BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2637
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 19, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2637 (Chesbro) - As Introduced: February 19, 2010
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:13-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill adds Humboldt Bay to those waters in which pilots
licensed by the Board of Pilot Commissioners have exclusive
authority to pilot vessels from sea and into the bay and allows
existing Humboldt Bay pilots entry into the board's pilot
trainee program.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor, absorbable state costs.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The author intends this bill to ensure that
pilotage continues in Humboldt Bay, should the Humboldt Bay
Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District cease to employ
pilots.
2)Background .
a) Pilotage Requirements . Bar pilots are responsible for
steering an arriving vessel through the Golden Gate Bridge
of San Francisco Bay, the bay waters, and adjoining
navigable waters, which include San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay,
the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, and its tributaries.
Pilotage services are also provided for Monterey Bay.
When a vessel comes with 12 miles of the Golden Gate
Bridge, a bar pilot boards the vessel and takes
navigational control until the vessel docks at berth. The
bar pilots provide service to all types of vessels, from
100-foot tugs to 1000-foot supertankers, though
AB 2637
Page 2
recreational yachts less than 300 gross tons are not
required to use bar pilot services. Inland pilots operate
in the inland bays and river channels but are not licensed
to operate outside of the Golden Gate.
Existing law establishes in state government the Board of
Pilot Commissioners, which consists of eight members with
jurisdiction over Monterey Bay and the bays of San
Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun. The board regulates
pilotage and provides for the licensing, regulation, and
management of pilots operating within its jurisdiction.
The law further requires the board to appoint and license
the number of pilots needed to carry out provisions of the
Harbors and Navigation Code. The board also investigates
navigational incidents, misconduct, and other matters
involving pilots and maintains a training program for new
pilots.
b) The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation
District licenses pilots for Humboldt Bay. Currently, two
licensed pilots are active in Humboldt Bay. The district
is weathering severe financial problems and may not be able
to continue to employ the pilots. There is concern,
expressed by the author's office, that without pilot
service in Humboldt Bay, deep-water vessels may no longer
go there. As a consequence, the author continues, the
United States Army Corps of Engineers may cease to
recommend federal dredging of the channels within the
Humboldt Bay. Should dredging stop, commercial fishers,
fuel barges and recreational boaters would suffer, at great
expense to the local economy and culture.
3)Support . The bill is sponsored by the Humboldt Bay Harbor and
Recreation District.
4)Opposition . The bill is opposed by the Pacific Merchant
Shipping Association, who argues this bill does nothing to
ensure the long-term viability of the Humboldt Bay Harbor and
Recreation District and that the Humboldt pilots will have
little incentive to continue operating in Humboldt Bay.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081