BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 215
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 1, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                    SB 215 (Wiggins) - As Amended:  June 22, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                             Local  
          GovernmentVote:5-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill adds applicable regional transportation plans,  
          including sustainable community strategies and alternative  
          planning strategies, to the list of factors that local agency  
          formation commissions (LAFCOs) must consider before making  
          boundary decisions. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Costs to LAFCOs to consider additional factors when making  
          boundary decisions would not be state-reimbursable, as LAFCOs  
          have authority to levy fees to cover their costs.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Background  . In 2008, the governor signed SB 375 (Steinberg),  
            Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008, which requires the California  
            Air Resources Board to assign each metropolitan planning  
            organization (MPO) a greenhouse gas emissions reduction  
            target, and then requires each MPO to prepare a "sustainable  
            communities strategy" as a component of its regional  
            transportation plan. The sustainable communities strategy  
            serves as a blueprint for communities to achieve the region's  
            greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.  If the sustainable  
            communities strategy does not achieve the target, the MPO must  
            prepare an alternative planning strategy.

            LAFCOs control the boundaries of cities and special districts,  
            operating under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act.  To guide  
            their boundary decisions, LAFCOs must adopt spheres of  
            influence for cities and districts, designating their future  








                                                                  SB 215
                                                                  Page  2

            service areas and boundaries. LAFCOs' boundary decisions must  
            be consistent with these spheres of influence. As LAFCOs  
            prepare to make decisions about proposed boundary changes,  
            they must consider 15 specified factors, including local  
            general plans and specific plans. 

            In addition to the 15 specified factors, existing law permits  
            a LAFCO to consider regional growth goals and polices [AB 2838  
            (Hertzberg), Chapter 761, Statutes of 2000]. This bill makes  
            consideration of regional transportation plans mandatory. 

           2)Rationale  . This bill is intended to update criteria for LAFCO  
            boundary decisions to incorporate the changes made by SB 375.  
            The bill adds an applicable regional transportation plan,  
            including the sustainable communities strategy or alternative  
            planning strategy, to the list of specified factors that a  
            LAFCO must consider before making a boundary decision. 
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Brad Williams / APPR. / (916) 319-2081