Senate Bill No. 1188

Introduced by Senators McGuire, Nielsen, and Wolk

(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Dodd)

(Coauthors: Senators Berryhill, Gaines, and Roth)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Bigelow, Dahle, Gray, Lackey, Obernolte, Olsen, and Wood)

February 18, 2016

An act to amend Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code, relating to fish and wildlife.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1188, as introduced, McGuire. Wildlife management areas: payment of taxes and assessments.

Existing law regulates real property acquired and operated by the state as wildlife management areas, and authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife, when income is directly derived from that real property, as provided, to annually pay to the county in which the property is located an amount equal to the county taxes levied upon the property at the time it was transferred to the state. Existing law further authorizes the department to pay the assessments levied upon the property by any irrigation, drainage, or reclamation district. Existing law requires those payments to only be made from funds that are appropriated to the department for those purposes.

This bill would require, instead of authorize, the department to make these payments subject to appropriation by the Legislature.

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 1504 of the Fish and Game Code is
amended to read:

1504.  

(a) When income is derived directly from real property
acquired and operated by the state as a wildlife management area,
and regardless of whether income is derived from property acquired
after October 1, 1949, the department begin delete may end delete begin insert shall end insert pay annually to
the county in which the property is located an amount equal to the
county taxes levied upon the property at the time title to the
property was transferred to the state. The department begin delete may end delete begin insert shall end insert
also pay the assessments levied upon the property by any irrigation,
drainage, or reclamation district.

(b) Any delinquent penalties or interest applicable to any of
those assessments made before September 9, 1953, are hereby
canceled and shall be waived.

(c) Payments provided by this section shall only be made from
funds that are appropriated to the department for the purposes of
this section.

(d) As used in this section, the term “wildlife management area”
includes waterfowl management areas, deer ranges, upland game
bird management areas, and public shooting grounds.

(e) Any payment made under this section shall be made on or
before December 10 of each year, with the exception of newly
acquired property for which payments shall be made pursuant to
subdivision (f).

(f) Any payments made for the purposes of this section shall be
made within one year of the date title to the property was
transferred to the state, or within 90 days from the date of
designation as a wildlife management area, whichever occurs first,
prorated for the balance of the year from the date of designation
as a wildlife management area to the 30th day of June following
the date of designation as a wildlife management area, and,
thereafter, payments shall be made on or before December 10 of
each year.

(g) Notwithstanding any other law, payments provided under
this section shall not be allocated to a school district, a community
college district, or a county superintendent of schools.