BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 1415
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 6, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    SB 1415 (Hill) - As Amended:  April 29, 2014 


          Policy Committee:                             Natural  
          ResourcesVote:9-0
                        Local Government                      8-0     

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill revises the membership of the Bay Area Air Quality  
          Management (BAAQMD) advisory council.  Specifically, this bill:

          1)Reduces the number of members of the BAAQMD advisory council  
            from 20 to seven.

          2)Repeals the existing member categories and instead requires  
            each member to be skilled and experienced in air pollution,  
            climate change, or the health impacts of air pollution.

          3)Requires the advisory council membership to include a  
            diversity of perspectives, experience, and backgrounds.

          4)Terminates the terms of the existing advisory council members  
            on July 1, 2015.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible, if any, reimbursable costs.

           COMMENTS  

          1)Rationale.   The BAAQMD was established in 1955 as the first  
            regional air pollution control agency tasked with addressing  
            air pollution caused by large industrial sources and open  
            burning at garbage dumps.  Currently, the district is required  
            by state and federal law to address a broader set of issues,  
            including emission reductions from a range of sources, climate  








                                                                  SB 1415
                                                                  Page  2

            change and the public health impacts of air pollutions.  This  
            bill modernizes the membership of the advisory council to  
            match the evolving and complex needs of the BAAQMD.

           2)Background.   The BAAQMD is responsible for regulating air  
            emissions located in the boundaries of the Counties of  
            Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo,  
            and Santa Clara and portions of the Counties of Solano and  
            Sonoma. 

            The BAAQMD  board appoints the advisory council which is made  
            up of the board chair, and 20 members who are skilled and  
            experienced in the field of air pollution, including at least  
            three representatives of public health agencies, at least four  
            representatives of private organizations active in  
            conservation or environmental protection, and at least one  
            representative of colleges or universities in the state.   
            Additionally, the board is required to appoint one  
            representative of each of the following groups:  specified  
            local parks, a mass transportation system, agriculture,  
            industry, community planning, transportation, registered  
            professional engineers, general contractors, architects, and  
            organized labor.

            The statutorily required membership of the advisory council  
            has not been modified since the BAAQMD was established in  
            1955.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081