BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 735
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Date of Hearing: April 30, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Anthony Rendon, Chair
AB 735 (Gomez) - As Amended: April 23, 2013
SUBJECT : Greenway Initiative
SUMMARY : Defines a greenway as a non-motorized pedestrian,
bicycle, and recreational travel corridor that parallels an
urban waterway and promotes the development of greenways along
rivers in the state through public and private partnership,
including the development of a greenway along the Los Angeles
River (LA River). Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes findings that include, but are not limited to,
acknowledging that open-space land is necessary for the
maintenance and economy of the state as well as providing
relief from urban congestion and providing places for
relaxation, exercise, community interaction, and appreciation
of wildlife species and habitats.
2)Finds that, among other benefits, greenways are public
infrastructure along natural landscape features such as
watercourses that, by their linear nature, help to physically
and psychologically connect neighborhoods, improve community
quality of life, reduce dependence on automobiles, complement
and enhance public amenities, attract residents and visitors,
and provide services, especially to underserved communities.
3)Finds that among other attributes, the LA River is a site that
is particularly suited for the development of a greenway and
states that an LA River greenway that focuses on
public-private partnerships aimed at establishing a continuous
pedestrian bikeway along the Los Angeles River and its key
tributaries would foster job creation, economic development
and community revitalization.
4)Further finds that a continuous pedestrian bikeway along the
LA River and it key tributaries would encourage community
revitalization by investing in an efficient cycling and
walking recreational transit route following the 51-mile LA
River corridor and that such a greenway would build upon a
long history of support for a multiuse greenway along the LA
River and could complement the existing work of key federal,
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state, and local entities while attracting public and private
investment.
5)Acknowledges that the County of Los Angeles River Master Plan
in 1996, the City of Los Angeles River Revitalization Master
Plan in 2007, the City of Los Angeles Bicycle Plan in 2010,
the County of Los Angeles Bicycle Plan in 2012, and President
Obama's prioritization of the LA River trail system in the
President's America's Great Outdoors Initiative in 2012
all promote the development of a river trail system along the LA
River.
6)Defines a greenway as, among other characteristics, a
pedestrian and bicycle, non-motorized vehicle transportation,
and recreational travel corridor that meets specified
requirements including, but not limited to: separation and
protection from existing roadways; public accessibility; and,
appropriate design standards, including those related to
setbacks, centerlines protecting directional travel,
landscaping, lighting, public amenities, and art.
7)Allows that a city, county, or other local government entity
may designate lands along a river within its jurisdiction as a
greenway by legislative action and seek appropriate public or
private funding to develop the greenway within its
jurisdiction.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Creates the Los Angeles County Flood Control District
(District) which encompasses all of Los Angeles County
including almost the entire watershed of the LA River, as well
as several other rivers. Empowers the District to provide for
the control and conservation of the flood, storm and other
waters of the District by:
a) Saving or conserving in any manner, all or any of these
waters, by spreading, storing, retaining or causing those
waters to percolate into the soil within the District;
b) Protecting harbors, waterways, public highways, and
property in the District from flood or stormwater damage;
and,
c) Providing for public use of navigable waterways under
the District's control that are suitable for recreational
and educational purposes, when these purposes are not
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inconsistent with flood control and water conservation.
2)Authorizes the District, among other powers, to provide by
agreement with other public agencies or private persons or
entities or otherwise for the recreational use of the lands,
facilities, and works of the district as long as those
activities do not interfere with, or are not inconsistent
with, the primary use and purpose of the lands, facilities,
and works of the District.
3)Establishes the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and
empowers it to:
a) Acquire, improve, and manage real property;
b) Award grants or make interest-free loans to cities,
counties, resource conservation districts, and recreation
and park districts in order to acquire, restore and enhance
properties in furtherance of the goals of the SMMC;
c) Conduct a study and implement a program to provide
recreational access from downtown Los Angeles and the inner
city to the SMMC zone in order to provide recreational
opportunities for all income and ethnic groups wishing to
enjoy the Santa Monica Mountains. Requires SMMC to
cooperate with the National Park Service, the El Pueblo de
Los Angeles State Historic Park Advisory Committee, the
Department of Parks and Recreation, and the City of Los
Angeles in conducting and implementing the program.
4)Establishes the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and
Mountains Conservancy (RMC) and empowers the RMC to:
a) Acquire and manage public lands within the Lower Los
Angeles River and San Gabriel River watersheds;
b) Provide open-space, low-impact recreational and
educational uses, water conservation, watershed
improvement, wildlife and habitat restoration and
protection, and watershed improvement within the territory;
and,
c) Preserve the San Gabriel River and the Lower Los Angeles
River consistent with existing and adopted river and flood
control projects for the protection of life and property.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS: Many people outside of Los Angeles might not realize
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that the wide concrete channel which plays a cameo role in many
films, television series, and music videos is actually the LA
River. For much of the year the river is a trickle and the
culvert is dry, which makes it a convenient location to stage
races, car chases, and gang rumbles.
Until the Los Angeles Aqueduct brought water from the Owens
Valley, the LA River was the primary water source for the Los
Angeles Basin. But it had a tendency towards extremes, both in
terms of water scarcity and propensity to flood. After
catastrophic flooding in the 1930's, the United States Army
Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) began lining most of the LA
River with concrete. Ever since, it has served primarily as a
flood control channel, fed by storm drains, with only a few
portions of the river not completely paved over. More recently
environmental groups and park advocates have supported the
removal of concrete and the restoration of natural vegetation
and wildlife along the LA River.
