BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2353
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          Date of Hearing:  April 19, 2010

                       ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
                                Wesley Chesbro, Chair
                    AB 2353 (Logue) - As Amended:  April 12, 2010
           
          SUBJECT  :  State conservancies:  reporting requirements.

           SUMMARY  :  Requires seven conservancies to biennially report to  
          the Legislature; conforms reporting frequency for three other  
          conservancies.

           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Creates ten conservancies to acquire, manage, or conserve the  
            state's natural, historical, cultural and recreational  
            resources.

          2)Requires the State Coastal Conservancy (every three years),  
            Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (annually), and Sierra  
            Nevada Conservancy (annually) to submit reports to the  
            Legislature.

           THIS BILL  :

          1)Requires the California Tahoe Conservancy, the Sacramento-San  
            Joaquin Delta Conservancy, the San Joaquin River Conservancy,  
            the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, the San Gabriel and Lower Los  
            Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, the San Diego River  
            Conservancy, and the Coachella Valley Mountain Conservancy to  
            submit a report to the Legislature and to the Secretary of the  
            Natural Resources Agency on or before January 1, 2012, and on  
            or before January 1 every even-numbered year thereafter. The  
            report must contain information regarding all of the  
            following:

             a)   State and nonstate funding sources and revenues.

             b)   Land management costs and administrative costs.

             c)   Land or conservation easement acquisition activities or  
               funding provided to nonstate entities to acquire land or  
               conservation easements.

             d)   A description of, and the amount of money expended for,  








                                                                  AB 2353
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               all projects funded by the conservancy either directly or  
               through nonstate entities.

             e)   A schedule of projects undertaken.

             f)   A description of progress made toward achievement of the  
               purposes of specified goals, plans or other objectives.

          2)Conforms reporting frequency of the State Coastal Conservancy,  
            Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and Sierra Nevada  
            Conservancy to the same frequency (biennially) as the others  
            above.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown
           
          COMMENTS  :  This bill imposes a biennial reporting requirement  
          for the first time on seven conservancies.  Under existing law,  
          only the State Coastal Conservancy, Santa Monica Mountains  
          Conservancy, and Sierra Nevada Conservancy are required to  
          report to the Legislature, with varying frequency and content.   
          This bill subjects all conservancies to the same reporting  
          frequency though it does not make consistent the content of the  
          reports.  The  committee and author may wish to consider  doing so  
          and imposing the following additional reporting requirements on  
          all conservancies:

          1)Acquisition or funding of acquisition of any interest in real  
            property.

          2)A schedule of grants and loans made by a conservancy.

          3)A description of program or project priorities in the next two  
            years.

          4)A description of a conservancy's partnership with (e.g., via  
            memorandum of understanding or agreement) or membership of a  
            joint powers authority, nonprofit organizations, government  
            agency, or other subdivision of the state.

          5)Recommendations to the Legislature on additional funding,  
            legislation, or other resources required to more effectively  
            or efficiently carry out a conservancies' mission, goals or  
            objectives or to expend resources.

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :








                                                                  AB 2353
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           Support 
           
          None on file

           Opposition 
           
          None on file

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :  Dan Chia / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092