California; or c) the property is a prototype of, or an outstanding example of, a AB 34 Page 3 period, style, architectural movement, or construction, or if it is one of the more notable works, or the best surviving work, in a region of a pioneer architect, designer, or master builder. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs. COMMENTS : This bill would designate La Paz as a state historical landmark, and also require the Office to identify additional sites associated with the state's labor movement, civil rights movement, or modern history for potential designation on the California Register as state historical resources, and to educate the public about the process for nominating such resources for listing. The Assembly version required that the Office identify at least five such resources for potential listing. The Senate amendments delete the requirement for at least five resources to be identified and instead require that they identify publicly owned resources that may be appropriate for listing, without specifying a number. The Senate amendments also require that the Office report its findings to the Commission. In addition, the Senate amendments add specificity regarding the means that the Office is required to use to educate the public on the nomination process, by requiring that information be provided in the Office's quarterly newsletter or other appropriate publications, and on the Office's Web site. Finally, the Senate amendments modify the legislative findings and make other technical changes. Analysis Prepared by : Diane Colborn / W., P. & W. / (916) 319-2096 FN: 0001466