BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1922
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 8, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Anthony Rendon, Chair
AB 1922 (Gomez) - As Amended: March 20, 2014
SUBJECT : Greenway Development and Sustainment Act
SUMMARY : Defines a greenway as a non-motorized pedestrian,
bicycle, and recreational travel corridor that parallels an
urban waterway and allows a city, county, or combination of
other local governmental entities to designate lands as a
greenway and include a greenway in the local open-space element
of a county or city general plan. Allows a nonprofit that has
as its primary purpose the development of a greenway, as
defined, to acquire and hold conservation easements.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes findings that include, but are not limited to,
acknowledging that open-space land is necessary for the
maintenance and economy of the state as well as providing
relief from urban congestion and providing places for
relaxation, exercise, community interaction, and appreciation
of wildlife species and habitats.
2)Finds that, among other benefits, greenways are public
infrastructure along natural landscape features such as
watercourses that, by their linear nature, help to physically
and psychologically connect neighborhoods, improve community
quality of life, reduce dependence on automobiles, complement
and enhance public amenities, attract residents and visitors,
and provide services, especially to underserved communities.
3)Finds that among other attributes, the Los Angeles River (LA
River) is a site that is particularly suited for the
development of a greenway and states that the intent of the
Legislature in enacting the Greenway Development and
Sustainment Act is to promote the development of greenways
along rivers in the state through public and private
partnership, including the development of a greenway along the
LA River.
4)Defines a greenway as, among other characteristics, a
pedestrian and bicycle, non-motorized vehicle transportation,
and recreational travel corridor that meets specified
AB 1922
Page 2
requirements including, but not limited to: separation and
protection from existing roadways; public accessibility; and,
appropriate design standards, including those related to
setbacks, centerlines protecting directional travel,
landscaping, lighting, public amenities, and art.
5)Allows that a city, county, or other local government entity
may designate lands along a river within its jurisdiction as a
greenway by legislative action and seek appropriate public or
private funding to develop the greenway within its
jurisdiction.
6)Adds greenways to the definition of what can be included in
the open-space element of a county or city general plan.
7)Allows a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has as its
primary purpose greenway development to acquire and hold
conservation easements.
8)Provides that where state funding is provided for greenway
development under the Act, priority shall be given to a city,
county, or other local government entity that obtains funding
under the Federal Land Access Program.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Creates the Los Angeles County Flood Control District
(District) which encompasses all of Los Angeles County
including almost the entire watershed of the LA River, as well
as several other rivers. Empowers the District to provide for
the control and conservation of the flood, storm and other
waters of the District.
2)Authorizes the District, among other powers, to provide by
agreement with other public agencies or private persons or
entities or otherwise for the recreational use of the lands,
facilities, and works of the district as long as those
activities do not interfere with, or are not inconsistent
with, the primary use and purpose of the lands, facilities,
and works of the District.
3)Establishes the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and
empowers it to:
a) Acquire, improve, and manage real property;
AB 1922
Page 3
b) Award grants or make interest-free loans to cities,
counties, resource conservation districts, and recreation
and park districts in order to acquire, restore and enhance
properties in furtherance of the goals of the SMMC;
c) Conduct a study and implement a program to provide
recreational access from downtown Los Angeles and the inner
city to the SMMC zone in order to provide recreational
opportunities for all income and ethnic groups wishing to
enjoy the Santa Monica Mountains. Requires SMMC to
cooperate with the National Park Service, the El Pueblo de
Los Angeles State Historic Park Advisory Committee, the
Department of Parks and Recreation, and the City of Los
Angeles in conducting and implementing the program.
4)Establishes the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and
Mountains Conservancy (RMC) and empowers the RMC to:
a) Acquire and manage public lands within the Lower Los
Angeles River and San Gabriel River watersheds;
b) Provide open-space, low-impact recreational and
educational uses, water conservation, watershed
improvement, wildlife and habitat restoration and
protection, and watershed improvement within the territory;
and,
c) Preserve the San Gabriel River and the Lower Los Angeles
River consistent with existing and adopted river and flood
control projects for the protection of life and property.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS: Many people outside of Los Angeles might not realize
that the wide concrete channel featured in many films,
television series, and music videos is actually the LA River.
For much of the year the river is a trickle and the culvert is
dry, which makes it a convenient set location to stage races,
car chases, and gang rumbles.
Until the Los Angeles Aqueduct brought water from the Owens
Valley, the LA River was the primary water source for the Los
Angeles Basin. But it had a tendency towards extremes, both in
terms of water scarcity and propensity to flood. After
catastrophic flooding in the 1930's, the United States Army
Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) began lining most of the LA
River with concrete. Ever since, it has served primarily as a
flood control channel, fed by storm drains, with only a few
AB 1922
Page 4
portions of the river not completely paved over. More recently
environmental groups and park advocates have supported the
removal of concrete and the restoration of natural vegetation
and wildlife along the LA River.
