BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2701
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Date of Hearing: April 28, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2701 (Eng) - As Amended: March 18, 2010
Policy Committee: Housing and
Community Development Vote: 8 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill places qualified playgrounds and playground sites with
historical or cultural significance under the exclusive
jurisdiction of the State Historical Building Code.
FISCAL EFFECT
Costs for the Building Standards Commission would be minor,
likely in the range of $10,000 per year.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . AB 2701 states that playgrounds that have a
historic designation are subject to the requirements of the
state historical building code rather than the standardized
modern playground standards that apply to all other
playgrounds. The bill is not a change to existing law, which
already specifies that any structure with a historic
designation is subject to the state historical building code
and that the application of any other statue or regulation as
applied to a historic structure is governed by the state
historical building code.
2)Background . La Laguna park in San Gabriel, often referred to
as "Monster Park" or "Dinosaur Park," was created in 1965 by
Benjamin Dominguez, a master concrete craftsman who created a
number of playgrounds in the Los Angeles area. Friends of La
Laguna, which was formed when the City of San Gabriel
announced plans to demolish the playground because it could
not see a feasible way to bring the unique one-of-a-kind
structures into compliance with modern playground safety
AB 2701
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standards, successfully managed to place the playground on the
California Register of Historic Places.
According to the sponsor, in the 1950s and 1960s, reaction to
suburban growth, a booming population, and tract home
development led to the creation of unique and artistic
playgrounds. These playgrounds functioned to distinguish
cities from one another and communicated the character and
diversity of the community. These playgrounds sometimes drew
on the skills of notable artists and architects, which
resulted in a creative period in playground design and served
to capture the culture of the community. Many communities
have already destroyed playgrounds built during this era that
might have been worthy of a historic designation. The
demolition of a historic playground results in the loss of a
community icon, and in some cases, a regional resource.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081