WE WILL START NOTWITHSTANDING.
NO ONE'S HERE. ACTUALLY.
EVERYONE'S HERE. ALL THE
IMPORTANT PEOPLE ARE HERE. SO TO
ENSURE MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA AND
PUBLIC HAVE ACCESS TO OUR
PROCEEDINGS TODAY, THIS HEARING
WILL BE STREAMED ON THE
ASSEMBLY'S WEBSITE. AND MEMBERS
OF THE PUBLIC CAN PROVIDE
TESTIMONY IN PERSON HERE IN ROOM
FOUR, FOUR, FOUR. ABSENCES I
ALSO WANT TO WELCOME ASSEMBLY
MEMBER GALLAGHER, WHO SHOULD BE
WITH US AT SOME POINT HERE. BACK
TO THE COMMITTEE. HE IS
REPLACING ASSEMBLY MEMBER DOLLY
FOR TODAY'S HEARING. DUE TO AN
APPROVED ABSENCE, WITNESSES FOR
EACH BILL WERE ALLOWING UP TO
TWO MAIN WITNESSES TO SUPPORT
TWO. MAIN AND OPPOSITION.
FOLLOWING THE PRIMARY WITNESSES
REMAINING WITNESSES ARE ASKED TO
LIMIT THEIR TESTIMONY TO THE
NAME. ORGANIZATION AND POSITION
ON THE BILL. AND I THANK YOU FOR
YOUR COOPERATION TO DO THAT
BECAUSE IT KEEPS US ROLLING
ALONG. WE HAVE FIVE BILLS ON THE
CONSENT CALENDAR, WHICH WE WILL
ATTACK ONCE WE GET A QUORUM, AND
I HAVE HERE THAT ALVAREZ WILL BE
PRESENTING AB 2091 FOR ASSEMBLY
MEMBER. GREYSON. GOT IT. ALL
RIGHT, SO NOW THAT WE'RE HERE
AND THERE'S NO ABILITY TO CALL
THE ROLL, I WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE
TO START WITH ASSEMBLY MEMBER
WOULD. SO COME ON FORWARD. THANK
YOU FOR BEING HERE IN A TIMELY
MANNER. THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SO WHAT DO
WE HAVE HERE? ASSEMBLY BILL
2643. CANNABIS CULTIVATION AND
ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION. GOOD
MORNING, MADAM CHAIR. MADAM
CHAIR. AND NOT MEMBERS YET BUT
I'M SURE THEY'RE AROUND
SOMEWHERE. SO I'D LIKE TO THANK,
START BY THANKING YOU AND YOUR
COMMITTEE STAFF FOR YOUR WORK ON
THIS BILL. ELIZABETH. ILLICIT,
ILLICIT CANNABIS CULTIVATION
POSES A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE
CALIFORNIA ECOSYSTEM AND NATURAL
RESOURCES, PARTICULARLY THOSE
WITH LARGE SCALE HABITAT
DESTRUCTION. STREAM A SPRING AND
STREAM DEGRADATION, AND THE
CONSTRUCTION OF UNAUTHORIZED
RESERVOIRS. ADDITIONAL HABITAT
RESTORATION IS NECESSARY TO
RETURN COMPREHENSIVE ECOSYSTEM
BENEFITS AND 2015 A LONG TIME
AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY, I
AUTHORED AB 243 PROVIDING
DIRECTION TO THE CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
TO INITIATE WATERSHED
RESTORATION PROJECTS IN AREAS OF
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HEAVILY
IMPACTED BY ILLICIT CANNABIS
CULTIVATION. ADDITIONALLY, THE
ENACTMENT OF PROP 64 LED TO THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF A CANNABIS
RESTORATION GRANT PROGRAM.
DESPITE THE CREATION OF THE
PROGRAM, PROGRESS ON THIS FRONT
HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTINGLY SLOW.
ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT,
ONLY THREE RESTORATION PROJECTS
ON PUBLIC LANDS AFFECTED BY
ILLICIT CANNABIS CULTIVATION
HAVE BEEN COMPLETED SINCE 2020,
UTILIZING FUNDING FROM FROM THE
FUND. RECOGNIZING THE URGENCY OF
THE SITUATION, I HAVE AUTHORED
AB 2643 TO BUILD ON AND IMPROVE
EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND RESTORE
LANDS ACROSS CALIFORNIA. THIS
LEGISLATION WILL ESTABLISH A
FRAMEWORK FOR THE FOR THESE
RESTORATION PROJECTS. FOSTER
GREATER COLLABORATION BETWEEN
STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND
OPTIMIZE THE EFFICIENCY OF
ERADICATION THÀNH RECLAMATION,
AND RESTORATION INITIATIVES. THE
KEY PROVISION OF AB 2643
REQUIRES THAT THE DEPARTMENT
FACILITATE BY BI ANNUAL MEETINGS
ONE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE AND
ONE AT THE END OF THE
CULTIVATION SEASON, WITH
STAKEHOLDERS AND RELEVANT
FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES,
INCLUDING THE NATIONAL FOREST
SERVICE. THESE MEETINGS WILL
SERVE AS FORUMS TO LAY OUT THE
MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES,
FRAMEWORKS, AND WORKFLOWS FOR
IDENTIFYING, ERADICATING,
RECLAIMING, AND RESTORING
AFFECTED LANDS. THE BILL WILL
ALSO ENHANCE RECONNAISSANCE
EFFORTS BY ASSESSING THE
AVAILABILITY AND USE OF NEW
TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS REMOTE
SENSING AND COMPREHENSIVE
MAPPING CAPABILITIES TO IDENTIFY
ILLICIT CULTIVATION SITES ON
PUBLIC LANDS, IMPROVING DATA
COLLECTION AND SHARING WILL
ENABLE MORE TARGETED AND
EFFICIENT ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS.
ELIZABETH ELIZABETH. ILLICIT
ELIZABETH I DON'T KNOW WHERE. I
DON'T KNOW WHERE. I KNOW MAYBE
SHE'S CULTIVATING TO, ILLICIT
ILLICIT CANNABIS CULTIVATION AND
THE OFFENDERS WHO DAMAGE OUR
NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE
CANNOT WIN. AND WE AND WE HAVE
TO ENSURE THAT THIS RESTORATION
WORK IS GIVEN THE PRIORITY AND
FOCUS IT AND OUR TREASURED
ENVIRONMENT DESERVES HERE TO
TESTIFY IN SUPPORT AS AS GRETA
WENGERT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
THE INTEGRAL ECOLOGY RESEARCH
CENTER. GOOD MORNING. ASSEMBLY
MEMBERS AND CHAIR. I'M DOCTOR
GRETA WENGER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF INTEGRAL ECOLOGY RESEARCH
CENTER. WE ARE NONPROFIT
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ORGANIZATION
LOCATED IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY IN
SUPPORT OF AB 2643 FOR OVER A
DECADE. I WORK THAT'S OUR
ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN GATHERING
AND INTERPRETING EMPIRICAL DATA
ON THE DAMAGES CAUSED BY
TRESPASS, CULTIVATION ACROSS
CALIFORNIA, WHERE WE'VE
DOCUMENTED THE ENVIRONMENTAL
DAMAGE AT 600 ILLEGAL GROW SITES
AND ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS,
WE'VE RECLAIMED OVER 300 OF
THESE SITES, AND THAT AMOUNTS TO
OVER 200,000 POUNDS OF REFUSE
BEING REMOVED, INCLUDING OVER
100 POUNDS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE.
WHILE THESE NUMBERS MAY SEEM
SUBSTANTIAL, THEY LIKELY
REPRESENT LESS THAN 5% OF THE
ESTIMATED 6000 GROSS SITES
ACROSS CALIFORNIA'S LANDSCAPE
THAT WE KNOW OF. AND I WANT TO
EMPHASIZE THE PHRASE THAT WE
KNOW OF OUR ESTIMATE SUGGEST
THAT ONLY 50 TO 70% OF THE
ACTUAL SITES ON CALIFORNIA'S
VAST LANDSCAPE ARE DETECTED. OUR
FOCUSED ESTIMATION EFFORTS HAVE
BEEN IMPLEMENTED ON JUST 1% OF
CALIFORNIA'S PUBLIC LANDSCAPE.
BUT WITHIN THAT 1, WE'VE
DETECTED AN ADDITIONAL 45 SITES
THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN. WE
NEED TOOLS TO MORE ACCURATELY
AND EFFICIENTLY ESTIMATE THE
NUMBER OF CURRENTLY UNKNOWN
SITES ACROSS THE REMAINING 99%
OF CALIFORNIA'S ON SURVEYED
LANDSCAPE, AND FIND WHERE THOSE
SITES ARE. ASSEMBLY BILL 2643
WILL EQUIP THE STATE WITH A
NECESSARY MEANS TO ACCURATELY
ESTIMATE THE TRUE SCOPE OF THE
PROBLEM, AND BEGIN DEVISING
STRATEGIES TO LOCATE EVERY SITE
THAT THREATENS CALIFORNIA. THERE
IS HOPE IF WE CAN LOCATE THESE
SITES. WE'VE SHOWN THAT SITE
RECLAMATION IS THE MOST
EFFECTIVE DETERRENT AGAINST
REESTABLISHMENT BY GROWERS FOR
SITES THAT ARE FULLY RECLAIMED,
LESS THAN 1% ARE REOCCUPIED,
WHILE SITES THAT ARE LEFT ON
RECLAIMED UP TO 25 OR MORE
PERCENT OF THOSE SITES ARE
REOCCUPIED. THEREFORE, A
STATEWIDE FRAMEWORK FOR SITE
PRIORITIZATION, RECLAMATION, AND
FULL HABITAT RESTORATION IS
ESSENTIAL. THE COLLABORATIVE
EFFORT FOSTERED BY THIS BILL
THROUGH MEETINGS AND ENHANCED
INFORMATION SHARING, WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY BOLSTER
CONSERVATION EFFORTS AND UNITE
ALL RELEVANT AGENCIES AND
STAKEHOLDERS IN ADDRESSING THE
CHALLENGES FACED BY OUR NATURAL
LANDSCAPES. IN CALIFORNIA. THANK
YOU. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. ANY OTHER WITNESSES? OKAY.
DO WE HAVE ANY WITNESSES IN
OPPOSITION? I DIDN'T THINK SO.
OKAY ANY, OTHER ME TWOS FROM THE
PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME
AND GIVE THEIR NAME,
ORGANIZATION AND OPINION, I'M
GOING TO SPLIT THIS UP SO
DEFENDERS AND WILDLIFE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
INFORMATION CENTER IN SUPPORT ON
BEHALF OF TROUT UNLIMITED. WE'RE
IN A SUPPORTIVE AMEND POSITION.
GREATLY APPRECIATE DOCTOR WOOD'S
LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE. THIS
IS SUPER IMPORTANT. THERE ARE SO
MANY ILLICIT GROWERS THAT STILL
NEED TO BE CLEANED UP, BUT WE'RE
ALSO COGNIZANT OF THE WATERSHEDS
THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THESE
GROWS IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
LANDS. AND WE REALLY NEED TO SEE
THE WHOLE WATERSHED BE
REMEDIATED. AND THAT IS VERY
MUCH WITHIN THE INTENT OF PROP
64. IT'S THE LANGUAGE THAT THE
VOTERS PRESS. SO WE'RE EAGER TO
WORK WITH THE OFFICE TO TRY AND
SEE IF WE CAN EXPAND THIS SCOPE
A LITTLE BIT MORE. THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING, STACY HEATON WITH
THE RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES
OF CALIFORNIA AND ALSO
REPRESENTING THE CALIFORNIA
STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES
TODAY IN SUPPORT. ANNALISE
RIVERA, ON BEHALF OF CAL TROUT
PACIFIC FOREST TRUST AND TNC IN
SUPPORT OF AMEND FOR THE SAME
REASONS AS ALEX LAID OUT. THANK
YOU. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE
COMMITTEE. ANY COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS, ASSEMBLYMAN BENNETT?
GOOD BILL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
BREVITY, OKAY. SO DO WE. I HAVE
NO QUESTIONS. I JUST WANT TO
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS, DO
WE HAVE A MOTION? OH, NO, WE
DON'T HAVE A QUORUM. SO WE'LL
SEE YOU LATER, AND WE'LL HOPE TO
GET YOU THE VOTES. WOULD YOU
LIKE TO CLOSE, THANK YOU FOR,
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRESENT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST
RAN FOR THIS OFFICE, A LONG TIME
AGO. NOW, WHAT I HEARD FROM MY
CONSTITUENTS WAS WE. WE'D LOVE
TO SEE THIS. THIS, REGULAR,
LEGALIZED OR REGULATED IN SOME
WAY. BUT WHAT REALLY BOTHERS US
IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
THAT'S HAPPENING. AND THIS HAS
BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES NOW,
WE JUST NEED TO WE HAVE THE
RESOURCES. WE JUST NEED TO PUT
THE FOCUS ON TRYING TO CLEAN UP
THESE SITES. AND, AND, AND THE
IMPORTANCE IS I'VE BEEN ON SITES
AND I'VE BEEN OUT WITH IRC, AND
I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND WHAT'S
HAPPENING. I'VE SEEN WHAT
HAPPENS TO OUR WILDLIFE. AND
I'VE SEEN THE EFFECTS OF THE
CLEAR CUTTING THAT HAPPENS AND
THE USE OF PESTICIDES. AND IT'S
DEVASTATING. AND THIS IS OUR
TREASURE. THESE ARE OUR NATURAL
RESOURCES. AND WE JUST NEED MORE
URGENCY TO GET THESE GET THESE
AREAS CLEANED UP. SO I
RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR I VOTE
WHEN YOU HAVE A QUORUM. THANK
YOU SO MUCH DOCTOR. WOULD HAVE A
GREAT DAY. THANK YOU. WITHOUT
FURTHER ADO, ASSEMBLY MEMBER
CARRILLO, COME ON DOWN. WHAT
ITEM NUMBER DO WE HAVE FOR HIM?
ITEM NUMBER TEN.
GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR AND
COMMITTEE MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR
ALLOWING ME TO PRESENT AB 2443.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO START BY
THANKING THE COMMITTEE AND HER
STAFF FOR THEIR WORK TO ENSURE
SAFEGUARDS ARE INCLUDED AS PART
OF MY BILL. AND I WILL BE
ACCEPTING ALL THE COMMITTEE
AMENDMENTS. THE AMENDMENTS WILL
LIMIT THE NUMBER OF TREES THAT
CAN BE TAKEN BY A COMMERCIAL OR
INDUSTRIAL PROJECT. THIS NUMBER
IS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT IS
CURRENTLY ALLOWED BY HOUSING
PROJECTS. THE AMENDMENTS WILL
ALSO LIMIT PERMITTING TO OCCUR
ONLY BY CITIES AND FOR PROJECTS
WITHIN CITY LIMITS. AB 2443
WOULD AUTHORIZE THE CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE,
OR CDPH, TO ENTER INTO AN
AGREEMENT WITH A CITY TO ALLOW
THE TAKING OF A WESTERN JOSHUA
TREE ASSOCIATED WITH A
COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL PROJECT
. AND LET ME BE CLEAR, MY INTENT
WITH THIS BILL IS NOT TO UNDO
ANY OF THE HARD WORK THAT WENT
INTO THE WESTERN JOSHUA TREE
CONSERVATION ACT. IN FACT, I
SUPPORTED THE TRAILER BILL, EVEN
WITH THE CONCERNS THAT I WAS
HEARING FROM MY DISTRICT. THE
WESTERN JOSHUA TREE IS AN ICONIC
SPECIES IN THE CALIFORNIA, IN
CALIFORNIA THAT IS BOTH
ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURALLY
IMPORTANT. WESTERN JOSHUA TREE
SPANS ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF
CALIFORNIA'S DESERT. I
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF
CONSERVING SUCH A UNIQUE AND
BEAUTIFUL PART OF MY DISTRICT.
AS AN ASSEMBLY MEMBER, I MUST
CONSIDER ALL THE ISSUES THAT ARE
FACING MY CONSTITUENTS TODAY AND
THE ONES WE CAN FORESEE IN THE
FUTURE. FOR THE CURRENT WESTERN
JOSHUA TREE CONSERVATION ACT
ALLOWS ANY COUNTY OR CITY TO
DELEGATE LIMITED AUTHORITY TO
PERMIT THE TAKING OF A WESTERN
JOSHUA TREE ASSOCIATED WITH
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES,
MULTIFAMILY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
PROJECTS. THESE ESTABLISHED
AGREEMENTS HAVE ONLY RECENTLY
BEGUN BY MADE WITH THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS. IT IS NOT TOO EARLY
TO START THINKING ABOUT THE
VITAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR
THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE
GROWING ANTELOPE VALLEY AND THE
VICTOR VALLEY. NOW IT'S THE
RIGHT TIME TO HAVE THAT
CONVERSATION THÀNH. WITH THE
INCREASED COST OF LIVING AND
LACK OF SPACE IN THE
METROPOLITAN AREAS OF LOS
ANGELES, MORE PEOPLE ARE
CONTINUING TO MOVE INTO THE HIGH
DESERT REGION. MEMBERS, PLEASE
ENSURE THAT THESE ESSENTIAL
PROJECTS CAN BE PERMITTED BY
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHO UNDERSTAND
THE NEED OF ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT. WE NEED TO TESTIFY
IN SUPPORT IS BRAD JENSEN,
DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
. GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS, I'M
BRAD JENSEN FROM THE COUNTY OF
SAN BERNARDINO. I'M THE
LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS DIRECTOR.
WE'RE VERY STRONGLY IN SUPPORT
OF AB 2443. DID I PUT AN EXTRA
FOUR IN THERE? APOLOGIES. THIS
IS A VERY IMPORTANT BILL FOR US.
LAST YEAR THE LEGISLATURE PASSED
THE WESTERN JOSHUA TREE
CONSERVATION ACT. MOST OF THE
JOSHUA TREES, WHICH IS AN ICONIC
NATIVE SPECIES HERE IN
CALIFORNIA, ARE IN OUR COUNTY,
BUT THEY ALSO INCLUDE PARTS OF
LÀ, KERN AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY.
THE BILL ALLOWED LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS TO PERMIT SINGLE
FAMILY, MULTIFAMILY PUBLIC WORKS
PROJECTS AND ACCESSORY
STRUCTURES. WE STRONGLY
ADVOCATED TO ALLOW LOCAL
AGENCIES TO ALSO PERMIT
INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL
PROJECTS. UNFORTUNATELY THE BILL
WAS PASSED AND ALL OF THAT
PERMITTING IS NOW DONE THROUGH
CDF AND SACRAMENTO. OUR CONCERN
WITH THAT WAS JUST THE DELAYS IN
PERMITTING. IT'S A VERY HEAVY
VOLUME. LAST YEAR, DIRECTOR
CHUCK BONHAM TESTIFIED IN FRONT
OF THIS COMMITTEE THAT THEY DO
ABOUT 1000 PERMITS A YEAR FOR
TAKINGS OF WESTERN JOSHUA TREES,
THERE'S ABOUT 10 TO 12 MILLION
JOSHUA TREES IN THAT PART OF THE
STATE. AND SO IT'S A VERY HEAVY
WORKLOAD, WHICH MEANS A DELAY IN
THE COMPLETION OF OUR PROJECTS.
AND SO WE'RE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF
THIS BILL. WE THINK THAT THIS
EMPOWERS LOCAL AGENCIES TO BE A
PARTNER WITH THE STATE TO HANDLE
THIS TYPE OF ADMINISTRATIVE
WORKLOAD. WE WOULD APPRECIATE
YOUR I VOTE IN COMMITTEE. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. DO WE HAVE ANY
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT
ARE IN SUPPORT? CHAIR AND
MEMBERS BRUCE MAGNANI, ON BEHALF
OF THE CALIFORNIA CEMENT
MANUFACTURERS ENVIRONMENTAL
COALITION, WE THINK THIS IS A
GOOD POLICY GIVING SOME CONTROL
BACK TO THE COUNTIES. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. OKAY. AND ANYBODY
ELSE? OKAY WITNESSES IN
OPPOSITION, MAIN WITNESSES. GOOD
MORNING. GOOD MORNING. GOOD
MORNING. KIM DELFINO WITH
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE,
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
AND MOJAVE DESERT LAND TRUST IN
OPPOSITION. FIRST, I MISSED THE
TESTIMONY, SO I'M ASSUMING THAT
THE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS WERE
TAKEN AND WANT TO REALLY THANK
THE AUTHOR AND THE COMMITTEE FOR
WORKING TOGETHER, WE STILL HAVE
CONCERNS ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE
BILL, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE WESTERN
JOSHUA TREE CONSERVATION ACT WAS
ADOPTED LAST YEAR IN A TRAILER
BILL, MY CLIENTS WERE NEUTRAL ON
THE BILL. AND FRANKLY, WERE NOT
VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT, BUT ARE
GOING ALONG TO SEE, YOU KNOW, IN
THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS IF THIS
WILL ACTUALLY PRODUCE A
BENEFICIAL OUTCOME. WE'RE DEEPLY
CONCERNED ABOUT THE FEES THAT
WERE ASSESSED IN THE BILL, THIS
PROPOSAL IS A CHANGE. THEN IN
WHAT WAS NEGOTIATED LAST YEAR IN
TERMS OF DELEGATING AUTHORITY,
MORE AUTHORITY FOR INDUSTRIAL
AND COMMERCIAL PROJECTS, TO THE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WE FEEL THAT
THE BILL IS PREMATURE BECAUSE
THE DEPARTMENT HASN'T EVEN YET,
ISSUED OR SIGNED A DELEGATION
AGREEMENT WITH THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT. WE DON'T EXACTLY
KNOW HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK
OUT. HOWEVER, WITH THAT BEING
SAID, WE APPRECIATE THE ISSUES
THAT WERE RAISED BY THE
ASSEMBLYMEMBER AND WOULD LIKE TO
CONTINUE TO WORK WITH HIM TO SEE
IF WE COULD PUT SOME ADDITIONAL
SIDEBOARDS ON THIS DELEGATION
AUTHORITY. AS THE BILL MOVES
FORWARD. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. ANY OTHER MEMBERS
OF THE PUBLIC IN OPPOSITION?
OKAY. WITH THAT? I'LL BRING IT
BACK TO THE COMMITTEE. ANY
QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS. OKAY I
WOULD JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, I
COME AT A LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AS
DOES ASSEMBLYMEMBER CARRILLO.
AND I APPRECIATE YOUR WANTING TO
TRY TO STRIKE A BALANCE HERE
BECAUSE AS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
DON'T EXIST UNLESS THEY HAVE
SOME COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION AS
WELL. BUT I YOU HAVE TO HAVE
RESPECT FOR THE JOSHUA TREE AS
WELL. SO I REALLY UNDERSTAND THE
BALANCE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO
STRIKE. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR
EFFORTS TO DO SO. WITH THAT,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE? I JUST
WANT TO COMMIT THAT WE WILL
CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE
CONCERNS THAT THE OPPOSITION HAS
BROUGHT UP, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY
TO CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS,
AS FAR AS IT BEING TOO SOON TO
START LOOKING AT THESE, CHANGES,
REYES, IT IS NOT TOO SOON
BECAUSE THIS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
DEPEND ON THE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AND WITHOUT HAVING
THEM REALLY BE ABLE TO ATTRACT
THE DEVELOPMENT THAT IS NEEDED,
FOR THE JOBS CREATION THAT WE
NEED IN THE HIGH DESERT, I
BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL STRIKE A
RIGHT BALANCE WHERE THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS WILL BE ABLE TO
CONTINUE TO HAVE THEIR ECONOMIC
GROWTH. BUT MY COMMITMENT IS
THERE TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH
THE WITH THE CONCERNS WITH THAT,
I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR AN AYE
VOTE WHEN I DID NOT. YOU DO
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AMENDMENT. I
DO ACCEPT ALL THE COMMITTEE
AMENDMENTS. YES. THANK YOU FOR
NARROWING THE SCOPE WITH THAT.
OKAY. WE DON'T DON'T HAVE A
QUORUM YET, BUT AS SOON AS WE
DO, THE MATTER WILL COME UP FOR
A VOTE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
HAVE A GOOD DAY. ASSEMBLY MEMBER
SORIA Þ QUIRK-SILVA CAME IN. OH,
THERE SHE IS. THEY'RE BOTH
WEARING THE SAME COLOR. YES.
GOOD MORNING. OKAY. WE HAVE ITEM
NUMBER THREE. ASSEMBLY BILL
2038. TAKE IT AWAY. GOOD MORNING
, MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS, TODAY
I PRESENT ASSEMBLY BILL 2038. I
WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY ACCEPTING
THE COMMITTEE'S SUGGESTED
AMENDMENTS AND THANKING THE
CONSULTANT FOR THEIR WORK ON
THIS BILL. THANK YOU. THIS BILL
WOULD ENSURE THAT ELIGIBLE
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS
RECOGNIZED NATIVE AMERICAN
TRIBES AND CERTIFIED CERTIFIED
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CORPS WHO
PROVIDE NONCOMMERCIAL ACCESS.
