BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2554|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2554
Author: Brownley (D)
Amended: 4/8/10 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE : 3-2, 6/30/10
AYES: Kehoe, DeSaulnier, Price
NOES: Cox, Aanestad
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 48-28, 6/1/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Los Angeles County Flood Control District:
fees and charges
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the Los Angeles County
Flood Control District to impose a fee, in the
unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, to pay the cost
and expenses of carrying out projects and providing
services authorized under existing law.
ANALYSIS : The Los Angeles County Flood Control District
is a special act special district that provides flood
control and water quality services to 85 cities and most of
the unincorporated area in Los Angeles County. Governed ex
officio by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the
District has statutory authorization to levy ad valorem
taxes and assessments.
CONTINUED
AB 2554
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The Legislature has authorized counties, cities, sanitary
districts, county sanitation districts, sewer maintenance
districts, and other districts responsible for sanitary
sewers and sewerage systems to impose fees in connection
with storm drainage services and facilities (SB 682, Mello,
Chapter 1110, Statutes of 1991). In 2005, the Legislature
authorized the Ventura County Watershed Protection District
to impose property related fees to fund storm drainage
services and facilities (AB 554, Nava, Chapter 510,
Statutes of 2005).
This bill authorizes the Los Angeles County Flood Control
District to impose a fee or charge in the County's
unincorporated areas, in compliance with Article XIII D of
the California Constitution, to pay the costs and expenses
of the District and to carry out the purposes of the
district.
This bill requires the fees to be collected with county
taxes. The revenues must be paid into the county treasury
to District's credit. The board of supervisors may spend
the funds to pay for the District's costs.
The bill makes other technical amendments to the District's
authorizing statutes.
Comments
The Los Angeles County Flood Control District covers more
than 3,000 square miles and includes the vast majority of
drainage infrastructure within incorporated and
unincorporated Los Angeles County. Storm water and urban
runoff drain into the District's system and ultimately into
the Pacific Ocean, carrying trash, bacteria, and other
pollutants. Aging infrastructure, increasingly stringent
clean water laws, and unmet drainage needs require the
District to invest in costly flood protection, water
quality, and water conservation projects that threaten to
overwhelm its existing revenue stream. This bill gives the
District, with voter approval, a stable and long-term
revenue stream for constructing and maintaining watershed
management projects.
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Prior Legislation
AB 564 (Brownley), 2008, would have authorized the Los
Angeles County Flood Control District to charge property
related fees throughout the district, died on the Senate
Floor.
AB 139 (Brownley), 2009, would have also authorized the
District to charge property-related fees, was never heard
by a policy committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/1/10)
County of Los Angeles
Association of California Water Agencies
California State Association of Counties
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council
Los Angeles Stormwater Quality Partnership
Tree People
OPPOSITION : (Verified 7/1/10)
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Ammiano, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Block, Blumenfield,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De
Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani,
Galgiani, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jones, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning,
Nava, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Skinner,
Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Yamada, John A.
Perez
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Blakeslee, Conway,
Cook, DeVore, Emmerson, Fletcher, Fuller, Gaines,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight,
Logue, Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Norby, V.
Manuel Perez, Silva, Smyth, Tran, Villines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Tom Berryhill, Solorio, Audra Strickland
AB 2554
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AGB:nl 7/1/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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