BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                       SB 1473|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
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                                      CONSENT 


          Bill No:  SB 1473
          Author:   Committee on Natural Resources and Water   
          Amended:  3/30/16  
          Vote:     21 

           SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE:  9-0, 4/12/16
           AYES:  Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,  
            Monning, Vidak, Wolk

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8

           SUBJECT:   Natural resources


          SOURCE:    Author
          
          DIGEST:  This bill makes technical changes to the Fish and Game  
          Code based on recommendations submitted by the California Law  
          Revision Commission.  This bill also repeals an outdated statute  
          granting public trust lands to the County of Los Angeles.

          ANALYSIS:  
          
          Existing law:

          1)Provides that the Fish and Game Code sets out the laws  
            concerning fish and wildlife in California, including laws  
            regarding the conservation and management of fish and wildlife  
            resources, and laws governing the recreational and commercial  
            take of game and nongame species in the state.

          2)Specifies the duties, responsibilities and authorities of the  
            Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Fish and Game  
            Commission (Commission) with regard to implementation of the  
            Fish and Game Code requirements.








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          3)Grants public trust lands to the County of Los Angeles under  
            specific conditions, including submitting a land use plan to  
            the State Lands Commission (SLC).

          This bill:

          1)Makes numerous technical, nonsubstantive changes to the Fish  
            and Game Code based on recommendations from the California Law  
            Revision Commission (CLRC), including:

             a)   Generalizing the procedural provisions to expressly  
               apply to all Commission regulation of take and possession  
               of wild animals, excepting only subject matter the  
               Legislature has expressly excluded from the application of  
               those provisions;

             b)   Modernizing the statutes governing Commission rulemaking  
               at public meetings to make them consistent with the  
               Commission's current practice and APA requirements;

             c)   Repealing obsolete provisions (Fish and Game Code §  
               250); and

             d)   Making conforming revisions to accommodate the  
               reorganization.

          2)Repeals Chapter 1700 of the Statutes of 1967, which granted  
            specific public trust lands to the County of Los Angeles  
            provided, among other conditions, that the County submit a  
            land use plan to the SLC.

          Background
          
          Rationale for the changes to the Fish and Game Code.  The CLRC  
          is preparing draft legislation to recodify the Fish and Game  
          Code, in order to improve its organization and clarity, remove  
          obsolete or redundant material, and correct technical errors.  
          Because that work will involve the reorganization of the entire  
          code, the recodification legislation will not be ready for  
          presentation to the Legislature until the study is completed.









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          However, some beneficial changes can be made more quickly. As  
          the larger study proceeds, the CLRC will make note of technical  
          corrections and minor substantive improvements that can be made  
          to the existing code, without waiting for completion of the  
          entire study. Such improvements will be periodically compiled  
          into recommendations for submission to the Legislature.

          This recommendation is the second such proposal. It proposes a  
          largely non- substantive modernization and reorganization of  
          provisions of the Fish and Game Code relating to the regulatory  
          authority of the Commission.

          Repealing outdated public trust lands grant.  In 1967, the  
          California Legislature conditionally granted public trust lands  
          to the County of Los Angeles. To be operative, the grantee was  
          required to submit a land use plan to the SLC for approval. The  
          land use plan was not submitted and the land reverted back to  
          the State.  It is currently under the SLC's jurisdiction. Senate  
          Natural Resources and Water Committee staff recommend sponsoring  
          legislation to repeal the granting statue to clarify  
          jurisdiction and lessen confusion when projects are proposed on  
          the land.


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


          SUPPORT:   (Verified4/25/16)


          None received


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified4/25/16)


          None received



          Prepared by:Matthew Dumlao / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116








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