OUTDOOR PROGRAMS WILL HAVE THE
SAME ABILITY TO INTERSTATE LANDS
AND WATERS AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC
, BUT WITHOUT ADDITIONAL
RESTRICTIONS, FEES, OR PERMIT
REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED ON THEM.
LAST YEAR, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
TO PARTICIPATE IN A SELECT
COMMITTEE BY ASSEMBLY MEMBER
REYES THAT ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT
THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE, AND
THAT'S WHAT BROUGHT THIS PIECE
OF LEGISLATION, AS WE KNOW,
CALIFORNIA IS KNOWN FOR SOME OF
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND ICONIC
OUTDOOR PLACES. OUR WORLD HAS TO
OFFER. FROM THE GIANT SEQUOIA
TREES TO AMAZING DESERT
LANDSCAPES AND UNIQUE WEST COAST
NATURAL BEACHES, OUTDOOR ACCESS
IS LINKED TO COUNTLESS BENEFITS
AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY,
HEALTH BENEFITS FOR ALL AGES.
FOR OUR STATE'S ECONOMY, THE
BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
NOTES THAT IN 2022, OUTDOOR
RECREATION CONTRIBUTED ALMOST
$74 BILLION IN ECONOMIC SPENDING
ANNUALLY AND 567,000 DIRECT
JOBS. DESPITE RECENT SIGNIFICANT
STRIDES TO PRIORITIZE,
PRIORITIZE EQUITABLE OUTDOOR
ACCESS THROUGH HISTORIC
INVESTMENTS AND INITIATIVES,
BARRIERS CONTINUE TO PERSIST FOR
MANY CALIFORNIA'S COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR, PREVENTING THEM FROM
ACCESSING THE OUTDOORS BARRIER.
THINGS LIKE TRANSPORTATION COSTS
AND EQUIPMENT EXPENSES CONTINUE
TO HINDER ENJOYMENT OF PUBLIC
SPACES. COMMUNITY BASED
ORGANIZATIONS AND TRIBAL OUTDOOR
EQUITY PROGRAMS HELP FURTHER THE
STATE'S GOALS BY SERVING AS
TRUSTED GUIDES FOR GROUPS FROM
UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES TO
EXPERIENCE THE OUTDOORS.
REGRETTABLY THEY OFTEN FACE
REGULATORY BARRIERS NOT IMPOSED
ON THE GENERAL PUBLIC, INCLUDING
HIGH FEES AND LIMITS ON
ACTIVITIES SUCH AS TIMES, DATES,
LOCATIONS AND FREQUENCY. THIS
BILL WILL EASE BURDENS FOR
ELIGIBLE ENTITIES AND STREAMLINE
REGULATORY MANAGEMENT OF SMALL,
NONCOMMERCIAL, OUTDOOR EQUITY
ACTIVITIES, INCREASE RESOURCE
EFFICIENCY, AND LESSEN THE
ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN ON STATE
LAND MANAGERS AND ELIGIBLE
ENTITY PARTIES. WITH ME TODAY IS
, BEN MCCUE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF OUTDOOR OUTREACH, AND MARIO
ORDONEZ, CALDERON, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF MÀ. TÊ CARILLO
FLORES, HERE YOU GO. GOOD
MORNING, MADAM CHAIR AND
COMMITTEE MEMBERS. FIRST, I JUST
WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH TO
YOUR COMMITTEE CONSULTANT FOR
ALL THE HARD WORK PUT INTO,
THIS, THIS BILL ANALYSIS, ETC,
OUTDOOR OUTREACH HAS WORKED FOR
OVER 25 YEARS IN SAN DIEGO TO
SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY,
SPECIFICALLY THOSE IN THE
COMMUNITY WHO FACE A LOT OF
BARRIERS TO OUTDOOR ACCESS AND
ACCESS TO OUR COAST AND TO PARKS
AND BEACHES. SO IN THAT TIME,
WE'VE SERVED OVER 20,000
INDIVIDUAL YOUTH, SPECIFICALLY
FROM THESE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE
BEEN IMPACTED BY DISCRIMINATORY
AND EXCLUSIONARY LAND USE
PRACTICES FROM OUR PAST, WE'VE
REALLY SERVED A COMMUNITY NEED
TO HELP BRIDGE THAT DISTANCE
BETWEEN THESE COMMUNITIES AND
OUR AMAZING PARKS AND BEACHES
AND PARTICIPANTS HAVE SHARED
WITH US HOW THESE CONNECTIONS
HAVE REALLY MADE, MADE, MADE
THEIR LIVES. INCREDIBLY MORE
RICHER, IMPROVE THEIR MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL HEALTH AND STRENGTHEN
THEIR SENSE OF BELONGING AND
THEIR LOVE FOR NATURE, IN RECENT
YEARS, WE'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY
PROUD OF THE EFFORTS OF THE
STATE, THE GOVERNOR, THE
LEGISLATURE, AND REALLY
SUPPORTING THIS OUTDOOR EQUITY
WORK AND RECOGNIZING ITS
IMPORTANCE TO OUR STATE, DESPITE
THE SUPPORT, MANY OF OUR
PROGRAMS ARE CONFRONTED WITH
ACCESS CHALLENGES TO STATE LANDS
AND WATERS THAT ARE NOT FACED BY
THE GENERAL PUBLIC. ESSENTIALLY
THERE'S A DOUBLE STANDARD ACROSS
OUR STATE WHERE IF YOU'RE A KID
WHO COMES FROM A FAMILY, WHO HAS
A CAR, WHO HAS THE TIME TO TAKE
YOU OUT, WHO HAS THE EQUIPMENT
AND THE KNOWLEDGE, ALL OF OUR
STATE PARKS AND BEACHES THAT ARE
OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ARE
ESSENTIALLY OPEN TO YOU. IF
YOU'RE A KID FROM ME, FROM A
COMMUNITY THAT DOESN'T HAVE A
CAR IN THEIR FAMILY WHOSE
PARENTS MAY BE ARE TOO BUSY
WORKING TO TAKE YOU OUT TO THE
COAST OR THE BEACH, OR YOU
SIMPLY DON'T KNOW THAT THESE
PLACES EXIST OR HOW TO GET
THERE. YOU'RE LUCKY IF YOU HAVE
A PROGRAM LIKE ORTEZ OR OUTDOOR
OUTREACH THAT CAN HELP TAKE YOU
THERE, PROBLEMATICALLY, YOU
KNOW, YOU'RE FACING A DOUBLE
STANDARD WHERE DUE TO THESE
OPERATIONAL CONSTRAINTS, YOU'RE
LIMITED TO MAYBE ONLY BEING ABLE
TO GO TO PARKS AND BEACHES ON
THE WEEKDAYS. CERTAIN AREAS YOU
CAN'T EVEN GO TO BECAUSE OF
RESTRICTIONS, AND IF YOU'RE A
MEMBER OF THE LATTER GROUP,
YOU'RE MOST LIKELY A KID COMING
FROM ONE OF THESE COMMUNITIES
THAT ARE LOW INCOME. YOU'RE A
PERSON OF COLOR AND YOU FACE A
LOT OF DISADVANTAGES. AND FOR
THAT REASON, WE'RE REALLY
SUPPORTIVE OF THIS BILL. AND
SPECIFICALLY SEE IT AS CREATING
A STATEWIDE STANDARD THAT WOULD
HELP SUPPORT PROGRAMS LIKE OURS
BETTER, HELP THE STATE DELIVER
ON ITS PROMISE OF EQUITY AND
JUSTICE AROUND OUR STATE PARKS.
THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING.
HONORABLE CHAIR AND COMMITTEE.
MY NAME IS MARIO ORDONEZ
CALDERON. I'M THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF UN MAR DE COLORES, A
501 NONPROFIT BASED OUT OF SAN
DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. AND WE
INCREASED COASTAL ACCESS BY
PROVIDING SURF THERAPY,
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND LONG
TIME MENTORSHIP TO UNDERSERVED
YOUTH, A LOT OF THE FAMILIES WE
SERVE ARE FIRST TIME OCEAN
EXPERIENCE FAMILIES, AND THEY
RELY ON OUR PROGRAMING IN ORDER
TO CONNECT TO ALL THE HEALING
THAT OCCURS WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE
OUTDOOR SPACES AND IT'S
UNFORTUNATE THAT THESE FAMILIES
HAVE INCURRED LONG SYSTEMIC
BARRIERS, SOCIAL ECONOMICAL
BARRIERS TO EXPERIENCE THE
OCEAN, EXPERIENCE THE COAST. AND
BECAUSE OF THAT, WE EXIST AND
WE'VE BEEN WE'VE BEEN GIVEN THE
RESPONSIBILITY K¾T THROUGH STATE
INITIATIVES AND STATE GRANTS
SUCH AS THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL
CONSERVANCY, THE CALIFORNIA
COASTAL CONSERVANCY'S EXPLORE
THE COAST GRANT AND THE
CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION'S
WHALE TAIL GRANT. SO WE IN, IN,
IN ESSENCE, ARE CARRYING OUT
THESE EQUITABLE INITIATIVES THAT
ARE STATEWIDE, AND BECAUSE OF
THAT, WE WANT TO SUPPORT AB
2038, BECAUSE WE FACE A LOT OF
BARRIERS AS AN ORGANIZATION
CONNECTING OUR FAMILIES TO THE,
TO THE COAST. SO THANK YOU VERY
MUCH. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN
SUPPORT. HI, CHRISTINE GOREE, ON
BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA
ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL
CONSERVATION CORPS IN SUPPORT.
THANK YOU. ALRIGHTY. ANY
WITNESSES IN OPPOSITION? OF
COURSE. WITH THAT, DO WE HAVE
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM
THE COMMITTEE? I DON'T SEE ANY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FOR
YOUR PRIORITIZING ACCESS AND THE
IMPORTANCE THAT BEING OUT IN THE
OPEN HAS ON OUR YOUTH AND ONE'S
MENTAL HEALTH, WHETHER IT'S OLD
OR YOUNG. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE
THE BILL. THANK YOU. AND NOW YOU
DO TAKE THE AMENDMENTS, I'M
ASSUMING, WHICH JUST DEAL VERY
BRIEFLY WITH THE LITTLE NOTICE.
AND OTHER THAN THAT, WOULD YOU
LIKE TO CLOSE, IT'S EARLY, SO I
WON'T BET. I WOULD SAY, YOU
KNOW, I'M, CAME FROM A FAMILY OF
TEN, AND MY PARENTS OFTEN TOOK
US CAMPING. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
AND OF COURSE, THAT GAVE ME THE
ACCESS AND, TO NOT ONLY TAKE MY
OWN FAMILY, BUT IT IS THOSE
EXPERIENCES THAT REALLY CAN
CHANGE YOU FOREVER. AND SO. SO I
LOVE THIS BILL. IT'S ONE OF MY
FAVORITES THIS YEAR. AND I WOULD
APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. THANK
YOU. EXCELLENT. AS SOON AS WE
GET A QUORUM, WE WILL GO FORTH
AND TAKE A VOTE. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK
YOU. ASSEMBLY MEMBER SORIA, ITEM
NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS AB 2060.
WELCOME I LOVE IT. YOU'RE MOVING
SWIFTLY. MADAM CHAIR AND
MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO START BY
THANKING, THE, THE STAFF AND
ALSO THE CHAIR FOR WORKING WITH
OUR OFFICE TO DEVELOP THE
LANGUAGE IN THE BILL. AB 2060
SEEKS TO STREAMLINE THE
PERMITTING PROCESS IN SUPPORT OF
FLOOD MANAGED AQUIFER RECHARGE,
OR WHAT IS KNOWN AS FLOOD MÀ
ACTIVITIES WHEN DIVERTING LOCAL
FLOOD WATER INTO REGIONAL
GROUNDWATER BASINS. FLOOD-MAR IS
AN INTEGRATED AND VOLUNTARY
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
THAT USES FLOOD WATER, RESULTING
FROM OR IN ANTICIPATION OF
RAINFALL OR SNOWMELT, FOR
MANAGED AQUIFER RECHARGE ON
AGRICULTURAL LANDS AND WORKING
LANDSCAPES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO REFUGEES, FLOOD
PLAINS, AND FLOOD BYPASSES. IN
RESPONSE TO EXCESSIVE RAINS AND
FLOODING LAST YEAR, WHICH HAD A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN MY
DISTRICT, THE LEGISLATURE
PASSED, SB 122, WHICH CONTAINED
PROVISIONS STREAMLINING
PERMITTING PROCEDURES FOR
FLOOD-MAR PROJECTS IN CASE IN
CASES OF EMERGENCY FLOODING.
THIS BILL SOUGHT TO BALANCE THE
NEED FOR SWIFT ACTION IN
RESPONSE TO SUDDEN FLOOD EVENTS,
WITH THE NEED TO ENSURE THE
MITIGATION OF THE POTENTIAL
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
OF SUCH A DIVERSION, OF THE
STEPS THAT WAS EXEMPTED TO
ENSURE TIMELY COMPLETION OF
PROJECTS WAS ENGAGING WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
TO CREATE A LAKE AND STREAM BED
ALTERATION AGREEMENT, HOWEVER,
LAST MINUTE SINGLE USE PERMITS
ISSUED SHORTLY BEFORE A FLOOD
EVENT ARE NOT THE ONLY KINDS OF
PERMITS THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM
THIS STREAMLINING TEMPORARY
URGENCY PERMITS ARE ANOTHER
MECHANISM BY WHICH A WATER
AGENCY OR OTHER ENTITY MAY BE
PERMITTED TO DIVERT FLOWS. FOR
FLOOD-MAR PROJECTS. THESE
PERMITS DO NOT ENJOY THE SAME
MINISTERIAL APPROVAL PROCESS OF
SB 122, WHICH ARE EMERGENCY
PERMITS BUT CAN BE USED FOR UP
TO 180 DAYS, WHICH CAN HELP
COVER MULTIPLE FLOOD EVENTS FROM
THE SAME WEATHER SYSTEM.
HOWEVER, THEY'RE STILL SUBJECT
TO NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
TO CREATE LAKE AND STREAM BED
ALTERATION AGREEMENTS, WHICH CAN
DELAY THEM LONG ENOUGH THAT THEY
MAY FAIL TO SERVE THE REAL
PURPOSE. AB 2060 UPDATES THE
TEMPORARY USE URGENCY PERMIT
PROCESS TO ALLOW FOR BYPASSING
OF THE LSSAH PROCESS. WHEN THE
PROJECTS IN QUESTION MEET THE
SAME LEVEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION REQUIRED UNDER SB 122
EMERGENCY PERMIT PROCESS. THIS
WILL IMPROVE THE TOOLS AVAILABLE
TO OUR WATER AGENCIES TO HELP
MANAGE FLOOD WATERS WHILE
SIMULTANEOUSLY RECHARGING OUR
AQUIFER, WHICH WE KNOW WE HAVE
STRIVED TO DO SO, ESPECIALLY
AFTER SIGMA. AND SO TODAY WITH
ME HERE TODAY IS MIKE JENSEN
WITH THE MERCED IRRIGATION
DISTRICT. GOOD MORNING. THANK
YOU FOR CONSIDERING OUR OUR BILL
AND I WANT TO THANK
ASSEMBLYWOMAN SORIA AND HER
STAFF FOR ALL THEIR EFFORTS ON
THIS, AS WELL AS THE COMMITTEE
STAFF, JUST TO GIVE YOU A VERY
HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY, WE ARE AN
IRRIGATION DISTRICT ON THE EAST
SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.
WE REPRESENT ABOUT 160,000 ACRES
OF A 500,000 ACRE GROUNDWATER
BASIN, WE HAVE WATER RIGHTS FROM
LAKE MCCLURE AND THE MERCED
RIVER, AND WE PROVIDE A NET
BENEFIT TO THE GROUNDWATER
BASIN. THE CHALLENGE IS, PEOPLE
PUMPING GROUNDWATER OUTSIDE OF
OUR BASIN, SINCE WE SHARE THAT
BASIN, WE WANT TO DO EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO ENSURE WE'RE COMPLYING
WITH SIGMA, WE HAVE A APPROVED
GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
FROM DWR, WE HAVE OUR GSA'S IN
PLACE. WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING
THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING AT THIS
POINT, IN 2023, WE HAD APPLIED
FOR A FLOOD-MAR PERMIT,
ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO DIVERT
SOME FLOODWATER FROM LOCAL
STREAMS. WE'VE GOT ABOUT 12 OR
13 STREAMS THAT COME THROUGH OUR
COMMUNITIES, WE DID GET A PERMIT
. AND WITH THAT CAME ABOUT 14
PAGES OF CONDITIONS THAT WERE
JUST NOT WORKABLE FOR THE
FARMERS THAT WOULD BE DIVERTING
THE WATER. IT WAS, RESTRICTIONS
ON WHEN PUMPING COULD OCCUR TO
DIVERT WATER INTO FIELDS. THERE
WAS, REQUESTS FOR BIOLOGISTS TO
BE ON HAND, JUST THINGS THAT
WERE NOT PRACTICAL FOR THE
TYPICAL FARMER IN THE SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY. SO WE'VE BEEN
WORKING WITH THE ASSEMBLY MEMBER
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ANOTHER
PATH FORWARD SO WE CAN TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THAT FLOOD WATER
AND APPRECIATE YOUR
CONSIDERATION AGAIN, AND WOULD
RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR AYE
VOTE TODAY. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU
SO MUCH, WITNESSES. EXCUSE ME.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN SUPPORT
. GOOD MORNING, CHAIR AND
MEMBERS, BRENDA BASS WITH THE
CALIFORNIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
IN SUPPORT. THANK YOU. GOOD
MORNING. TAYLOR OCEAN, ON BEHALF
OF THE AMERICAN PISTACHIO
GROWERS IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN
FARMERS OF CALIFORNIA. AND
SUPPORT. THANK YOU. GOOD
MORNING, AARON NORWOOD, ON
BEHALF OF THE ALLMAN ALLIANCE
AND SUPPORT. THANK YOU. GOOD
MORNING, ALEX, ON BEHALF OF
CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU AND
SUPPORT. EXCELLENT. DO WE HAVE
ANY WITNESSES IN OPPOSITION? ONE
MORE IN SUPPORT, PLEASE. COME
DOWN. OKAY. BOB REEB, ON BEHALF
OF VALLEY AG WATER COALITION IN
SUPPORT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
ANY WITNESSES, THAT ARE HERE TO
TESTIFY IN OPPOSITION? OKAY.
SEEING NONE, ANYBODY IN THE
AUDIENCE WANT TO JUST CHIME IN
AS AN OPPOSITION? NO OKAY. WE'LL
BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMITTEE.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ASSEMBLY
MEMBER BENNETT. NO OKAY. THANK
YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS TO TRY TO
STRIKE THIS BALANCE AND BE
PRACTICAL WITH THAT. WOULD YOU
LIKE TO CLOSE? I WOULD JUST
RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR AN AYE
VOTE. CAN YOU DO ACCEPT THE
COMMITTEE'S AMENDMENTS? DO YOU
THINK YOU. GREAT. SO WE DON'T
HAVE A QUORUM? THERE WERE NO
AMENDMENTS BECAUSE IT WAS SO
PERFECT, WITH THAT, WE DON'T
HAVE A QUORUM, BUT WE'LL TAKE A
VOTE AS SOON AS WE GET ONE.
OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN.
REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU.
LET'S WORK ON THE LANGUAGE.
THAT'S WHAT. EXCELLENT. WE WILL
FILL THE TIME WITH ASSEMBLY
MEMBER HART. TAKE IT AWAY. ITEM
NUMBER 12, WHICH IS AS A B 2558
DEALING WITH FISH PASSAGE. I
CAN'T SAY THAT QUICKLY. FISH
PASSAGE. GOOD MORNING. ARE YOU
DOING. MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS,
I'M PLEASED TO PRESENT AB 2558,
A BILL TO RESTORE SALMON AND
STEELHEAD TROUT HABITATS.
EXISTING LAW REQUIRES CALTRANS
TO ASSESS AND REMEDIATE ANY
POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO SALMON AND
STEELHEAD TROUT PASSAGE BEFORE
COMMENCING A TRANSPORTATION
PROJECT OR ROAD REPAIR. THIS
REQUIREMENT FOCUSES ON ASSESSING
AND REMOVING BARRIERS ONLY WHEN
THERE'S A STREAM CROSSING
DIRECTLY IMPEDING FISH PASSAGE.
MANY TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS MAY
NOT DIRECTLY IMPEDE FISH
HABITATS, BUT CAN STILL
ADVERSELY AFFECT THE POPULATIONS
OF SALMON AND TROUT EVEN WITHOUT
A STREAM CROSSING. PRESENT AB
2558 WILL REQUIRE REQUIRE
CALTRANS TO REMOVE AND REMEDIATE
MAN MADE BARRIERS THAT ACTIVELY
IMPEDE AND OR ADVERSELY AFFECT
FISH PASSAGE AND HABITATS,
INCLUDING CULVERTS, GRADE
CONTROL STRUCTURES, AND OTHER
HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE. THE BILL
WILL ALSO REQUIRE AN ANNUAL
REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE WITH
THE STATUS OF FISH BARRIER
REMOVALS AND JUSTIFICATION FOR
ANY DELAYS. AB 2558 IS NECESSARY
TO RESTORE SALMON AND STEELHEAD
TROUT POPULATIONS AND MAINTAIN
CALIFORNIA'S ECOSYSTEM. I'M
SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL.
WITH ME TODAY ARE ANNALIESE
RIVERO, REPRESENTING CALIFORNIA
TROUT, AND CANDACE MENEGON,
REPRESENTING COASTAL RANCHES
CONSERVANCY. YEAH. GOOD MORNING,
CHAIR PEPPIN AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. MY NAME IS CANDACE
MENEGON. I'M THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF COASTAL RANCHERS
CONSERVANCY IN SANTA BARBARA
COUNTY. WE ARE CO-SPONSOR OF
2558 AND A FIERCE ADVOCATE FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ON THE
GAVIOTA COAST. GAVIOTA CREEK, AS
WITH MANY OTHER COASTAL
WATERSHEDS IN ASSEMBLYMEMBER
HART'S DISTRICT, ARE HOME TO
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STEELHEAD
POPULATIONS THAT ARE IN CRITICAL
DANGER OF EXTINCTION.
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IS
A MAJOR CAUSE OF DECLINE TO THE
MAJORITY OF NATIVE FISH SPECIES
IN CALIFORNIA, AND LAWS SUCH AS
SB 857 FISH PASSAGE AND ITS
CONTINUATION VIA AB 2558 ARE
NECESSARY TO SUPPORT SOME
MONITOR RECOVERY. SB 857
REQUIRES CALTRANS TO ASSESS
BARRIERS AND REPORT TO THE
LEGISLATURE, AND AB 2558 MERELY
EXTENDS SB 857 AND DOES NOT
CHANGE THE INTENT OF THE BILL,
DESPITE HAVING GREAT CONTROL
STRUCTURES PRIORITIZED IN THE
CENTRAL COAST, FISH PASSAGE
ADVISORY COMMITTEE PRIORITY
LIST, THESE STRUCTURES AREN'T
TECHNICALLY STREAM CROSSINGS BY
DEFINITION, AND WHILE STILL A
BARRIER TO FISH PASSAGE, THIS
AMBIGUITY RESULTED IN CALTRANS
FAILING TO INCLUDE THEM IN
CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR A RECENT
GAVIOTA CREEK WALL. PERMANENT
RESTORATION PROJECT. IN AN
EFFORT TO ADDRESS THIS
AMBIGUITY, WE DEFINE FISH
PASSAGE BARRIER IN AB 2558. AB
2558 ALSO INCLUDES MAN MADE
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT LIES IN
STREAM, HAS A NEXUS TO OR LAYS
ADJACENT TO THE STATE HIGHWAY
SYSTEM, THUS ENSURING BARRIERS
ARE NOT EXCLUDED FROM
CONSIDERATION IN TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD AND
INFRASTRUCTURE IS MODERNIZED.
PER THE GOVERNOR'S SALMON
STRATEGY, THE IMPACT OF THE
STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM ON FISH
PASSAGE AND CONNECTIVITY IS
UNDENIABLE, AND ENSURING THAT
CALTRANS BALANCES THEIR, THE
CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION AND
BIODIVERSITY GOALS IS ESSENTIAL,
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS AND RESPECTFULLY
REQUEST YOUR AVID TODAY. GOOD
MORNING, CHAIR AND MEMBERS. MY
NAME IS ANNALISA RIVERO. I'M THE
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF POLICY FOR
CALIFORNIA TROUT. AS THE
SPONSORS OF THE ORIGINAL 2006
PIECE OF LEGISLATION, SB 857. AS
CANDICE REFERENCED,
ASSEMBLYMEMBER HART'S CURRENT
BILL, AB 2558 BUILDS UPON. WE
WERE HEARTENED TO SEE THAT SB
857 WAS ACTUALLY REFERENCED IN
GOVERNOR NEWSOM'S SALMON
STRATEGY, RELEASED EARLIER THIS
YEAR. THE PLAN STATES THAT BY
2026, WE WILL IMPLEMENT A
STRATEGY TO FULFILL SB 857 OF
2006, WHICH REQUIRES CALTRANS TO
TRACK AND REMEDIATE ALL FISH
PASSAGE BARRIERS TO SALMON AND
STEELHEAD HABITAT CAUSED BY
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
AB 258 FURTHER STRENGTHENS THAT
GOAL AND ENSURES THAT THE
LEGISLATURE WILL CONTINUE TO
STAY AWARE OF PROGRESS BY
EXTENDING THE REPORTING
REQUIREMENT FURTHER. THE
INCREASED CONNECTIVITY RESULTING
FROM THE REMOVAL OF CALTRANS
FISH PASSAGE BARRIERS UNDERPINS
BIODIVERSITY RESILIENCE IN THE
FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, A GOAL
SET FORTH IN NUMEROUS
STRATEGIES, INCLUDING 30 BY 30.
