BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
AB 585 (Fox) - Department of Veterans Affairs
Amended: August 6, 2014 Policy Vote: VA 5-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 14, 2014
Consultant: Maureen Ortiz
SUSPENSE FILE.
Bill Summary: AB 585 requires the Department of Veterans
Affairs to create a prioritized list for the use of unused or
underutilized nonresidential real property owned by the
department by July 1, 2016.
Fiscal Impact:
Minor costs to the Department of Veterans Affairs (General
Fund)
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
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
AB 585 (Fox)
Page 1
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 create a prioritized list for the use of unused or
underutilized nonresidential real property owned by the
department. The department will be required to propose one or
more potential uses of those properties that will benefit
California veterans and make a preferred recommendation for use
of the property such as housing, supportive services, health
care, and mental health care.
The list must be completed by July 1, 2016.
AB 585 specifies that the department must consider its inventory
of properties as an integrated system, and shall address how
prospective uses of the properties may complement each other.
The list of options shall be structured as 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.
AB 585 contains Legislative Findings and Declarations that
further study and evaluation may be necessary after a use option
for a given location is identified in order to fully determine
the feasibility of that use option and take steps towards its
implementation.
AB 585 (Fox)
Page 2