BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair
SB 1390 (Correa) - Santa Ana River Conservancy Program.
Amended: April 29, 2014 Policy Vote: NR&W 9-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: May 12, 2014 Consultant: Marie Liu
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: SB 1390 would establish the Santa Ana River
Conservancy Program within the State Coastal Conservancy to
address the resource and recreational goals of the Santa Ana
River corridor.
Fiscal Impact:
One-time costs of up to $100,000 from the Proposition 84
(General Fund) to the State Coastal Conservancy to develop a
Santa Ana River Parkway and Open Space Plan.
Ongoing cost pressures in the millions of dollars to
existing and future bond and General Fund monies for
projects under the Santa Ana River Conservancy Program.
Background: Existing law establishes a number of conservancies
that generally have the mission to enhance and restore important
habitat lands, provide for public restoration, educational
opportunities, and restore watersheds. All but one conservancy
have its own board of directors and staff. The exception, the
San Francisco Bay Conservancy, is housed within the State
Coastal Conservancy.
The State Coastal Conservancy was created in 1976 to purchase,
protect, restore, and enhance coastal resources, and to provide
access to the shore. The conservancy's jurisdiction is mostly
the coastal zone, which extends from the Oregon to Mexico
borders and from the state's ocean border (3 miles seaward) to
an inland border that varies between 1,000 yards and five miles
from the mean high tide line.
Proposed Law: This bill would create the Santa Ana River
Conservancy Program (program) within the Coastal Conservancy for
the purposes including providing recreational opportunities,
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open space, wildlife habitat and species restoration and
protection, wetland restoration and protection, protection of
the Sana Ana River, and agricultural land restoration and
protection.
Under the program, the Coastal Conservancy would be required to
prepare a Santa Ana River Parkway and Open Space Plan. The plan
would be required to identify underused existing public open
spaces and recommend ways to provide better public use of those
lands and to identify and prioritize additional low-impact
recreational and open-space needs.
This bill would establish various powers and limitations for the
Coastal Conservancy in regards to the program.
This bill would establish the Santa Ana River Conservancy
Program Account within the State Coastal Conservancy Fund. The
account may receive deposits from grants and donations received
for this program.
This bill would require the Coastal Conservancy to report
annually on the progress in the program beginning in 2016.
Related Legislation: SB 1048 (Sher) Chapter 896, Statutes of
1997 - created the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program
within the Coastal Conservancy.
AB 496 (Correa, 2003) - proposed the creation of the Santa Ana
River Conservancy (Held on the Senate Appropriations suspense
file).
Staff Comments: According to the Coastal Conservancy,
substantial amounts of the planning that would be required to
prepare a Santa Ana River Parkway and Open Space Plan has
already been completed as part of the Coastal Conservancy's
existing authorities and responsibilities. However, additional
planning would be needed to make a comprehensive plan. The
Coastal Conservancy estimates one-time costs of up to $100,000.
Staff notes that by creating an additional program within the
Coastal Conservancy, this bill puts costs pressures on the
Coastal Conservancy's existing and future funds, which are
largely from bonds. However, this cost pressure is somewhat
mitigated because some priorities projects of this program are
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likely to be priorities of the Coastal Conservancy under their
existing mission even if this program was not created. Staff
notes that Proposition 84 allocated $45 million to the Santa Ana
River Parkway. These monies are managed by the Coastal
Conservancy. Approximately $32.7 million remains.