BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        SB 204|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
          |(916) 651-1520    Fax: (916)      |                              |
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                                   THIRD READING 


          Bill No:  SB 204
          Author:   Pavley (D)
          Amended:  4/15/15  
          Vote:     21  

           SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE:  8-1, 3/24/15
           AYES:  Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,  
            Monning, Wolk
           NOES:  Fuller

          SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
           
           SUBJECT:   State parks


          SOURCE:    Author


          DIGEST:  This bill makes several changes to the Department of  
          Parks and Recreation (department) that have been offered by  
          various parks stakeholders including the Parks Forward  
          Commission, non-profit and other partners, and from discussions  
          held among members of the California State Parks and Recreation  
          Commission.


          ANALYSIS:  Existing law:

          1)Vests the department with control of the state park system and  
            responsibility for administering, protecting, developing, and  
            interpreting state parks for the use and enjoyment of the  
            public. The department is also responsible for protecting the  
            state park system from damage and preserving the peace. 








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          2)Authorizes the department, under specified conditions, to  
            enter into agreements with co-operating associations (often  
            "friends" groups at a particular state park), operating  
            agreements (through which a third party operates a state  
            park), and concession agreements (by which a private firm  
            provides certain services to the public). 

          3)Requires that a general plan be developed for park units and  
            that such plans are subject to the California Environmental  
            Quality Act.

          This bill: 


          1)Requires a report on energy costs and ten top priority  
            energy-related infrastructure needs at the department that  
            could be eligible for cap and trade dollars. 

          2)Expands the services that nonprofit cooperating associations  
            can provide when concessionaires are not able to provide those  
            materials and services. 

          3)Authorizes the department to enter into agreements with  
            youth-serving non-profits both for educational as well as  
            restoration purposes. 

          4)Expands long-term operating agreements at parks on a limited  
            basis at parks which are at risk for closure. 

          5)Allows, on a trial basis, a park unit general plan that does  
            not propose a development project to have a different CEQA  
            process than those general plans that propose development  
            projects. 

          6)Authorizes the department to solicit private funds to  
            establish endowments for parks with long-term operating  
            agreements and to fund the agreements with the youth-serving  
            non-profit organizations. 

          7)Requires that volunteers of the parks cooperating associations  
            get the same complimentary passes as volunteers of the  
            department. 








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          8)Adds findings and declaration regarding the importance of  
            state parks that are similar to those used by the National  
            Park Service that would be administered by the director. 

          9)Adds a finding that the department not compete with existing  
            concessionaire agreements with new agreements that would offer  
            comparable food and beverage services. 

          Comments


          Recent statutory changes that reacted to fiscal improprieties at  
          the department established several reforms by which the  
          department was empowered to improve its own fiscal health:  the  
          department's authority to collect fees, rents, and other returns  
          for the use of state parks was expanded; it was authorized to  
          sell additional annual and regional passes and to enter a wider  
          array of concession contracts. Those statutory changes also  
          established a revenue generation program, added ex-officio  
          legislative members to the California State Parks and Recreation  
          Commission, and directed the establishment of a citizen review  
          panel, the Parks Forward Commission, whose final report was  
          released earlier this year. These recent changes were a part of  
          what has developed into a concerted, year-by-year approach to  
          reforms at the department by the Legislature. 




          The key recommendations of the Parks Forward Commission were: 1)  
          to create a "transformation team" within the department to  
          improve internal procedures including technologies to assist  
          with budgeting, planning, and project implementation; 2) to  
          improve relationships with nonprofit and other partners; 3) to  
          create an outside support entity to help the department with  
          marketing, financial, and other aspects of the department's work  
          where an outside entity with greater business experience would  
          be useful; 4) to improve cultural and resource protection  
          programs; 5) to expand access to parks including to those from  
          park-poor and other disadvantaged communities. 


          NOTE: There is a drafting error in Public Resources Code Section  
          5080.16 that will be corrected in the Assembly. Only subdivision  







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          (g) should have been deleted. 

          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:YesLocal:   No


          SUPPORT:   (Verified4/20/15)


          American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
          California State Parks Foundation
          Save the Redwoods League
          Student Conservation Association
          Sonoma County Agriculture and Open Space District


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified4/20/15)




          None received


          ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:  According to the author, there is relief  
          that the problems of the past several years at the Department of  
          Parks and Recreation are becoming eclipsed by a refreshing focus  
          on the reforms that need to be made to improve and renew the  
          department for the benefit of the public and the visitors to  
          state parks. The recommendations of the Parks Forward  
          Commission, the establishment of a Transformation Team at the  
          department, active discussions about reforms by the Parks and  
          Recreation Commission, and recommendations by key stakeholders  
          are all converging to make a strong case for the sorts of  
          changes that are needed at the department. The leadership of the  
          department and the administration has sent a strong signal of  
          support for these reform efforts. 
          This bill is and will remain, if it is amended further in the  
          Assembly, a very focused approach that offers constructive  
          solutions to the Department of Parks that are intended to  
          benefit most directly the nonprofit groups who volunteer at  
          state parks across the state.  









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          The theme of much of the recent legislation has been to create  
          ways that the department can help itself financially without  
          sacrificing the important purposes for which these parks were  
          established. This bill will continue that approach but will  
          focus most immediately on ways to improve relationships with  
          nonprofits, cooperating associations ("friends" groups at state  
          parks) and other partners. This bill will also emphasize greater  
          agility at the department in obtaining funds from the private  
          philanthropic sector as well as positioning itself to take  
          advantage of non-general fund revenue such as potential cap and  
          trade auction revenues. It also recommends a change in how the  
          department approves general plans and development plans.


          The Student Conservation Association believes that the addition  
          of Sec 5080.44 will assist it in entering cooperative agreements  
          with the department for the purposes of engaging youth to serve  
          under park staff who would serve as mentors. 


          Prepared by:William Craven / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
          4/22/15 16:20:04


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