ALL THIS TO SAY THAT THE BILL
CONTRIBUTES TO THE FURTHERANCE
OF NUMEROUS STATE PRIORITIES,
FINALLY, I WILL NOTE THAT
CALTRANS ACTIVELY WORKS WITH
CALTRANS TO REMOVE PASSAGE
BARRIERS AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO
CONTINUING THAT PARTNERSHIP AS
PROJECT IMPLEMENTERS AND ASSIST
THEM IN MEETING THESE IMPORTANT
GOALS. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST
YOUR SUPPORT TODAY. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MEMBERS OF
THE AUDIENCE IN FAVOR? GOOD
MORNING. GABRIELLA FAZIO WITH
SIERRA CLUB CALIFORNIA IN
SUPPORT. GOOD MORNING, NATALIE
BROWN WITH PLANNING CONSERVATION
LEAGUE IN SUPPORT. THANK YOU,
GOOD MORNING, KIM DELFINO WITH
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE AND TROUT
UNLIMITED IN SUPPORT. GOOD
MORNING, ABIGAIL SCHMIDT, ON
BEHALF OF THE MIDPENINSULA
REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT AND
SUPPORT. GOOD MORNING, TIFFANY,
FROM THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY IN SUPPORT. I DIDN'T
SEE ANY OPPOSITION ON FILE, SO
I'M ASSUMING THERE IS NONE.
GREAT. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
FROM THE COMMITTEE? SEEING NONE,
THE TROUT AND SALMON. THANK YOU.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE AND I
THANK ALL OF YOU AND
RESPECTFULLY REQUEST AN AYE
VOTE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO
MUCH, ASSEMBLYMEMBER HART.
ASSEMBLY MEMBER BENNETT
.
GOOD MORNING. ASSEMBLY MEMBER.
BENNETT UP NEXT, 2079. TAKE IT
AWAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM
CHAIR. AND MEMBERS, I WANT TO
BEGIN BY ACCEPTING THE
COMMITTEE'S AMENDMENTS ON PAGE
SIX THROUGH EIGHT OF THE
ANALYSIS. I ALSO WANT TO THANK
THE COMMITTEE STAFF AND THE
CHAIR, FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND
ENGAGEMENT ON THIS PARTICULAR
ISSUE. YOU KNOW, THE FUNDAMENTAL
ISSUE THAT THIS BILL ADDRESSES
IS THE FACT THAT, WHEN THE STATE
CREATED THE GROUNDWATER
SUSTAINABILITY AGENCIES OVER TEN
YEARS AGO TO STOP THE
OVERDRAFTING OF GROUNDWATER
BASINS, THE STATE CONTINUED TO
ALLOW NEW WATER WELLS TO BE
PERMITTED BY COUNTIES WITHOUT
ANY CONSIDERATIONS OF THEIR
IMPACT ON THEIR NEIGHBORS,
WATERING WELLS OR LAND
SUBSIDENCE. IMAGINE TRYING TO
REGULATE AND RATION TEN STRAWS
DROPPING INTO YOUR SODA WHILE
MORE BIG STRAWS ARE DROPPING IN,
RANDOMLY. WITH NO GUIDELINES ON
THEIR IMPACT, EVEN THE BEST
MANAGED GSA'S ARE CHALLENGED BY
THAT SCENARIO. SO THAT'S WHY TWO
YEARS AGO, THE GOVERNOR ISSUED
AN EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING
COUNTIES TO EVALUATE NEW WELL
PERMITS. HE ORDERED COUNTIES TO
SEE IF A NEW WELL WAS GOING TO
IMPACT NEIGHBORING WELLS OR
CAUSE LAND SUBSIDENCE. IF SO,
THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO PERMIT
THE NEW WELL. THE DEPARTMENT OF
WATER RESOURCES, AND I REALLY
APPRECIATE MR. GROSSO BEING HERE
TODAY, SPENT THE LAST TWO YEARS
GATHERING DATA AND STUDYING THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXECUTIVE
ORDER AND SOME, WHAT THEY FOUND
IS THAT SOME COUNTIES MADE A
VERY GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO ABIDE
WITH IT, BUT OTHER COUNTIES DID
NOT. THEY FOUND THAT IN A TWO
YEAR PERIOD, OVER 1900 WELLS
WENT DRY. IN SOME COUNTIES IN
PARTICULAR, FOR EXAMPLE, IN IN
SPITE OF THE EXECUTIVE ORDER,
THEY REQUIRED LOCALITIES TO ONLY
THAT REQUIRED LOCALITIES TO ONLY
APPROVE NEW WELLS THAT DID NOT
INCREASE THE RISK OF SUBSIDENCE.
THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER
RESOURCES FOUND THAT IN THE
AREAS WHERE SUBSIDENCE IS A
SERIOUS PROBLEM, THE COUNTIES
THAT THAT APPROVED THE MOST NEW
WELLS ALSO SAW THE MOST
SUBSIDENCE IN SOME AREAS, AS
MUCH AS A HALF A FOOT IN ONE
YEAR AND IN ONE AREA, ONE FOOT
IN ONE YEAR. A DRAMATIC DECREASE
IN SUBSIDENCE. SOMETIMES WELLS
WERE PERMITTED RIGHT ACROSS THE
STREET FROM EXISTING FARM WORKER
WELLS THAT WENT DRY ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY. LITERALLY, PRIVATE
EQUITY FIRMS FROM OUTSIDE THE
UNITED STATES WERE RACING IN
DURING OUR WORST DROUGHT IN 1000
YEARS AND GETTING DOZENS OF
LARGE CAPACITY WELLS PERMITTED,
WITH NO REVIEW OF THEIR IMPACT
ON NEIGHBORING WELLS OR LAND
SUBSIDENCE. THAT'S SIMPLY NOT
SUSTAINABLE FOR CALIFORNIA IN
THE LONG RUN. SO THE DEPARTMENT
OF WATER RESOURCES DECIDED TO
SPONSOR A BILL 2079 AND ADDRESS
THE NEED FOR A SIGNIFICANT
IMPROVEMENT IN THE WELL,
PERMITTING PRACTICE. AB 2079
WOULD DO ESSENTIALLY THREE
THINGS INCREASE COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THE GROUNDWATER AGENCIES
AND THE COUNTIES, OR THE WELL
PERMITTING AGENCIES. SECOND,
PROTECT DRINKING WATER WELLS,
ESPECIALLY WELLS OF LOW INCOME
FARM WORKER COMMUNITIES. AND
THIRD, REDUCE THE RISK OF LAND
SUBSIDENCE. THE BILL SETS CLEAR
STANDARDS FOR HOW CLOSE A LARGE
CAPACITY WATER WELL CAN BE
PLACED TO A NEIGHBORING WELL. IT
ALSO IDENTIFIES WHERE LAND
SUBSIDENCE IS SEVERE ENOUGH TO
JUSTIFY DENYING THE WELL PERMIT
UNTIL THE LAND SUBSIDENCE IS
UNDER CONTROL. WELL, DWR AND MY
OFFICE HAVE WORKED
COLLABORATIVELY WITH MANY
STAKEHOLDERS. WE'VE TAKEN A
NUMBER OF AMENDMENTS TO ADDRESS
CONCERNS. WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO
ADDRESS FUTURE SUGGESTIONS IN AN
EFFORT TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT ON
EXISTING FARM OPERATIONS. THE
BILL EXEMPTS REPLACEMENT WELLS,
SO IF A WELL BEING USED TODAY IN
A LAND SUBSIDENCE AREA GOES DRY,
A FARMER WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO
EASILY REPLACE THAT WELL UNDER
THIS BILL. ADDITIONALLY BECAUSE
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
HAVE ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER,
THIS BILL EXEMPTS PUBLIC, STATE,
SMALL AND URBAN RETAIL WATER
SYSTEMS. WITH TODAY'S COMMITTEE
AMENDMENTS, WE'RE ALSO EXEMPTING
WATER BANKING SYSTEMS BECAUSE WE
DO NOT WANT TO DISCOURAGE
RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS THAT ARE
TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO BALANCE
THEIR SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER
LEVELS. TOWARDS MY CONCLUSION,
IT'LL BE VERY DIFFICULT, IF NOT
IMPOSSIBLE, TO STOP LAND
SUBSIDENCE AND THE NEGATIVE
IMPACTS OF LARGE CAPACITY WELLS
ON LOW INCOME FARM WORKER WELLS
WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE
FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM OF NEW WATER
WELLS NOT BEING PROPERLY
EVALUATED FOR THEIR IMPACTS. THE
LONG TERME SUSTAINABILITY OF
AGRICULTURE IS THE GOAL OF WELL
INTENTIONED, COMPETENT MANAGERS
OF GROUNDWATER AGENCIES. IT'S
THE GOAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
WATER RESOURCES, THE LONG TERME
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IS MY
GOAL AND THE GOAL OF MY OFFICE.
BUT TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL, THAT
MEANS THE SUSTAINABILITY OF
CALIFORNIA'S GROUNDWATER BASINS
REQUIRES A CHANGE IN THE STATUS
QUO. FUNDAMENTALLY, TODAY, NEW
WATER WELLS ARE PERMITTED
WITHOUT ADEQUATE GUIDELINES OR
REVIEW. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEM THAT MEMBERS OF THIS
COMMITTEE HAVE AUTHORITY OVER.
CALIFORNIA'S FUTURE IS MUCH
BRIGHTER IF WE HAVE A LONG
TERME, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL
INTEREST. I ASK THAT YOU ALLOW
THIS BILL TO MOVE ON SO THAT IT
CAN HAVE THE ROBUST ANALYSIS AND
DISCUSSION THAT AN IMPORTANT
ISSUE SUCH AS THIS DESERVES, AND
WITH ME TODAY, I APPRECIATE THE
DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
DEPUTY DIRECTOR PAUL GOSHKO.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR,
COMMITTEE MEMBERS, IT'S A
PLEASURE TO BE HERE. I'M PAUL
GOSLIN, I'M DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER
RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER
MANAGEMENT IS A ASSEMBLY MEMBER.
BENNETT DESCRIBED THIS BILL
COMES FROM THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
THAT WAS ISSUED ABOUT TWO YEARS
AGO, AND IT WAS HARD TO REMEMBER
BACK THEN, BUT WE WERE IN THE
MIDST OF THE MOST SEVERE
DROUGHT. THE STATE HAS SEEN IN
OVER A THOUSAND YEARS, AND IT
WAS A PRETTY DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND THE EXECUTIVE ORDER WAS
INTENDED TO TRY TO MINIMIZE SOME
OF THOSE IMPACTS THAT WE SEE
EXACERBATED DURING DROUGHTS. AND
SO WHEN YOU HAVE LARGE AG WELLS
NEAR, SHALLOW OR VULNERABLE
WELLS, THEY DO INTERFERE AND
CAUSE THEM, TO GO DRY. AND THAT
WAS ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE
LOOKING TO DO DURING THE DROUGHT
IS TO NOT INTRODUCE NEW WELLS
NEAR VULNERABLE AREAS, AS WELL
AS SUBSIDENCE, WHICH IS ALSO
WE'VE SEEN INCREASED RATES,
DURING DROUGHTS. SO YOU KNOW, IT
WAS IMPORTANT DURING THAT TIME.
BUT FUNDAMENTALLY THE ISSUES IN
2079 ARE IMPORTANT, WHETHER
THERE'S DROUGHT CONDITIONS OR
NOT. THE PLACEMENT OF WELLS,
NEAR VULNERABLE, NEAR VULNERABLE
WELLS CAN CAUSE INTERFERENCE.
WE'VE SEEN THAT. WE'VE HAD
ADDITIONALLY A COMMUNITY SERVICE
WELL DONE IN DUE COURSE THAT THE
STATE EXPENDED A COUPLE OF
MILLION DOLLARS ON COUNTY,
ISSUED A PERMIT RIGHT ACROSS THE
STREET AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED
TO SEE IMPACTS. SO PUTTING IN A
MINIMUM SPACING STANDARD WILL
HELP MINIMIZE. AND I THINK THIS
WAS ONE OF THE CONFUSIONS IN THE
EXECUTIVE ORDER WAS TRYING TO,
BE A LITTLE BIT TO, TO SPECIFIC
ON A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE, BUT
MINIMIZING IMPACTS IS A
REASONABLE STEP. SOME COUNTIES
HAVE HAVE DONE THIS WHILE
SPACING, SECONDLY TO IT FOR
SUBSIDENCE AREAS, NOT
INTRODUCING NEW WELLS INTO
SUBSIDENCE AREAS IS GOING TO BE
A COMPONENT OF OUR SUBSIDENCE
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. AND WE'VE
SEEN, FRANKLY, ONE OF THE
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GOOD
SUCCESSES IN SIGMA SO FAR. I
THINK TEN YEARS IN, WE'VE CAN BE
VERY CONFIDENT WE'RE GOING TO
ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE K¾T. BUT
SUBSIDENCE IS ONE OF THOSE
THINGS THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN
SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN MOST
AREAS. AND STARTING WITH AT
LEAST NOT INTRODUCING MORE
EXTRACTION IN THESE AREAS IS A
MINIMAL FIRST STEP. THERE'S
GOING TO BE OTHER, HARDER
DECISIONS AND ACTIONS NEEDED TO
ARREST SUBSIDENCE THAT'S CAUSING
, PUBLIC AGENCIES BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS AND CAUSING SEVERE
DAMAGE. SO, THIS IS JUST A
START. WE'LL HAVE, ALLOW
REPLACEMENT WELLS. WHILE GSA'S
ARE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH
STRATEGIES ON MINIMIZING,
SUBSIDENCE AS WELL AS IMPROVING
THE COMMUNICATION THAT WAS
STARTED THROUGH THE EXECUTIVE
ORDER. SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU
SO MUCH, MR. GOSLIN. OKAY, DO WE
HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT
WISH TO COME FORWARD IN SUPPORT
OF THIS BILL, GOOD MORNING, KIM
DELFINO FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL
LAW FOUNDATION. THANK YOU. IN
SUPPORT. GOOD MORNING, KYLE
JONES WITH COMMUNITY WATER
CENTER. AND ALSO ON BEHALF OF
CLEAN WATER ACTION AND
LEADERSHIP, COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE
AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND STRONG
SUPPORT. THANK YOU. GOOD
MORNING, MADAM CHAIR AND
MEMBERS. ROGER DICKINSON, ON
BEHALF OF CIVIC. WELL, WITH SOME
FAMILIARITY ON THIS ISSUE IN
SUPPORT. THANKS VERY MUCH.
GABRIELLA FAZIO WITH SIERRA CLUB
CALIFORNIA IN SUPPORT. MARQUIS
MASON, CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL
VOTERS IN SUPPORT. THANKS. DAVE
RENSIN, COMMUNITY ALLIANCE
FAMILY FARMERS. WE WOULD LIKE TO
SUPPORT OR SUPPORT, IF AMENDED.
WE CAN'T ABIDE THE QUARTER MILE
BLANKET DITCH STANCE FROM RURAL
RESIDENTIAL WELLS IN MANY PLACES
IT'S UNNECESSARY AND IN OTHERS
IT'S INFEASIBLE. BEALL. AND SO
WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN AMEND
THIS, AND PRESERVE CERTAINLY THE
PLACES THAT HAVE PUT IN PLACE
REGULATIONS THAT ARE MORE
NUANCED. THANK YOU. I'M WILLING
TO ADDRESS THAT. OKAY. DO WE
HAVE ANY PRIMARY WITNESSES IN
OPPOSITION
?
GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR. AND
COMMITTEE MEMBERS, I'M BRENDA
BASS WITH THE CALIFORNIA CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE, AND WE ARE
UNFORTUNATELY IN AN OPPOSED,
UNLESS AMENDED POSITION ON AB
2079, WE RECOGNIZE THAT
PERMANENT SUBSIDENCE IS A
SERIOUS ISSUE, BUT WE DO NOT
AGREE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF
THIS BILL ARE THE CORRECT WAY TO
SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. WHILE WE
APPRECIATE THE COMMITTEE'S
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS THAT EXPAND
THE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS BILL,
THESE EXEMPTIONS DO NOT ADDRESS
THE CORE ISSUES WITH THE DESIGN
OF THIS BILL, WHICH YOU'VE JUST
HEARD. CALF HIGHLIGHT, THROUGH,
ALTHOUGH THIS IS STYLED AS A
WELL PERMITTING BILL, THIS BILL
DOES IMPLICATE AND AFFECT SIGMA
SIGMA'S INTENTION IS TO ADDRESS
NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF GROUNDWATER
OVERDRAFT, INCLUDING PERMANENT
SUBSIDENCE, AND TO DO SO ON A
HOLISTIC AND LOCAL LEVEL, WHICH
MY COLLEAGUE WILL SPEAK MORE
ABOUT. THIS BILL SINGULAR FOCUS
ON NEW WELL PERMITTING GOES
AGAINST THIS HOLISTIC VIEW AND
MISTAKENLY ASSUMES THAT THE
NUMBER OF WELLS IS A CAUSE OF
SUBSIDENCE RATHER THAN WATER USE
OR OTHER FACTORS. WE'RE
CONCERNED THAT THE STRINGENT
LIMITATIONS ON NEW WELLS, WHICH
IN SOME AREAS AMOUNT TO
MORATORIUMS, WILL HAVE
SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON
AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY AND
WILL MAKE HEALTHY, HIGH QUALITY
FOODS MORE EXPENSIVE. THE
COMBINATION OF THE SUBSIDENCE
LEVEL MORATORIUM AND THE DEEP
WELL SCREENING REQUIREMENT WILL
JEOPARDIZE IMPORTANT GROUNDWATER
STORAGE EFFORTS IN THE STATE
THAT MIGHT NOT FORMALLY BE
CONSIDERED A WATER BANK.
INVESTMENTS IN STORING WATER
UNDERGROUND FOR LATER USE CAN BE
STRANDED IF WELLS CANNOT BE
INSTALLED TO RETRIEVE THE STORED
WATER. THE DEEP WELL SCREENING
REQUIREMENTS ALSO MEAN THAT ANY
WELL THAT COULD BE INSTALLED MAY
PULL UP WATER THAT IS
COMPROMISED IN QUALITY AND
UNSAFE TO USE. WE ARE CONCERNED
THAT THE WELL SPACING
REQUIREMENTS AND DEFINITION OF
LARGE DIAMETER, HIGH CAPACITY
WELLS WILL IMPACT SMALL FARMERS
AND SMALL BUSINESSES. THE MOST
SMALL FARMERS HAVE FEWER
POTENTIAL LOCATIONS ON THEIR
LAND TO PLACE WELLS DUE TO THEIR
SMALLER FOOTPRINT. FURTHERMORE,
CALLING ANY WALL OR ANY WELL
THAT PRODUCES MORE THAN TWO ACRE
FEET PER YEAR, WHICH IS DE
MINIMIS UNDER SIGMA LARGE AND
HIGH CAPACITY FURTHER IMPACTS
SMALL FARMERS THE MOST BECAUSE
THEY'RE THE THEY'RE TREATED THE
SAME AS A LARGER, MORE RESOURCED
OPERATIONS THAT CAN INSTALL MUCH
BIGGER, MORE EFFICIENT WELLS.
THEY'RE ALSO LEAST LIKELY TO BE
ABLE TO AFFORD THE EXTREMELY
DEEP WELLS THAT WOULD BE
REQUIRED UNDER THIS BILL. SO FOR
THESE REASONS, WE ARE CURRENTLY
IN AN OPPOSED UNLESS AMENDED.
THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MADAM
CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I'M
KRISTIN SISK, GENERAL MANAGER OF
THE YOLO COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL
AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT.
WE'RE AN IRRIGATION DISTRICT AND
MEMBER OF AQUA AND AQUA. I ALSO
SERVE AS A GSA MANAGER FOR THE
YOLO SUB BASIN, WHICH IS A NON
CRITICALLY OVERDRAFTED SUBBASIN.
I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY CONCERNS
WITH THE CURRENT LANGUAGE OF AB
2079. AS A GSA, WE ARE COMMITTED
TO AVOID SUBSIDENCE NOW AND INTO
THE FUTURE, AND WE TAKE IT
SERIOUSLY. HOWEVER, I DO NOT
AGREE THAT THIS BILL IS AN
APPROPRIATE SOLUTION TO THE
PROBLEM. THIS BILL IGNORES LOCAL
HYDROGEOLOGY. IT APPLIES BLANKET
PROVISIONS ON WELL, PERMITTING,
WHICH DOES NOT CONSIDER UNIQUE
HYDROGEOLOGY, LOCAL CONDITIONS,
OR THE NUANCE OF A CONJUNCTIVELY
MANAGED BASIN. OUR CONDITIONALLY
APPROVED GSP IDENTIFIES DISTINCT
HYDROGEOLOGICAL HYDROGEOLOGY
UNITS EVEN IN OUR SUB BASIN.
THIS BILL DUPLICATES OR
DISCREDITS COUNTY OR GSA
PROCEDURES THAT WERE ESTABLISHED
WITH COMPLYING WITH THE
EXECUTIVE ORDER. THOSE GOOD
FAITH EFFORTS. LIKE US, OUR GSA
WORKED WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE
YOLO BASIN FOR TWO YEARS TO
DEVELOP A ROBUST WELL PERMIT
REVIEW PROCEDURE TO PROVIDE
WRITTEN VERIFICATION TO COMPLY
WITH THE GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE
ORDER. WE SPENT OVER $125,000
AND HAVE COORDINATED VERY
CLOSELY WITH OUR ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH DIVISION AT THE COUNTY.
THE COUNTY HAS DEVELOPED SETBACK
CRITERIA BASED ON PROPOSED
PUMPING CAPACITY OF A WELL AND
UNIQUE HYDROGEOLOGY OF OUR SUB
BASIN TO ASSESS WELL
INTERFERENCE IMPACTS. THIS BILL
IS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM
THE EXECUTIVE ORDER. IT CREATES
ADDITIONAL UNFUNDED MANDATES ON
THE COUNTY THAT IS LACKING STAFF
AND RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THE
ONEROUS REPORTING AND UPDATE
THEIR PROCEDURES RELATED TO THE
BLANKET SETBACK AND SCREENING
REQUIREMENTS. THIS BILL
RESTRICTS LOCAL CONTROL AND
UNDERMINES CREDIBILITY. IT
UNDERMINES THE TRUST THAT WE'VE
BEEN WORKING TO BUILD OVER THE
PAST EIGHT YEARS WITH THE
COMMUNITY. IT RESTRICTS THE
LOCAL CONTROL OF GROUNDWATER
PREVIOUSLY GUARANTEED BY SIGMA.
AS A GSA MANAGER, WE'VE
PARTICIPATED IN HUNDREDS OF
COMMUNITY MEETINGS DOING OUR
BEST TO EDUCATE AND EMPOWER
STAKEHOLDERS TO GET INVOLVED AND
TO ASSIST US IN DEFINING LOCAL
SUSTAINABILITY. LASTLY, THIS
BILL DERAILS PROGRESS ON
IMPORTANT PLANNING AND
IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS. WE NEED
TO FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON
ADDRESSING DWR'S CORRECTIVE
ACTIONS ON OUR GSPS. IT
DISTRACTS FROM THE GSP REVISIONS
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND
FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS ON HEALTHY
COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND GROWING
OUR CREDIBILITY. WE ENCOURAGE
LEGISLATION THAT FOCUSES ON
PROGRESS TO GROUNDWATER
SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH LOCAL
IMPLEMENTATION OF SIGMA,
DEDICATED GROUNDWATER RECHARGE,
AND EXPEDITED PERMITTING FOR
RECHARGE EVENTS. I VERY MUCH
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND
LISTENING TO MY COMMENTS.
EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
OKAY, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN
OPPOSITION COME FORWARD. GOOD
MORNING, MADAM CHAIR AND
MEMBERS. BETH OLASO, ON BEHALF
OF INLAND EMPIRE UTILITIES
AGENCY AND CUCAMONGA VALLEY
WATER DISTRICT, WE APPRECIATE
THE ASSEMBLY MEMBER TAKING THE
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS. WE THINK
THEY'LL GO FAR TO RECOGNIZING
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN URBAN
RETAIL WATER SUPPLIERS AND AG
BASINS AND HOPE ONCE WE SEE THE
AMENDMENTS THAT THEY'LL BE FAR
ENOUGH, WE CAN REMOVE OUR
OPPOSITION. THANK YOU. HI, PILAR
QUINTANA HERE FOR THE IRVINE
RANCH WATER DISTRICT CURRENTLY
IN OPPOSING THIS AMENDED MODE
BASED ON THE BILL AND PRINT.
