BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 392|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 392
Author: Atkins (D), et al.
Amended: 5/5/15 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 9-0, 6/23/15
AYES: Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,
Monning, Vidak, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/27/15
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza, Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 6/1/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: San Diego River Conservancy
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill eliminates the statutory sunset date of the
San Diego River Conservancy and imposes biannual reporting
requirements that describe all expenditures, all projects, a
progress report, and any recommendations that the conservancy
has to improve the statutes under which it operates.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the San Diego River Conservancy (SDRC) since 2002
in the Natural Resources Agency (NRA), and the SDRC is
authorized to acquire and accept donations of land or
interests in land that are located within one-half mile of the
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San Diego River and its tributaries, historic flumes, and
otherwise within the San Diego River watershed.
2)Prohibits the SDRC from levying taxes, regulating land use,
and exercising the power of eminent domain.
3)Specifies the SDRC's governing board of eleven members
includes the Secretary of Resources, the Director of Finance,
the Director of Parks and Recreation, the Mayor of San Diego,
a San Diego City Council member, a San Diego County
Supervisor, and five public members. Of the five public
members, three are appointed by the Governor; the Senate Rules
Committee, and the Assembly Speaker appoint one each.
4)Sunsets the SDRC on January 1, 2020.
This bill eliminates the sunset date and creates biannual
reporting requirements that describe all expenditures, all
projects, a progress report, and any recommendations that the
SDRC has to improve the statutes under which it operates.
Comments
According to the author, the San Diego River is an important
historic, archaeological and cultural area within California.
Making the SDRC permanent will assist with long-term planning
and development as well as make more practical the conservancy's
expenditure of $17 million in Prop 1 water bond funds that will
take up to 10 years.
The SDRC watershed spans 440 square miles, includes six major
reservoirs, four cities, a large area of unincorporated county
lands, Cleveland National Forest, and Native American
reservations, with 700,000 people living within its area of
influence and an additional two million people in adjacent
communities. The River is 52 miles from its headwaters near
Julian to the Pacific Ocean at Ocean Beach. Its rich cultural
and historic connections began with the Kumeyaay who settled in
the area more than 11,000 years ago and extends through Spanish,
Mexican, and early Californian settlements. In its 12-year
history, SDRC has overseen over 100 acres of restoration along
the river, the construction and renovation of approximately 15
miles of a public trail along the River that is well used by
people of all ages, and the acquisition of over 200 acres of
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land. Currently, the mission of the SDRC will be advanced by
building, with partners, a San Diego River Park and hiking trail
stretching from the headwaters in Julian to the Pacific Ocean.
According to the author, even though the SDRC does not sunset
until 2020, the SDRC has shown progress toward achieving its
mission and has worked well with local organizations and other
state agencies. SDRC has a history of clean audits and continues
to assist the Resources Agency and the State Coastal Conservancy
in expending funds from Propositions 13, 40, and 84. SDRC has
yet to receive its own appropriation of conservation bond funds,
although, as noted, it was allocated $17 million from Prop 1.
The Proposition 1 funds are meant for multibenefit water
quality, water supply, and watershed protection and restoration
projects. Another sunset review of SDRC could allow the
Legislature to scrutinize the spending of these funds, but the
reporting requirements now in the bill will also give the
Legislature the opportunity and the information to do that. Only
three other conservancies have similar reporting
requirements-State Coastal Conservancy, Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy, and Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, annual costs
of at least $350,000 beginning in 2020 from the Environmental
License Plate Fund (special) for SDRC administrative costs.
SUPPORT: (Verified8/28/15)
City of San Diego
Lakeside's River Park Conservancy
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
San Diego History Center
Sierra Club California
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/28/15)
None received
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ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 6/1/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang,
Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina
Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,
Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Low,
Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea,
Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Lopez
Prepared by:William Craven / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
8/30/15 19:42:08
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