BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1374
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
1374 (Lara)
As Amended August 19, 2016
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 30-8
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+-----------------------+---------------------|
|Water |11-4 |Levine, Dodd, Eggman, |Gallagher, Bigelow, |
| | | |Harper, Mathis |
| | | | |
| | |Cristina Garcia, | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, Gomez, | |
| | |Lopez, Nazarian, | |
| | |Olsen, Salas, Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+-----------------------+---------------------|
|Local |5-3 |Eggman, Bonilla, Chiu, |Waldron, Beth |
|Government | |Cooley, Gordon |Gaines, Linder |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+-----------------------+---------------------|
|Appropriations |11-3 |Gonzalez, Bloom, |Bigelow, Jones, |
| | |Bonilla, Bonta, |Obernolte |
| | |Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Quirk, | |
SB 1374
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| | |Santiago, Weber, Wood, | |
| | |McCarty | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Authorizes the formation of the Lower Los Angeles (LA)
River Recreation and Park District (District) pursuant to
existing law, and establishes the governing board structure and
powers of the District. Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes, until January 1, 2019, the formation of the Lower
Los Angeles River Recreation and Park District (District)
pursuant to the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Reorganization Act of
2000 (Act), and establishes the governance and powers for the
District.
2)Requires, notwithstanding the provisions in the principal act
that specify the selection of the initial board of directors
(Board), the District's initial board of directors to consist
of no more than 13 members as follows:
a) The city councils of each of the following cities may
appoint one representative: Vernon, Maywood, Bell, Bell
Gardens, Cudahy, South Gate, Lynwood, Compton, Paramount,
and Long Beach.
b) The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Board of
Supervisors) may appoint two public members. Requires one
of the public members to be a representative of a nonprofit
organization serving the Lower Los Angeles River region.
c) The city councils of each of the following cities may
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jointly appoint one representative: Commerce, Downey,
Montebello, and Pico Rivera. Requires the one
representative jointly appointed to serve for a two-year
term.
3)Requires a person appointed to the Board to serve at the
pleasure of the city council or Board of Supervisors that made
the appointment.
4)Authorizes the Board to be reorganized pursuant to the
Recreation and Park District Law.
5)Requires the District, in addition to the powers and financing
authority in the principal act which are subject to review and
approval of the Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation
Commission (LAFCO) upon formation, change of organization, or
reorganization, to do all of the following:
a) Promote the development of open space and parks along
the Lower Los Angeles River;
b) Identify funding and resources to promote the
revitalization of the Lower Los Angeles River and open
spaces along the river, for the benefit and enjoyment of
local communities; and,
c) Acquire, construct, improve, maintain, and operate parks
and open space along the Lower Los Angeles River.
6)Requires the District to conduct the activities in 5) above,
in coordination with the Lower Los Angeles River Working Group
and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains
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Conservancy.
7)Finds and declares that a special law is necessary and that a
general law cannot be made applicable because of the urgent
need for local park space along the Lower Los Angeles River
and the communities through which it passes.
8)States that no reimbursement is required by this bill because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or
school district will be incurred because this bill creates a
new crime or infraction, eliminations a crime or infraction,
of changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, pursuant to
existing law.
EXISTING LAW establishes Recreation and Park District Law which
governs formation, boundaries, governance, powers and duties,
and finance for recreation and park districts.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, increased costs pressures, potentially in tens of
millions to hundreds of millions of dollars (General Fund or
special fund), to fund projects along the lower Los Angeles
River.
COMMENTS:
1)Existing Law and Bill Summary. The Recreation and Park
District Law is a principal act that governs the 95 recreation
and park districts in California. As a special district,
recreation and park districts are subject to LAFCO
jurisdiction and are subject to the proceedings contained in
the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act
of 2000 (Act). This bill authorizes the formation of the
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District, until January 1, 2019, subject to the Act.
Existing law provides for the composition of the Board
depending on the territory encompassed by the District. Board
members may be appointed or elected. This bill establishes an
13-member Board for the District providing the 10 specified
cities with one appointment each, the Board of Supervisors
with two appointments of public members, and four cities with
one appointment to be made jointly.