The LA River is 51 miles long, contained entirely within the
County of Los Angeles, and passes through 13 cities, including
32 miles that stretch across the City of Los Angeles. The LA
River begins in Canoga Park, at the confluence of Bell Creek and
the Arroyo Calabasas, and then flows mostly east through the San
Fernando Valley where it is joined by several tributaries. In
Burbank, it enters and begins skirting Griffith Park, bending
sharply southward as it does so. This stretch of the LA River,
down to Elysian Park, is called the Glendale Narrows, and
contains one of only three stretches of the river with an
earthen bottom. After leaving the Glendale Narrows, the river
continues southward through downtown Los Angeles until it
eventually reaches Long Beach Harbor.
Although planners had envisioned greenbelts interconnecting
parklands along the river as early as the 1930s, the more recent
interest in the revitalization and promotion of the
re-integration of the river and its tributaries into the
adjacent neighborhoods began in the mid-to-late 1980s. There
was growing recognition that, compared to other large American
cities, Los Angeles has relatively fewer parks, particularly in
under-represented communities.
In the early 1990s, the County of Los Angeles began a process
that, after considerable input from stakeholders and community
outreach, resulted in the Los Angeles River Master Plan (Master
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Plan) in 1996. The Master Plan vision includes four core
principles: revitalizing the river's ecological and hydrological
functions while maintaining its flood control requirements;
creating a green ribbon through the City with green strands
extending the river's influence into adjacent neighborhoods;
capturing opportunities to benefit neighboring communities; and,
creating value by improving the quality of life. The Master
Plan described how economic growth could be spurred along the
river through zoning changes and the development of open space
thus providing recreational, cultural, artistic, educational,
and other opportunities that would "achieve a better river
environment for future generations in the Los Angeles basin."
The Los Angeles City Council established its own ad hoc
committee on the river in 2002 and the City's Los Angeles River
Revitalization Master Plan (Revitalization Master Plan) was
released in 2007. Continuing the long-term goals of the county
master plan, the Revitalization Master Plan also promoted the
river as a multi-benefit solution to addressing and enhancing
water quality and flood control while enabling safe access to
the river and restoring a functional river ecosystem. Both
plans contain a list of river projects to be completed and seek
to refocus the surrounding neighborhoods towards the river to
help form a sense of identity, improve the quality of life, and
boost civic pride. Numerous river projects in all parts of the
county have been undertaken since the plans were produced
involving all levels of government and a variety of private
organizations with funding from many sources including state and
local bond funds. Both plans continue to inform planning
activities. For example, the recently-approved City and County
of Los Angeles Bicycle Plans envision bicycle paths along the
entire length of the river and its tributaries by the early
2030s.
An important element of the Revitalization Master Plan was the
development of a three-tiered governance structure. The Los
Angeles River Cooperation Committee (Committee) is a joint
working group comprised of the District and the City of Los
Angeles, in conjunction with the Army Corps, which meets to
coordinate and evaluate projects along the upper reach of the LA
River. The Committee, established in 2009, is charged with
reviewing and recommending projects within the city. The Los
Angeles River Revitalization Corporation (LA River Corp.) is an
entrepreneurial private nonprofit helping to implement the
Revitalization Master Plan through land development and project
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management. Finally, the Los Angeles River Foundation is an
independent, nonprofit fundraising arm.
In September 2010, the LA River gained greater recognition when
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
announced that its designation as a "traditional navigable
waterway" protected under the Clean Water Act would ensure its
future the vitality. At the time, USEPA Administrator Lisa
Jackson stated, "We want the LA River to demonstrate how urban
waterways across the country can serve as assets in building
stronger neighborhoods. A clean, vibrant LA River system can
help revitalize struggling communities, promoting growth and
jobs for residents of Los Angeles."
The LA River was also identified in 2010 as a priority by the
Obama administration under the America's Great Outdoors
initiative and is now one of seven pilot cities for the Urban
Waters Federal Partnership. In the ceremony announcing the
designation, then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar stated,
"Once known for pollution and poverty, these watersheds can
become model urban parks cherished for their trails and access
to river recreation."
The SMMC calls the potential transformation of the LA River into
a continuous 51-mile recreational greenway "one of the most
promising efforts underway in Los Angeles today." Working with
the thirteen cities traversed by the LA River, as well as
community groups, public agencies, private corporations and
nonprofit organizations, the SMMC and the Mountains Recreation
and Conservation Authority (MRCA) are hoping, like many other
groups, to create a greenway composed of trails, parks, and
natural lands.
Other groups state that throughout history the LA River played
an important role in the settlement of the great diversity of
communities in the Los Angeles region and that today the river
is surrounded by approximately 10 million people. Those groups
hope that reestablishment of natural areas and parks along the
river will promote economic vitality and much needed
recreational opportunities in these heavily urbanized areas.
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Prior Legislation : SB 1201 (De León/2012) amended the Los
Angeles Flood Control Act in order to provide for the public use
of navigable waterways under the District's control that are
suitable for recreational and educational purposes, when those
purposes are not inconsistent with their use by the District for
flood control and water conservation. SCR 101 (Pavley/2012)
honored and commended the commitment, energy, vision, and
leadership demonstrated by local, regional, state, and federal
government agencies, as well as nonprofit and civic groups,
organizations, and associations, in the creation of parks and
the restoration of natural habitats along the LA River and its
San Fernando Valley tributaries.
Supporting Arguments : The author states that this bill will
help promote the establishment of greenways, including an LA
River greenway. The author advises that greenways can improve
the quality of life in communities by providing connectivity
between them and important recreational, open space, wildlife,
flood management, water quality, air quality, transportation,
emergency response, and urban waterfront revitalization
opportunities.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Los Angeles River Corporation (sponsor)
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096