BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2214
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Date of Hearing: May 12, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2214 (Fuentes) - As Amended: April 27, 2010
Policy Committee: Natural
ResourcesVote:6-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to
complete a feasibility study on for the Pacoima Wash.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the conservancy, by June 30, 2011, to complete a
feasibility study on the Pacoima Wash that:
a) Establishes objectives for development of a greenbelt
around the Pacoima Wash for expanding recreational
opportunities and improving wildlife habitat.
b) Inventories existing land and its uses.
c) Analyzes land parcels along the Pacoima Wash that show
potential for a greenbelt and other recreational
developments.
d) Engages in community outreach and input.
e) Analyzes the topography of the Pacoima Wash.
2)Directs the conservancy to complete the study using existing
budget resources and voluntary private and nonprofit
AB 2214
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resources, and to request voluntary cooperation of
governmental authorities with jurisdiction over the Pacoima
Wash.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Costs of an unknown amount, but likely less than $100,000, to
complete the study as described. To the extent these costs
exceed the conservancies existing budget resources, this
funding would come from voluntary private and nonprofit
resources, as specified in the bill.
2)Cost pressure of an unknown amount, but potentially in
millions of dollars, to fund development of the greenbelt and
other recreational uses of the wash that are the focus of the
study. (Bond funds or private funds.)
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . According to the author, this bill is intended to
charge a specific public entity-the Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy-with advancing development of the study described
in the bill, which may facilitate development of recreational
and wildlife habitat projects and help secure funds to
implement them. The author reports that completion of the
study and the projects that are to be its focus are widely
supported in the region. This bill is intended to provide the
impetus to ensure the study's completion.
2)Background . The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was
established by state law in 1979. The conservancy acquires,
restores, and consolidates lands in the Santa Monica Mountains
and Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor for park, recreation and
conservation purposes. The 2010-11 Governor's Budget
describes the conservancy's authorities as:
a) Lease, rent, sell, transfer or exchange lands for park
purposes.
b) Award grants or interest free loans to state and local
agencies to purchase or restore park, recreation,
conservation or buffer-zone areas to ensure that the
character and intensity of development on these lands is
generally compatible with and does not adversely impact the
environment.
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c) Implement programs to improve access from the inner city
areas surrounding the conservancy, thereby providing
recreational opportunities for all residents.
d) Manage the Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor recreational
trail.
Regional leaders have planned for expanded recreation and
habitat in the conservancy. In 1996, the County of Los
Angeles developed a "Los Angeles River Master Plan," a
multi-objective program that identifies the river's primary
purpose as flood protection. Similarly, the City of Los
Angeles has its "LA River Revitalization Master Plan." These
plans, however, fail to account for recreation and habitat in
the Pacoima Wash, which sits within the conservancy's
jurisdiction. The author describes the wash as a 10-mile
flood control channel built in the 1940s that runs from the
Pacoima Dam in the San Gabriel Mountains to the Arleta
Spreading Grounds that currently is fenced off and with few
pedestrian crossings. The wash, the author continues, attracts
trash and graffiti and other undesirable activities, yet
presents a great opportunity for recreational activities and
wildlife habitat.
3)Support. This bill is supported by Mountains Recreation and
Conservation Authority-an organization with many ties to the
conservancy-and Pacoima Beautiful, who contend area residents
desire recreational opportunities and natural habitat in the
wash.
4)There is no registered opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081