BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2021
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 20, 2010

                       ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
                                 Marty Block, Chair
                   AB 2021 (Fletcher) - As Amended:  March 24, 2010
           
          SUBJECT  :  Fire protection: Designated Campus Fire Marshal.

           SUMMARY  :  Allows the State Fire Marshal (SFM) to enforce the  
          building standards and other regulations on all University of  
          California (UC) campuses and properties, or delegate those  
          duties to a Designated Campus Fire Marshall (DCFM).

           EXISTING LAW  requires the SFM and his/her designated  
          representatives to enforce regulations and building standards  
          relating to fire and life safety.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown 

           COMMENTS  :   Double-Referral  :  This bill was double-referred to  
          the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee, which heard  
          and approved this bill on April 12, 2010.  

           Purpose of this bill  :  According to the author, this bill is  
          intended to codify a 16-year-old Memorandum of Understanding  
          (MOU) between UC and SFM, giving authorization to SFM to allow  
          DCFMs to enforce fire safety standards at UC facilities.

           Background  :  According to UC, the current MOU with SFM allows  
          qualified DCFMs to act on behalf of SFM to ensure compliance  
          with fire and life safety standards at UC facilities.  An MOU  
          was first initiated as a two-year pilot program in 1994 to  
          determine the effectiveness of this practice.  The program  
          proved to be an acceptable means of ensuring on-site fire plan  
          approval for UC construction projects and existing UC campus  
          facilities. 

          Under the MOU, campuses submit projects to the DCFM in lieu of  
          submittals to SFM.  This allows for faster and more thorough  
          reviews of UC's large and complex capital program.  DCFMs  
          interact with SFM to ensure UC compliance with all applicable  
          codes and standards, and assist planners, architects, and  
          engineers in identifying alternative fire safety solutions. 

          According to the author, UC has attempted to renew the existing  








                                                                  AB 2021
                                                                  Page  2

          MOU with SFM.  However, the current Acting SFM has voiced a  
          concern about the relationship between SFM and UC not being  
          codified in state statute.  UC believes that unless the existing  
          relationship between SFM and UC is codified in state statute,  
          the Acting SMF will no longer allow the relationship under the  
          MOU.  UC believes that ending the relationship outlined in the  
          MOU will place additional burdens on SFM and reduce the  
          oversight quality that is provided by DCFMs. 

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          University of California (sponsor)

           Opposition 
           
          None on File
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)  
          319-3960