BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 288
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   January 23, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                   AB 288 (Levine) - As Amended:  January 9, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              Natural  
          ResourcesVote:7-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the California Coastal Commission  
          (Commission) to provide notice in English and Spanish of any  
          public meeting.  This bill also allows the Commission to provide  
          the notice in any other language.

           FISCAL EFFECT

           Minor, likely absorbable costs, of less than $30,000 to provide  
          notices in Spanish.

          The Commission meets 12 times per year.  On average, the meeting  
          notice/hearing agenda ranges between 4,000 and 6,000 words.   
          Assuming current translation services charge between $0.12 and  
          $0.40 per word, the cost of translating the notice in Spanish  
          would range between approximately $480 and $2,400 per meeting.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose.   According to the author, active participation by all  
            affected Californians should be solicited in decision-making  
            on coastal issues.  This bill will promote greater public  
            participation by providing Spanish speakers with access to  
            information pertaining to Commission meetings.

           2)Background.  The Coastal Act established the Commission to  
            protect the coast's natural and scenic resources and to  
            regulate development along the coastal zone.   

            The Commission is comprised of 12 voting members and three  
            non-voting members. Six of the voting members are public  








                                                                  AB 288
                                                                  Page  2

            members, and six are local elected officials who come from  
            specific coastal areas. All voting members are appointed  
            either by the Governor, Senate Rules Committee, or the Speaker  
            of the Assembly.  The nonvoting members are the Secretaries of  
            the Natural Resources and Transportation Agencies and the  
            Chair of the State Lands Commission.    

            Under the Coastal Act, all development in the coastal zone  
            requires a permit unless statutorily exempt. The permitting  
            process allows the Commission and local governments to review  
            proposed projects to ensure they will not have impacts  
            inconsistent with the environmental protection policies of the  
            Coastal Act and local coastal plans.  

            The Commission holds monthly public meetings to approve  
            permitting, enforcement, and restoration activities.

           3)State and Local Water Boards.   In 2012, the Legislature  
            enacted SB 695 (Wright) requiring the State Water Resources  
            Control Board and they California regional water quality  
            boards to provide agenda notices in both English and Spanish.  
            This bill is modeled after SB 695 (Chapter 551, Statues of  
            2012). 



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081