BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE
Senator Anthony Cannella, Chairman
BILL NO: SB 276 HEARING: 05/03/11
AUTHOR: Wright FISCAL: Yes
VERSION: 02/14/11 CONSULTANT: John Chandler
Expositions and fairs: California Science Center: police and
security services.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
Current law provides for the Sixth District Agricultural
Association (DAA), known as the California Science Center, and
establishes the position of Exposition Park Manager to manage,
schedule, and administer park-related events. Further, the
Exposition Park Manager is authorized to appoint specified
security and safety personnel. Like all other DAA's the
California Science Center is governed by a nine-member board
appointed by the governor.
Exposition Park is a 160-acre state property in the City of Los
Angeles which houses the following entities: California Science
Center, California African American Museum, Natural History
Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum &
Sports Arena, EXPO Center, Rose Garden, and Jesse Brewer Park.
In the 1999 Budget Act, the Office of Park Manager was created
following a report by the University of California, Los Angeles,
which concluded there was a need for a park manager position.
AB 340 (Wright, Chapter 479, Statutes of 2001), established,
statutorily, the position of Exposition Park Manager appointed
by the Governor's office and transferred the authority to
appoint the chief and assistant chief of museum security from
the executive director of the California Science Center to the
park manager.
The 2011-2012 Budget Act SB 69 (Leno) language passed by the
legislature would eliminate funding for the Office of the
Exposition Park Management.
PROPOSED LAW
SB 276 would eliminate the position of Exposition Park Manager
for the California Science Center and authorize the Executive
Director of the California Science Center to appoint the chief
and assistant chief of museum security and safety and other
safety officer appointments.
SB 276 - Page 2
COMMENTS
1.SB 276 will undo AB 340 (Wright, Chapter 479, Statutes of
2001), by eliminating the statutory creation of the Exposition
Park Manager and returning the duties assigned to the park
manager back to the executive director of the California
Science Center. According to the author, the budget for the
California Science Center has been significantly reduced,
which requires changes and elimination of managerial functions
and needs in order to allow Exposition Park and California
Science Center to remain functional. The 2011-2012 budget
passed by the legislature would eliminate funding for the
Exposition Park Manager. SB 276 is necessary to pass the
statutory responsibilities of the Exposition Park Manager back
to the Executive Director of the California Science Center in
order to keep the park running in the absence of the park
manager's office.
2.Opponents state that the elimination of the Exposition Park
Manager would have a negative effect on operations related to
park security, event marketing, coordination, maintenance, and
the Expo Park Fund. They feel the elimination of the park
manager and the transfer of the authority to the Executive
Director of the California Science Center needs further
discussion on the local level and needs further time to review
the issue locally as opposed to being a legislative or budget
item.
SUPPORT
None received
OPPOSITION
City of Los Angeles