Current law authorizes a recreation and park district to
organize, promote, conduct, and advertise programs of
community recreation, establish systems of recreation and
recreation facilities and to acquire, construct, improve,
maintain, and operate recreation facilities, including, but
not limited to, parks and open space both inside and beyond
the district's boundaries. This bill provides additional
powers to the District, if it is created, and requires the
District to promote the development of open space and parks
along the Lower Los Angeles River, identify funding and
resources to promote the revitalization of the Lower Los
Angeles River and open spaces along the river, for the benefit
and enjoyment of local communities, and to acquire, construct,
improve, maintain, and operate parks and open space along the
Lower Los Angeles River. Under this bill if the District is
formed then it must coordinate with the Lower Los Angeles
River Working Group and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles
Rivers and Mountains Conservancy to fulfill the duties
established by this bill.
2)Author's Statement. According to the author, "The Lower LA
River flows through many disadvantaged communities, where
residents are disproportionally impacted by poor air quality
from local heavy industry and congested transportation
corridors, and suffer from a severe lack of access to
recreational opportunities and outdoor park space. A recently
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released study by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks
and Recreation identified the region around the Lower Los
Angeles River as one of the most park-poor areas in LA County.
"According to the report, the City of Maywood has 0.3 park
acres per 1,000 residents, whereas the county-wide average is
3.3 acres per 1,000 residents. The City of Bell has just 0.4
acres per 1,000 residents. The City of Cudahy has just 19.8
acres of park space in a city of 24,164 people. Of the 32
parks in the city, one was rated as "good." The other 31 were
rated as "fair" or "poor."
"The single biggest barrier to development of new parks is a
lack of funding. The recently approved state water bond
(Proposition 1) does provide funding opportunities for the
revitalization of the Lower Los Angeles River watershed,
including a $30 [million] direct allocation to the San Gabriel
and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, and a
share of $100 [million] for urban creek restoration. But
those funds are strictly limited to acquisition and
development of facilities, and cannot be used for operation or
maintenance of park facilities. A lack of local resources
often means that parks cannot be developed, or if they are,
they cannot be properly maintained. Parks have many
beneficial impacts on communities; encouraging physical
activity, improving health and fitness, reducing urban heating
effects and air pollution, reducing greenhouse gas emissions
through trees and greenery, and providing important economic
benefits.
"While the Lower LA River serves an important purpose as a
flood protection and control channel, it also presents a
unique opportunity for open space, urban greening, and as a
recreational resource for the region. With numerous recent
developments, including the creation of a Lower Los Angeles
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River Working Group to develop a revitalization plan, the
City's Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, and
multiple conversations about a new vision for the river, there
is a growing local interest in rejuvenation of the river.
"Through the formation of the [District], working in
collaboration with the Working Group and the San Gabriel and
Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, SB 1374
will help to promote the development of open space and parks
for the benefit of communities along the Lower LA River."
3)Background. The LA River is entirely within the County of Los
Angeles (County). The approximately 32 miles of the River
upstream of the City of Vernon is considered to be the Upper
River and is within the bounds of the City of Los Angeles.
The approximately 19 miles of the Lower River includes the
Cities of Vernon, Commerce, Maywood, Bell, Bell Gardens,
Cudahy, South Gate, Lynwood, Compton, Paramount, Carson and
Long Beach.
The areas surrounding the River are widely considered to have
relatively few open space and park areas. Particularly along
the Lower River, industrial activity and railyards immediately
adjacent to the River serve to isolate the River from the
surrounding communities.
In the early 1990s, community activism over turning a railyard
adjacent to the River into open space coincided with the
County beginning a process that - after considerable input
from stakeholders and community outreach - resulted in the
County's Los Angeles River Master Plan in 1996. The Master
Plan described how economic growth could be spurred along the
River in the County through zoning changes and the development
of open space, recreational, cultural, artistic, educational
and other opportunities.
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The City of Los Angeles' Los Angeles River Revitalization
Master Plan was released in 2007. Continuing the long-term
goals of the County's Master Plan, the Revitalization Master
Plan also promoted the revitalization of the River as a
multi-benefit solution to addressing and enhancing water
quality and flood control while enabling safe access to the
River and restoring a functional river ecosystem. The City's
Revitalization Master Plan focused on the Upper River. The
Lower LA River does not have such a plan.
AB 530 (Rendon), Chapter 684, Statutes of 2015, established
the Lower Los Angeles River Working Group which is tasked with
developing a revitalization plan for the Lower River watershed
and the communities through which it passes by March 1, 2017.
4)Arguments in Support. Supporters argue that the Los Angeles
River presents a unique opportunity for open space
development, urban greening, and is a relatively untapped
recreations resource for the region. The formation of the
District would promote the development of open space and
parks.
5)Arguments in Opposition. None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:
Misa Lennox / L. GOV. / (916) 319-3958 FN:
0004676
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