HOWEVER, BASED ON THE COMMITTEE
AMENDMENTS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY
REVIEWING, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE
WILL BE ABLE TO REMOVE OUR
OPPOSITION. HOWEVER IF THERE ARE
ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS TO BE
HAD WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE
AUTHOR, WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT WE
CAN CONTINUE TO ENGAGE IN THOSE.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS,
I'VE BRITAIN WITH THE NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA WATER ASSOCIATION IN
OPPOSITION, UNLESS AMENDED. GOOD
MORNING, CATHERINE FREEMAN, ON
BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE
ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES
REPRESENTING 58 COUNTIES OPPOSED
UNLESS AMENDED. THANK YOU. GOOD
MORNING, ALEX BEHRING,
CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU ALSO
OPPOSED, UNLESS AMENDED. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, AND
MEMBERS. JASON ECKERT, ON BEHALF
OF THE CALIFORNIA MUNICIPAL
UTILITIES ASSOCIATION AND THE
RANCHO CALIFORNIA WATER
DISTRICT, BOTH OF WHOM HAVE AN
OPPOSING, LESS AMENDED POSITION.
BUT WE APPRECIATE THE WORK DONE
BY STAFF AND THE COMMITTEE
AMENDMENTS THAT WERE ACCEPTED
HERE TODAY. AND WE'RE GOING TO
BE TAKING A VERY CLOSE LOOK AT
THE BILL. GOOD MORNING, CHRIS
ANDERSON, ON BEHALF OF THE
ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA WATER
AGENCIES, WITH A POSITION OF
OPPOSE, UNLESS AMENDED. THANK
YOU. MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS,
TRICIA GERINGER WITH
AGRICULTURAL COUNCIL OF
CALIFORNIA, RESPECTFULLY
OPPOSED, UNLESS AMENDED. CLIFTON
WILSON, ON BEHALF OF THE SOUTH
SAN JOAQUIN IRRIGATION DISTRICT,
AS WELL AS THE SOUTH, THE SAN
JOAQUIN COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS, BOTH IN OPPOSITION.
THANK YOU, EMILY PAPPAS, FOR
TURLOCK IRRIGATION DISTRICT IN
EASTERN MUNICIPAL WATER
DISTRICT, OPPOSED UNLESS
AMENDED. BUT WE'RE REVIEWING THE
AMENDMENTS FROM THIS WEEK AND
APPRECIATE WORKING WITH THE
AUTHOR'S OFFICE. THANK DEAN
TAYLOR WITH THE CALIFORNIA
MANUFACTURERS AND TECHNOLOGY
ASSOCIATION OPPOSED, UNLESS
AMENDED. GOOD MORNING, LILY
MCKAY WITH UNITED WATER
CONSERVATION DISTRICT. OPPOSED
UNLESS AMENDED. THANK YOU. GOOD
MORNING, NOEL KRAMER WITH WINE
INSTITUTE. OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED
. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, KATIE
LITTLE WITH THE CALIFORNIA
LEAGUE OF FOOD PRODUCERS
OPPOSING THIS AMENDED, MADAM
CHAIR AND MEMBERS KENDRA DIOGO
WITH THE GROUP ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF WINE
GRAPE GROWERS, KERN COUNTY WATER
AGENCY, KINGS RIVER WATER
ASSOCIATION AND MODESTO
IRRIGATION DISTRICT OPPOSING
THIS AMENDED. GOOD MORNING,
MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS. BOB REEB,
WITH REEB GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
ON BEHALF OF THE VALLEY WATER
COALITION IN OPPOSITION AND ON
BEHALF OF DESERT WATER AGENCY
AND SOLANO COUNTY WATER AGENCY,
OPPOSE, UNLESS AMENDED. GOOD
MORNING, CHAIR MARTIN RADOSEVICH
ON BEHALF OF SANTA CLARA VALLEY
WATER DISTRICT WITH CONCERNS
WITH THE BILL, AND WE LOOK
FORWARD TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH
THE AUTHOR'S OFFICE ON THIS.
THANK YOU. MORNING. CHAIR
MEMBERS ED MANNING FOR WESTERN
GROWERS ASSOCIATION OPPOSED,
UNLESS AMENDED, CODY BOYLES, ON
BEHALF OF CALIFORNIA FRESH FRUIT
ASSOCIATION, OPPOSES THIS
AMENDED. MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS
ANNALEE AUGUSTINE, ON BEHALF OF
THE CALIFORNIA SEED ASSOCIATION,
CALIFORNIA PEAR GROWERS
ASSOCIATION, AND CALIFORNIA
BEING SHIPPERS ASSOCIATION AND
ASSOCIATION OF WHEAT GROWERS,
RESPECTFULLY OPPOSE UNLESS
AMENDED. THANK YOU. JASON BROWN,
ON BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA
CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION, WE HAVE
OPPOSED UNLESS AMENDED POSITION.
THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. I WILL BRING IT BACK TO
THE COMMITTEE FOR QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS. SOME MEMBERS WANT TO
THANK THE AUTHOR FOR BRINGING
THIS BILL FORWARD. I JUST WANTED
TO HOPEFULLY GIVE YOU AN
OPPORTUNITY TO CLARIFY THE
OPPOSITION'S COMMENTS RELATED TO
SIGMA, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT,
SIGMA DOESN'T ENTIRELY COVER THE
COORDINATION, REQUIRED IN THIS
BILL, AND SOME OF THE CONCERNS
RAISED BY OPPOSITION ARE
RESOLVED WITH THE AMENDMENTS
THAT YOU OFFERED. AND ALSO,
SIGMA DOESN'T FOCUS ON THE
NUMBER OF WELLS, BUT RATHER ON
HOW MUCH WATER IS USED. SO I
JUST WANTED YOU TO BE ABLE TO
SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I'LL,
I'LL TAKE A CRACK AT IT AND THEN
WE'LL HAVE THE, THE EXPERT WATER
PERSON, FOLLOW UP. BUT I
APPRECIATE THE, THE QUESTION AND
THE OPPORTUNITY, SIGMA HAD.
SIGMA WAS A WAS A DIFFICULT AND
CHALLENGING BILL TO MOVE THROUGH
THE LEGISLATURE BACK IN 2013
WHEN IT MOVED THROUGH AND WITH
ALL OF THE ISSUES, I MEAN, WE
WERE JUST ABOUT THE LAST STATE
IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES TO
ACTUALLY TRY TO REGULATE
GROUNDWATER AND THAT SORT OF
FREE FOR ALL THAT WE HAD UP TO
THAT POINT IN TIME IS WHAT WAS
CAUSING SO MANY PROBLEMS, LIKE
JUST A SIGNIFICANT LAND
SUBSIDENCE AND PROBLEMS WITH LOW
INCOME FARM WORKER WELLS, ETC.
SO LOTS OF COMPROMISES WERE MADE
AS THAT LEGISLATION CAME
FORWARD. BUT ONE THING THAT DID
NOT GET ADDRESSED, ALTHOUGH MY
UNDERSTANDING IS THE ISSUE, CAME
UP A FEW TIMES, IS WHAT ABOUT
NEW WELLS AND THE GROUNDWATER
AGENCY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IF
THIS IS MY BASIN HERE, THE
GROUNDWATER, I'M RESPONSIBLE ME
AND THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS FOR
TRYING TO GET THE PUMPING LEVELS
DOWN TO A SUSTAINABLE LEVEL. AND
YET WE HAVE NO AUTHORITY ON HOW
MANY NEW WELLS COME IN WHILE
WE'RE IN, IN THE PROCESS OF
ACTUALLY DOING THIS, AND SO IF A
COUNTY CONTINUES TO ONLY USE A
MINISTERIAL APPROVAL THAT
BASICALLY WAS TRYING TO CHECK
AND MAKE SURE THAT THE WELL MET
PUBLIC HEALTH STANDARDS, MEANING
THERE WAS NOT GOING TO BE
CONTAMINATION OF NEW WATER.
YOU'RE SITTING THERE TRYING TO
CREATE A PLAN AND YOU DON'T KNOW
PHÐ, WHAT THE STANDARDS ARE,
EVEN FOR THE NEW WELLS COMING
IN. YOU CAN'T YOU CAN'T ADDRESS
IT, ANY OF THOSE KINDS OF
PROBLEMS. SO IT'S AN OBVIOUS,
IT'S JUST AN OBVIOUS GAP THAT
WAS LEFT IN SIGMA, AND IT WAS A
GAP THAT HAS RESULTED IN
ENORMOUS PROBLEMS OVER THE LAST
TEN YEARS FOR LOW INCOME FARM
WORKER COMMUNITIES. AS MR.
GOSLIN AND MY APOLOGIES FOR
MISPRONOUNCING YOUR NAME EARLIER
AS MR. GOSLIN, POINTED OUT, YOU
KNOW, YOU HAVE 100 ACRE FARM,
AND YET THEY STILL DECIDED TO
PUT THEIR WELL RIGHT ACROSS THE
STREET FROM A LOW INCOME FARM
WORKER AREA, WHERE WHERE THEY
WERE TRYING TO DO THAT. SO,
WE'RE TRYING TO MAINTAIN LOCAL
CONTROL. WE'RE TRYING TO
MAINTAIN THAT, THAT LOCAL BUY
IN. AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S
PRETTY OBVIOUS AFTER THEIR TWO
YEAR STUDY THAT IT JUST HASN'T
WORKED. WE HAD AN EXECUTIVE
ORDER THAT SAID, YOU SHOULD TAKE
CARE OF THESE TWO PROBLEMS. YOU
SHOULDN'T PERMIT WELLS WHERE YOU
WHERE THERE'S THEY'RE GOING TO
CAUSE LAND SUBSIDENCE OR WHERE
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON NEIGHBORS.
SOME COUNTIES, LIKE WE SAID,
MADE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT. BUT, A
NUMBER OF COUNTIES HAVE NOT, AND
SO FOR ALL OF THOSE REASONS,
THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE, GAP TO,
TO FILL IN AND, AND I WOULD
OFFER THAT THE LOW INCOME FARM
WORKERS DESERVE IT. AND IT JUST
MAKES COMMON SENSE THAT IF
YOU'RE DIGGING A HOLE AND THAT'S
CAUSING PROBLEMS, THE FIRST
THING YOU SHOULD DO IS STOP
DIGGING. EVERYBODY HEARS THAT.
SO IF WE HAD LAND SUBSIDENCE OF
A OF A FOOT IN A YEAR, WHICH IS
AN ENORMOUS RATE OF LAND
SUBSIDENCE, AND YOU SAY IT'S
STILL OKAY TO PERMIT HUNDREDS OF
NEW WELLS, WE'RE TALKING LARGE
CAPACITY WELLS, AND THE FINAL
THING I WOULD OFFER TO YOU IS
THAT, IN, IN MY, IN MY COUNTY,
WE WHEN SIGMA WAS FIRST PASSED,
THERE WAS A RUSH FOR NEW. WELL
APPLICATIONS BECAUSE EVERYBODY
WASN'T SURE WHAT WAS GOING TO
HAPPEN WITH SIGMA. AND IT WAS
THE EXISTING FARM WORKER. THE
ESTABLISH FAMILIES THAT HAD BEEN
IN AGRICULTURE FOR A LONG TIME
THAT CAME TO ME AND SAID, WE
NEED A WELL MORATORIUM UNTIL WE
CAN GET OUR GROUNDWATER PLAN PUT
TOGETHER. AND AS A COUNTY
SUPERVISOR, NOT, YOU KNOW, THE
GROUNDWATER AGENCY COULDN'T DO
IT, BUT THE COUNTY COULD. AS A
COUNTY SUPERVISOR, I ADVANCED
THIS WELL MORATORIUM THOSE SAME
FARM WORKER FAMILIES CALLED ME
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE HEARING TO
VOTE ON THIS AND SAID, GLAD
YOU'RE DOING IT, BUT WE'RE NOT
GOING TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT IT
BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING SO MUCH
PRESSURE FROM OTHER PEOPLE TO
TRY TO BLOCK THIS. AND MY POINT
IS, IN A DEMOCRACY, IT IS REALLY
EASY FOR POWERFUL INTERESTS TO
BLOCK SOMETHING. IT IS REALLY
DIFFICULT FOR THE COMMON
INTEREST TO COME, COME FORWARD,
EVEN IN THAT SITUATION. SO THERE
ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING
TO BENEFIT FROM THIS. YOU JUST
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE VERY
MANY LOW INCOME FARM WORKERS
SHOWING UP HERE. YOU'RE NOT
GOING TO HAVE THE COMMON
INTEREST REPRESENTED AS WELL.
BUT THERE'S A REASON WHY
CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN SLOW TO BOTH
ADOPT THE ORIGINAL GROUNDWATER
AGENCY PLAN AND SLOW TO ADDRESS
THIS GAP. AFTER TEN YEARS. BUT I
REALLY WELCOME THE FINAL THING
I'LL SAY ON THIS IS THAT THIS IS
NOT THIS IS NOT JUST AN ASSEMBLY
MEMBER COMING UP WITH AN IDEA.
THIS IS A TWO YEAR STUDY DONE BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER
RESOURCES, A 40 PAGE REPORT THAT
THEY PUT OUT FOR EVERYBODY TO
REVIEW WITH DATA THAT REALLY
JUSTIFIES THE ACTIONS AND THE
THINGS THAT ARE OFFERED HERE IN
THIS BILL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR YOUR QUESTION. MR. GOSLIN.
THANK YOU, A COUPLE, MINOR WELL,
A COUPLE POINTS, ONE IS THAT
THIS IS NOT A SIGMA BILL, EVEN
THOUGH WHILE PERMITTING ANYTHING
TOUCHES GROUNDWATER, THE SIGMA
LIGHT COMES ON. THIS BILL WOULD
BE APPLICABLE 15 YEARS AGO.
BECAUSE GETTING BACK TO WHAT THE
IMPACTS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
PREVENT IS THE PLACEMENT OF
WELLS AND PROXIMITY K¾T, THAT
JUDGMENT OF WELL PLACEMENT NEAR,
DOMESTIC AND OTHER VULNERABLE
WELLS, THOSE IMPACTS HAVE
OCCURRED, PRIOR TO SIGMA,
THEY'VE BEEN EXACERBATED BY THE
LOWERING OF GROUNDWATER LEVELS,
SO IT'S NOT A SIGMA BILL. IT'S
ABOUT, WATER, WATER DRINKING
WATER RESILIENCY, AND IN TERMS
OF SUBSIDENCE, YEAH, IT DOES
PREVENT, NEW WELLS GOING IN INTO
THOSE AREAS OF SUBSIDENCE. AND
SOME OF THEM, BENNETT SAID. GSA
IS ARE STARTING TO TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, HOW
THEY'RE GOING TO START TO ABATE
SUBSIDENCE, WHICH REALLY IS
GOING TO MEAN STARTING TO LESSEN
THE GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION IN
THOSE AREAS, WHICH IS GOING TO
BE VERY DIFFICULT. AND WE'RE
GOING TO NEED THEM TO HAVE TIME
TO WORK THROUGH THAT. WE'RE
COMING UP WITH A BEST MANAGEMENT
PRACTICE DOCUMENT LATER THIS
YEAR TO GUIDE THEM ON HOW TO
START TO MINIMIZE AND ELIMINATE
SUBSIDENCE, WHICH IS WHICH IS IN
SIGMA, AND IS A DRIVER FOR THIS,
BUT AGAIN, AT THE SAME TIME AS
THEY GO THROUGH THAT, IT SEEMS
COUNTER INTUITIVE TO HAVE
ANOTHER COUNTY AGENCY TO ALLOW
MORE GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION IN
THE AREAS THAT NEED TO BE DEALT
WITH AT THE SAME TIME. AND THOSE
NUMBERS DURING THE EXECUTIVE
ORDER WERE, ASTOUNDING. SO I
THINK AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A
MORATORIUM, WHICH I THINK
THERE'S A LOT OF DOWNSIDES, A
MORATORIUM THIS IS ALLOWING THE
GSA TO GO THROUGH THE MANAGEMENT
OF DEALING WITH SUBSIDENCE AND
ONCE THEY DO, THEN THEY CAN WORK
WITH THE COUNTY LÀ TO, TO KIND
OF GET BACK, TO, TO BUSINESS,
PROVIDED THEY DON'T GET BACK
INTO INCREASING SUBSIDENCE. THE
OTHER IMPORTANT PIECE I WANTED
TO BRING OUT WAS, WE REALLY
WANTED TO KEEP THIS BILL
MINISTERIAL FOR THE FOR THE
LEASE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS REAL
IMPORTANT, WHICH MEANS IT
DOESN'T TRIGGER SEQUA. AND THEY
DO SIMILAR THINGS FOR WATER
QUALITY, PLACEMENT OF WELLS NEAR
SEPTIC AND OTHERS. AND THAT'S
ALL DONE. MINISTERIALLY. SO WE
WANTED TO HAVE A SIMILAR LENS ON
NOT IMPACTING ADJOINING WATER
SUPPLIES AND KEEPING IT
MINISTERIAL. AND I THINK WE
RECOGNIZE, SOME COUNTIES AND
SOME GSA'S THROUGH THIS
COORDINATION THROUGH THE
EXECUTIVE ORDER, ACTUALLY PUT
TOGETHER SOME NOVEL APPROACH.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO
CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS WITH YOLO
AND OTHERS, AS WELL AS OTHER
ISSUES RAISED BY, PEOPLE WHO'VE
TESTIFIED TODAY AND OTHERS ON,
ON TRYING TO CLARIFY AND AMEND
THE BILL AND MAKE SURE THAT IT
DOES, AT THE END OF THE DAY,
ACHIEVE ITS GOALS OF MINIMIZING
IMPACTS TO VULNERABLE WELLS
STAFF START THE PROCESS OF
ABATING AND ELIMINATING
SUBSIDENCE, KEEPING IT
MINISTERIAL IN A WAY THAT
DOESN'T UNDULY BURDEN GSA'S OR
THE COUNTIES. SO THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY OTHER
QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE?
ASSEMBLYMEMBERS VÆ VALLAPUDUA Dð
TO SO SOME MEMBER, I HAVE A
QUESTION GOING BACK TO WHAT YOU
MENTIONED, ABOUT THE DISCUSSIONS
YOU HAD WITH THE FARMERS IN YOUR
DISTRICT. SO DID IT PASS A DEBT
ORDINANCE PASS? OH, YEAH. YEAH.
IT'S INTERESTING. THERE'S,
ANOTHER SUPERVISOR USED TO BE ON
THE VENTURA COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS IS HERE TODAY TO
TESTIFY ON THIS. SHE WOULD ALSO
BE ABLE TO VERIFY WHY A COUPLE
HUNDRED PEOPLE AT THE HEARING.
RIGHT, AND A BIG DEAL. AND IT
PASSED 3 TO 2, AND IT, AND I HAD
SO MANY FARMERS CONTACT ME
AFTERWARDS. THESE ARE THE
ESTABLISHED FARMERS. AND THEY
WERE SAYING, HERE'S WHAT'S
HAPPENING IS WE'VE BEEN FARMING
FOR A LONG TIME. AND NOW ALL OF
A SUDDEN, THESE PEOPLE ARE
COMING IN AND THEY'RE PUTTING
BIG WELLS IN RIGHT OUTSIDE OF
OUR PROPERTY. AND I, THERE ARE
PEOPLE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY
THAT HAVE SAID THE SAME THING
THAT A BIG PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM
COMES IN PLANTS, 100,000 OLIVE
TREES RIGHT OUTSIDE OF WHERE
THEY'VE BEEN FARMING FOR A LONG
TIME AND SINKS THESE SUPER
CAPACITY WELLS. AND IT'S HARD
FOR ME TO DESCRIBE HOW MUCH
WATER SOME OF THESE SUPER
CAPACITY WELLS CAN, CAN PUMP OUT
. AND, AND THEN IT HAS A
NEGATIVE IMPACT. BUT EVEN IN
THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE THEY HAVE
A NEGATIVE IMPACT, THERE'S SUCH
A THERE'S SO MUCH PRESSURE TO
NOT SORT OF, SUPPORT ANY KIND OF
REGULATION. BUT THOSE FARMERS
DID. IT PASSED AND, AND THERE'S,
YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY HASN'T
FALLEN APART, WE HAD EXEMPTIONS
FOR REPLACEMENT WELLS AND THOSE
KINDS OF THINGS. AND IN FACT,
THE GROUNDWATER AGENCY, HAS WAS
WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF IT IN, IN
WHEN THEY HAD A CHANCE TO
ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT,
BUT THEY WERE HAPPY THAT THE
COUNTY HAD ALREADY ALREADY DONE
IT. SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR
QUESTION. THANK YOU. DID YOU
WANT TO RESPOND? YEAH. I JUST
WANTED, YOU KNOW, TO REDIRECT
HERE FOR A SECOND BECAUSE WE'RE
WE'RE TALKING IN THIS BILL ABOUT
WELLS THAT ARE LARGER THAN TWO
ACRE FEET PER YEAR, AND THEY'RE
WHAT THEY CAN YIELD. AND THAT'S
NOT A MASSIVE WELL, AS THE
ASSEMBLY MEMBER IS, YOU KNOW,
DESCRIBING SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE
WE'RE EVEN TALKING ABOUT LIKE
SMALLER SIZED WELLS THAT JUST
HAPPEN TO BE OVER TWO ACRE FEET
PER YEAR THAT ARE GOING TO FALL
INTO THIS NET. THAT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT'S CONCERNING TO ME.
I MEAN, YOU CAN EVEN LOOK AT
WHAT THE STATE WATER BOARD DID
WHEN IT PUT THE TULARE LAKE GSA
BASIN ON PROBATION, AND THEY
WERE FOCUSED ON WELLS THAT COULD
YIELD 500 ACRE FEET PER YEAR.
THERE'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A THREE ACRE FOOT PER
YEAR. WELL, EVEN A TEN ACRE FOOT
PER YEAR. WELL AND A 500 ACRE
FOOT PER YEAR. WELL. SO I JUST
LIKE IT CONCERNS ME THAT WE'RE
CALLING ANYTHING THAT'S BEYOND A
DE MINIMIS USE HIGH CAPACITY,
AND THEREFORE WE'RE LIMITING IT.
THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE
TARGETING THESE KINDS OF
NEFARIOUS ACTORS THAT WE'RE
HEARING ABOUT. IT SEEMS TO BE
TARGETING ANYONE WHO'S TRYING TO
USE THEIR LAND FOR PRODUCTION.
COULD I ASK MR. ROSS TO ANSWER
TO ADDRESS THAT? YEAH THERE IS.
THE EIGHT INCHES WAS, DEEMED AND
THERE IS A BREAK POINT WHERE
DOMESTIC WELLS TYPICALLY GO 4 TO
6IN. AND WE ANALYZED WELL
COMPLETION REPORTS. MY WELL IS
SIX INCHES MY DOMESTIC. WELL
ONCE YOU GO ABOVE THAT, YOU
START GETTING INTO AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION WELLS. AND THAT'S
WHERE WE SAW EIGHT INCHES AND
ABOVE, LARGELY GOT INTO
AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIAL WELLS.
AND THESE ARE, LARGER TO BE ABLE
TO PUT, YOU KNOW, PUMPS IN, TO
BE ABLE TO PULL, MORE WATER SO
THAT BASICALLY FOR TWO DE
MINIMIS TWO ACRE FEET A YEAR,
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A GOOD SIZE
RANCH AT, YOU KNOW, AND BUT
BEYOND THAT LARGER WELLS WOULD
DICTATE A LOT MORE WATER USE FOR
LARGER ACREAGE. AND, MADAM
CHAIR, IF I COULD, I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THAT THE
TWO ACRE LIMIT IS THE LIMIT
WHERE THERE'S NO REGULATION AT
ALL, NOTHING. RIGHT, AND SO WE
ARE, I THINK IT'S VERY ACCURATE
FOR US TO TALK ABOUT LARGE
CAPACITY WELLS, BECAUSE THOSE
ARE THE ONES ARE GOING TO BE
MOST AFFECTED BECAUSE IT IS IN
THE AREAS OF SUBSIDENCE WELLS
OVER TWO ACRE FEET, RIGHT, THAT
ARE NOT IN THE EIGHT INCH
CATEGORY. I MEAN, WE HAVE AN
EIGHT INCH, YOU KNOW,
RESTRICTION HERE. THE ONLY
IMPACT THAT YOU HAVE THERE IS
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH NEIGHBORING
WELLS. BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE
SUBSIDENCE IN YOUR AREA, WHICH
IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF
CALIFORNIA, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A
SUBSIDENCE PROBLEM, THEN THIS
SUBSIDENCE SORT OF, WELL,
MORATORIUM THAT THEY'RE TALKING
ABOUT DOESN'T APPLY IN THOSE
AREAS. THE, THE, THE REQUIREMENT
THAT YOU DON'T APPROVE NEW WELLS
ONLY APPLIES IN THE AREAS WHERE
WE HAVE THE SIGNIFICANT LAND
SUBSIDENCE. MORE THAN A HALF A
FOOT IN A YEAR. ALL RIGHT. AND
THEN ONLY IF YOU DID I GET THAT
WRONG. YEAH IT'S SIX INCHES
GOING LOOKING BACK. STARTING.
