BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2150
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 9, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                AB 2150 (Rendon) - As Introduced:  February 20, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              Water, Parks and  
          Wildlife     Vote:                            10-4

          Urgency:     Yes                  State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              


           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Division of Community Initiatives and  
          Park Access (Division) to be created within the Department of  
          Parks and Recreation (DPR) on or before July 1, 2015 and  
          requires DPR to develop an updated priority list for deferred  
          maintenance projects.  Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Specifies the duties of the Division include providing access  
            to underserved communities, partnering with private and public  
            organizations to meet local recreational and open space needs,  
            and promoting underserved youth and young adult programs.

          2)Requires DPR to prioritize state park deferred maintenance  
            projects based on specified priority factors.  Projects on the  
            priority list must have completed cost estimates.

          3)Extends the date by which encumbrances and expenditures from  
            the California State Park Enterprise Fund must occur from June  
            30, 2014 to June 30, 2014.  Extends the liquidation date from  
            June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2017. 

          4)Requires DPR to give first priority for expenditures from the  
            California State Park Enterprise Fund for the implementation  
            of an integrated statewide enterprise system to modernize fee  
            collection, reservations, sales and data collection systems.

          5)Extends the current moratorium on state park closures and  
            related provisions from fiscal year 2013-14 to fiscal year  
            2014-15.









                                                                  AB 2150
                                                                  Page  2

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Increased annual costs to DPR of between $500,000 and $750,000  
            to create the division and administer various programs  
            required by the bill.

          2)Loss of unknown potential GF savings associated with extending  
            the moratorium on park closures for one year.

           COMMENTS  
           
           1)Purpose.   According to the author, this bill makes a number of  
            statutory changes to address current challenges facing  
            California's state park system, including enhancing access and  
            relevance of state parks to various communities, prioritizing  
            backlogged deferred maintenance projects, and requiring DPR to  
            modernize its fee and data collections systems.  

          2)Background.   The California state park system includes 280  
            state park units.  In 2013, the Parks Forward Commission was  
            appointed to conduct a year-long process to make  
            recommendations to address the financial, operational, and  
            cultural challenges necessary for long-term viability.  A  
            final report is anticipated by the end of 2014.  
                 
             Preliminary studies reveal deferred maintenance projects total  
            somewhere between $1 and $2 billion.   Initial reports also  
            identify the need to modernize fee and data collections  
            systems.  This bill is consistent with preliminary Commission  
            recommendations.   
           
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081