BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER
Senator Fran Pavley, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2549 Hearing Date: June 14,
2016
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|Author: |Committee on Water, | | |
| |Parks, and Wildlife | | |
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|Version: |June 6, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|William Craven |
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Subject: Public resources
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
1) Establishes procedures for public input, petitions to
add or remove species from the state endangered or
threatened species lists, and other administrative
procedures regarding the public hearing process and the
administrative record of matters pursuant to the California
Endangered Species Act, several of which sunset on January
1, 2017. Specifically, these include Fish and Game Code
sections 2074.2, 2074.6, 2074.8, and 2075.5.
2) Prohibits and establishes enforcement criteria regarding
the invasive quagga and zebra mussels that would sunset in
2017.
3) Authorizes the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR)
to receive funding from third parties for maintenance,
restoration, operation, repairs and other purposes at state
parks and requires such funds to be deposited in a separate
account in the State Park Contingent Fund.
4) Requires DPR, for all operating agreements it enters
into with third parties, to include a projection of costs,
including design, planning, construction, operation, staff,
maintenance, marketing, and information technology.
5) Requires the California Parks and Recreation Commission
to approve general plans of state park units that are
prepared by DPR and establishes criteria for such
approvals.
AB 2549 (Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife) Page 2
of ?
PROPOSED LAW
This is an omnibus committee bill that contains several
non-controversial items that affect the DPR and the Department
of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). Specifically, this bill:
1) Removes the sunset on certain public hearing process and
administrative record matters of the California Endangered
Species Act. These provisions were enacted in SB 749 (Wolk)
in 2013 and the sunset was added to ensure there were no
unintended consequences.
2) Extends the sunset date on the quagga and zebra mussel
invasive species program until 2020.
3) Clarifies the cost analysis required for revenue
generation projects at the Department of Park so that the
criteria identified above are applied only when appropriate
to each funded project.
4) Requires DPR, in consultation with the commission, to
present specific recommendations to the Legislature for
improving the state park planning and project approval
process that will do all of the following:
a) Provide more efficient and cost-effective plan
development, including the use of multi-unit general
plans where appropriate;
b) Provide clear guidance for management direction of
the relevant park units;
c) Provide for meaningful public participation;
d) Reduce redundant reviews carried out pursuant to
CEQA and other statutes.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the author, the general plan process at DPR is
labor and resource intensive. DPR currently has a significant
backlog of state parks that do not have general plans, as well
as parks with plans that are outdated. DPR has estimated that
under the current process for general plans, it would take more
than 30 years to address the backlog. The commission has been
working with DPR in an effort to identify additional reforms as
well.
On the Fish and Game code changes, the author pointed out that
those procedural provisions had a sunset clause in order to
identify any unintended consequences from SB 749 (Wolk) in 2013.
AB 2549 (Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife) Page 3
of ?
No unintended consequences have been reported.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None received
SUPPORT
None Received
OPPOSITION
None Received
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