BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
AB 585 (Fox) - Department of Veterans Affairs
Amended: January 21, 2014 Policy Vote: VA 5-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 4, 2014
Consultant: Maureen Ortiz
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: AB 585 requires the Department of Veterans
Affairs to develop a master plan for the use of unused or
underutilized nonresidential real property owned by the
department by July 1, 2016.
Fiscal Impact:
One-time costs of up to $900,000 (General Fund)
The Department of Veterans Affairs has identified costs of
$77,750 for consultant fees; $487,704 for plan documentation;
$60,000 in travel expenses; and $250,000 for an evaluation of
the needs of the veteran population within the cities of
Lancaster and Ventura. All of these estimates are based on the
costs which have been incurred for the master plan at
Yountville, and only include a plan for the remaining seven
homes.
Background: The Veterans Homes Division, within the Department
of Veterans Affairs provides rehabilitative, residential medical
care and services in a homelike environment for all veterans and
eligible spouses who reside in the state's eight veterans homes.
These homes are located in Barstow, Chula Vista, Fresno,
Lancaster, Redding, Ventura, West Los Angeles, and Yountville.
The department's 2012 strategic plan includes an objective to
increase utilization of the unused space at the veterans homes
through collaborative relationships with nonprofits, veteran
service organizations, and private entities.
In a May 2013 report, the State Auditor reviewed the
department's management of the veterans home system and, among
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other things, found that the department is underutilizing the
space available at the veterans homes. As a result of that
audit, the department revised its strategic plan to include the
following goals:
- Develop and implement procedures for periodically
evaluating all of the veterans homes to identify
opportunities to enhance its use of unused space and
increase revenue.
- Create formal processes for systematically tracking
and utilizing unused space, as well as formalizing the
evaluation procedure and measures for potential
public-private partnerships, and writing procedures to
provide periodic measurements of their success.
Proposed Law: AB 585 requires the Department of Veterans
Affairs to develop a master plan for the use of unused or
underutilized nonresidential real property owned by the
department, including property on or near the premises of
existing department facilities, for purposes that will benefit
California veterans. The master plan must include an evaluation
of use options and make a preferred recommendation for use of
the property such as housing, supportive services, health care,
and mental health care.
The master plan must be completed by July 1, 2016.
AB 585 specifies that the master plan must consider the
department's inventory of properties as an integrated system,
and shall address how prospective uses of the properties may
complement each other. The plan will also include a prioritized
list of projects determined by the department to constitute
appropriate uses for the properties identified in the plan.
Staff Comments: Existing law requires each state agency to
annually review all proprietary state lands over which it has
jurisdiction and determine what, if any, land is in excess of
its foreseeable needs and report to the Department of General
Services. The report must include the identification of land
not currently being used, or current being underutilized by the
state agency for any existing or ongoing state program.
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