BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1513
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 13, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 1513 (Evans) - As Amended: April 29, 2009
Policy Committee: Natural
ResourcesVote:6-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Resources Secretary and the State Lands
Commission (SLC), by January 1, 2010, to review state-owned
roadless areas under their respective jurisdictions, and to
report to the Legislature their respective recommendations on
whether any of these areas should be preserved as wilderness
under the California Wilderness Act.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Moderate one-time costs, in the range of $200,000 in 2009-10,
to the Natural Resources Agency to review state-owned roadless
areas. While the Natural Resources Agency must report its
recommendations on whether any of these areas should be
preserved as wilderness, there is no deadline for the report.
(GF or Environmental License Plate Fund (ELPF).)
2)Minor one-time GF costs, likely less than $50,000 in 2009-10,
to the SLC to review state-owned roadless areas under its
jurisdiction for possible addition to the list of state
wilderness areas.
3)Minor costs, if any, to the Natural Resources Agency to
include a roadless area review schedule in the wilderness area
annual status report due by December 1, 2010. (GF or ELPF.)
SUMMARY CONTINUED
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the Natural Resources Secretary and the SLC, by
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January 1, 2010, to review roadless areas under their
respective jurisdictions, and to report to the Legislature on
whether any of these areas should be designated a state
wilderness area.
2)Requires the Resources Secretary and the SLC to focus its
reviews and reports on the following areas:
a) Henry W. Coe State Park.
b) Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
c) Austin Creek State Recreation Area.
d) Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
e) Knoxville Wildlife Area.
f) Cedar Roughs Wildlife Area.
g) Department of Fish and Game lands in or next to the
federal wilderness areas of Cache Creek, South Fork Eel,
and Sanhedrin.
h) SLC lands within the wildernesses of Yolla Bolly-Eel,
Cache Creek, Yuki, and Robert Lewis Stevenson.
3)Requires the Natural Resources Secretary, in the current
annual report on the status of state wilderness areas that
must be submitted to the governor and Legislature, to include
a schedule for the review of roadless areas listed in #2.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author contends there are several roadless
areas under the jurisdiction of various Natural Resources
Agency entities that should be considered for preservation as
state wilderness areas. While the Natural Resources Agency
has been required to submit an annual report to the governor
and Legislature since 1975, no report has been received since
1980. This bill revives the review and reporting requirements
for wilderness area candidates and focuses resources on a list
of particular roadless areas under the jurisdiction of various
Natural Resources Agency entities.
2)Background.
a) The California Wilderness Act , SB 1498 (Nejedly) -
Chapter 1196, Statutes of 1974, created the California
Wilderness Preservation System comprised of state-owned
areas designated by the Legislature as "wilderness areas"
and units of the state park system classified as "state
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wildernesses" by the State Park and Recreation Commission.
New commercial enterprises and permanent roads are
prohibited in a wilderness area, and, except in an
emergency, use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment,
motorboats, aircraft and other forms of mechanical
transport is prohibited.
b) Designated Wilderness Areas include the following:
i) Santa Rosa Mountains State Wilderness (San
Diego County).
ii) Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness (Riverside
County).
iii) Sinkyone State Wilderness State Park (Mendocino
County).
iv) Portions of the federal Ventana Wilderness
(Monterey County).
v) A portion of the federal San Rafael Wilderness
(Santa Barbara County).
vi) A portion of the federal Marble Mountain
Wilderness (Siskiyou County).
vii) A portion of the federal Yolla Bolla Middle Eel
Wilderness (Tehama County).
3)Related Legislation. AB 2923 (Evans, 2008) was largely
identical to this bill. AB 2923 won passage in the Assembly
54-24 but ultimately was vetoed by the governor. In his veto
message, the governor stated that AB 2923 duplicated existing
state law and inappropriately superseded the Secretary for
Natural Resources' ability to manage agency and department
resources.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081