BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1251
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
1251 (Gomez) - As Amended April 14, 2015
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|Policy |Water, Parks and Wildlife |Vote:|10 - 4 |
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| |Local Government | |9 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable:
SUMMARY:
This bill enacts the Greenway Development and Sustainment Act.
Specifically, this bill:
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1)Authorizes a tax-exempt nonprofit organization whose primary
purpose is the development of a greenway to acquire and hold
conservation easements.
2)Defines a greenway for purposes of this section as, among
other characteristics, a pedestrian and bicycle, non-motorized
vehicle transportation, and recreational travel corridor with
specified requirements.
3)Adds greenways, as defined in this bill, to the definition of
"open-space" land which can be included in the open space
element of a county or city general plan. Identifies the uses
of greenways, as a type of open-space land, to include both
preservation of natural resources and outdoor recreation.
4)States that the Legislature finds and declares the following
with regard to the development
of a greenway along the Los Angeles River and its tributaries:
a. The area along the Los Angeles River and its
tributaries is particularly suited for the development of
a greenway. A Los Angeles River greenway that focuses on
public-private partnerships aimed at establishing a
continuous pedestrian bikeway along the Los Angeles River
and its tributaries would foster job creation, economic
development, and community revitalization; and,
b. By developing a greenway that promotes
sustainability and acts as a transportation corridor, a
city, county, or city and county may apply for
alternative fuels funding, greenhouse gas reduction
funds, and other land use funds, as appropriate.
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FISCAL EFFECT:
State cost pressures, potentially in the hundreds of thousands
to millions of dollars (GGRF and other special funds) to fund
greenways and transportation corridors.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. The author intends this bill to promote the
establishment of greenways, including the LA River greenway,
to improve the quality of life in communities and provide
connectivity between them and important recreational, open
space, wildlife, flood management, water quality, air quality,
transportation, emergency response, and urban waterfront
revitalization opportunities.
2)Background-Los Angeles River. The LA River is 51 miles long,
contained entirely within the County of Los Angeles, and
passes through 13 cities, including 32 miles that stretch
across the City of Los Angeles. The LA River begins in Canoga
Park, at the confluence of Bell Creek and the Arroyo
Calabasas, and then flows mostly east through the San Fernando
Valley where it is joined by several tributaries. In Burbank,
it enters and begins skirting Griffith Park, bending sharply
southward as it does so. This stretch of the LA River, down
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to Elysian Park, is called the Glendale Narrows, and contains
one of only three stretches of the river with an earthen
bottom. After leaving the Glendale Narrows, the river
continues southward through downtown Los Angeles until it
eventually reaches Long Beach Harbor.
Although planners had envisioned greenbelts interconnecting
parklands along the river as early as the 1930s, the more
recent interest in the revitalization and promotion of the
re-integration of the river and its tributaries into the
adjacent neighborhoods began in the mid-to-late 1980s.
In September 2013, the Army Corps, in conjunction with the
City of Los Angeles, announced the availability of a Draft
Integrated Feasibility Report (Draft IFR) for the Los Angeles
River Ecosystem Restoration Study. The Draft IFR was
available for a 45-day public review and comment period from
Sept. 20 through Nov. 18, 2013. The study evaluates
alternatives for the purpose of restoring 11 miles of the Los
Angeles River from approximately Griffith Park to downtown Los
Angeles, while maintaining existing levels of flood risk
management. The study also evaluates opportunities for passive
recreation that is compatible with the restored environment.
3)Previous Legislation. This bill is similar to portions of AB
1922 (Gomez) of 2014 which was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
AB 1251
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Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081