BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 262|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 262
Author: Lowenthal (D)
Amended: 7/13/09
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE : 7-3, 5/12/09
AYES: Pavley, Kehoe, Leno, Padilla, Simitian, Wiggins,
Wolk
NOES: Cogdill, Hollingsworth, Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Benoit
SENATE FLOOR : 21-18, 5/26/09
AYES: Alquist, Cedillo, Corbett, DeSaulnier, Florez,
Hancock, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod,
Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley, Romero, Simitian, Steinberg,
Wiggins, Wolk, Wright, Yee
NOES: Aanestad, Ashburn, Benoit, Calderon, Cogdill,
Correa, Cox, Denham, Ducheny, Dutton, Harman,
Hollingsworth, Huff, Maldonado, Runner, Strickland,
Walters, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 49-27, 8/24/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Coastal resources: California Coastal
Commission: meeting
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill deletes the requirement of the
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California Coastal Commission to meet monthly and instead
requires that it meet at least 10 times per year. The bill
adds a provision that extends any applicable statutory
deadlines to the subsequent meeting of the California
Coastal Commission.
Assembly Amendments (1) require the Commission to meet at
least 10 times per year, and (2) require a 10 days public
notice prior to canceling a meeting.
ANALYSIS : Section 30315.2 of the Coastal Act requires
the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to meet monthly.
The CCC is subject to various statutes that impose
deadlines for the review and approval of pending permit
applications that are filed with the commission.
This bill deletes the requirement of the California Coastal
Commission to meet monthly and instead requires that it
meet at least 10 times per year. The bill requires the
commission to provide a minimum of days public notice prior
to canceling a meeting. Any action to cancel a meeting
shall be considered at a public hearing to allow for public
comment.
The bill adds a provision that extends any applicable
statutory deadlines to the subsequent meeting of the
California Coastal Commission.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/26/09)
California Coastal Commission
Sierra Club
Culbertson and Associates, LLC
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
the bill is needed to give the CCC some flexibility for
legally canceling a meeting, should that be necessary for
fiscal reasons, and to do so in a manner that would not
cause the CCC to lose jurisdiction over pending items,
which may otherwise be resolved by operation of law. These
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items typically include coastal development permits and
amendments to local coastal plans, and the review of other
local government decisions, among other items.
Last year, the Governor line-item vetoed five percent of
the CCC general fund budget, and reduced overall personnel
years from 145 to 139. In recent years, the CCC has lost
26 general fund positions and $2.7 million in funding from
FY 01-02 through the most recently completed fiscal year.
In 2008 it notified 46 employees that they are at risk of
layoffs. The CCC has a total workforce of 136 permanent
and part-time employees. It has also instituted voluntary
unpaid leave days, eliminated training, and reduced
hearings to a maximum of three days. In 2008, the CCC
increased filing fees which is projected to generate
$524,000. A significant part of the CCC budget is
dependent on reimbursements and contracts from other
agencies which are themselves facing budget pressures. The
CCC has reduced its workload on several key Coastal Act
provisions as well.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans,
Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gilmore,
Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jones,
Krekorian, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning,
Nava, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin,
Salas, Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres,
Torrico, Yamada, Bass
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill,
Blakeslee, Conway, Cook, DeVore, Duvall, Fletcher,
Fuller, Gaines, Garrick, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries,
Knight, Logue, Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Silva,
Smyth, Audra Strickland, Tran, Villines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Emmerson, Hall, Saldana, Vacancy
CTW:RJG:do 8/26/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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