I'M SORRY. YEAH. SO IT'S NOT
ONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU I
MISSPOKE THERE, RIGHT, SO WHERE
YOU HAVE LAND SUBSIDENCE. ALL
RIGHT. AND SO THIS ISN'T GOING
AFTER ALL OF THOSE THREE ACRE
FOOT WELLS THAT ARE IN, IN AREAS
THAT DON'T HAVE ANY SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEMS AT ALL. BUT YOU HAVE TO
PICK YOU HAVE TO PICK SOME
MINIMUM WHERE YOU'RE EXEMPTING
EVERYTHING. BUT IT IS EIGHT,
EIGHT INCHES AS, MR. GOSSELIN
POINTED OUT. NOW YOU'RE GETTING
INTO WELLS THAT ARE GOING TO BE
MUCH MORE THAN THE TWO ACRE FEET
AND MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE AND
IN PARTICULAR, THE LARGE
CAPACITY WELLS THAT ARE OUT
THERE. WELL, I THANK YOU FOR THE
ROBUST DISCUSSION. YOU GOT A LOT
OF OPPOSED, LESS AMENDED, AND I
KNOW THAT THE DISCUSSIONS WILL
CONTINUE. I THANK YOU FOR
ACCEPTING THE COMMITTEE AMENDS
THUS FAR, AND, WITH THAT, I, WE
DID HAVE A QUORUM, BUT NOBODY
THERE, NOT IN THE ROOM. SIMILAR
TO, OKAY. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE
A SECOND? WE WON'T TAKE A VOTE,
BUT WE HAVE ONE. WE'LL MAKE A
NOTE OF IT. OKAY. FROM SOME
MEMBER HEART. GREAT. OKAY. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW THAT WE ARE
TRYING TO STRIKE A DELICATE
BALANCE AND, WE'LL CONTINUE TO
DO SO. THANK WHICH RESPECTFULLY
ASKED FOR AN AYE VOTE. WOULD YOU
LIKE TO CLOSE? I HAD THREE
THINGS. THAT IS A PART OF IT,
BUT PLEASE GO AHEAD. NO, I WANT
YOU TO BE FULLY HEARD. GREAT
I'LL SAY THIS. PEOPLE HAVE USED,
YOU KNOW, GROUNDWATER IS
COMPLICATED. YOU CAN'T SEE IT.
YOU CAN SAY A LOT OF THINGS
ABOUT IT, ETC. PEOPLE HAVE USED
THE COMPLICATION OF GROUNDWATER
TO BLOCK IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION BY THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA JUST CONFUSE
PEOPLE ENOUGH, ETC. AND WE'RE
ONLY TRYING TO STOP THE NEW
WELLS UNTIL THE SUBSIDENCE ENDS.
AND SO THAT CREATES AN INCENTIVE
FOR THE GROUNDWATER AGENCIES,
BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE
PRESSURED BY THE PEOPLE WHO WANT
NEW WELLS. EVERYBODY'S GOING TO
HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO SAY, LET'S
GET THIS GROUNDWATER SUBSIDENCE
UNDER CONTROL. SO IT'S ACTUALLY
INCENTIVIZES THEM TO GET
GROUNDWATER SUBSIDENCE UNDER
CONTROL, WHICH IS A WIN FOR
EVERYBODY. AND THE FINAL THING,
AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE'S QUITE
A FEW PEOPLE SAID, BUT I REALLY
APPRECIATE AFTER DOING SOME
OTHER WATER BILLS, SO MANY OF
THE COMMENTS SAYING WE OPPOSE
UNLESS AMENDED AND THAT THEY
APPRECIATE WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED
AND WE'VE TAKEN A NUMBER OF
AMENDMENTS THAT I THINK, MANY
PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE
OPPOSITION POSITION HAVE
APPRECIATED. THEY'RE STILL
EVALUATING THEM, AND WE'RE
CONTINUING TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF
THESE ISSUES. WE HAVE A LONG
JOURNEY WITH THIS, AND THERE'S
LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO
CONTINUE TO MAKE THOSE
AMENDMENTS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I KNOW THIS IS A COMPLICATED
ISSUE. WE APPRECIATE THE EXTRA
TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO,
MEMBER BENNETT, WITH THAT, WE DO
HAVE A QUORUM. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD
AND TAKE ROLL. AND THEN ASSEMBLY
MEMBER FRIEDMAN, IF YOU'D LIKE
TO COME UP WHILE WE'RE DOING
THAT, THAT'D BE AWESOME. OKAY,
PAPPIN HERE. PAPPIN HERE. ADDIS
ALANIS ALVAREZ. BENNETT HERE.
BENNETT HERE. BONTA. BONTA HERE.
GALLAGHER. DAVIES. GARCIA.
GARCIA HERE. HART. HART. HERE.
THREE OF US. MISS. RIVAS HERE.
SCHIAVO. SCHIAVO. HERE. VILLA.
PADUA LAPADULA. HERE. WEBER.
WEBER. HERE OKAY, I'M GOING TO.
BEFORE YOU GO, I'M GOING TO DO A
LET'S TAKE UP THE CONSENT
CALENDAR. DO WE HAVE A MOTION?
SO MOVED, WHO WAS THAT? RIVAS.
Ó. RIVAS AND SECOND BY, HART.
OKAY. LET'S TAKE A ROLL, PLEASE,
CONSENT CALENDAR, FIVE ITEMS,
ITEM NUMBER 2AB 1937 Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ITEM NUMBER
9AB2440 Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ITEM NUMBER 15
A, B 2947 Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ITEM NUMBER 16
A, B 3121 Dð PASS AND ITEM
NUMBER 18 AB 3220 Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. PAPPIN A PAPPIN
I ADDIS ALANIZ. ALVAREZ BENNETT.
BENNETT I BONTA I BONTA I
GALLAGHER. DAVIES. GARCIA GARCIA
I HART. HART I THREE OF US.
THREE OF US I SCHIAVO. SCHIAVO I
VILA. PADUA. VILLA. PADUA I
WEBER. WEBER. I OKAY, OKAY.
WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO
TAKE UP AND VOTE ON THE BENNETT
BILL. WE HAD A MOTION AND A
SECOND, DID WE NOT? OKAY, LET'S
GET THAT ONE VOTED ON. OKAY.
PAPPIN A PAPPIN I ADDIS ALANIZ.
ALVAREZ BENNETT BENNETT I BONTA
I BONTA I GALLAGHER. DAVIES.
GARCIA GARCIA I HEART HART I
THREE OF US THREE OF US I
SCHIAVO SCHIAVO I VILA PADUA.
VILLA WOULD NOT VOTING WEBER
WEBER I OKAY. OKAY. THAT HAS
EIGHT VOTES AND WE'LL LEAVE THE
ROLL OPEN FOR ADDITIONAL VOTES.
ASSEMBLY MEMBER FRIEDMAN. WE'LL
TAKE UP THE REMAINING VOTES IN A
MINUTE OR TWO. PLEASE PROCEED.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I WANT
TO THANK YOU AND YOUR COMMITTEE
STAFF FOR WORKING WITH MY
OFFICE. I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS
REALLY FAST AND EASY FOR YOU. AB
1889 IS A PRETTY SIMPLE BILL,
AND IT JUST SAYS THAT WE WANT
CITIES WHEN THEY'RE REDOING
THEIR GENERAL PLANS TO THINK
ABOUT ANIMALS THAT MIGHT BE
MIGRATING THROUGH THEIR
COMMUNITIES SO THAT THEY CAN
PLAN FOR THAT MIGRATION AND HAVE
CONNECTIVITY FOR WILDLIFE BUILT
INTO THEIR PLANNING. WHY ARE WE
DOING THIS? WELL, A FEW YEARS
AGO, WHEN I WAS CHAIRING
TRANSPORTATION, I DID A BILL
THAT REQUIRED CALTRANS TO DO
WILDLIFE CROSSINGS. FOUND OUT
THIS WAS A HUGE PROBLEM,
ACTUALLY, ACROSS THE STATE, WITH
LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ANIMALS
TRYING TO KIND OF GET THROUGH IT
AND AROUND IT, LEADING TO CAR
COLLISIONS. ALL, YOU KNOW,
ANIMAL DEATHS, CHALLENGES FOR
ANIMALS THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH
CLIMATE CHANGE AND DROUGHT. AND
THERE ARE ALREADY SOME COUNTIES,
COUNTIES AND CITIES DOING THIS
IN THEIR PLANS. THEY'RE JUST
SAYING, WE'VE GOT DEER. LET'S
FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET DEER
THROUGH AND WE ALLOW FOR A NEW
SUBDIVISION. SO WHAT WE WANT IS
FOR NOW FOR ALL COUNTIES AND
CITIES TO CONSULT WITH, WITH
EXPERTS, CONSULT WITH
RESEARCHERS IN THEIR AREA. WE
WANT TO GIVE THEM GUIDANCE ABOUT
HOW WHAT THE BEST PRACTICES ARE
FOR INCORPORATING MIGRATORY
ANIMAL PATHS WITHIN THEIR
COMMUNITIES. PLAN FOR IT WHEN
THEY'RE PLANNING FOR THEIR
DEVELOPMENTS. THAT'S IT. IT'S
REALLY SIMPLE. THERE'S NO REASON
TO VOTE AGAINST IT. I DO HAVE
SOME WITNESSES HERE TODAY. I
HAVE FORMER VENTURA COUNTY
SUPERVISOR LINDA PARKS AND JULIE
ANDERSON, SENIOR RESOURCES
MANAGER SPECIALIST AT
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE
DISTRICT. AND WITH THAT, I
REQUEST AN AYE VOTE. SECOND.
GREAT. THANK YOU, MADAM
SUPERVISOR. OH, OKAY. THANK YOU,
GOOD MORNING, CHAIR PAPPIN AND
COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M LINDA
PARKS. I AM A FORMER VENTURA
COUNTY SUPERVISOR. I HAD THE
HONOR AND PLEASURE OF BEING ON
THE BOARD WITH VIN AND
SUPERVISOR BENNETT, NOW ASSEMBLY
MEMBER, DURING OUR TIME ON THE
BOARD, WE ADOPTED THE COUNTY'S
WILDLIFE CORRIDOR ORDINANCE.
IT'S THE FIRST OF THE KIND IN
THE STATE. AND I'M HERE TO TELL
YOU THAT AB 1889 IS BOTH
FEASIBLE AND VERY NEEDED. AND AB
1889, LIKE THE VENTURA COUNTY
ORDINANCE, PROVIDES A CLEAR
DIRECTIVE FOR PLANNERS AND
DEVELOPERS EARLY IN THE PLANNING
PROCESS. AND THE AB 1889 IS A
VERY CLEAR BILL IN THE SENSE
THAT IT CONSIDERS, THE
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH
AND WILDLIFE ESSENTIAL HABITAT
INFORMATION THAT PLANNERS CAN
USE AND DEVELOPERS ARE ABLE TO
KNOW EARLIER IN THE PROCESS WHAT
IS EXPECTED OF THEM. THIS WILL
MINIMIZE BOTH THE NEED TO DO
PROJECT CHANGES LATER IN THE
PROCESS. BY KNOWING IN ADVANCE
WHAT IS EXPECTED, AND THAT IS
ALSO A WAY TO SAVE MONEY AND
TIME BOTH FOR GOVERNMENT, LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AND FOR DEVELOPERS. I
WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT AB 1889
WON'T PREVENT DEVELOPMENT,
RATHER, IT CALLS FOR WILDLIFE
FRIENDLY FENCING, LIGHTING AND
LANDSCAPING. YOU DON'T PLANT
INVASIVE PLANTS AND CLUSTER
DEVELOPMENT WHERE IT'S POSSIBLE.
INSTEAD OF HARMFUL URBAN SPRAWL.
WE KNOW THAT SEQUA ALREADY
REQUIRES CONSIDERATION AT THE
PROJECT LEVEL OF THE IMPACTS ON
WILDLIFE CORRIDORS. HOWEVER
HAVING FOUNDATIONAL SCIENTIFIC
INFORMATION ON WILDLIFE
CORRIDORS ALL IN ONE PLACE IN
THE CONSERVATION ELEMENT, IT
WILL FACILITATE BETTER REGIONAL
PLANNING AND AVOID THE
UNNECESSARY EXTINCTION OF ICONIC
SPECIES LIKE OUR MOUNTAIN LIONS,
AS I FINISH, I JUST WANT TO
THANK THE LEGISLATORS AND THE
GOVERNOR FOR THEIR INVESTING IN
OUR WILDLIFE CROSSINGS,
INCLUDING THE WALLIS ANNENBERG
BRIDGE, THE LARGEST WILDLIFE
CROSSING BRIDGE IN THE WORLD
THAT'S CURRENTLY BEING BUILT
OVER THE 101 FREEWAY IN AGOURA
HILLS, BECAUSE OF VENTURA
COUNTY'S WILDLIFE CORRIDOR
ORDINANCE. WILDLIFE CROSSING
THAT BRIDGE TO GET TO THE OTHER
SIDE, WILL HAVE PROTECTED OPEN
SPACE CORRIDORS WHEN THEY REACH
IT. WILDLIFE CORRIDORS ARE
CRITICAL FOR THE SURVIVAL OF
WILDLIFE AND AB 1889 CAN
ECONOMICALLY ACCOMPLISH THAT
THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. SO I REALLY URGE
YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU. ALL
RIGHT. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS
JULIE ANDERSON, AND I LEAD THE
WILDLIFE PROGRAM FOR THE
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE
DISTRICT, A SPECIAL DISTRICT
LOCATED IN THE BAY AREA THAT
MANAGES OVER 70,000 ACRES OF
LAND. WE HAVE A MISSION TO
ACQUIRE AND PRESERVE THESE OPEN
SPACES, PROTECT AND RESTORE THE
ENVIRONMENT, AND PROVIDE
ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE PUBLIC
ENJOYMENT. AS PROJECT MANAGER
FOR TWO LARGE SCALE HABITAT
CONNECTIVITY PROJECTS FOR THINGS
AS LARGE AS PUMA TO AS SMALL AS
CALIFORNIA NEWTS, I URGE YOUR
SUPPORT OF AB 1889. WILDLIFE ARE
DOING THEIR BEST TO SURVIVE
DESPITE INTENSE PRESSURE FROM
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING
ROADWAYS, WATER POWER LINES AND
INTENSIFYING RESIDENTIAL AND
RECREATIONAL USES, WILDLIFE FACE
ALL OF THESE FACTORS WITHIN MY
TWO PROJECT LOCATIONS, AND THEY
NEED THE ABILITY TO SAFELY MOVE
THROUGH AND ACROSS THE REMAINING
HABITAT. CONNECTIONS ARE VITALLY
IMPORTANT FOR BOTH PEOPLE AND
WILDLIFE. THEY'RE ABLE TO LIVE
LONGER WHEN THEY'RE CONNECTED
AND CAN FREELY MOVE BETWEEN THE
PLACES THEY NEED TO SURVIVE.
PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM THESE
HEALTHY, CONNECTED ECOSYSTEM
COMES THROUGH CLEAN AIR,
FILTERED, WATER POLLINATED CROPS
AND HEALTHY SOILS. HABITAT
CONNECTIVITY REQUIRES THESE
LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
THAT CAN COST IN THE TENS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. LET'S BUILD
UPON THESE VOTER SUPPORTED
PROJECTS BY ENSURING THAT OPEN
SPACES ARE RECONNECTED AND
PROTECTED THROUGH IMPROVED
DEVELOPMENT THAT WOULD PREVENT
FUTURE FRAGMENTED HABITAT.
SUPPORT OF THIS BILL PROVIDES
LOCAL JURISDICTIONS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY,
ESTABLISH, AND PROTECT HABITAT
CONNECTED VIÆT WHILE ALLOWING
DEVELOPMENT IN LOCATIONS THAT
MAY BE OF LESS BENEFIT TO LOCAL
WILDLIFE. THOUGHTFUL LAND USE
PLANNING CONNECTS OUR LANDSCAPE
AND PROVIDES ACCESS TO INTACT
NATURAL AREAS FOR FUTURE
GENERATIONS. BY BRINGING THE
STATE CLOSER TO ITS 30 BY 30
GOALS, I'D LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER
WHAT MY TEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER
LIKES TO REMIND ME WE SHOULD DO.
WHAT IS BEST FOR ANIMALS BECAUSE
PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN TOO MUCH FROM
THEM ALREADY. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. DO WE HAVE
WITNESSES IN FAVOR? I MEAN,
MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE IN FAVOR
? GOOD MORNING, ABIGAIL SCHMIDT,
ON BEHALF OF THE EAST BAY
REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT AND THE
LAND TRUST OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
IN SUPPORT. GOOD MORNING, MADAM
CHAIR AND MEMBERS. JENNIFER
FEARING AND ON IN SUPPORT OF AB
1889. MY CLIENTS, THE NATIONAL
WILDLIFE FEDERATION AND SAN
DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY, WHOSE
AFFILIATE PROJECT WILDLIFE IS
THE STATE'S LARGEST NATIVE
WILDLIFE REHABILITATION
ORGANIZATION. THANK YOU. MELISSA
LOVATO, ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY
OF SANTA CLARA IN SUPPORT. HI.
GOOD MORNING, TIFFANY YAP, ON
BEHALF OF THE CENTER FOR
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, WILDLANDS
NETWORK AND THE NATURE
CONSERVANCY IN SUPPORT. THANK
YOU. CANDACE MENEGON, ON BEHALF
OF COASTAL RANCHES CONSERVANCY
AND FRIENDS OF THE SANTA CLARA
RIVER. KIM DELFINO IN SUPPORT ON
BEHALF OF MOJAVE DESERT LAND
TRUST, SIERRA FOREST LEGACY AND
THE SONOMA LAND TRUST. THANK YOU
, ANNALISA RIVERO ON BEHALF OF
CALTRANS IN SUPPORT. THANK YOU,
NATALIE BROWN ON BEHALF OF
PLANNING CONSERVATION LEAGUE AND
SUPPORT. THANK YOU, TASHA NEWMAN
ON BEHALF OF THE WILDLANDS
CONSERVANCY, IN SUPPORT.
GABRIELA FAZIO, SIERRA CLUB,
CALIFORNIA, IN SUPPORT. NICHOLAS
HACKETT FOR SOCIAL COMPASSION IN
LEGISLATION, IN SUPPORT. MARCUS
MASON, CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL
VOTERS IN SUPPORT. THANK YOU.
OKAY. DO WE HAVE WITNESSES IN
OPPOSITION? I DIDN'T SEE ANY
REGISTERED. SO GREAT. WITH THAT
ANY WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE
COMMITTEE. ANY QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS ASSEMBLYMEMBER BENNETT,
THE AUTHOR TODAY, THE AUTHOR
BROUGHT US TWO EXPERTS IN TERMS
OF THIS ISSUE, AND I REALLY
APPRECIATE BOTH OF THEM HERE,
BOTH FROM THE NORTH AND THE
SOUTH IN TERMS OF CALIFORNIA.
BUT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT
SUPERVISOR PARKS WAS THE LEADER
OF THE EFFORT IN VENTURA COUNTY
TO TRY TO BRING US WHAT IS NOW
THE WORLD'S LARGEST WILDLIFE
CROSSING, AND SO THEY KNOW WHAT
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND THEY
CERTAINLY KNOW ABOUT THE VALUE
AND THE BENEFITS OF THIS. SO
VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE BILL.
AND, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE MADE THE
MOTION, BUT IT'S ALREADY
HAPPENED. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? VERY COOL
STUFF. VERY COOL STUFF. THANK
YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS. THANK YOU
FOR BEING HERE, WE HAVE A MOTION
AND A SECOND. SO LET'S GO AHEAD.
AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE?
YES. WE'RE YOU KNOW, WE'RE
CONSTANTLY MOVING BEARS OUT OF,
NEIGHBORHOODS IN MY DISTRICT.
AND MAYBE IF SOMEONE HAD PLANNED
A LITTLE BIT BETTER BACK IN THE
DAY, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS
ONGOING PROBLEM. AND THERE WERE
NO AMENDMENTS ON THIS. SO THE
MOTION IS Dð PASS, TO, I'M
GUESSING A PROBES, A PROBES. SO
LET'S TAKE A VOTE. THANK YOU.
ITEM NUMBER ONE AB 1889 MOTION
DO PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
PAPPIN A PEPIN I ADDIS ADDIS I
ALANIZ. ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ I
BENNETT. BENNETT I BONTA. BONTA
I GALLAGHER. GALLAGHER. NØ
DAVIES. GARCIA. GARCIA I. HART.
HART I THREE OF US. THREE OF US
I SCHIAVO. SCHIAVO I. VILA.
PADUA. PHILIP PADUA. NOT VOTING.
WEBER. WEBER I AND THAT HAS HOW
MANY VOTES? OKAY. WE'LL LEAVE
THE ROLL OPEN FOR ADDITIONAL
VOTES. ASSEMBLYMEMBER HOLDEN.
THANK YOU. SORRY I'M EXCITED.
OH, YEAH. EXCITED TO GET UP
HERE. THANK YOU FOR FALLING INTO
TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MADAM
CHAIR, I APPRECIATE MR. HOLDEN'S
, GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRESENT FOR MR. GRAYSON. THIS IS
ACTUALLY ASSEMBLY BILL 2091. I'M
PRESENTING FOR, OUR COLLEAGUE
WHO IS UNABLE TO JOIN US TODAY,
AGAIN, GOOD MORNING, CHAIR. AND
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, AB
2091 IS A BILL THAT WOULD HELP
EXPEDITE PUBLIC ACCESS TO OPEN
SPACES ACROSS CALIFORNIA UNDER
THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY ACT. SEQUA MOST LOCAL
AGENCIES, INCLUDING PARK
DISTRICTS, ARE REQUIRED TO
CONDUCT A SIGNIFICANT
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR ANY
PROJECTS OR ACTIONS THAT WOULD
HAVE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
UNLESS AN ACTION IS
CATEGORICALLY EXEMPTED.
CURRENTLY, A CATEGORICAL
EXEMPTION EXISTS THAT ALLOWS A
PARK DISTRICT TO ACQUIRE LAND
FOR PURPOSES OF PRESERVING OPEN
SPACE WITHOUT NEEDING TO PERFORM
OR REVIEW UNDER CEQA, WHICH I
THINK MAKES SENSE TO ALL OF US.
HOWEVER NO EXEMPTION EXISTS FOR
CHANGES OF USE, SUCH AS WHEN A
PARK DISTRICT WOULD LIKE TO OPEN
ACQUIRED LAND FOR PUBLIC ACCESS,
EVEN IF THE ACQUIRED LAND
ALREADY HAS EXISTING ROADS OR
TRAILS THAT EXISTED PRIOR TO THE
ACQUISITION OF THE LAND, AB 2091
WILL EXEMPT THE OPENING OF
EXISTING ROADS AND TRAILS FOR
SPECIFIED NON-MOTORIZED
RECREATIONAL USES TO THE PUBLIC
ON OPEN SPACE PROPERTIES OWNED
AND OPERATED BY A LOCAL AGENCY.
THIS LIMITED EXEMPTION WOULD
ONLY APPLY IN SCENARIOS WHERE
ROADS AND OTHER DISTURBED AREAS
EXISTED PRIOR TO PUBLIC AGENCY
ACQUISITION, THE ROADS HAD TO
HAVE BEEN THERE PRIOR AND WHERE
NO SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO
ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO USE THESE
FOR PUBLIC ACCESS ON THESE OPEN
SPACE OR PARK LANDS.
ADDITIONALLY, THE BILL WOULD
HAVE NO IMPACT ON EXISTING LAND
COVENANTS THAT WOULD APPLY, SUCH
AS GRANT AGREEMENTS,
CONSERVATION EASEMENTS AND
PLANS, OR LONG TUM MANAGEMENT
PLANS, AND THE PARK DISTRICTS
WOULD STILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
ENFORCING MANAGEMENT POLICIES
THAT PROTECT SPECIES AND HABITAT
. IMPORTANTLY, THIS BILL WILL
ALSO HELP SAVE PARK DISTRICT
RESOURCES DURING THIS PROCESS,
WHICH CAN BE USED TO HELP
FACILITATE MORE RECREATIONAL
ACCESS TO TESTIFY ON BEHALF OF
THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS, WE
HAVE JENNIFER GALEHOUSE,
CHAIRMAN, GOOD MORNING, MADAM
CHAIR. STEAM MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE, JENNIFER GALEHOUSE,
ON BEHALF OF THE EAST BAY
REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, I'LL
JUST MENTION TWO THINGS, ONE,
THIS BILL IS MORE ABOUT THE
TIMING OF SEQUA, AND THAT'S
THAT. THE ACQUISITION OF THE
PROPERTY, IT'S ABOUT ALLOWING
PUBLIC ACCESS BEFORE THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PARK. AND
TWO, THAT THE CATEGORICAL
EXEMPTIONS ARE A LITTLE UNCLEAR
ON CHANGES IN USE. AND THIS BILL
CLEARS THAT UP FOR THIS
PARTICULAR CHANGE OF USE UNDER
THESE CIRCUMSTANCES. AND ALSO
THERE'S A LOT OF PROTECTIONS AND
GUARDRAILS AS FAR AS PROTECTING
SPECIES, NATIVE PLANTS, TRIBAL
RESOURCES, REYES. SO WITH THAT,
I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR AYE
VOTE, AND I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK
YOU. EXCELLENT. DO WE HAVE ANY
WITNESSES? I MEAN, ANY MEMBERS
OF THE AUDIENCE IN FAVOR? COME
ON DOWN. ABIGAIL SCHMIDT, ON
BEHALF OF MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL
OPEN SPACE DISTRICT AND SUPPORT.
