BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 238
                                                                  Page 1


          SENATE THIRD READING
          SB 238 (Liu)
          As Introduced  August 6, 2013 
          Majority vote 

           SENATE VOTE  :26-9  
           
           NATURAL RESOURCES   5-3         APPROPRIATIONS      12-5        
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Ayes:|Chesbro, Garcia,          |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra,         |
          |     |Muratsuchi, Skinner,      |     |Bradford,                 |
          |     |Stone                     |     |Ian Calderon, Campos,     |
          |     |                          |     |Eggman, Gomez, Hall,      |
          |     |                          |     |Holden, Pan, Quirk, Weber |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |Nays:|Grove, Bigelow, Patterson |Nays:|Harkey, Bigelow,          |
          |     |                          |     |Donnelly, Linder, Wagner  |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 

           SUMMARY  :  Authorizes the Supervisor of the Angeles National  
          Forest (normally an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Santa  
          Monica Mountains Conservancy (Conservancy)) to vote on matters  
          relating to projects located within, adjacent to, or  
          substantially affecting, the Angeles National Forest.

           EXISTING LAW  :  

          1)Establishes the Conservancy within the Natural Resources  
            Agency to acquire and protect lands within the Santa Monica  
            Mountains Zone, which is an area of approximately 650,000  
            acres, generally encompassing the mountain areas of eastern  
            Ventura County, western Los Angeles County, and the mountain  
            areas surrounding the San Fernando, La Crescenta, and Santa  
            Clarita Valleys.

          2)Established nine voting members on the Conservancy, three ex  
            officio members, and six legislative members.  

          3)Requires the three ex officio members to be a representative  
            from the California Coastal Commission (CCC), a representative  
            from the State Coastal Conservancy, and the Supervisor of the  
            Angeles National Forest.








                                                                  SB 238
                                                                  Page 2



          4)Authorizes the ex officio members from the CCC to vote on  
            matters pertaining to a project undertaken within the coastal  
            zone portion of the Santa Monica Mountains Zone.

          5)Does not authorize the Supervisor of the Angeles National  
            Forest to vote on matters before the Conservancy.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  :  The Conservancy was established by the California  
          State Legislature in 1980.  Since that time, it has helped to  
          preserve over 69,000 acres of parkland in both wilderness and  
          urban settings, and improved more than 114 public recreational  
          facilities throughout Southern California.  Additionally, it has  
          given grants to nonprofit organizations for educational and  
          interpretation programs that have served hundreds of thousands  
          of children and other park visitors. 

          The voting rights of the Supervisor of the Angeles National  
          Forest were apparently never a discussed topic when the Santa  
          Monica Mountains Conservancy was established.  With the special  
          resource study of the area known as the "Rim of the Valley," the  
          Conservancy agrees that Supervisor of the Angeles National  
          Forest should be included in the discussion as a voting member.   
          The purpose of this study is to determine if any portion of the  
          Valley Corridor is eligible to be considered a unit of the  
          national park system, or added to an existing national park.   
          The Valley Corridor is the area that generally includes the  
          mountains encircling the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa  
          Clarita, Simi and Conejo Valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura  
          Counties in southern California.  The study will also explore  
          other ways that private or governmental entities can protect  
          resources and provide more outdoor recreation opportunities.

          By allowing the Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest to  
          vote on matters that affect the Angeles National Forest, this  
          bill will allow the Supervisor to have a similar role played by  
          the CCC on Conservancy projects related to the coastal zone.
           

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Mario DeBernardo / NAT. RES. / (916)  
          319-2092 








                                                                  SB 238
                                                                  Page 3




                                                                FN: 0001557