BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1156
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Date of Hearing: May 24, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1156 (V. Manuel Pérez) - As Amended: May 13, 2013
Policy Committee: Local
GovernmentVote:7-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill excludes improvements on land from the total assessed
value of land used to determine the weighted vote of a landowner
in the Palo Verde Irrigation District.
FISCAL EFFECT
This bill is keyed a state reimbursable mandate. However, it is
unclear if the district is an entity eligible for reimbursement
and if a claim would be large enough to meet the minimum set by
the Commission on State Mandates.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . According to the sponsor, the Palo Verde Irrigation
District, given the size and the abundance of sunshine in the
geographic location of the district, it has been identified as
a preferred location for solar development. They district
contends this bill will ensure that voting power is equally
distributed among all land owners, instead of favoring only
those who have preferred sites for solar energy development.
2)Support . According to the Association of California Water
Agencies, these new solar projects typically utilize a few
thousand acres of land but the solar equipment can be worth
billions of dollars. Because of the relatively high value of
the improvements compared to the amount of land being used,
the landowner of a solar project built under these terms would
have a disproportionate share of the district's votes. This
bill would ensure that the votes of irrigated landowners would
not be diluted by any potential large solar projects in the
AB 1156
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district's service area.
3)Background . The Palo Verde Irrigation District was
established in 1923 and is comprised of mostly farmland
occupying about 189 square miles of territory in Riverside and
Imperial Counties. PVID is governed by a seven-member board of
trustees elected at large among owners of property within the
district. Current law limits voting rights in PVID to
landowners and establishes a weighted vote system based on the
assessed value of real property, including improvements made
by landowners.
California's 93 irrigation districts function under a range of
statutes that are a hybrid of registered voter and
landowner-voter type districts. In general, registered voters
are eligible to vote in district elections, but board members
must be landowners of the district. Historically, the
Legislature has recognized landowners' special concerns for
irrigation districts' operations by creating unique statutes
that preserve the landowner requirement to vote in districts
that primarily deliver agricultural water. Some of these
districts have landownership, but not residency requirements.
Some districts use weighted votes in their elections, based on
the relative value of land under ownership.
4)There is no registered opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Roger Dunstan / APPR. / (916) 319-2081