BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 446
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Date of Hearing: April 27, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Das Williams, Chair
AB 446
(Ridley-Thomas) - As Introduced February 23, 2015
SUBJECT: Baldwin Hills Conservancy
SUMMARY: Eliminates the 2018 sunset date for the Baldwin Hills
Conservancy (BHC).
EXISTING LAW:
1)Established BHC in 2000 in the Natural Resources Agency (NRA)
and authorizes the BHC to acquire and manage public lands
within the Baldwin Hills area, is the land area currently
within the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, the Baldwin
Hills community, and the surrounding property.
2)Prohibits BHC from regulating land use and exercising the
power of eminent domain.
3)Authorizes BHC to fix and collect fees for the use of any land
owned or controlled, or for any service provided, by BHC.
Prohibits fees in excess of the cost of maintaining and
operating the land or of providing the service for which the
fee is charged.
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4)Provides BHC with the first right of refusal to acquire lands
suitable for park and open space within its prescribed
territory, and authorizes BHC to accept private or public
lands offered for recreational trails.
5)Specifies that the board of BHC consist of 13 voting members
and 7 nonvoting members. The 13 voting members of the board
include the Secretary of NRA, the Director of Parks and
Recreation, the Director of Finance, the Director of the Los
Angeles County Department of Parks, the member of the Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors within whose district the
majority of the Baldwin Hills area is located, and 6 members
of the public appointed by the Governor. The 7 nonvoting
members are: the Secretary of the California Environmental
Protection Agency; the Executive Officer of the State Coastal
Conservancy; the Executive Officer of the State Lands
Commission; an appointee of the Governor with experience in
developing contaminated sites, commonly referred to as
"brownfields;" the Executive Director of the Santa Monica
Mountains Conservancy; the Director of the Culver City Human
Services Department; and the Director of the Department of
Conservation. Allows designees to serve for members of the
board.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
1)Conservancy. BHC jurisdiction covers approximately 2 square
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miles and is the smallest of the state's 10 conservancies. BHC
is located approximately 6 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
There is significant oil production activity in the BHC's
jurisdiction. BHC plans to restore former oil production lands
to open space and make them available to the public as oil
production ceases. The goal of BHC is to eventually connect
public land into one big park (2 square miles) to serve the
area. This will help the surrounding residents have access to
the open space in a region that is lacking in park space.
2)Is sunset elimination appropriate at this time? BHC does not
sunset until 2018; therefore, BHC will continue for several
years even with its current sunset. BHC has shown progress
toward achieving its mission and has worked well with local
organizations and other state agencies. BHC provides open
space and an educational component to communities that don't
have many other opportunities to be in and learn about nature.
BHC was subject to a Department of Finance (DOF) audit in
2008, which found deficiencies with BHC's pre-awarding
processes, monitoring of project status, and oversight over
bond funded projects. BHC responded to the audit and agreed to
take several corrective actions to address the deficiencies
found. BHC received an allocation of $40 million from
Proposition 40 (2002), $10 million from Proposition 84 (2006),
and $10 million from Proposition 1 (2014). The Proposition 1
funds are meant for multibenefit water quality, water supply,
and watershed protection and restoration projects. Another
sunset review of BHC, could allow the Legislature to
scrutinize the spending of the bond funds allocated to BHC,
and the actions BHC has taken to respond to DOF's audit.
3)Oversight. NRA is responsible for overseeing all land
conservation activities and spending in the state. Yet the NRA
has not taken an active role in evaluating conservancies or
providing them with guidance or best practices. In addition,
only three of ten conservancies (State Coastal Conservancy,
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Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and Sierra Nevada
Conservancy) submit reports to the Legislature.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California State Parks Foundation
City of Culver City
Council for Watershed Health, Board of Directors
County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles Audubon Society
Natural Resources Defense Council
Opposition
None on file
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Analysis Prepared by:Michael Jarred / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092