BILL ANALYSIS
AB 110
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 110 (Smyth)
As Introduced January 13, 2009
Majority vote
NATURAL RESOURCES 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 16-1
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|Ayes:|Skinner, Gilmore, |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano, Charles |
| |Brownley, Chesbro, De | |Calderon, Davis, Duvall, |
| |Leon, Hill, Huffman, | |Fuentes, Hall, Harkey, |
| |Knight, Logue | |Miller, John A. Perez, |
| | | |Price, Skinner, Solorio, |
| | | |Audra Strickland, |
| | | |Torlakson, Krekorian |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+---------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Nielsen |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Expands the geographic scope within which the Santa
Monica Mountains (Conservancy) may revise the boundaries of the
Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor (Corridor). Specifically, this
bill :
1)Expands the geographic scope within which the Conservancy may
revise the boundaries of the Corridor to include areas in the
vicinity of the City of Santa Clarita (instead of Placerita
Canyon State Park), including Elsmere Canyon and its
watershed.
2)Authorizes an owner of property located in Elsmere Canyon or
its adjacent watersheds to request of the Conservancy that his
or her property be included within the boundaries of the
Corridor. Upon receipt of the request, the Conservancy may
revise the boundaries of the Corridor to include this
property.
3)Strikes a provision that effectively prohibits the Conservancy
from including Elsmere Canyon in the Corridor.
4)States that the provision in 2) above does not affect the
inclusion of the property in the Corridor pursuant to other
provisions of existing law.
AB 110
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EXISTING LAW :
1)Creates the Conservancy to protect the natural resources of,
and promote recreational opportunities in, the Santa Monica
Mountains. The Conservancy is authorized to acquire land from
willing sellers, and to provide grants to local governments
and non-profit organizations for planning, acquisition,
improvement, and operation of wildlife habitat and recreation
resources within the Santa Monica Mountains Zone (Zone), as
established in statute.
2)Expanded the boundaries of the Zone twice: first in 1983, to
include the hiking and equestrian trail connections and
accessways following the Rim of the Valley Trail; and, again
1989, to include the Santa Clarita Woodlands portion of the
Santa Susana Mountains and other minor boundary adjustments.
3)Required the Conservancy to prepare and adopt a coordinated
trail development plan and recreational access program for the
Corridor by 1990. In order to implement the plan, the
executive director of the Conservancy was authorized to make
minor boundary changes prior to July 31, 1990.
4)Authorizes the Conservancy to revise the boundary of the
Corridor near Placerita Canyon State Park east of State Route
14, including Whitney Canyon and its adjacent watersheds if it
determines, based on scientific information and land use
planning studies, and after holding a public hearing, that
such a revision is necessary.
5)Prohibits any boundary revision in 4) above from affecting
Elsmere Canyon or on any decision whether or not to permit
Elsmere Canyon as a solid waste facility.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, substantial cost pressures, potentially in the
millions of dollars, resulting from expansion of the corridor
boundaries to include Elsmere Canyon. Such an expansion would
require an allocation of a portion of the $56 million of
Proposition 84 bond proceeds earmarked for the Conservancy for
land acquisition or from other state funds.
COMMENTS : According to the author's office, the intent of this
AB 110
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bill is to add Elsmere Canyon to the Corridor. The Corridor, a
broad planning area encompassing San Fernando and La Crescenta
Valleys, was created to facilitate the development of an
interconnected system of parks, trails, and wildlife corridors
in the Santa Monica, Santa Susana, Sespe, and San Gabriel
Mountains. The backbone of the Corridor is the Rim of the
Valley Trail.
The existing prohibition on the addition of Elsmere Canyon to
the Corridor is the product of a decades-long debate about
whether to site a landfill in Elsmere Canyon. In 1989, Los
Angeles County identified Elsmere Canyon on planning documents
as a potential landfill site. However, in 2004, the owner of
the site, Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI), withdrew its
application for a landfill permit. In March 2007, the company
donated 400 acres of Elsmere Canyon for permanent open space to
the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, a joint
powers authority which includes the Conservancy. BFI sold the
remaining 800 acres of the canyon to a private developer, who,
according to the author and the Conservancy is willing to
consider requesting the Conservancy to include these acres in
the Corridor (including a parcel within the Corridor does not
obligate the Conservancy to acquire it).
It is unclear why the provision of this bill authorizing this
private developer to request the Conservancy to include his
property in the Corridor is necessary. Any property owner today
could make this request without such authorization. The
author's office has indicated that the intent of this provision
is to encourage this private developer to make such a request.
However, the author and Conservancy have indicated that the
developer is indeed willing to make this request.
Analysis Prepared by : Dan Chia / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092
FN: 0001107