The LA River is 51 miles long, contained entirely within the
County of Los Angeles, and passes through 13 cities, including
32 miles that stretch across the City of Los Angeles. The LA
River begins in Canoga Park, at the confluence of Bell Creek and
the Arroyo Calabasas, and then flows mostly east through the San
Fernando Valley where it is joined by several tributaries. In
Burbank, it enters and begins skirting Griffith Park, bending
sharply southward as it does so. This stretch of the LA River,
down to Elysian Park, is called the Glendale Narrows, and
contains one of only three stretches of the river with an
earthen bottom. After leaving the Glendale Narrows, the river
continues southward through downtown Los Angeles until it
eventually reaches Long Beach Harbor.
Although planners had envisioned greenbelts interconnecting
parklands along the river as early as the 1930s, the more recent
interest in the revitalization and promotion of the
re-integration of the river and its tributaries into the
adjacent neighborhoods began in the mid-to-late 1980s. There
was growing recognition that compared to other large American
cities Los Angeles has relatively fewer parks, particularly in
under-represented communities.
In the early 1990s, the County of Los Angeles began a process
that, after considerable input from stakeholders and community
outreach, resulted in the Los Angeles River Master Plan (Master
Plan) in 1996. The Master Plan vision includes four core
principles: revitalizing the river's ecological and hydrological
functions while maintaining its flood control requirements;
creating a green ribbon through the City with green strands
extending the river's influence into adjacent neighborhoods;
capturing opportunities to benefit neighboring communities; and,
creating value by improving the quality of life.
The Los Angeles City Council established its own ad hoc
committee on the river in 2002 and the City's Los Angeles River
Revitalization Master Plan (Revitalization Master Plan) was
released in 2007. Continuing the long-term goals of the county
master plan, the Revitalization Master Plan also promoted the
river as a multi-benefit solution to addressing and enhancing
AB 1922
Page 5
water quality and flood control while enabling safe access to
the river and restoring a functional river ecosystem. An
important element of the Revitalization Master Plan was the
development of a three-tiered governance structure. The Los
Angeles River Cooperation Committee (Committee) is a joint
working group comprised of the District and the City of Los
Angeles, in conjunction with the Army Corps, which meets to
coordinate and evaluate projects along the upper reach of the LA
River. The Committee, established in 2009, is charged with
reviewing and recommending projects within the city. The Los
Angeles River Revitalization Corporation (LA River Corp.) is an
entrepreneurial private nonprofit helping to implement the
Revitalization Master Plan through land development and project
management. Finally, the Los Angeles River Foundation is an
independent, nonprofit fundraising arm.
In September 2010, the LA River gained greater recognition when
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
announced its designation as a "traditional navigable waterway"
protected under the Clean Water Act. The LA River was also
identified in 2010 as a priority by the Obama administration
under the America's Great Outdoors initiative and is now one of
seven pilot cities for the Urban Waters Federal Partnership. On
March 10, 2014 Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Los
Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that Los Angeles was also
selected as one of eight pilot cities under the federal Urban
Wildlife Refuge Initiative which seeks to connect urban youth
with the great outdoors.
September 2013 the Army Corps, in conjunction with the City of
Los Angeles, announced the availability of a Draft Integrated
Feasibility Report (Draft IFR) for the Los Angeles River
Ecosystem Restoration Study. The Draft IFR was available for a
45-day public review and comment period from Sept. 20 through
Nov. 18, 2013. The study evaluates alternatives for the purpose
of restoring 11 miles of the Los Angeles River from
approximately Griffith Park to downtown Los Angeles, while
maintaining existing levels of flood risk management. The study
also evaluates opportunities for passive recreation that is
compatible with the restored environment. The study is still
currently under review by the Army Corps.
Prior Legislation : AB 735 (Gomez/2013) was a previous attempt
to create a Greenway Initiative, including for the development
AB 1922
Page 6
of a greenway along the LA River. AB 735 was held in the
Assembly Appropriations Committee. SB 1201 (De Le�n/2012)
amended the Los Angeles Flood Control Act in order to provide
for the public use of navigable waterways under the District's
control that are suitable for recreational and educational
purposes, when those purposes are not inconsistent with their
use by the District for flood control and water conservation.
SCR 101 (Pavley/2012) honored and commended the commitment,
energy, vision, and leadership demonstrated by local, regional,
state, and federal government agencies, as well as nonprofit and
civic groups, organizations, and associations, in the creation
of parks and the restoration of natural habitats along the LA
River and its San Fernando Valley tributaries.
Supporting Arguments : The author states that this bill will
take necessary steps towards greenway development in California
by both defining greenways and ensuring those projects are
eligible for the FLAP program funds which, among other uses,
provide funds for continuous transportation corridors. In
addition, the author states out this bill will allow non-profit
organizations to obtain conservation easements to facilitate
greenway projects. The author advises that greenways can
improve the quality of life in communities by providing
connectivity between them and important recreational, open
space, wildlife, flood management, water quality, air quality,
transportation, emergency response, and urban waterfront
revitalization opportunities.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096