BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 1415 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 6, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair SB 1415 (Hill) - As Amended: April 29, 2014 Policy Committee: Natural ResourcesVote:9-0 Local Government 8-0 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes SUMMARY This bill revises the membership of the Bay Area Air Quality Management (BAAQMD) advisory council. Specifically, this bill: 1)Reduces the number of members of the BAAQMD advisory council from 20 to seven. 2)Repeals the existing member categories and instead requires each member to be skilled and experienced in air pollution, climate change, or the health impacts of air pollution. 3)Requires the advisory council membership to include a diversity of perspectives, experience, and backgrounds. 4)Terminates the terms of the existing advisory council members on July 1, 2015. FISCAL EFFECT Negligible, if any, reimbursable costs. COMMENTS 1)Rationale. The BAAQMD was established in 1955 as the first regional air pollution control agency tasked with addressing air pollution caused by large industrial sources and open burning at garbage dumps. Currently, the district is required by state and federal law to address a broader set of issues, including emission reductions from a range of sources, climate SB 1415 Page 2 change and the public health impacts of air pollutions. This bill modernizes the membership of the advisory council to match the evolving and complex needs of the BAAQMD. 2)Background. The BAAQMD is responsible for regulating air emissions located in the boundaries of the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara and portions of the Counties of Solano and Sonoma. The BAAQMD board appoints the advisory council which is made up of the board chair, and 20 members who are skilled and experienced in the field of air pollution, including at least three representatives of public health agencies, at least four representatives of private organizations active in conservation or environmental protection, and at least one representative of colleges or universities in the state. Additionally, the board is required to appoint one representative of each of the following groups: specified local parks, a mass transportation system, agriculture, industry, community planning, transportation, registered professional engineers, general contractors, architects, and organized labor. The statutorily required membership of the advisory council has not been modified since the BAAQMD was established in 1955. Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916) 319-2081