BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 2534 (Nazarian) - Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy:
working group: Los Angeles River Greenway
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|Version: June 30, 2016 |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 6 - 2 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Narisha Bonakdar |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary:1) AB 2354 requires the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
(Conservancy) to establish the Los Angeles River San Fernando
Valley Regional Access and Economic Sustainability Working Group
(Working Group) to, among other things, develop practical
recommendations for establishing permanent connectivity between
area businesses and report its findings and recommendations for
implementation by the Conservancy.
Fiscal
Impact:
1)One-time costs estimated between $40,000 and $80,000 (General
Fund or the Environmental License Plate Fund) for the
Conservancy to staff the Working Group.
2)Unknown, potentially significant, cost to retain experts to
conduct necessary technical economic and other studies and
analyses, as authorized in the bill.
AB 2534 (Nazarian) Page 1 of
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Background:1) The Los Angeles River (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. 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 of Engineers (Army Corp), in
conjunction with the City of Los Angeles, announced the
availability of a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report for the
Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Study. In May 2014, the
Army Corps backed the $1 billion alternative in the study to
restore an 11-mile stretch of the River from Griffith Park to
downtown Los Angeles.
Proposed Law:
This bill:
1)Requires the Conservancy to establish the Working Group.
2)Specifies potential membership of the group.
3)States that the working group may focus its efforts on the
geographic area from the headwaters of the Los Angeles River
at the confluence of Bell and Calabasas Creeks to Griffith
Park and its southern boundary along Ventura Boulevard in the
San Fernando Valley or any other part of the area adjacent to
the Upper Los Angeles River.
4)Requires the working group to do all of the following:
a. Review and evaluate ways to increase connectivity
between businesses adjacent to and in the vicinity of the
river and the Los Angeles River Greenway, river trails,
and bicycle networks.
b. Develop practical recommendations for establishing
permanent connectivity between area businesses, bicycle
networks, and the river.
c. Coordinate with the Lower Los Angeles River Working
Group established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section
32622.
d. Develop recommendations for appropriate outdoor
education and environmental interpretation signage for
areas and facilities along the Los Angeles River.
e. Prepare a report of its findings and recommendations
for implementation by the conservancy, including
geographic scope, financing, and specific projects.
AB 2534 (Nazarian) Page 2 of
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5)Authorizes the Conservancy to staff and retain experts to
conduct necessary technical economic and other studies and
analyses, as requested by the working group and provide
necessary staffing for the working group.
Related
Legislation: AB 530 (Rendon, Chapter 684, Statutes of 2015)
required the Secretary of the California Natural Resources
Agency to appoint the Lower Los Angeles Working Group to develop
a revitalization plan for the Lower Los Angeles River watershed.
Staff
Comments:1) According to the author, more people are likely to visit
the revitalized segments of the River if they knew there
were restaurants, shops, parking structures and other
attractions only couple of blocks away. This bill initiates
the first steps in establishing a public-private
partnership by convening a working group of stakeholders to
develop recommendations that will facilitate economic
growth along the River.
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