GOOD MORNING. ANTHONY TANNEHILL
WITH CALIFORNIA SPECIAL
DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION AND
SUPPORT. ETHAN ZIEGLER, ON
BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA
ASSOCIATION OF RECREATION AND
PARK DISTRICTS IN SUPPORT. THANK
YOU. ARE THERE ANY WITNESSES IN
OPPOSITION? I DIDN'T SEE ANY.
THERE WAS NONE REGISTERED.
QUESTION BY THE COMMITTEE.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER ADDIS, THANK YOU
SO MUCH. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF
YOU COULD CLARIFY A LITTLE ON
THE SEQUA, YOU'RE SAYING THIS IS
MORE ABOUT THE SEQUENCE OF WHEN
SEQUA HAPPENS? I TRY TO BE
INCREDIBLY THOUGHTFUL, AS I KNOW
EVERYBODY DOES AROUND ANY KIND
OF SEQUA EXEMPTION. AND SO IF
YOU COULD JUST CLARIFY,
ESPECIALLY, I KNOW THE
OPPOSITION ISN'T HERE TODAY, BUT
SOME OF THE OPPOSITION HAD TO DO
WITH MAKING SURE THAT CULTURAL
RESOURCES WEREN'T IMPACTED AND
THAT, WILDLIFE WAS STILL
PROTECTED AND I'LL JUST SAY, I
CAN IMAGINE LOTS AND LOTS OF
PLACES ACROSS MY DISTRICT THAT
THIS WOULD BE HELPFUL, BUT I
WANT TO BE SECURE THAT I'M NOT,
YOU KNOW, OPENING UP SEQUA IN A
WAY THAT WOULDN'T BE PALATABLE.
RIGHT THIS ONLY APPLIES WHEN
THERE'S NO PHYSICAL ALTERATION
THÀNH THAT'S HAPPENING, SO WHEN
THE DISTRICT IS ACTUALLY READY
TO DEVELOP THE PARCEL, I MAKE A
PHYSICAL ALTERATION, PUT UP A
BUILDING, ADD A NEW TRAIL, GRADE
THE ROAD, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THEY'LL DO A FULL BLOWN SEQUA.
AND THEY PLAN TO DO THAT RIGHT
NOW. THEY HAD THEY'VE USED
PUBLIC DOLLARS TO ACQUIRE LAND
AND THEY WANT TO ALLOW THE
PUBLIC TO ACCESS EXISTING TRAILS
, OPEN IT UP FOR EXPERIENCING
NATURE CONSISTENT WITH 30 BY 30
AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THAT WE'VE
PRIORITIZED IN THE STATE. THEY
DON'T HAVE THE MONEY YET TO
ACTUALLY DEVELOP THE PARK, BUT
THEY'D LIKE THE PUBLIC TO BE
ABLE TO ENJOY IT IN THE
MEANTIME. AND SO THEY LOOKED AT
THE CATEGORICAL EXEMPTIONS THAT
EXIST FOR CHANGE IN USE AND IT'S
A LITTLE BIT AMBIGUOUS WHETHER
THEY COULD USE ONE OF THOSE OR
NOT. SO THIS CLEARLY SHOWS THAT
THEY CAN HAVE A CHANGE IN USE
FOR THIS PARTICULAR
CIRCUMSTANCES. AND ACTUALLY IT'S
A LOT MORE NARROW THAN SOME OF
THE CATEGORICAL EXEMPTIONS FOR
CHANGE OF USE THAT ARE ALREADY
AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CEQA
GUIDELINES. SO THAT THAT'S WHAT
I MEAN BY IT. IT KIND OF PUSHES
THE SEQUA OFF TO WHEN YOU
ACTUALLY HAVE A PHYSICAL CHANGE
IN A PROJECT. THANK YOU. ANY
OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS. AND
WE HAD A MOTION. DID WE NOT? AND
A SECOND. OKAY. GREAT. WOULD YOU
LIKE TO CLOSE. THANK YOU. ON
BEHALF OF OUR COLLEAGUE, MR.
GRAYSON, I APPRECIATE AND I VOTE
ON THIS BILL. THANK YOU. LET'S
DO IT, ITEM NUMBER SIX AB 2091.
MOTION IS Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. PAPIN A, PAPIN
I, ADDIS I ADDIS I ALANIZ.
ALVAREZ I ALVAREZ I BENNETT.
BONTA I BONTA I GALLAGHER.
GALLAGHER I DAVIES. GARCIA.
GARCIA I HEART, HEART I THREE OF
US MISS. RIVAS I SCHIAVO. VILLA
VILLA I WEBER. WEBER. I OKAY,
WE'LL LEAVE IT OPEN FOR ANY
ADDITIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
HAVE A GOOD DAY. ASSEMBLYMEMBER
HOLDEN
.
GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
PATIENCE. I FEEL LIKE AN
HONORARY MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE
. GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR. AND
MEMBERS. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO
THANK THE CHAIR AND HER
CONSULTANT FOR WORKING WITH MY
OFFICE AND OUR SPONSOR, THE
CALIFORNIA LEAGUE OF CITIES, ON
WHAT I BELIEVE IS A BIPARTISAN
ISSUE THAT AFFECTS US ALL.
WILDFIRE PREPARATION.
PREPARATION AND PREPAREDNESS.
SECOND, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
INDICATE THAT I ACCEPT THE
COMMITTEE'S AMENDMENTS. MEMBERS,
IT HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED AND
DOCUMENTED THAT EIGHT OF THE 20
LARGEST WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA
IS RECORDED. HISTORY HAVE
OCCURRED IN THE PAST SEVEN
YEARS. THIS LEGISLATIVE BODY HAS
DELIBERATED, SUPPORTED, AND
VOTED ON MEASURES THAT TRY TO
STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN
PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AS VOTING MEMBERS. IN
MANY INSTANCES, WE LOOK TO THE
EXPERTISE OF OUR LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, WHO ARE OFTEN ON
THE FRONT LINES OF WILDFIRE
PREPAREDNESS. UNFORTUNATELY,
MANY OF OUR LOCAL ENTITIES HAVE
EXPRESSED CONCERNS THAT LONG
DELAYS AND LACK OF GUIDANCE ARE
PREVENTING LOCAL JURISDICTIONS
FROM BEING ABLE TO CONDUCT
WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES
ON LANDS LOCATED IN FIRE HAZARD
SEVERITY ZONES THAT ARE ADJACENT
TO URBAN AREAS. AB 2330 IS
PROPOSED TO AMEND, AS AMENDED,
SEEKS TO PROVIDE A CLEAR PROCESS
TO ACCELERATE WILDFIRE
PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES AND
LOCAL RESPONSE ABILITY AREAS, OR
LRAS, TO ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTIONS ARE MET AND PUBLIC
SAFETY IS UPHELD BY ALLOWING
LOCAL AGENCIES TO SUBMIT A
WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS PLAN TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND
WILDLIFE FOR REVIEW WITHIN 90
DAYS. TO INQUIRE IF AN
INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT OR I.T.P
OR OTHER PERMITS ARE NEEDED.
ONCE A COMPLETED I.T.P
APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED, THE
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
MUST PROCESS THEM WITHIN 45
DAYS, HAVING APPROVED
APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, AND
RECEIVE A FIVE YEAR PERMIT FOR
WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES
TO OCCUR WITHIN A FIRE HAZARD
SEVERITY ZONE AND REQUIRE CDF W
CONSULT WITH THE STATE FIRE
MARSHAL TO OVERLAY EXISTING
CRITICAL HABITAT MAPS WITH LANDS
THAT ARE WITHIN THE FIRE HAZARD
SEVERITY ZONES, AND FINALLY
REQUIRING FISH AND WILDLIFE TO
POST A SUMMARY OF THESE EFFORTS
ON THEIR WEB PAGE ON AN ANNUAL
BASIS. THIS BILL HAS NO
OPPOSITION, AND I RESPECTFULLY
ASK FOR YOUR AYE VOTE. JOINING
ME HERE AS MY WITNESSES TO
TESTIFY AS FIRE CHIEF CHRIS WITH
THE CITY OF LAVERNE AND MELISSA
SPARKS KRANTZ WITH THE
CALIFORNIA LEAGUE OF CITIES.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIR PAPPIN AND
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
MELISSA SPARKS KRANZ WITH THE
LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES AND
WE ARE PLEASED TO WORK WITH
ASSEMBLY MEMBER HOLDEN AND
SPONSOR AB 2330. THE SIZE AND
SEVERITY OF WILDFIRES IN
CALIFORNIA IS INCREASING DUE TO
CLIMATE EXTREMES IN CALIFORNIA'S
RECORDED HISTORY. WE JUST HEARD
THE TOP EIGHT LARGEST WILDFIRES
AND THE TOP TWO MOST DESTRUCTIVE
WILDFIRES OCCURRED JUST SEVEN
YEARS AGO, AND THE DEADLIEST
WILDFIRE OCCURRED IN OUR STATE
SIX YEARS AGO. CITIES ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR FIRE MANAGEMENT
ACTIVITIES AND LOCAL
RESPONSIBILITY AREAS WITHIN
THEIR JURISDICTION, AND HAVE
IDENTIFIED FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY
ZONES CONSISTENT WITH THE
STATE'S RANKING. MODERATE HIGH
AND VERY HIGH LOCAL AGENCIES
HAVE FACED DIFFICULTY IN
DISCERNING IF ENVIRONMENTAL TAKE
PERMITS ARE NEEDED FOR PLANNED
WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES
AND THEN NAVIGATING THE
PERMITTING, PERMITTING PROCESS
IN A TIMELY MANNER TO ENSURE
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
CAN OCCUR AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
TO IMPROVE THIS COMMUNICATION
AND EXPEDITE THE PERMITTING
WHILE MAINTAINING THE STANDARDS
OF THE CALIFORNIA ENDANGERED
SPECIES ACT. THE BILL WOULD
AUTHORIZE LOCAL AGENCIES,
INCLUDING CITIES, COUNTIES, AND
SPECIAL DISTRICTS, THAT HAVE
FIRE PROTECTION AUTHORITIES TO
SUBMIT THEIR PROJECTS TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
AND TO STREAMLINE THE ABILITY TO
RECEIVE A PERMIT AND CONDUCT
WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES
TO AVOID, MINIMIZE, AND FULLY
MITIGATE THE IMPACTS TO WILDLIFE
. THE BILL'S INTENT IS TO
PROTECT COMMUNITIES FROM THE
THREAT OF WILDFIRE THROUGH
VEGETATIVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES,
INCORPORATE THE BEST AVAILABLE
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION FOR BOTH
WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AND
CONSERVATION PRACTICES, AND TO
PROVIDE SUFFICIENT FLEXIBILITY
TO MAXIMIZE THE PARTICIPATION IN
THIS STREAMLINED PATHWAY AND TO
GAIN THE MAXIMUM PROTECTIONS OF
LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM THE
THREAT OF WILDFIRE WITHOUT
COMPROMISING WILDLIFE BENEFITS
AND UPHOLDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL
PERMITTING PROCESS AT THE
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE.
WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRESENT ON AB 2330 RESPECTFULLY
REQUEST YOUR AYE VOTE AND I'M
PLEASED TO INTRODUCE THE FIRE
CHIEF FROM THE CITY OF LAVERNE,
CHRIS NIX, TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY
AND SUPPORT TODAY. GOOD MORNING,
CHAIR POPPEN AND MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS CHRIS NAY.
I'M THE FIRE CHIEF FOR THE CITY
OF LAVERNE, WHICH IS LOCATED IN
THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY AREA OF
LOS ANGELES COUNTY. I AM BOTH A
MEMBER OF THE LEAGUE OF
CALIFORNIA CITIES AND CURRENTLY
THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE
OF CALIFORNIA CITIES FIRE CHIEFS
DEPARTMENT. I ALSO SERVE ON THE
EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE LOS
ANGELES AREA FIRE CHIEFS
ASSOCIATION, AND THE PRESIDENT
OF THE LA AREA FOOTHILL FIRE
CHIEFS, PRESIDENT OF THE LA AREA
FIRE CHIEFS REGIONAL TRAINING
GROUP, JPA AND PRIOR TO MY
APPOINTMENT, FIRE CHIEF
APPOINTMENT SERVED AS THE
PRESIDENT OF THE ORANGE COUNTY
FIRE MARSHALS. AS NOTED, IT IS
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR
MUNICIPAL JURISDICTIONS TO
REDUCE THE PUBLIC'S
VULNERABILITY TO THE DESTRUCTIVE
FORCES OF CALIFORNIA'S
WILDFIRES. MORE SPECIFICALLY,
THOSE COMMUNITIES WHO MAKE UP
THE STATE'S WILDLAND URBAN
INTERFACE. ACCORDINGLY, WE ARE
REQUIRED TO EITHER ENFORCE OR
CONDUCT FUEL MANAGEMENT
ACTIVITIES IN THE NAME OF
DEFENSIBLE SPACE AS PROFESSIONAL
FIREFIGHTERS, WE ARE TRAINED IN
PREDICTING HOW A WILDFIRE WILL
TURN AND TRAVEL BASED ON
TOPOGRAPHY AND DIURNAL WEATHER
PATTERNS. HOWEVER, AS WILDFIRE
IMPACTS HAVE EXACERBATED IN
RECENT YEARS, IT'S BECOME
INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT THESE
FIRES ARE NOT AS EASILY
EXTINGUISHED AS THEY ONCE WERE.
LARGE SCALE CONFLAGRATIONS HAVE
BECOME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP
UP WITH WHEN CONDITIONS ALIGN.
FIREFIGHTING RESOURCES ARE
FINITE AND ALTHOUGH THOSE
RESOURCES ARE EXTRAORDINARY AT
WHAT THEY DO, THEY CAN'T BE
EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. RESEARCH
AND DATA CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT
THE BENEFITS OF PROVIDING A
MINIMUM OF 100FT OF DEFENSIBLE
SPACE BETWEEN A STRUCTURE AND
FUEL BED. CONTINUITY IN FACT, IT
IS FOR THOSE REASONS THAT THE
CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE NOW
REQUIRES IT. THAT SAID,
PROFESSIONAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS
THROUGHOUT THROUGHOUT OUR STATE
ARE CHARGED WITH ENSURING
WILDFIRE VULNERABLE LANDS
ADJACENT TO OUR COMMUNITIES ARE
PROACTIVELY CLEARED IN ORDER TO
REDUCE THE IMPACT OF WILDFIRE TO
LIFE AND PROPERTY. AB 2330 WOULD
HELP OUR JURISDICTIONS BY BETTER
DEFINING THE PROCESS OF
OBTAINING THE NECESSARY PERMITS
WE MAY NEED TO MOVE OUR FUEL
MANAGEMENT PROJECTS FORWARD. WE
BELIEVE THE BILL BALANCES
IMPROVING OUR ABILITY TO
COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEPARTMENT
OF FISH AND WILDLIFE WHILE
PROVIDING FOR A DEFINED, TIMELY,
PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE TRANSPARENCY
AND READILY AVAILABLE REFERENCE
TO ENVIRONMENTALLY PROTECTED
AREAS WITHIN THE CAL FIRE.
HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES. THE
MAPPING COMPONENT OF THE BILL,
LEÓN, WILL BE A TREMENDOUS
RESOURCE TO HAVE FROM BOTH THE
STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES.
PERSPECTIVE OF. BY OVERLAYING
THESE EXISTING CRITICAL HABITATS
WITHIN THE FIRE HAZARDS SEVERITY
ZONE MAPS, WE ARE AFFORDED
GREATER INSIGHT AND OBJECTIVE
CLARITY WHICH WILL HELP US
THROUGH THE PLANNING AND
EXECUTION PHASES OF ANNUAL FUEL
MANAGEMENT, ULTIMATELY
ALLEVIATING CONFUSION BETWEEN
LOCAL JURISDICTIONS.
JURISDICTIONS AND CDF. WE SEE
THIS AS A BENEFIT THAT IS
COMPLEMENTARY TO THE PROCESS
OUTLINED IN THIS BILL. THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME AT YOUR HEARING.
WE APPRECIATE THIS COMMITTEE'S
CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL AND
RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR AYE
VOTE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND
THERE WAS NO OPPOSITION, SO I
DON'T SEE ANY. BUT LET'S HAVE
PEOPLE COME DOWN IN FAVOR OF
PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, CHRIS
ANDERSON, ON BEHALF OF THE
ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA WATER
AGENCIES IN SUPPORT. GOOD
MORNING, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE, PAUL GONSALVES,
ON BEHALF OF THE CITIES OF 1000
OAKS AND TORRANCE IN SUPPORT.
GOOD MORNING, STACY HEATON, WITH
THE RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES
OF CALIFORNIA AND SUPPORT. GOOD
MORNING, NOEL KRAMERS WITH WINE
INSTITUTE IN SUPPORT. MORNING.
ANTHONY TANNEHILL, CALIFORNIA
SPECIAL DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION IN
SUPPORT. GOOD MORNING, MADAM
CHAIR. MEMBERS BOB REEB WITH
REEB GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ON
BEHALF OF EL DORADO IRRIGATION
DISTRICT IN SUPPORT. GOOD
MORNING, KIARA ROSS ON BEHALF OF
THE CITY OF PASADENA IN SUPPORT.
ABIGAIL SCHMIDT ON BEHALF OF
EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
AND SUPPORT. EXCELLENT. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. I'M GOING TO BRING
IT BACK TO THE COMMITTEE.
ASSEMBLY MEMBER ADDIS, THANK
YOU. AND, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I JUST
WANTED TO ASK IF YOU ARE TAKING
COAUTHORS. I'D VERY MUCH BE
APPRECIATED TO BE ADDED AND BE
HAPPY TO MOVE THE BILL. IF WE
DON'T HAVE A MOTION ALREADY.
THANK YOU. YES SO, MEMBER
GALLAGHER. YEAH, THANK YOU,
MADAM CHAIR. I FULLY SUPPORT
THIS BILL AND THANK THE AUTHOR
FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD, WHAT I
WANTED TO SAY ON IS WE NEED TO
DO MORE OF THIS, AND I WANT TO
BRING IT TO THE COMMITTEE'S
ATTENTION THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE
BEEN TRYING TO DO THIS SAME TYPE
OF THING IN MY AREA FOR A LONG
TIME NOW. WE'RE DEALING WITH
STATE OR FEDERALLY OWNED LAND.
IN OUR CASE, BUT THE NEED IS
THERE NONETHELESS, AND WE NEED
MORE STREAMLINED PROCESS. SO I'M
HAPPY TO SUPPORT THIS, BUT I
WOULD REALLY LIKE TO, YOU KNOW,
JUST MAKE THE PLEA TO MY FELLOW
COLLEAGUES, WE NEED TO DO THE
SAME THING. I MEAN, RIGHT NOW,
WE'VE HAD BILLS FOR SEVERAL
YEARS THAT DON'T EVEN GET A
HEARING IN NATURAL RESOURCES
COMMITTEE TO DO ESSENTIALLY VERY
SIMILAR THINGS TO WHAT YOU'RE
DOING HERE, WHICH IS
STREAMLINING THE PROCESS FOR
FUEL REDUCTION PROCESS. THE
PROBLEM IS FUEL HUNDRED PERCENT.
CHIEF WILL, HE JUST SAID THAT
THE PROBLEM IS FUEL. THEY'VE
BEEN ALLOWED TO ACCUMULATE FOR
DECADES NOW IN OUR WILD LANDS
AND OUR FORESTED LANDS AND WE
HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET IN THERE
AND DO THIS WORK QUICKLY. AND,
YOU KNOW, HAVING SOME
STREAMLINING OF THAT PROCESS.
CAL, CAL VÌ IS NOT WORKING. SO
ANYBODY WHO'S COMING UP HERE
SAYING, WELL, WE HAVE CAL P FOR
THAT, TALK TO MANY FIRE COUNCILS
ABOUT HOW THAT'S WORKING OUT FOR
THEM AND HOW MUCH IT'S REALLY
EXPEDITING THE PROCESS. IT'S NOT
WE NEED MORE THINGS LIKE THIS.
AND I'M GLAD THIS IS GETTING A
HEARING AND WATER COMMITTEE. BUT
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BILLS RIGHT
NOW TO PROPOSE DOING SIMILAR
THINGS, AND THEY AREN'T GETTING
YOU KNOW, THE CURRENT CHAIRMAN
IS NOT GIVING THEM A HEARING, IN
THE COMMITTEE. SO WHEN WE TALK
ABOUT WILDFIRE AND WANTING TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT WILDFIRE
PREVENTION, THIS IS THE KIND OF
STUFF THAT WE NEED TO DO. AND WE
NEED TO BE THINKING THROUGH HOW
WE DO A LOT MORE OF THIS, IT'S
GREAT TO DO IT IN THIS INSTANCE,
BUT I'M TELLING YOU, LIKE, WE
HAVE A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM. SO
APPRECIATE THE BILL COMING
FORWARD TODAY, I WILL BE
SUPPORTING IT, BUT I HOPE THAT
WE CAN DO MORE OF THIS. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME,
WITH THAT, I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER
COMMENTS FROM THE COMMITTEE, DO
WE? DO WE HAVE A MOTION A SECOND
ALREADY? WE DID. ADDIS WAS THE
MOTION AND VÆ VALLAPUDUA WAS THE
SECOND. SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND
TAKE A VOTE. YOU WANT TO CLOSE?
I, I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR.
AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT
THE COMMITTEE, THE
ADMINISTRATION, ENVIRONMENTAL
COMMUNITY HAS WORKED WITH US ON
THIS AS WELL. IT'S BEEN A VERY
IMPORTANT BRINGING TOGETHER OF
STAKEHOLDERS THAT HAVE A VARIETY
OF DIFFERENT INTERESTS. BUT WE
WERE ABLE TO SEE IT COME
TOGETHER IN A VERY APPROPRIATE
WAY. SO I APPRECIATE THAT AND
ASK FOR YOUR I VOTE WE CAN
STRIKE A BALANCE. OKAY. THANK
YOU. ITEM NUMBER EIGHT AB 2330.
MOTION IS Dð PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. PAPINE. PAPINE.
AYE. ADDIS. ADDIS AYE. ALANIZ.
ALVAREZ. BENNETT. BOND TO
GALLAGHER. GALLAGHER. AYE.
DAVIES DAVIES. AYE. GARCIA HART.
HART. AYE. THREE OF US. THREE OF
US. AYE. SCHIAVO. PHILIP PHILIP.
AYE. WEBER. WEBER. AYE I BELIEVE
WE HAVE ENOUGH VOTES. WE'LL KEEP
IT OPEN FOR, ADD ONS. ASSEMBLY
MEMBER PELLERIN, ITEM NUMBER
SEVEN. COME ON DOWN. ASSEMBLY
BILL 2103, DEALING WITH STATE
PARKS. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU. CHAIR
AND MEMBERS, I WILL ACCEPT THE
COMMITTEE'S AMENDMENTS, WHICH
ADD A FIVE YEAR SUNSET AND
ENSURE THAT STATE PARKS
PURCHASES PROPERTIES AT FAIR
MARKET VALUE FOLLOWING THE 2020
CCU LIGHTNING COMPLEX FIRE,
WHICH BURNED ACROSS THE ENTIRETY
OF BIG BASIN REDWOODS STATE PARK
AND PORTIONS OF SURROUNDING
PARKS, THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT
OF PARKS AND RECREATION
INITIATED A PLANNING PROCESS TO
REIMAGINE BIG BASIN REDWOODS. IN
THIS EFFORT, STATE PARKS HAS
PARTNERED WITH VARIOUS
CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS TO
IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE LAND
PARCELS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO
IMPROVING FOREST HEALTH,
CONNECTING LANDSCAPES, AND
BUILDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE.
