BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2150
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2150 (Rendon)
As Amended May 23, 2014
2/3 vote. Urgency
WATER, PARKS & WILDLIFE 10-4
APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Rendon, Bocanegra, Fong, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Frazier, Gatto, Gomez, | |Bradford, |
| |Gonzalez, Gray, | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| |Rodriguez, Yamada | |Eggman, Gomez, Holden, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Ridley-Thomas, Weber |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Allen, Dahle, Beth |Nays:|Bigelow, Donnelly, Jones, |
| |Gaines, Patterson | |Linder, |
| | | |Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) to
develop an updated priority list of deferred maintenance
projects, and requires that a new division of Community
Initiatives and Park Access be created within DPR by July 1,
2015. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires DPR to identify and develop a priority list of state
park deferred maintenance projects for which verifiable
project cost estimates have been completed, and requires DPR
to apply specified priority factors in identifying projects
for inclusion on the list.
2)Extends the current moratorium on state park closures and
related provisions to June 30, 2015.
3)Requires DPR in expending certain revenue generation funds to
give first priority to implementation of an integrated
statewide enterprise system that would modernize DPR's fee
collection, reservations, sales, and data collection systems,
including an integrated, automated communications network.
4)Requires DPR by July 1, 2015, and subject to availability of
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resources to implement internal organizational changes to
prioritize efforts to expand access to parks in urban and
other underserved areas. The organizational changes shall
include, but are not necessarily limited to, reorganizing
existing offices within the department to create a new
Division of Community Initiatives and Park Access. Provides
that the purposes of the new division shall include but are
not necessarily limited to:
a) Promoting and enhancing access to and relevancy of
state parks for urban and underserved communities;
b) Working in partnership with other entities to
increase the capacity of local communities to meet the
recreational and open space needs of their residents;
c) Implementing recruitment policies designed to
diversity the department's workforce;
d) Identifying other barriers to park access and
developing strategies and recommendations to remove those
barriers.
5)Contains an urgency clause providing that in order to address
urgent needs within the state park system for maintenance of
facilities necessary to protect public health and safety, to
enable the state as soon as possible to generate the revenues
necessary to keep state parks open to the public, and to
preserve the vital role of state parks in ensuring healthy
communities it is necessary that this bill take effect
immediately.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the California State Park system and vests DPR
with control of the state park system and responsibility for
administering, protecting, developing and interpreting state
parks for the use and enjoyment of the public. Requires DPR
to protect the state park system from damage and to preserve
the peace therein.
2)Authorizes DPR to collect fees, rents and other returns for
the use of state parks with amounts to be determined by DPR.
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3)Creates the State Parks Revenue Incentives Subaccount within
the State Park and Recreation Fund and provides that funds in
the subaccount are continuously appropriated to DPR until June
30, 2014 to create incentives for revenue generating projects
in state parks. Provides that DPR shall use 50% of the funds
deposited into the subaccount to fund capital costs of
construction and installation of new revenue and fee
collection equipment and technologies and other physical
upgrades to existing facilities, and for other costs of
restoring, rehabilitating, and improving the state park system
and its natural, historical and visitor-serving resources that
enhance visitation and create opportunities to increase
revenues.
4)Creates the State Park Enterprise Fund as a working capital
fund, and makes revenues in the fund available to the
department upon appropriation for encumbrance and expenditure
until June 30, 2014.
5)Prohibits DPR from closing or proposing to close a state park
in the 2012-13 or 2013-14 fiscal year.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis:
1)Increased annual costs to DPR of between $250,000 and $500,000
to create the division and administer various programs
required by this bill.
2)Loss of unknown potential General Fund savings associated with
extending the moratorium on park closures for one year.
COMMENTS : This bill makes a number of statutory changes to help
address challenges facing California's state parks system. In
order to enhance access and relevancy of state parks to
underserved communities, this bill calls for establishment of a
new Division of Community Initiatives and Park Access within
DPR. This bill also requires DPR to develop, from its huge
backlog of deferred maintenance projects, an updated priority
list of the most urgent, vetted projects, and requires DPR to
prioritize integration and modernization of DPR's fee and data
collection systems. Finally, this bill extends the sunset date
on the existing moratorium on state park closures and on the
State Park Enterprise Fund for an additional year.
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The California State Park system includes 280 state park units
that preserve some of the best and most diverse natural,
cultural and recreational resources of the state for the benefit
of the people of California and future generations. DPR
articulates the mission of California State Parks as "to provide
for the health, inspiration, and education of the people of
California by helping to preserve the State's extraordinary
biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality
outdoor recreation."
In recent years the state parks system has faced significant
challenges in accomplishing this mission due to a number of
factors. An independent commission, known as The Parks Forward
Commission, was appointed in 2013 to conduct a year-long process
designed to address the financial, operational, and cultural
challenges facing State Parks to ensure the system's long-term
viability. A draft report with recommendations for a long-term
plan was released in April of this year, with a final report
anticipated by early fall of 2014.
One of the first studies commissioned by Parks Forward examined
DPR's deferred maintenance list backlog, which currently totals
between $1 and $2 billion. The study, which was performed by
FTI Consulting, Inc. and released in December 2013, found
significant reliability issues with the database, and
recommended DPR develop an entirely new prioritized list of
deferred maintenance projects, based on consistent application
of priority criteria, and using services of outside engineering
firms to confirm accurate cost estimates. DPR has been working
on updating the list, and both DPR and the State Parks and
Recreation Commission have developed recommended criteria for
prioritizing deferred maintenance projects. The priority
criteria specified in this bill reflect the criteria developed
by DPR and the Commission, and also add a criterion for projects
that would enhance access to underserved communities.
The FTI report, as well as other reports by the Legislative
Analyst's Office (LAO) and others, also identified the need for
modernization of DPR's fee and data collection systems. DPR
recognizes this need and has been working on development of a
proposal for implementation of a statewide integrated system
that would modernize fee collection, reservations, sales and
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data collection processes system-wide. Until such a system is
implemented, DPR's ability to generate and collect revenues and
to develop a data-driven policy on fees is hampered.
Significant segments of California's population, particularly in
urban areas but also in many disadvantaged rural areas, lack
equitable access to parks and open space. Lack of access to
parks and other outdoor recreational opportunities has been
identified as a significant factor in rising rates of obesity,
diabetes, and other health problems, especially for children and
youth in higher density, low income communities.
While DPR has had a number of outreach programs in the past
designed to enhance park access to underserved communities, the
author notes that due to the limited resources made available
for these purposes, and the scope of the need, the state has not
been able to achieve the scale necessary to reach significant
percentages of California's underserved population. It is also
noted that accomplishing these goals will require strategic
partnerships and collaborations with others, but that as the
lead agency responsible for management of California's state
park system, DPR can play a leadership role in establishing and
implementing the vision and programmatic coordination necessary.
While the goal of making state parks relevant and accessible to
underserved communities is achievable, the author and supporters
note that doing so will require that this goal be elevated
within DPR as a more central and fundamental core part of its
mission and organizational structure.
Analysis Prepared by : Diane Colborn / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096 FN:
0003706