SB 725, Anderson. Veterans buildings and memorials: county and city property: veterans service organizations: nonprofit veteran service agencies: retrofit and remodel.
Under existing law, a county may not revoke the dedication of specified facilities to a veterans’ association, so long as the veterans’ association has not violated the terms and conditions of the dedication, unless it dedicates substitute facilities or unless the veterans’ organization has either consented to the proposed county action or has abandoned its use of the facilities.
This bill would extend this law to cities, cities and counties, and nonprofit veteran service agencies, as defined. This bill would also provide that a property is not considered abandoned if the veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency is required to move from the property in order for the property to undergo seismic retrofitting or remodeling.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to change references to veterans’ association to veterans association or veterans service organization.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1260 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read:
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates:
(a) “Political subdivision” means any city, county, district, or other local governmental agency.
(b) “Governing body” means the board of supervisors in the case of a county, or the city council or board of trustees or other governing board in the case of a city, district, or other local governmental agency.
(c) “Veterans association” or “veterans service organization” means any association or organization which is composed solely of persons who served honorably in time of war or in time of peace in a campaign or expedition for service in which a medal has been authorized by the government of the United States, as members of the Armed Forces of the United States, or who as citizens of the United States served honorably in time of war as members of the armed forces of any nation whose government was allied with the United States during that war, and which is organized for patriotic, fraternal, and benevolent objects.
(d) “Nonprofit veteran service agency” shall have the meaning given in Section 999.51 of the Military and Veterans Code.
Section 1261 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read:
Any political subdivision may lease any lot or building or part thereof belonging to it and not required for public use, for not exceeding 20 years, or may acquire and lease or sublease any lot or building or part thereof for not exceeding 20 years, to a veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency organized in such political subdivision, to be used for the purposes of the veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency. The rental shall be fixed by the governing body of the political subdivisions, and may be nominal in amount.
Section 1262 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read:
Any county may provide, maintain, or provide and maintain buildings, memorial halls, meeting places, memorial parks, or recreation centers for the use or benefit of one or more veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies. For these purposes the board of supervisors of any county may:
(a) Purchase, receive by donation, condemn, lease, or acquire real or personal property necessary for such buildings, memorial parks, or recreation centers, and improve, preserve, manage, and control the same.
(b) Purchase, construct, lease, furnish, or repair such buildings, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof.
(c) Clear, grade, plant, irrigate, fence, and improve such memorial parks, or recreation centers, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof.
(d) Furnish sites for such buildings to be built by or for such organizations, and furnish sites for the erection thereon of such buildings, the funds for which shall be supplied by county authorities or from other sources. Any part or portion of any public lot, block, or park may be used for such purpose.
(e) Levy a special tax pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 50075) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code, and spend the proceeds for the purposes of this chapter.
(f) Establish a fund for the purposes hereof, and transfer from the General Fund to such fund such moneys as the board deems necessary.
(g) Incur, in the manner provided by law, a bonded indebtedness on behalf of the county for any of the purposes hereof.
(h) Join with any incorporated city in the county in the accomplishment of the above purposes and to that end hold jointly with such city all property acquired, and expend money in conjunction with such city in accomplishing the above purposes. Title to any property jointly so acquired by a county and a city may at any time be conveyed by either of the joint owners to the other without consideration other than to carry out the purposes of this section.
(i) Join with memorial districts in the purchase, acquisition, or construction of memorial halls, assembly halls, buildings, or meeting places, or in the accomplishment of any other purpose for which a memorial district has been organized, using the funds authorized to be raised by this section. Title to any property so purchased, acquired, or constructed may be taken in the name of the memorial district or jointly with the county, or the county may convey any property so acquired, purchased, or constructed to the memorial district without consideration to the county. The board of supervisors may transfer to a memorial district funds raised pursuant to this section to be expended by the district in furtherance of the purposes of the district under terms and conditions consistent with the purposes for which the funds were raised.
Section 1264 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read:
The governing body maintaining any facilities constructed or maintained pursuant to this chapter may provide for the use of such facilities by persons or organizations other than veterans, either free of charge or for stated compensation to aid in defraying the cost of maintenance, for any purpose not inconsistent with the continued use pursuant to this chapter, when such use will not unduly interfere with the reasonable use of the facilities by a veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency.
Section 1266 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read:
(a) Whenever a city, county, or city and county has provided, maintained, or provided and maintained any building, memorial hall, meeting place, memorial park, or recreation center for the use or benefit of one or more veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies pursuant to Section 1262 or Section 37461 of the Government Code, the provision of that facility and its acceptance by the veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies constitutes a dedication of that property to a public purpose, and the city, county, or city and county may not revoke the dedication, so long as the veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies have not violated the terms and conditions of the dedication, unless the city, county, or city and county dedicates substitute facilities or unless the veterans associations, veterans service organizations, or nonprofit veteran service agencies have either consented to the proposed city, county, or city and county action or have abandoned use of the facilities.
(b) For purposes of subdivision (a), a property shall not be considered abandoned if the veterans association, veterans service organization, or nonprofit veteran service agency is required to move from the property in order for the property to undergo seismic retrofitting or remodeling.
The Legislature finds and declares that uniformly enforcing veterans organizations’ rights to use facilities dedicated pursuant to Section 1266 of the Military and Veterans Code is a matter of statewide concern, and not a municipal affair, as that term is used in Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution.
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