CONSERVATION. NONPROFITS THAT
PARTNER WITH STATE PARKS OFTEN
PURCHASE PROPERTIES WITH THE
INTENTION AND SHARED GOAL WITH
STATE PARKS TO ULTIMATELY
TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF LAND
PARCELS TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR
LONG TERME PROTECTION. IN THE
CURRENT PROCESS OF STATE LAND
ACQUISITION, WHICH REQUIRES
APPROVAL BY THE PUBLIC WORKS
BOARD AND DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL
SERVICES, IS OFTEN DELAYED WHEN
CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS END
UP HAVING TO WAIT MANY MONTHS OR
EVEN YEARS TO TRANSFER PROPERTY
TO THE DEPARTMENT, IT CREATES
UNCERTAINTY FOR CONSERVATION
PARTNER ENTITIES REGARDING
WHETHER THE LAND THEY PURCHASED
WILL BE BROUGHT, BOUGHT OR
ACCEPTED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN A
TIMELY FASHION. THIS UNCERTAINTY
AND UNTIMELINESS WILL OFTEN
LEAVE ORGANIZATIONS IN A
VULNERABLE POSITION AS THEY MUST
CONTINUE TO OWN AND MANAGE HIGH
CONSERVATION VALUE LANDS FOR
LONG PERIODS OF TIME. AB 2103
WILL HELP PROVIDE CERTAINTY TO
ACQUISITION PARTNERS BY ADDING
PROPERTY ACQUIRED FOR BIG BASIN
REDWOODS, ANO NUEVO AND BUTANO
STATE PARKS TO THE LIST OF
EXEMPTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS
BOARD. PROCESS THIS BILL IS
NARROWED TO THE REGION DUE TO
THE NEED TO REBUILD AFTER THE
CCU FIRE AND BY SPEEDING UP THE
LAND ACQUISITION PROCESS. THIS
BILL SERVES AS A TOOL FOR
PERMANENTLY PROTECTING LANDS FOR
CONSERVATION, CULTURAL AND
RECREATIONAL PURPOSES, AS WELL
AS MEETING OUR CLIMATE GOALS
WITH ME TO TESTIFY IN SUPPORT
ARE RACHEL DAN FROM THE
SEMPERVIRENS FUND AND ABIGAIL
ABIGAIL SMITH, ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
FOUNDATION. THANK YOU. ASSEMBLY
MEMBER PELLERIN. GOOD MORNING,
CHAIR AND MEMBERS. MY NAME IS
RACHEL DAN. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AT
SEMPERVIRENS FUND. SEMPERVIRENS
FUND IS CALIFORNIA'S FIRST LAND
TRUST AND THE PROUD SPONSOR OF
AB 2103. FOR OVER 100 YEARS,
SEMPERVIRENS FUND HAS BEEN A
COMMITTED PARTNER WITH STATE
PARKS TO PROTECT AND CONNECT THE
REDWOOD FORESTS OF THE SANTA
CRUZ MOUNTAINS IN 2020, THE CCU
LIGHTNING COMPLEX FIRE BURNED
OVER THE ENTIRETY OF BIG BASIN
REDWOODS STATE PARK AS WELL AS
PORTIONS OF BUTANO AND ANO
NUEVO. IN THE WAKE OF THIS
CATASTROPHIC FIRE, STATE PARKS
INITIATED A PLANNING PROCESS TO
REIMAGINE THE FUTURE OF BIG
BASIN, CALIFORNIA WAS FIRST
STATE PARK. THE RESULTING VISION
IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO ACQUIRE
ADDITIONAL LAND TO SUPPORT THE
RELOCATION OF VISITOR SERVING
FACILITIES PREVIOUSLY LOCATED
WITHIN SOME OF THE MOST
ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE AREAS OF
THE PARK. THE VISION ALSO
IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO
STRENGTHEN THE LAND STATE,
LANDSCAPE CONNECTIVITY, IMPROVE
FOREST HEALTH, AND ENHANCE
CLIMATE RESILIENCY TO HELP
FULFILL THE REIMAGINING BIG
BASIN VISION, THE DEPARTMENT
PARTNERED WITH CONSERVATION
ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SANTA CRUZ
MOUNTAINS REGION, INCLUDING
SEMPERVIRENS FUND, TO DEVELOP A
TOOL FOR IDENTIFYING LAND
PARCELS ADJACENT TO, WITHIN OR
NEAR THE CURRENT BOUNDARIES OF
THESE STATE PARKS THAT ARE
ESSENTIAL TO REALIZING THIS
VISION. CONSERVATION
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE US ARE KEY
PARTNERS TO ACQUIRE THESE LANDS.
WE OFTEN NEED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO
PURCHASE AND PROTECT PARCELS,
WHICH WE THEN TRANSFER TO THE
DEPARTMENT. UNFORTUNATELY AS YOU
JUST HEARD, THE CURRENT PROCESS
FOR TRANSFERRING LAND TO STATE
PARKS IS DRAWN OUT AND CAN TAKE
YEARS. IN THE MEANTIME, PARTNERS
LIKE US ARE LIMITED IN OUR
ABILITY TO MANAGE AND PROTECT
ADDITIONAL Kò PARCELS. AB 2103
WILL PILOT A STREAMLINED PROCESS
FOR TRANSFERRING TRANSFERRING
LANDS ASSOCIATED WITH REBUILDING
BIG BASIN AND THE SURROUNDING
PARKS BY ALLOWING THE DEPARTMENT
TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY ON ITS OWN
BEHALF, MUCH LIKE THE WILDLIFE
CONSERVATION BOARD, THE
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
AND A NUMBER OF OTHER STATE
AGENCIES ALREADY DO, AB 2103 IS
A CRUCIAL STEP IN REBUILDING THE
PARKS THAT HAVE BEEN DECIMATED
BY CATASTROPHIC CLIMATE EVENTS
IN RECENT YEARS, AND FOR
FULFILLING THE VISION OF A
CONNECTED, CLIMATE RESILIENT AND
ACCESSIBLE STATE PARK SYSTEM IN
THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS. WE
RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR
SUPPORT TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. GOOD MORNING, ABIGAIL
SCHMIDT, ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
FOUNDATION, A MEMBER SUPPORTED
NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO
PROTECTING AND PRESERVING THE
CALIFORNIA STATE PARK SYSTEM FOR
THE BENEFIT OF ALL CALIFORNIA
STATE PARKS, ARE A CRITICAL
ROLE. THEY HAVE A CRITICAL ROLE
TO PLAY IN REACHING THE STATE'S
30 BY 30 CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND
OUTDOOR ACCESS GOALS. THEY COVER
1.6 MILLION ACRES OF PROTECTED
LAND AND ALMOST ONE QUARTER OF
THE CALIFORNIA COASTLINE. THEY
ARE AN INVALUABLE ASSET IN
CONSERVATION, HISTORICAL
PRESERVATION AND PROVIDING
PUBLIC ACCESS TO CALIFORNIA'S
INCREDIBLE LANDSCAPES. THIS
BILL, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED,
WOULD FOR A LIMITED TIME EXEMPT
LAND ACQUIRED FOR THE PURPOSE OF
REBUILDING AND REIMAGINING THE
OLDEST STATE PARK IN THE STATE,
AND BE ABLE TO MAKE IT MORE
CLIMATE RESILIENT AND BETTER
SERVE THE NEEDS OF ITS VISITORS.
AFTER THE DEVASTATING 2020 CCU
LIGHTNING COMPLEX FIRES, I'LL BE
BRIEF NOW THAT THE DETAILS HAVE
BEEN COVERED, BUT I'LL JUST SAY
THIS IS A VERY NARROWLY TAILORED
, AND REALLY EFFECTIVE WAY TO
REBUILD THIS PARK EFFICIENTLY,
AND WE HOPE THAT WE CAN USE THIS
TO EXPAND ACCESS AND CLIMATE
RESILIENCE IN THE SANTA CRUZ
MOUNTAINS SPECIFICALLY. THANK
YOU SO MUCH, DO WE HAVE FOLKS IN
THE AUDIENCE WHO WANT TO COME
DOWN AND EXPRESS THEIR SUPPORT?
CHAIR AND MEMBERS PAT MORAN WITH
AARON REED AND ASSOCIATES
REPRESENTING THE CALIFORNIA
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL
SCIENTISTS, UAW AND SUPPORT.
THANK YOU. HI. KRISTEN GORI, ON
BEHALF OF SAVE THE REDWOODS
LEAGUE, MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL
OPEN SPACE DISTRICT LAND TRUST
OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN SUPPORT.
THANK YOU. AND I KNOW YOU DON'T
HAVE ANY OPPOSITION THAT I'M
AWARE OF, SO WE WILL BRING IT
BACK TO THE COMMITTEE.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER ADAMS, I LOVE
THIS BILL. THANK YOU. IF YOU'RE
ACCEPTING COAUTHORS WOULD LOVE
TO COAUTHOR IF I'M NOT ALREADY
AND HAPPY TO MOVE THE BILL. ANY
OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? LET'S
SEE WHAT IT DOES. THAT'S WHAT I
GOT TO SAY. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE? I
RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR AYE
VOTE. THANK YOU ITEM NUMBER
SEVEN AB 2103. MOTION IS Dð.
PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS HAPPEN. I HAPPEN
I ADDIS ADDIS I ALANIS ALVAREZ.
BENNETT. BONTA. GALLAGHER
DAVIES. DAVIES I GARCIA. HART.
HART I THREE OF US THREE OF US I
SCHIAVO SCHIAVO I VILA DE VILLA
I WEBER. WEBER I GREAT. YOU
QUALIFIED. WE'LL LEAVE IT OPEN
FOR ADDITIONAL VOTES. THANK YOU,
THANK YOU. HAVE A GREAT DAY.
WE'RE GOING TO DO A LITTLE BIT
OF HOUSEKEEPING AND GET CAUGHT
UP ON SOME OF OUR VOTES HERE. SO
I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE
CLERK AND WE WILL GO THROUGH IN,
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF THE
AGENDA ITEMS, CONSENT CALENDAR.
ADDIS ADDIS I ALANIZ, ALVAREZ
ALVAREZ I GALLAGHER. DAVIES.
DAVIES. I LET'S SEE. ITEM NUMBER
ONE AB 1889. MOTION WAS Dð PASS
TO APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIZ DAVIES
. DAVIES I TWO OKAY, ITEM NUMBER
THREE AB 2038 QUIRK-SILVA Dð.
PASS. MOTION WAS Dð PASS, AS
AMENDED TO APPROPRIATIONS PAPPIN
I PAPPIN I ADDIS I ADDIS I
ALANIZ. ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ I.
BENNETT. BONTA. GALLAGHER
DAVIES. DAVIES I. GARCIA. HART
HART I THREE OF US. THREE OF US
I. SCHIAVO SCHIAVO I VILLA. LA.
VILLA I WEBER. WEBER I OKAY.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR AB 2060. SORIA.
MOTION WAS Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. PAPPIN I PAPPIN
I ADDIS. ADDIS I ALANIZ. ALVAREZ
I ALVAREZ I BENNETT. BONTA.
GALLAGHER. DAVIES DAVIES I.
GARCIA. HART LUCE. I'M SORRY.
HART I THREE OF US. THREE OF US
I SCHIAVO. SCHIAVO. I. VILLA
VILLA. PADUA I WEBER. WEBER I
OKAY. OKAY. WE DIDN'T HAVE A
MOTION FOR QUIRK-SILVA. SO DO WE
HAVE A MOTION? THIS MEMBER
DAVIES AND A SECOND ALVAREZ. HE
BEAT YOU TO IT. SO WE'RE GOING
TO RETAKE THAT VOTE. OKAY, ITEM
NUMBER THREE AB 2038 QUIRK-SILVA
MOTION IS Dð PASS, AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS PAPPIN A PAPPIN I
ADDIS. ADDIS I ALANIZ. ALVAREZ.
ALVAREZ I. BENNETT. BONTA
GALLAGHER. DAVIES. DAVIES I.
GARCIA. HART. HART I THREE OF US
I THREE OF US I. SCHIAVO.
SCHIAVO I VILLA. VILLA. PADUA I.
WEBER. WEBER I. ALL RIGHT. YEAH.
LET'S GET US CAUGHT UP AS WE
CAN. WE NEED A MOTION. WE NEED A
MOTION AND A SECOND FOR, AB
2060, WHICH IS SORIA. GREAT,
BILL. I'LL MOVE IT. SECOND FROM
HART. AB 2060, SORIA. MOTION IS
DUE. PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
PAPPIN A PAPPIN I ADDIS. ADDIS I
ALANIZ. ALVAREZ BENNETT. BONTA.
GALLAGHER DAVIES. DAVIES I HART.
HART I THREE OF US. THREE OF US
I SHIAVO. SCHIAVO I. VILLA
VILLA. PADUA I. WEBER. WEBER I.
THAT ONE'S OUT AS WELL. OKAY WE
CAN KEEP GOING, I THINK. OKAY.
ITEM NUMBER FIVE AB 2079.
BENNETT MOTION WAS Dð PASS AS
AMENDED TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ADDIS. ADDIS I ALANIS ALVAREZ.
GALLAGHER. DAVIES. DAVIES. NO
OKAY. ITEM NUMBER SIX AB 2091.
MOTION WAS DUE. PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. LAS BENNETT
DAVIES. DAVIES I SCHIAVO.
SCHIAVO. I ITEM NUMBER SEVEN AB
2103 DO PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIZ. ALVAREZ
BENNETT. BONTA. GALLAGHER
GARCIA. OKAY, SO WE DIDN'T HAVE
THOSE FOLKS. OKAY. AND ITEM
NUMBER EIGHT, AB 2330 HOLDEN
MOTION WAS Dð PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIZ ALVAREZ.
BENNETT. BONTA. GARCIA SCHIAVO.
SCHIAVO. I.
AB 2443 ASSEMBLY MEMBER CARRILLO
DEALING WITH JOSHUA TREE. DO YOU
HAVE A MOTION FROM DAVIES? A
SECOND. SECOND. FROM
ASSEMBLYMEMBER HART. THANK YOU.
ITEM NUMBER TEN AB 2443. MOTION
IS Dð PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. PAPINE. PAPINE I
ADDIS. ADDIS I ALANIS ALVAREZ AS
BENNETT. BENNETT I BONTA.
GALLAGHER. DAVIES. DAVIES I
GARCIA. HART. HART I THREE OF US
RIVAS I SCHIAVO. SCHIAVO I
VILLA. VILLA. PADUA I WEBER.
WEBER I. GIBSON. AND HEARD
HARTSVILLE'S MADE A MOTION FOR
TWO FIVE. OKAY. GREAT SUM MEMBER
HART. AB 2558. DEALING WITH
WATERWAYS AND FISH. DO WE HAVE A
MOTION? ADDIS MOTION SECOND BY
DAVIES. LET'S TAKE A VOTE.
HAPPEN. I ITEM NUMBER 12 AB
2558. MOTION IS DUE. PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. PAPINE. PAPINE I
ADDIS. ADDIS I ALANIS. ALVAREZ.
BENNETT. BENNETT I BONTA.
GALLAGHER. DAVIES. DAVIES. I
GARCIA. HART. HART I THREE OF
US. THREE OF US I. SCHIAVO.
SCHIAVO I VILLA. PADUA I WEBER.
HI. WEBER. I OKAY. SO WE NEED A
MOTION FOR THE BILL. WELL, THIS
IS THE FIRST ONE WE DID. AB 2643
IS SOME MEMBER WOOD DEALING WITH
CANNABIS AND RESTORATION. ADDIS
MOTION SECOND BY HART. ITEM
NUMBER 14 AB 2643. MOTION WAS
DUE PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS
PAPINE A PAPINE I ADDIS ADDIS I
ALANIS ALVAREZ. BENNETT. BENNETT
I BONTA. GALLAGHER. DAVIES.
DAVIES I GARCIA. HART. HART I
THREE OF US. THREE OF US I
SCHIAVO. SCHIAVO I VILA. PADUA
VILLA. PADUA I WEBER. WEBER I.
OKAY. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE. IF I MAY
, I MIGHT HAVE GIVEN THE WRONG
VOTE. DID YOU GO AB 1889?
FRIEDMAN? WAS THAT THE FIRST ONE
YOU CALLED OUT? YES WILDLIFE
CROSSINGS. YOU WERE LISTED AS AN
AYE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHANGE?
NO. CHANGE TO. NO. NO. THANK
YOU. OKAY. DAVIES. I TO NO AB
ITEM NUMBER ONE AB 1889 OKAY.
THANK YOU. OKAY. SO MEMBER
GIBSON, TAKE IT AWAY. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR. AND
MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING
ME TO PRESENT ASSEMBLY BILL
2465. THIS BILL AIMS TO
PRIORITIZE AND PROVIDE FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE TO SOCIALLY
DISADVANTAGED GROUPS BY
INCENTIVIZING EXISTING
ORGANIZATIONS TO DIVERSIFY,
THEIR, GOVERNING BODY BY
EMPOWERING DIVERSE LED
ORGANIZATIONS. AB 2465 AIMS TO
INTEGRATE THEM INTO CALIFORNIA'S
CLIMATE AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
WORKFORCE. THERE ARE EVIDENCE
FUNDING DISPARITY BETWEEN
DIVERSE LED ORGANIZATIONS AND
THOSE THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY
THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT FUNDING
DISPARITIES BETWEEN DIVERSE LED
ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHERS. FOR
INSTANCE, AFRICAN AMERICANS OR
BLACK AND LATINO NONPROFIT LED
LED, NONPROFIT LEADERS EXCUSE
ME, RECEIVE ONLY ABOUT 4% OF THE
PHILANTHROPIC FUNDS IN THE
UNITED STATES. DESPITE COMPARING
APPROXIMATELY 10% NONPROFIT
LEADERSHIP NATIONWIDE, ACCORDING
TO THE BRIDGESPAN ANALYSIS, THE
UNRESTRICTED NET ASSET FOR BLACK
LED ORGANIZATIONS ARE 76%
SMALLER, SMALLER THAN THEIR
COUNTERPARTS, AND THE AVERAGE
PERCENT OF REVENUES WAS LESS
THAN HALF THIS. THIS INEQUITY
IS, ACCESS THAT, IS CERTAINLY
CONCERNING, WHEN IT COMES DOWN
TO THE FUNDING THAT EXISTS AND
WE UNDERSTAND THAT CORRELATIONS
TO TRUST ABSOLUTELY MATTERS.
DIVERSE LED ORGANIZATIONS FACE
MULTIPLE CHALLENGES, SUCH AS
FEWER STAFF, SMALLER BUDGETS AND
LESS FUNDING, LEADING TO THEM
BEING REDLINED. A TERME
INDICATING, SEVERE UNDERFUNDING
AND A LACK OF SUPPORT. ASSEMBLY
BILL 2465. SUPPOSE A PURPOSE
THREE Kò POLICY CHANGES TO
ENHANCE QUALITY AND GOVERNMENTAL
FUNDINGS AND GRANTS TOWARDS
THESE PROGRAMS INVOLVING AND
FOCUSING ON ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE, AGRICULTURE, URBAN
FORESTRY, LAND ACQUISITION AND
WATERSHED IMPROVEMENT, WITH A
SUNSET DATE OF JANUARY THE 1ST,
2031 FIRST, THE STATE AGENCY
WOULD BE MANDATED TO AWARD
PREFERENCE POINTS TO NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS WITH A MAJORITY OF
THEIR BOARD MEMBERS COMING FROM
DISADVANTAGED GROUPS. SECOND,
STATE AGENCIES WOULD, WOULD
BEAR, WOULD BE BARRED FROM
PENALIZING SOCIALLY
DISADVANTAGED ORGANIZATIONS THAT
LACK MATCHING FUNDS FOR GRANT
REQUEST. LASTLY, SOCIALLY
DISADVANTAGED ORGANIZATIONS, HIS
HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IS
CONSIDERED IN THIS PARTICULAR
BILL THAT WOULD REQUIRE AND THEM
TO DEMONSTRATE COMPETITIVE
COMPARABLE PROJECTS BY BY STATE
AGENCIES HERE TO SUPPORT THIS
BILL IS CHARLES THOMAS, CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF UPWARD
OUTWARD BOUND VENTURES, AS WELL
AS DARRYL LUCIAN, DIRECTOR OF
CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN
WATER EDUCATION FUND. MADAM
CHAIR MEMBERS DARRYL LUCIAN,
HERE TESTIFYING ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN
WATER EDUCATION FOUNDATION AND,
40 ACRE CONSERVATION LEAGUE,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE STATE'S
FIRST, BLACK LED LAND
CONSERVANCIES, WE'RE REALLY
THANKFUL TO BE HERE, REALLY
THANKFUL FOR THE CONSIDERATION
THAT THIS BILL IS RECEIVING, WE
HAVE A VERY BOLD MANDATE WITH 30
BY 30 AND MANY OF OUR, BUILDING
DECARBONIZATION GOALS AND THE
LIKE. AND AND THESE ARE ALL
EFFORTS THAT REALLY REQUIRE ALL
OF US. IT REQUIRES EVERYONE'S
INNOVATIVE THINKING, WITH
RESPECT TO THE CHALLENGES THAT
WE FACE AS A STATE. AND SO WHAT
THIS BILL REALLY EFFECTIVELY
DOES IS IT TAKES THIS, GRANT
GUIDELINES THAT ARE PROMULGATED
BY STATE AGENCIES WHEN THEY, ARE
GIVEN FUNDING BY YOU ALL TO, TO
GRANT OUT. AND WE DID IS WE
BASICALLY, WITH THE HELP OF SOME
OF THE CO-SPONSORS, WE WENT
THROUGH ALL OF THE GRANT
GUIDELINES AND WE TOOK OUT ALL
OF THE BEST PRACTICES THAT ARE
CONTAINED WITHIN EACH OF THE
EXISTING GRANT GUIDELINES AND
PUT THEM IN A BILL, AND WHEN WE
SAY BEST PRACTICES, WHAT WE
REALLY ARE DRILLING DOWN ON IS
BEST PRACTICES FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF EQUITY AND
INCLUSION AND IN DIVERSITY. AND
SO THAT'S REALLY THE BILL THAT
IS PRESENT BEFORE YOU, EVEN
PRIOR TO THAT, AS WE HAD
EMBARKED ON THIS EFFORT, WE WERE
WELL INTO THE LEGISLATIVE
SESSION LAST YEAR AND WE WEREN'T
ABLE TO OR WE DIDN'T TRY, BUT WE
WEREN'T ABLE TO GET A BILL
INTRODUCED BECAUSE OF THAT. AND
SO WHAT WE DID IS, THE, I
BELIEVE IT WAS ASSEMBLY MEMBER
TINA MCKENNA OFFERED AUTHORED
H.R. 32, WHICH COMMEMORATED
BLACK CONSERVATION WEEK, BUT
EVEN WITHIN THAT RESOLUTION,
THAT SPECIFIC RESOLUTION
REQUESTED THAT STATE AGENCIES
MAKE MEANINGFUL TAKE MEANINGFUL
STEPS TO, DIVERSIFY WHERE THESE
GRANT AWARDS ARE GOING SO THAT
WE CAN REACH THAT, WHAT WE'D
LIKE TO THINK OF AS SORT OF
CRITICAL MASS OF CALIFORNIANS
WHO ARE REALLY DOING THE
IMPORTANT CLIMATE WORK THAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND SO THIS
BILL REALLY SORT OF IMPLEMENTS
THAT RESOLUTION AND THAT
RESOLUTION IMPLEMENTS, THE
COLLECTIVE BEST PRACTICES AMONG
EXISTING STATE AGENCIES FOR
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION. SO
HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. THANK
YOU, FOR THE CONSIDERATION.
OKAY. DO WE HAVE, ME TWOS IN THE
AUDIENCE? PLEASE COME FORWARD.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS
I'M CHARLES THOMAS, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF OUTWARD BOUND
ADVENTURE, ONE OF THE STATE'S
BEST KEPT SECRETS. DID YOU GUYS
KNOW THAT THE OLDEST NONPROFIT
IN THE UNITED STATES DEDICATED
TO GETTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR
CONNECTED TO NATURE IS RIGHT
HERE IN YOUR HOME STATE, JUST
OUTSIDE THE LA AREA. I'M HERE IN
SUPPORT OF THE BILL, OBVIOUSLY,
AND I'M ALSO HERE TO MAKE ONE
THING CLEAR THAT THE BILL IS NOT
ASKING FOR ANY SPECIAL
PROVISION. IT IS ASKING TO
SUPPORT EQUITY. IN THIS CASE, MY
ORGANIZATION WAS ESTABLISHED IN
1959 AND THEN GOT ITS NAME IN
1962, REGISTERED IN 1962 BY A
FORMER TUSKEGEE AIRMAN, THE
FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE IN
THE SIERRA CLUB AND A TEACHER.
