BILL ANALYSIS �
SJR 5
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Date of Hearing: June 18, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Anthony Rendon, Chair
SJR 5 (Tom Berryhill) - As Amended: April 9, 2013
SENATE VOTE : 36-0
SUBJECT : Yosemite National Park: Boundary Adjustment
SUMMARY : Declares the Legislature's support for adjusting the
boundary of Yosemite National Park to include an additional
1,575 acre area adjacent to the southwest boundary of the park,
and urges the United State Congress to approve the adjustment.
Specifically, this bill :
1)States legislative findings regarding Yosemite National Park,
including: its habitat values and other unique attributes; the
history of Yosemite, which was first ceded to the state of
California as a state park in 1864, and subsequently returned
to the United States and designated as a national park in
1890; its current national popularity with over 3.7 million
visitors per year; and that the park will celebrate its 150th
anniversary in 2014. States further legislative findings
regarding the resource management challenges that rural
residential development adjacent to the park poses for the
National Park Service, the Sierra National Forest and local
government due to the difficulty of providing county services
such as fire protection, water and road services in such a
remote location; and regarding an adjacent 1,575 acres
southwest of the park owned by two landowners who desire to
add the land to the national park.
2)Resolves that the Legislature supports adjusting the boundary
of Yosemite National Park to include the 1,575 acres southwest
of the park to protect the integrity of the park and the
Sierra National Forest, and encourages the United States
Congress to act expeditiously to adjust the boundary, and that
copies of this resolution be distributed to each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes Yosemite National Park, since 1890, as part of the
National Park System.
SJR 5
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FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS : This resolution declares the Legislature's support
for adding an additional 1,575 acres of lands to the boundaries
of Yosemite National Park, and urges Congress to act
expeditiously to approve the boundary adjustment. The acreage
in question is located southwest of the current park boundary
and is further bounded by the Sierra National Forest. The
property is currently owned by private landowners who have
expressed their desire to have the land added to the park. The
author indicates that rural residential development adjacent to
Yosemite National Park creates resource management problems for
the park, as well as for the Sierra National Forest and local
government because of the difficulty of providing county
services such as fire protection, water, and road service in
such a remote location. Adding these acres to the park would
consolidate management under the jurisdiction of the National
Park Service.
Inclusion of the land within the national park has been
unanimously supported by the Mariposa County Board of
Supervisors. In 2012, Congressman Jim Costa introduced House
Resolution 5709 to adjust the boundary of Yosemite National Park
to include the 1,575 acres. The Resolution does not appropriate
funds for acquisition, but would allow future acquisition of
these lands for the park using existing programs such as the
federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Environment California (sponsor)
Audubon California
California League of Conservation Voters
California ReLeaf
Defenders of Wildlife
Forests Forever
Pacific Forest Trust
Planning and Conservation League
Sierra Club California
The Trust for Public Land
Wholly H2O
SJR 5
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Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Diane Colborn / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096