BILL ANALYSIS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Fran Pavley, Chair |
| 2009-2010 Regular Session |
| |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BILL NO: AB 110 HEARING DATE: June 23, 2009
AUTHOR: Smyth URGENCY: No
VERSION: As Introduced CONSULTANT: Marie Liu
DUAL REFERRAL: Rules FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: Parks and open space: Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor:
boundary revisions.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) was established by
the Legislature in 1980 to undertake land acquisition and
provide grants to local governments and non-profit organizations
for the planning, acquisition, improvement, operation, and
maintenance of wildlife habitat and recreation resources within
the Santa Monica Mountains Zone. In 1983, the Legislature passed
AB 1361 (Margolin) which expanded boundaries of the Santa Monica
Mountains Zone to include the Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor
(RVTC) which encircles the Simi, San Fernando, and Crescenta
valleys. The RVTC encompasses the Simi Hills, extends north to
the Santa Susana and San Gabriel Mountains, and east to the
Verdugo Mountains. The RVTC is a defined planning area which was
created to facilitate the development of an interlocking,
connected system of public parks, trails, and wildlife habitat
preserves. The SMMC was directed to develop a master plan for
the RVTC and was allowed to make minor boundary adjustments
until July 31, 1990.
The Legislature has since authorized the RVTC boundaries to be
adjusted once in 1999 to include Whitney Canyon under AB 339
(Runner). AB 339 explicitly stated that addition of Whitney
Canyon is not to affect any portion of Elsmere Canyon or any
decisions whether or not to permit a landfill in Elsmere Canyon.
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would allow the SMMC to adjust its boundaries to
include Elsmere Canyon by either of the following two methods:
The SMMC determines that the change is justified by relevant
1
scientific information and land use planning studies, or
A landowner of property in Elsmere Canyon submits in writing
to the SMMC requesting that their land be included in the
RVTC.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, in support of the bill,
states, "This bill would correct a boundary anomaly in the Rim
of the Valley Trail Corridor. Elsmere Canyon is currently an
isolated area surrounded by the Rim of the Valley Trail
Corridor. AB 330 (Runner), Statutes of 1999, specifically
excluded Elsmere Canyon from the Rim of the Valley Trail
Corridor due to concerns that it would preclude construction of
a landfill in the Elsmere Canyon, but with the Los Angeles
County Sanitation Districts' abandonment of plans for the
Elsmere Canyon landfill, those concerns no longer exist. The
SMMC Board has supported inclusion of Elsmere Canyon in the Rim
of the Valley Trail Corridor since 1989."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None received.
COMMENTS
Previous plans to site a landfill in Elsmere Canyon have been
dumped : In the 1980s and 1990s there was discussion of placing a
placing a landfill in Elsmere Canyon. In 1998, AB 1743 (Runner)
attempted to add Elsmere Canyon to the RVTC, but that bill
failed passage in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee
because of pending discussions on the potential landfill.
Elsmere Canyon has since been removed from the Los Angeles
Supervisors' list of potential landfill sites. Subsequently, in
2007, Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI), the owner of the site,
withdrew its application for a landfill permit and donated 400
acres within the canyon to the SMMC for permanent open space,
public park, and recreation uses. BFI sold its remaining 800
acres of canyon land to a private developer.
According to the author and the SMMC, the private developer is
interested in having its land incorporated into the RVTC. This
bill explicitly authorizes the landowner to request inclusion
into the RVTC, even though this is already allowed under
existing law, to encourage the private developer to actually
make that request.
SUPPORT
City of Santa Clarita (sponsor)
California Senior Legislature
2
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Sierra Club
OPPOSITION
None Received
3