BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 745|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 745
Author: Levine (D)
Amended: 5/20/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNANCE & FINANCE COMMITTEE : 6-0, 5/14/14
AYES: Wolk, Beall, DeSaulnier, Hernandez, Liu, Walters
NO VOTE RECORDED: Knight
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 1/21/14 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT : Regional park and open-space districts: general
manager: powers
SOURCE : County of Marin
DIGEST : This bill increases from $10,000 to $25,000 the
maximum value of non-construction contracts which any park or
open space district may enter into without a formal bid process.
ANALYSIS : State law requires regional park and open space
districts to advertise contracts for supplies, materials, labor,
and construction and award them to the lowest responsible
bidder. With the board of directors' approval, a district's
general manager can award smaller jobs without written contracts
and a formal bidding process. Specifically, a district's
general manager can enter contracts for up to $10,000 of
maintenance or services, and up to $25,000 for new construction
projects, without the formal bid process.
CONTINUED
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This bill authorizes the general manager of any park or open
space district with the approval of their respective boards, in
accordance with board policy, for the payment up to $25,000 of
non-construction supplies, materials, labor, or other valuable
consideration without advertising for bids. The general
managers must report all expenditures to the board of directors
at the next regular meeting.
Background
Several districts have asked the Legislature to raise the limit
on their maintenance and service contracts. The Legislature has
allowed exemptions to these thresholds for three districts: the
East Bay Regional Park District and the Midpeninsula Regional
Open Space District (AB 584, Aroner, Chapter 135, Statutes of
1999), and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open
Space District
(AB 953, Simitian, Chapter 23, Statutes of 2002). These
districts' general managers can enter into maintenance or
service contracts worth up to $25,000 without public bidding.
Marin County Open Space District and Napa County Regional Park
and Open Space District want to be added to the list of regional
park and open space districts that can enter into contracts for
up to $25,000 for maintenance and services, or non-construction
purposes, without the formal bid process.
The formal bidding process can be time consuming and costly due
to contract preparation and the need for additional staff and
resources. Increasing the amount that districts can spend on
maintenance and service projects without a formal bid process
can significantly reduce the time required for project
implementation and can save thousands of dollars annually. The
Legislature adopted the $10,000 limit more than 30 years ago and
the amount has not been adjusted to inflation. This bill
reflects current economic conditions and allows the districts to
carry out their mission in a more cost-effective and efficient
manner.
There are eight open space districts in California governed by
the California Public Resource Code that establish the limits on
spending without a formal bid process. Three of those districts
have the authority to spend $25,000 for non-construction
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purposes without the formal bid process.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local:
No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/21/14)
County of Marin (source)
Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : This bill's sponsor states the current
$10,000 limit set forth in the California Public Resources Code
is over 30 years old and does not reflect cost increases that
have occurred since. They also state the enactment of this bill
reduces the time required for project implementation, and save
the Open Space District and the County of Marin thousands of
dollars annually in the cost of staff time related to the
preparation and processing of contracts for Board of Directors
consideration.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 1/21/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Frazier, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray,
Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein,
Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel
P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner,
Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Yamada,
John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ammiano, Beth Gaines, Grove, Ridley-Thomas,
Williams
AB:k 5/21/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
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