BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2670
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2670 (John A. Perez)
As Amended May 28, 2010
Majority vote
NATURAL RESOURCES 6-3 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Chesbro, Brownley, De |Ayes:|Fuentes, Ammiano, |
| |Leon, Hill, Huffman, | |Bradford, |
| |Skinner | |Charles Calderon, Coto, |
| | | |Davis, |
| | | |Monning, Ruskin, Skinner, |
| | | |Solorio, Torlakson, |
| | | |Torrico |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Gilmore, Knight, Logue |Nays:| |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Establishes the State Capitol Sustainability Task
Force (Task Force) to coordinate, develop, and complete a state
capitol sustainability initiative for the State Capitol
buildings and grounds. Specifically, this bill establishes the
Task Force consisting of the California State Assembly, the
California State Senate, the Office of the Governor, and the
Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Requires the Task Force to:
1)Coordinate, develop, and complete a state capitol
sustainability initiative for the State Capitol, including the
State Capitol Building, the Legislative Office Building, and
the State Capitol park grounds.
2)Join the California Climate Action Registry to monitor and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
3)Perform benchmarking and monitoring of building operations,
improve energy and water efficiency, and incorporate renewable
energy.
4)Increase the overall fuel economy and fuel diversity of the
vehicle fleet.
5)Improve waste diversion practices, promote environmentally
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preferable purchasing, and integrate sustainable practices.
6)Develop public education materials on sustainability and
partner with utility companies, water districts, labor
organizations, environmental groups, federal and local
government, and private industry to develop green
demonstration projects.
7)Seek a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or Energy
Star rating.
8)Finalize the Capitol Park Master Plan, including improving
bicycle access to Capitol Park and establishing bicycle paths
for those portions of Capitol Avenue and 13th Street that are
within the park grounds.
EXISTING LAW authorizes the Department of General Services (DGS)
to repair and alter buildings within the Capitol area.
Establishes the Historic State Capitol Commission (Commission)
and requires the Commission to prepare and amend a comprehensive
master plan for the restoration, preservation, and maintenance
of the historic State Capitol.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill will result in minor absorbable costs to
staff to administer the work of the Task Force. Additionally,
this bill creates cost pressures to the General Fund and various
special funds for energy efficiency and similar upgrades. These
costs would be wholly dependent upon the number of projects that
result from the work of the Task Force, the scale of those
projects, and resolution of the complexities inherent to
renovation and modification of historic structures. At the
extreme, these projects may entail costs in the hundreds of
millions of dollars and potentially include replacement of
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems;
reinstallation of window glazing, casings and insulation;
reconfiguration or replacement of irrigation and plumbing
systems; and, installation of solar or other on-site renewable
energy generation systems.
COMMENTS : According to the Capitol Museum, "the West's first
great architectural monument was the California State Capitol in
Sacramento." The California State Capitol Building was
completed in 1874 after 14 years of construction. By
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mid-century the Legislature had outgrown the original building;
the East Annex was completed in 1952 to house the Governor and
the Lieutenant Governor and to provide additional office space
and committee rooms for the Legislature. In 1972 a seismic
study found that the Capitol would not survive an earthquake,
this finding and the need to modernize the building resulted in
the largest restoration project ever undertaken in North America
at that time. In order to protect the historic nature of the
building, the Legislature established the Historic State Capitol
Commission in 1976 to advise the Legislature on any changes made
to the building. In January 1982, the six year restoration
project was completed.
In 2001, the State and Consumer Services Agency, DGS, and SMUD
held the Greening of the State Capitol Project in Sacramento.
The Project identified numerous ways to "green" the Capitol,
including increasing energy efficiency, instituting
environmentally preferable purchasing requirements, building
commissioning, use of electric vehicles, establishing on-site
power generation, installing water efficiency measures, and
improving recycling. The Project also completed a landscape
assessment, which identified irrigation problems and methods to
compost green waste and use the composted material in Capitol
Park. While some of these activities have been undertaken, many
improvements could still be made to improve the overall
environmental impact of the Capitol.
As stated in the intent language, "The State Capitol presents a
unique opportunity to showcase sustainable practices,
demonstrate environmental leadership, and provide educational
opportunities to its nearly 800,000 annual visitors." According
to the author, "AB 2670 increases the opportunities for
implementing more sustainable practices by involving all the
tenants in the building. Potential funding to implement [this
bill] is available through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009."
Analysis Prepared by : Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
FN: 0004721