BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 110|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 110
Author: Smyth (R), et al
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE : 9-1, 6/23/09
AYES: Pavley, Cogdill, Benoit, Kehoe, Leno, Padilla,
Simitian, Wiggins, Wolk
NOES: Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Hollingsworth
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-1, 6/1/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Parks and open space: Rim of the Valley Trail
Corridor:
boundary revisions
SOURCE : City of Santa Clarita
DIGEST : This bill expands the geographic scope within
which the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy may revise the
boundaries of the Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Creates the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
(Conservancy) to protect the natural resources of, and
promote recreational opportunities in, the Santa Monica
CONTINUED
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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. Expands 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 in 1989, to include the Santa
Clarita Woodlands portion of the Santa Susana Mountains
and other minor boundary adjustments.
3. Requires the Conservancy to prepare and adopt a
coordinated trail development plan and recreational
access program for the Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor
(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.
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
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Conservancy that his/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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy (SMMC) 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."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber,
Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava,
Nestande, Niello, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson,
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Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, Bass
NOES: Nielsen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Block, DeVore, Hagman
CTW:mw 6/25/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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