BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                             Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
                            2015 - 2016  Regular  Session

          AB 446 (Ridley-Thomas) - Baldwin Hills Conservancy.
          
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          |Version: February 23, 2015      |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 9 - 0    |
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          |Urgency: No                     |Mandate: No                     |
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          |Hearing Date: August 17, 2015   |Consultant: Marie Liu           |
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          This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. 


          Bill  
          Summary:  AB 446 would delete the sunset date on the Baldwin  
          Hills Conservancy (conservancy).


          Fiscal  
          Impact:  Annual costs of at least $350,000 beginning in 2018  
          from the Environmental License Plate Fund (special) for  
          conservancy's administrative costs.


          Background:  In 2000, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy Act (act) established  
          the conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency (agency).  
          The act provides that the conservancy, among other things, may  
          acquire and manage public lands within the Baldwin Hills area  
          and provide recreational, open space, wildlife habitation  
          restoration and protection, and lands for educational uses  
          within the area. 
          The conservancy's territory is located in the heavily urbanized  
          Baldwin Hills area of the Los Angeles Basin.  The territory  







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          includes parts of the Cities of Los Angeles and Culver City,  
          unincorporated portions of Los Angeles County, the Kenneth Hahn  
          State Recreation Area and some adjacent lands. 


          The act, and therefore the conservancy, is set to sunset on  
          January 1, 2018.


          Proposition 1, which was approved by the voters in November  
          2014, authorized $10 million to the conservancy for projects  
          that have multiple benefits for water quality, water supply, and  
          water protection and restoration of watersheds.




          Proposed Law:  
            This bill would delete the sunset date on the conservancy  
          thereby instating the conservancy as a permanent body.


          Staff  
          Comments:  The conservancy has had annual operating costs of  
          approximately $385,000. These costs are currently being paid for  
          by the Environmental License Plate Fund, which has a structural  
          deficiency, though the conservancy can receive funding from  
          other special funds or the General Fund. By eliminating the  
          sunset date of the conservancy, this bill will extend the  
          conservancy's operating costs beyond 2018. 
          Staff notes that the annual cost of $385,000 is for the base  
          administration of the SRDC. To administer the $10 million made  
          available by Proposition 1, the conservancy will incur  
          additional administrative costs, which will be covered by bond  
          monies. Staff assumes that expending Proposition 1 monies will  
          take up to 10 years.




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