BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1922
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 7, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1922 (Gomez) - As Amended: May 1, 2014
Policy Committee: Water, Parks and
Wildlife Vote: 10-3
Local Government 8-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the statewide Greenway Development and
Sustainment Act Initiative to promote the development of
greenways along rivers in the state, including a greenway along
the Los Angeles River. Specifically, this bill:
1)Defines greenway as a pedestrian and bicycle, non-motorized
vehicle transportation and recreational travel corridor that
parallels an urban waterway and meets specified criteria.
2)Authorizes a local government entity to designate lands along
a river in its jurisdiction as a greenway, upon approval of
its legislative body by ordinance or resolution, or by
incorporating such a designation into an adopted general plan
element or an adopted river master plan.
3)Adds greenways to the definition of what can be included in
the open-space element of a city or county general plan.
4)Authorizes a local government entity to adopt ordinances that
regulate public health and safety or traffic within the
jurisdiction of a designated greenway.
5)Authorizes a local government entity to apply for public or
private funding available for the development of a greenway.
Specifies certain funding that may be secured.
6)Adds, to the list of entities or organizations that may
acquire and hold conservation easements, a tax-exempt
nonprofit organization qualified under Section 501 (c)(3) of
AB 1922
Page 2
the Internal Revenue Code and qualified to do business in this
state that has at its primary purpose the development of a
greenway.
FISCAL EFFECT
Negligible, if any state costs.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose. The author intends this bill to promote the
establishment of greenways, including the LA River greenway,
to improve the quality of life in communities and provide
connectivity between them and important recreational, open
space, wildlife, flood management, water quality, air quality,
transportation, emergency response, and urban waterfront
revitalization opportunities.
2)Background-Los Angeles 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.
In 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
AB 1922
Page 3
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.
3)Previous Legislation. Last year, a similar bill, AB 735
(Gomez), was held on this committee's Suspense File, due to
cost and duplication of existing state programs. This bill
addresses those concerns by creating a unique local
designation.
4)Clarifying Amendments. The author may wish to revise
legislative intent language regarding the funding of greenways
as transportation corridors to reflect the operative
provisions of the bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081