Amended in Assembly June 15, 2015

Amended in Senate April 6, 2015

Senate Bill No. 355

Introduced by Senator Lara

(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Rendon)

February 24, 2015

An act to amend Section 32605 of the Public Resources Code, relating to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 355, as amended, Lara. San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

Existing law establishes the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, which is responsible for the preservation and protection of specified lands within the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains area, as defined. Existing law prescribes the duties of the conservancy, and requires that begin delete it end delete begin insert its governing board end insert be comprised of 13 voting members and 7 nonvoting members, as specified. Existing law requires that the voting members include, among other members, begin delete 2 members of the Orange County Division of the League of California Cities, both of whom shall be a mayor or city council member of a city bordering the San Gabriel River or tributary thereof. end delete begin insert representatives of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, and the Orange County Division of the League of California Cities, as prescribed. end insert

This bill would begin delete instead require that only one member of the Orange County Division of the League of California Cities be a voting member, and would require that a resident of a city, not otherwise represented on the board at the time of the appointment and bordering the Lower Los Angeles River, be appointed by the Governor, as prescribed, as a voting member. end delete begin insert increase to 15 the number of voting members of the governing board, by adding 2 members who are residents of a city not otherwise represented on the governing board at the time of the member’s appointment, one bordering the Lower Los Angeles River and the other bordering the San Gabriel River, as prescribed. end insert The bill would also increase the number of nonvoting members to 9, and would require that one Member of the Senate, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and one Member of the Assembly, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, serve as begin delete those end delete nonvoting members. The bill would require that those legislators serving as nonvoting members represent a district that is at least partially contained within the territory of the conservancy and participate in activities of the conservancy only to the extent that participation is compatible with his or her duties as a legislator.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 32605 of the Public Resources Code is
amended to read:

32605.  

The board shall consist of begin delete 13 end delete begin insert 15 end insert voting members and
nine begin insert ex officio, end insert nonvoting members, as follows:

(a) The begin delete 13 end delete begin insert 15 end insert voting members of the board shall begin delete consist of all
of end delete begin insert be end insert the following:

(1) One member of the Board of Supervisors of the County of
Los Angeles, or his or her designee, who represents the area or a
portion thereof contained within the territory of the conservancy,
appointed by the Governor.

(2) Two members of the Governing Board of the San Gabriel
Valley Council of Governments, one of whom shall be a mayor
or city council member of a city bordering along the San Gabriel
River, and one of whom shall be a mayor or city council member
of a city bordering the San Gabriel Mountains area. One member
shall be appointed by a majority of the membership of that begin delete board
of directors, end delete begin insert governing board, end insert and one member shall be appointed
by the Senate Committee on Rules from a list of two or more
potential members submitted by the begin delete board of directors. end delete begin insert governing
board. end insert If the begin delete San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments end delete
begin insert governing board end insert fails to provide to the Senate Committee on Rules
a list of two or more potential members, at least 30 days prior to
the date a current member’s term of office expires, the Senate
Committee on Rules may appoint a mayor or city council member
of a city bordering along the San Gabriel River or the San Gabriel
Mountains, or a member of the public who resides within the
territory of the conservancy.

(3) Two members of the Board of Directors of the Gateway
Cities Council of Governments, one of whom shall be the mayor
of the City of Long Beach or a city council member of the City of
Long Beach appointed by the mayor, and one of whom shall be
appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly from a list of two or
more potential members submitted by the executive committee of
the Board of Directors of the Gateway Cities Council of
Governments. The executive committee shall submit lists of
potential members to the Speaker of the Assembly until an
acceptable member is appointed.

(4)  begin delete One member end delete begin insert Two members end insert of the Orange County Division
of the League of California Cities, begin delete who end delete begin insert both of whom end insert shall be a
mayor or city council member of a city bordering along the San
Gabriel River or a tributary thereof. begin delete The end delete begin insert One member shall be
appointed by a majority of the membership of the city selection
committee of Orange County, and one end insert member shall be appointed
by the Governor from a list of two or more potential members
submitted by the city selection committee.

(5) One member shall be a representative of a member of the
San Gabriel Valley Water Association appointed by a majority of
the membership of the board of directors of the San Gabriel Valley
Water Association.

(6) One member shall be a representative of the Central Basin
Water Association appointed by a majority of the membership of
the board of directors of the Central Basin Water Association.

(7) One member shall be a resident of Los Angeles County
appointed by the Governor from a list of potential members
submitted by local, state, and national environmental organizations
that operate within the County of Los Angeles and within the
territory of the conservancy and that have participated in planning
for river restoration or open space, or both, or river preservation.

(8) One member, appointed by the Governor, who is a resident
of a city, not otherwise represented on the board at the time of the
member’s appointment, bordering the Lower Los Angeles River.
The Governor shall make the appointment from a list of two or
more potential members submitted by the executive committee of
the Board of Directors of the Gateway Cities Council of
Governments. The executive committee shall submit lists of
potential members to the Governor until he or she appoints a
member.

begin insert

(9) One member, appointed by the Governor, who is a resident
of a city, not otherwise represented on the board at the time of the
member’s appointment, bordering the San Gabriel River. The
Governor shall make the appointment from a list of two or more
potential members submitted to the Governing Board of the San
Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. The governing board
shall submit lists of potential members to the Governor until he
or she appoints a member.

end insert begin delete

(9)

end delete

begin insert (10) end insert  The Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, or his or
her designee.

begin delete

(10)

end delete

begin insert (11) end insert  The Secretary for Environmental Protection, or his or her
designee.

begin delete

(11)

end delete

begin insert (12) end insert  The Director of Finance, or his or her designee.

(b) (1) Seven of the ex officio, nonvoting members shall begin delete consist
of end delete begin insert be end insert the following officers or an employee of each agency
designated annually by that officer to represent the office or
agency:

(A) The District Engineer of the United States Army Corps of
Engineers.

(B) The Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region of
the United States Forest Service.

(C) The Director of the Los Angeles County Department of
Public Works.

(D) The Director of the Orange County Public Facility and
Resource Department.

(E) A member of the San Gabriel River Watermaster, appointed
by a majority of the members of the San Gabriel River
Watermaster.

(F) The Director of Parks and Recreation.

(G) The Executive Officer of the Wildlife Conservation Board.

(2)  begin insert (A) end insert begin insert   end insert Two of the begin insert ex officio, end insert nonvoting begin delete member end delete begin insert members end insert shall
be the following:

begin delete

(A)

end delete

begin insert (i) end insert  One Member of the Senate, appointed by the Senate
Committee on Rules, whose Senate district is at least partially
contained within the territory of the conservancy.

begin delete

(B)

end delete

begin insert (ii) end insert  One Member of the Assembly, appointed by the Speaker of
the Assembly, whose Assembly district is at least partially
contained within the territory of the conservancy.

begin delete

(C)

end delete

begin insert (B) end insert  A member appointed pursuant to this paragraph shall meet
with the conservancy and participate in its activities to the extent
that participation is compatible with his or her duties as a Member
of the Legislator.