BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 530 (Rendon) - Lower Los Angeles River Working Group.
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|Version: June 1, 2015 |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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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 530 would establish the Lower Los Angeles River
Working Group which would be responsible for developing a
revitalization plan for the Lower Los Angeles River and the
communities through which it passes by March 1, 2017.
Fiscal
Impact:
One-time costs estimated between $40,000 and $80,0000 to the
General Fund or the Environmental License Plate Fund (special)
for the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy to staff the LA River
Working Group.
Cost pressures, likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars
and possibly over a billion dollars, to the General Fund and
various special funds, to implement the plan.
Possible reimbursement from the General Fund of the county's
costs to incorporate the plan into its Master Plan for the
entire LA River.
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Background: The Los Angeles River (river) forms from its headwaters in the
western San Fernando Valley and flows easterly across the Valley
through Griffith Park where the river turns to the south, and
passes through downtown Los Angeles and additional downstream
cities en route to its estuary in Long Beach. The river is
entirely with the County of Los Angeles (County). The
approximately 32 miles of the river upstream of the City of
Vernon is considered to be the upper river and is within the
bounds of the City of Los Angeles. The approximately 19 miles
of the lower river includes the cities of Vernon, Commerce,
Maywood, Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, South Gate, Lynwood,
Compton, Paramount, Carson and Long Beach.
The San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains
Conservancy (RMC) was created by the Legislature in 1999 (Public
Resources Code (PRC) §32600 et seq.). The RMC's mission is,
among other things, to preserve open space and habitat in order
to provide for low-impact recreation and educational uses,
wildlife habitat restoration and protection, and watershed
improvements within its jurisdiction. It is one of ten
conservancies located in the Natural Resources Agency (agency).
The RMC's territory includes the lower Los Angeles River.
In 1996, county released the LA River Master Plan (master plan)
which has a goal to, over several decades, return the river to a
less-polluted, functioning riparian environment in as many
reaches as possible, while still controlling flooding and
providing recreational opportunities.
In 2007 the City of Los Angeles released the Los Angeles River
Revitalization Master Plan (revitalization master plan).
Continuing the long-term goals of the County master plan, the
revitalization master plan also promoted the revitalization of
the river as a multi-benefit solution to addressing and
enhancing water quality and flood control while enabling safe
access to the river and restoring a functional river ecosystem.
The city's revitalization master plan focused on the upper
river.
In 2014, California voters approved the Water Quality, Supply,
and infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (Proposition 1) which
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includes $60 million for the river split equally between the
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the RMC. These funds are
for the purpose of multi-benefit water quality, water supply,
watershed protection and restoration projects for the
watersheds. In addition, river projects are eligible for
certain other Proposition 1-funded purposes, such as the $100
million for urban rivers and streams and $20 million for
multi-benefit watershed and urban rivers enhancement projects,
of which 10% may be used for project planning.
Proposed Law:
This bill would direct the Secretary of the Natural Resources
Agency, in coordination with the RMC, to appoint a local working
group to be staffed by the RMC that would be responsible for
developing a revitalization plan for the Lower Los Angeles River
by March 1, 2017. The group would be called the Lower Los
Angeles River Working Group and would at least include
representatives from the following:
RMC,
Los Angeles County,
Gateway Cities Council of Governments,
Los Angeles Gateway Region Integrated Water Management Joint
Powers Authority,
Elected officials of the cities adjacent to the river, and
Nonprofit organization serving the region.
The plan would be required to be consistent with, and
incorporated into, the county's master plan for the entire
river.
This bill would declare that the development and implementation
of the revitalization plan may be eligible for public and
private sources including Proposition 1 monies.
Staff
Comments: The RMC interprets its role under this bill as staff
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to coordinate local agencies efforts with the local agencies
providing a significant amount of the workload. Under this
assumption, the RMC estimates that its costs would likely be
between $40,000 and $80,000. Staff notes that the level of
participation from the local agencies will influence the
ultimate cost.
Once the plan is developed, there would be cost pressures to
implement the plan. These cost pressures will depend on the
details of the plan. But given that the Army Corps of Engineers
presented estimated a restoration alternative in its Los Angeles
River Ecosystem Restoration Report that would cost approximately
$1.08 billion, these cost pressures would easily be in the
hundreds of millions of dollars and potentially over a billion
dollars. These costs could come from various state funds,
including Proposition 1 dollars which are ultimately paid by the
General Fund.
This bill creates a state-mandated local program by requiring
the county to incorporate the plan into its Master Plan for the
entire Los Angeles River. The costs to do so may be reimbursable
by the state if approved by the Commission on State Mandates.
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