AND IT ACTUALLY STARTED IN
JACKIE ROBINSON'S HOME SCHOOL IN
PASADENA, MY PROGRAM OPERATES
FIVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. AND
BASICALLY WHAT WE DO IS WE
ENGAGE LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR, RACIALLY MARGINALIZED
COMMUNITIES, AND GETTING THEM
ENGAGED IN MEANINGFUL OUTDOOR
CONSERVATION WORK. WE HAVE
WORKED WITH ABOUT 90,000 PEOPLE
SINCE OUR INCEPTION. I
PERSONALLY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS
WORK FOR 45 YEARS. I HAVE BEEN A
RANGERS AIDE IN THE EARLY 70S. I
HAVE BEEN AN ECOLOGIST FOR THE
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. I HAVE
BEEN A ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST
FOR A CONSULTING FIRM, AND I
HAVE BEEN A NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE REGIONAL RANGER OVER THE
PACIFIC WEST REGION. AND DURING
MY TENURE AND ALL OF THOSE JOBS
THAT I'VE HAD, I STARTED WORKING
WHEN I WAS THREE, AS YOU CAN
SEE, DURING MY TIME AND ALL
THOSE JOBS I HAD, I WAS VERY
LONELY WHEN I LOOKED AROUND THE
ROOM TO SEE IF THERE WERE OTHERS
LIKE ME. BUT NOW I RUN CREWS, I
RUN CREWS OF GANG IMPACTED
NEIGHBORHOOD FOLKS, AND WE TEACH
THEM TO DO RESTORATION WORK. AND
I AM SEEING A BIG ISSUE WITH US
GETTING FUNDING. SO I DEEPLY,
DEEPLY SUPPORT THIS. I WANT YOU
TO KNOW THAT I HAVE TWO
APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAMS
THAT RUN OUT OF SOUTH LA AND GO
AS FAR AS SAN BERNARDINO. I'M
WRAPPING IT UP, I SEE YOU, THANK
YOU, AND I JUST WANT TO CLOSE
WITH THIS. THIS THIS BILL THAT
PROMOTES GREATER INCLUSION IN
CONSIDERATION OF PUTTING MORE
FOLKS AT WORK. THAT'S WHERE THE
RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD. WE
APPRECIATE IT. WE APPRECIATE
STATE ASSEMBLYMAN GIBSON'S
LEADERSHIP AND AUTHORING THIS
BILL. AND WE RESPECTFULLY
REQUEST AN AYE VOTE ON THIS
BILL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME. GOOD MORNING, KYLE
JONES WITH COMMUNITY WATER
CENTER LATINA LED ORGANIZATION
AND SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. AND I KNOW THERE'S
NO OPPOSITION. SO DO WE HAVE,
QUESTIONS FROM OR COMMENTS FROM
THE COMMITTEE, AS SOME OF YOU
WANTED TO THANK THE AUTHOR FOR
BRINGING THIS UP. I BELIEVE I'M
A COAUTHOR OF THIS, AND I WOULD
SECOND SECOND THE MOTION. THANK
YOU. DO WE HAVE A FIRST? THANK
YOU. SO, MEMBER WEBER, ANY OTHER
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES,
SENATOR. GOOD MORNING. I ALSO
JUST WANT TO THANK THE AUTHOR
AND THE SPONSORS FOR BRINGING
THIS BILL FORWARD TO HELP US
RECOGNIZE, YOU KNOW, THE FACT
THAT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT
ALL DIFFERENT AREAS, WITHIN OUR
STATE TO REPAIR A LOT OF THE
HARMS THAT WERE DONE, INCLUDING
ENSURING THAT THOSE WHO HAVE
BEEN HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED
IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO HAVE
AN ECONOMIC LEG UP WHEN OTHERS
WERE, PROVIDED OFTENTIMES THINGS
FOR FREE. AND NOW TODAY WE SEE
THAT THEY HAVE AN ECONOMIC LEG
UP AND HAVE THE FINANCIAL
BACKING TO GET A LOT OF THESE
GRANTS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT
OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE NOT ABLE
TO HAVE. AND SO I JUST REALLY
WANT TO THANK THE AUTHOR AND THE
SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS FOR
BRINGING THIS FORWARD. SO THAT
WE CAN HAVE THIS DISCUSSION
WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SPACE
AS WELL. SO THANK YOU. THANK
YOU, SENATOR ADAMS. I, THIS BILL
IS SO REAL, HAVING FOUNDED AND
BEEN IN THE NONPROFIT WORLD AND
SEEING HOW CERTAIN GROUPS DO
HAVE A LEG UP, ESPECIALLY IF
THEY'VE HAD EXPERIENCE OR THEY
HAVE MONEY IN THE BANK ALREADY,
AND HOW THAT CAN REALLY WORK
AGAINST OTHER GROUPS THAT ARE
NEW BUT ARE DOING THE RIGHT WORK
, OR COME FROM DISADVANTAGED
COMMUNITIES AND ARE DOING THE
RIGHT WORK. AND IF YOU'RE TAKING
ADDITIONAL COAUTHORS WOULD BE
HONORED TO BE ADDED. THANK YOU.
DULY NOTED. ANYONE ELSE? THANK
YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS
IMPORTANT MATTER. SOMETIMES
MONEY CAN BE SO UNFRIENDLY AND
IT TAKES SO MUCH TO GET AT IT.
SO I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS WITH
THAT. LET'S TAKE A VOTE. OH,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE, I'LL
TAKE YOUR COMMENTS AS MY CLOSE.
OH YOU'RE TERRIFIC. THANK YOU.
ITEM NUMBER 11 AB 2465. MOTION
IS Dð PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
PAPINE. HI, CAPTAIN. I ADDIS I
ADDIS I ALANIZ. ALVAREZ. BENNETT
BONTA. GALLAGHER. DAVIES DAVIES.
NOT VOTING. GARCIA. HART HART I
THREE OF US. THREE OF US I
SCHIAVO. SCHIAVO I VILLA. PADUA
I WEBER. WEBER. I. WE'LL LEAVE
IT OPEN FOR THOSE THAT COME BACK
WISHING TO ADD ON. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, THANK YOU.
ASSEMBLY MEMBER RAMOS, SOME
MEMBER LACKEY WORK. SENATOR
RAMOS HAS BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO
LET YOU COME FORWARD. SO LET'S
GET YOU IN AND OUT OF HERE. THIS
IS ITEM NUMBER 15, DEALING WITH,
EXCUSE ME, 17. THE OTHER ONES ON
CONSENT. THANK YOU. ASSEMBLY
MEMBER DAVIES, LAND CONSERVATION
AND WILDLIFE. THANK YOU.
ASSEMBLY MEMBER. ADDIS. READY?
WE ARE READY FOR SAN BERNARDINO.
SAN BERNARDINO, READY FOR US.
THAT'S THE QUESTION. I DO HAVE
MAPS I COULD HAND OUT THAT MIGHT
HELP ME EXPLAIN. SAN BERDOO, WE
KNOW YOU. ALL RIGHT. GO FOR IT.
HAND THOSE OUT REAL QUICKLY.
THANK YOU. MADAM CHAIR AND
MEMBERS, FOR ALLOWING ME TO
PRESENT, AB 3182. I WANT TO
BEGIN BY THANKING THE COMMITTEE
FOR THEIR HARD WORK. AND OF
COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO ACCEPT
THE COMMITTEE'S AMENDMENTS. AND,
AS YOU CAN TELL, FOR THE LAST
TWO DAYS, I'VE HAD NO VOICE. AND
TO PRESERVE MY VOICE, I'M GOING
TO ALLOW MY PARTNER HERE TO
EXPLAIN THE BILL. GOOD MORNING,
COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M BRAD
JENSEN. I'M THE LEGISLATIVE
AFFAIRS DIRECTOR FOR SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTY. VERY PLEASED
TO TALK ABOUT THIS BILL TODAY, A
MAP HAS BEEN HANDED OUT AND I'LL
JUST GIVE A VERY BRIEF KIND OF
BACKGROUND ON A COMPLICATED
BILL. THIS IS A DISTRICT BILL
THAT ADDRESSES A 35 YEAR OLD
PROBLEM FOR SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTY, WE HAVE AN OLD JOKE IN
SAN BERNARDINO. WE ARE FAR FROM
GOD AND TOO CLOSE TO L.A, AND
THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE
HERE. BUT ONE OF THE INTERESTING
THINGS IS, IS THAT THIS IS
DEALING WITH SOME PARK LAND THAT
WAS PURCHASED WITH STATE PARK
BOND FUNDS FROM PROP 70 THAT WAS
PASSED IN 1988. SO I'LL REFER TO
THE MAP JUST TO TELL A VERY
QUICK STORY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
MAP, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A CORNER
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY IN
CHINO, AND IT'S RIGHT AT THE
CONFLUENCE OF ORANGE, LÀ,
RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES. SO IT'S VERY
INTERESTING AREA OF THE FOUR
CORNERS OF THE COUNTY, IN 1988,
WE GOT $20 MILLION OUT OF PROP
70, AND WE PURCHASED 366 ACRES
OF LAND THAT WE WANTED TO TURN
INTO A PARK. THE LAND THAT WE
PURCHASED IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE MAP. IT'S, YOU CAN SEE
KIND OF THREE SQUARES THAT ARE
KIND OF A BRIGHT YELLOW AND
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT LAND WAS NOT
CONTIGUOUS. IT WASN'T ADJACENT
TO ONE ANOTHER. IT WAS OLD DAIRY
LAND. IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN BACK
TO THE FUTURE, WHEN MARTY MCFLY
GOES BACK TO 1955, HE FINDS THAT
HIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS JUST A WHOLE
BUNCH OF FARMLAND. WELL, THAT
WAS FILMED IN CHINO AND IT
CERTAINLY NO LONGER LOOKS LIKE
THAT TODAY. BUT INITIALLY, THE
LAND WAS PURCHASED IN ORDER TO
PRESERVE THE AGRICULTURAL
HISTORY OF THE AREA. AND
UNFORTUNATELY, OVER THE YEARS,
WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO PUT THE
LAND TOGETHER OR FIND A WAY TO
USE IT FOR PARKS. SO 15 YEARS
AGO, A LAW WAS PASSED, SB 1124
THAT AMENDED PROP 70, AND OUR
COUNTY ESSENTIALLY OPERATES
UNDER THAT STRUCTURE THAT WAS
CREATED. IT CREATED A VERY KIND
OF STRICT SET OF STEPS THAT THE
COUNTY MUST FOLLOW TO DEVELOP A
LAND PLAN. IT ALLOWS US TO SELL
THE PARKLAND THAT WE HAD
PURCHASED BACK IN THE IN THE
EARLY 90S, AND BE ABLE TO TAKE
THE FUNDS AND USE IT WITHIN WHAT
WE CALL THE CHINO AGRICULTURAL
PRESERVE. THAT PRESERVE IS
INDICATED BY THE RED LINES THAT
YOU SEE ON THE MAP. AND SO WHAT
WE HAVE DONE OVER THE YEARS IS
WE HAVE SOLD SOME OF OUR
PROPERTIES AND PURCHASED
REPLACEMENT PROPERTY THAT WE ARE
HOLDING AS OPEN SPACE NEXT TO
PRADO REGIONAL PARK. THAT'S AT
THE BOTTOM OF THE MAP THERE.
WE'VE BOUGHT ROUGHLY 475 ACRES
THERE THAT WE PLAN TO USE AND
HOLD IN PERPETUITY AS OPEN SPACE
CONSERVATION THÀNH. IT WILL BE A
WILDLIFE HABITAT AND HAVE SOME
TRAILS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
HOWEVER, THE LAND THAT WE
ORIGINALLY PURCHASED IS NOW MUCH
MORE VALUABLE THAN WHEN WE
BOUGHT IT BACK IN THE LATE 80S.
AND SO WE WOULD WISH TO SELL
THAT AND THEN REPURPOSE IT AND
BE ABLE TO USE THOSE PROCEEDS
FOR VERY SUBSTANTIAL PARK AND
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS
WITHIN THE CHINO AREA. WHAT WE
FIND IS WE HAVE A 2200 ACRE PARK
IN PRADO THAT WE ARE STRUGGLING
TO GET PEOPLE TO COME AND USE.
THE AMENITIES ARE NOT TERRIFIC,
WE'RE VERY RESTRICTED BECAUSE
IT'S IN A FLOODPLAIN. SO WE HAVE
TO HAVE VERY LIMITED TYPES OF
INVESTMENT THERE. AND WE ALSO
ARE SUBJECT TO A LOT OF
FLOODING. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE
IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ROAD AND TO
IMPROVE ACCESS FOR OUR RESIDENTS
. SO WHAT THIS BILL DOES IS IT
AMENDS 1124. IT AUTHORIZES THE
COUNTY TO USE THE SALE, PROCEEDS
TO USE IT, AND INVEST IT IN A
VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PARK AND
RECREATION PURPOSES. AND SO IT
IS RATHER COMPLICATED TO
EXPLAIN, BUT WE ARE REALLY
HOPING THAT THIS BILL WILL
RESOLVE THIS ISSUE, THAT WE'VE
HAD FOR 35 YEARS. AND WE
APPRECIATE VERY MUCH THE
ANALYSIS THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER.
WE'VE HAD SOME VERY POSITIVE
CONVERSATIONS WITH STEPHANIE,
AND WE ARE ACCEPTING THE
AMENDMENTS AND WOULD APPRECIATE
AN AYE VOTE TODAY. OKAY. DO WE
HAVE ANYBODY FROM THE AUDIENCE
WHO'S IN FAVOR? MADAM CHAIR
MEMBERS GENE HEARST HERE TODAY
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF
RIVERSIDE, IN SUPPORT. MADAM
CHAIR AND MEMBERS, AMY JENKINS,
ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF ONTARIO
AND ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS CHAIRMAN DON WAGNER.
MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE, PAUL GONSALVES, ON
BEHALF OF THE CITY OF CHINO IN
SUPPORT. MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS.
ROSS BUCKLEY, ON BEHALF OF SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTY TRANSPORTATION
AUTHORITY AND SUPPORT CHAIR. AND
MEMBERS DON WILCOX WITH THE
CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE OF
CARPENTERS AND SUPPORT, NATALIA
WITH CRUZ STRATEGIES ON BEHALF
OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
ASSOCIATIONS OF GOVERNMENTS AND
SUPPORT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I
KNOW THERE'S NO OPPOSITION ON
FILE. I CAN BRING IT BACK TO THE
COMMITTEE. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY,
I'VE JUST GOT A FEW REMARKS
BEFORE I LET YOU CLOSE. IF I
MAY, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR
TAKING THE AMENDMENTS TO THE
RETURN STATE PARKS OVERSIGHT
OVER THE SPENDING OF THOSE FUNDS
. I RESPECT THE EFFORTS OF THE
AUTHOR AND SPONSORS TO USE THESE
PROPOSITION FUNDS FOR BENEFICIAL
PARK AND RECREATIONAL PURPOSE IN
THE UNIQUE POSITION YOU FIND
YOURSELVES IN, ESPECIALLY
CONSIDERING MY OWN BACKGROUND IN
LOCAL GOVERNMENT. IT IS A
BLESSING, CERTAINLY, TO HAVE
LAND THAT'S GONE UP IN VALUE, I
THINK WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL,
THOUGH, IN CONSIDERING HOW WE
ALLOW NEW USERS OF THIS MONEY.
NEW USES OF THIS MONEY THAT WAS
APPROVED BY THE VOTERS BECAUSE
OF YOUR COMMITMENT THAT YOU'VE
REPRESENTED TO WORK WITH
COMMITTEE STAFF. THIS BILL HAS A
DUE PASS, AS AMENDED. AND,
RECOMMENDATION TODAY. BUT I DO
RESERVE THE RIGHT, PERHAPS TO
CHANGE AND NOT VOTE WITH THE
BILL ONCE IT GETS TO THE FLOOR.
SO LET'S SEE HOW WE WORK OUR WAY
THROUGH THE SYSTEM, WITH THAT,
DO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A
SECOND? YES, MOTION. SORRY,
DAVIES. AND THERE WAS A SECOND
BY ADDIS. THANK YOU. SO WE'LL GO
AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE. DO YOU
WANT TO CLOSE? I JUST WANT TO,
THANK MY PARTNER HERE, BRAD
JENSEN. AND SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES LED AFFAIRS DIRECTOR.
AND I WOULD ASK FOR YOUR
SUPPORT. WE ALSO HAVE TWO
CONGRESSIONAL, SUPPORT LETTERS
AS WELL. THANK YOU, MR.
ASSEMBLY. MOORLACH. LET'S TAKE A
VOTE ITEM NUMBER 17, AB 3182.
MOTION IS DUE. PASS AS AMENDED
TO APPROPRIATIONS PAPINE.
PAPINE. AYE. ADDIS. ADDIS. AYE.
ALANIS AYE. ALANIS. AYE.
ALVAREZ. BENNETT BONTA. AYE.
BONTA. AYE. GALLAGHER. DAVIES
DAVIES. AYE. GARCIA. HART. HART
AYE. THREE OF US. SHIAVO.
SHIAVO. AYE VÆ. LAPUA. LAPUA.
AYE. WEBER. WEBER AYE. OKAY.
THANK YOU. GOT ENOUGH VOTES AND
WE'LL LEAVE THE ROLL OPEN FOR
ADDITIONAL ADD ONS. THANK YOU.
SO, MEMBER RAMOS, COME ON DOWN.
OKAY. THIS IS ITEM NUMBER LUCKY
NUMBER 13. AND. DEALING WITH
TRIBAL WATER USE. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ACCOMMODATION,
ASSEMBLYMEMBER. ROBERTS.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER. LACKEY. NO
PROBLEM. MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. TODAY
I'M PRESENTING AB 2614, A BILL
THAT WOULD ADD TRIBAL CULTURAL
USE OF WATER TO THE EXISTING
STATE. BENEFICIAL USE OF WATER
STATUTE, TRIBAL BENEFICIAL USAGE
FOR CALIFORNIA TRIBES SINCE TIME
IMMEMORIAL HAVE BEEN STEWARDS OF
THEIR ENVIRONMENT, WATERWAYS AND
BODIES OF WATER HAVE AN
IMPORTANT CULTURAL ASPECT AND
MUST BE TREATED AS SUCH A
RESOURCE TRIBE CONTINUES TO
HARVEST PLANTS FOR DIFFERENT
CEREMONIES. WE JUST CONDUCTED ON
OUR RESERVATION OUR YUCCA
HARVEST THIS LAST WEEKEND, SO
WATER IS DEFINITELY CONNECTED TO
THE PLANT LIFE THAT KEEPS
RESOURCE TRIBES MOVING FORWARD
WITH THEIR CULTURAL CEREMONIES.
AN EXISTING STATE STATUTE,
BENEFICIAL USES OF WATER, HAVE
BEEN PROTECTED AND REQUIRED TO
BE PROTECTED BY LOCAL WATER
AUTHORITIES AND THE STATE WATER
BOARD WHEN CALIFORNIA'S FIRST
PEOPLE ARE NOT AT THE TABLE.
WHEN THESE DISCUSSIONS ARE BEING
HAD, CULTURAL IMPACTS IS
SOMETHING THAT SOMETIMES ARE
IRREVERSIBLE AND RESOURCES ARE
DEPLETED AS WE GO OUT AND STILL
GATHER THE PLANT LIFE AND THINGS
FOR OUR BASKETS AND THINGS TO
MOVE FORWARD, TO TEACH DOWN FOR
GENERATION TO GENERATION. AN
EXAMPLE OF NOT HAVING TRIBAL
VOICES AT THE TABLE IS A LONG
395. THE OLANCHA AREA THAT
CONTINUES TO TRY TO RECOVER FROM
DEPLETION. THIS BILL WOULD ADD
THE REQUIREMENT FOR TRIBAL
CULTURAL USES TO BE VIEWED IN
THE SAME MANNER IN MAKING THIS
ADDITION, THE STATE CAN CORRECT
A LONG STANDING INJUSTICE THAT
TRIBES HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN
LEFT OUT OF THE CONVERSATION AS
IT RELATES TO WATER RESOURCE AND
USES. TRIBES CAN FULFILL THEIR
SACRED DUTIES OF BEING STEWARDS
OF THE LAND IN WHICH THEY ARE
TRADITIONALLY TIED TO ONE OF
THESE AREAS OF STAYING CONNECTED
TO THE LAND INCLUDES
CALIFORNIA'S FIRST PEOPLE VOICE
IN THE PROCESS AT THE TABLE.
EVEN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
MOVED FORWARD WITH A CONSCIENCE
TO DO A FORMAL APOLOGY TO THE
CALIFORNIA INDIAN PEOPLE. I I
COMMENTED, I AM COMMITTED TO
WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND
ADDRESSING CONCERNS ABOUT THE
BILL MOVING FORWARD. AND, MADAM
CHAIR, WE DID HAVE A MEETING,
YESTERDAY IN MY OFFICE WHERE WE
TALKED ABOUT THE ISSUES AND SOME
AREAS THAT STILL NEEDED TO BE
VETTED OUT. WE WERE THEN AND
STILL AM IN FAVOR OF ACCEPTING
ONE OF THOSE AMENDMENTS, BUT I
DO UNDERSTAND THAT NOW THOSE
AMENDMENTS AREN'T ON THE TABLE.
SO AS AN AUTHOR OF THE BILL THAT
I AM GOING TO BE MOVING FORWARD
AT A FUTURE TIME TO INCLUDE THAT
AMENDMENT INTO THE AREA, THE
OTHER AMENDMENT THAT DEALT WITH
REGULATION VERSUS STATUTE, WHAT
I WANT TO DO IS ASK FOR MORE
TIME TO WORK THROUGH THAT ISSUE
AND BRING PEOPLE TO THE TABLE,
WATER AGENCIES AND TRIBES TO
WORK THROUGH SOME OF THOSE
DISAGREEMENTS THAT ARE THERE.
THAT'S THE ASK TODAY TO BE ABLE
TO MOVE THAT THIS BILL FORWARD
WITH ME TO TESTIFY ON THE BILL
TODAY AS VICE CHAIR. MELISSA
TAYABA, OF THE SHINGLE SPRINGS
BAND OF MIWOK INDIANS, THE
SPONSOR OF THE BILL AND MAX
GOLDBERG FOR ANY TECHNICAL
QUESTIONS. GOOD MORNING,
CHAIRWOMAN AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS, MY NAME IS MELISSA
TAYABA. I AM THE VICE CHAIR AND
DIRECTOR OF TRADITIONAL
ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR SHINGLE
SPRINGS BAND OF MIWOK INDIANS,
WE ARE THE SPONSOR OF AB 2614,
WHICH WOULD ESTABLISH TRIBAL
BENEFICIAL USES OF WATER AND
STATUTE. I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU
FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING
FORWARD THIS VERY IMPORTANT
MEASURE THAT SEEKS TO
ADEQUATELY, ADEQUATELY,
HOLISTICALLY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY
PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR TRIBAL
COMMUNITIES. IN RECENT YEARS, WE
HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY
CONCERNED ABOUT OUR DEGRADED
CONDITIONS IN OUR RIVERS, WHICH
IMPACT THE ABILITY OF OUR PEOPLE
TO MAINTAIN CULTURE, TRADITION
AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY. OUR PEOPLE
HAVE RELIED UPON THESE WATERWAYS
AND THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
CONNECTED TO THEM SINCE LONG
BEFORE EUROPEAN COLONIZATION. WE
HAVE ALSO HEARD SIMILAR CONCERNS
FROM OTHER TRIBES STATEWIDE, AND
DETERMINED THAT CURRENT STATE
EFFORTS TO PROTECT TRIBAL WATER
USES ARE INSUFFICIENT, WHICH IS
WHY WE ARE PURSUING LEGISLATION.
AB 2614 WOULD PLACE TRIBAL WATER
USES ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH
OTHER STATEWIDE BENEFICIAL USES
OF WATER, SUCH AS RECREATION AND
ESTHETIC ENJOYMENT. A STATUTORY
DESIGNATION WOULD ENSURE THAT
STATE REGULATORS UNDERSTAND AND
PROTECT THE WATER USES OF ALL
CALIFORNIA TRIBES. ADDITIONALLY,
THE BILL WOULD CREATE IMPROVED
FRAMEWORKS FOR STATE AGENCIES TO
CONSULT WITH TRIBES AND BENEFIT
FROM THEIR KNOWLEDGE WHEN
SETTING WATER QUALITY STANDARDS.
FURTHER MORE, IT WOULD ALLOW THE
LEGISLATURE TO TRACK PROGRESS ON
IMPLEMENTATION OF TRIBAL
BENEFICIAL USES AND EVALUATE
WHETHER REGULATIONS CONFORM TO
STATUTORY POLICY DIRECTIVES.
THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE
EXISTING PROCESS. AFTER YEARS OF
WORKING WITH STATE WATER BOARD
AND REGIONAL BOARDS, THERE HAS
BEEN LITTLE MOVEMENT ON A
STATEWIDE AND REGIONAL LEVEL TO
DESIGNATE, ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT
TRIBAL BENEFICIAL USES AND TO
SET WATER QUALITY STANDARDS THAT
PROTECT THE WAY TRIBES UNIQUE
USE OUR WATERWAYS. FROM OUR
PERSPECTIVE, IT APPEARS THE
WATER BOARD'S INCENTIVE IS TO
NOT ACT. ACT DUE TO VARIOUS
POLITICAL ACTORS THAT DO NOT
WANT TO ADD TRIBAL WATER USES
INTO THE MIX OF BENEFICIAL USES
THAT MUST BE PROTECTED THROUGH
REGULATIONS. THIS IS
UNACCEPTABLE. ALL WE ARE ASKING
THAT TRIBAL WATER USES BE PUT ON
EQUAL FOOTING WITH OTHER
STATEWIDE BENEFICIAL USES, AND
WE FEEL OUR ONLY RECOURSE IS TO
BRING THE ISSUE TO YOU, THE
LEGISLATURE, BECAUSE THE STATE
BOARD AND REGIONAL BOARDS
PROCESS IS FAILING US. THE STATE
HAS MADE SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN
RESPECTING TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY
AND ADDRESSING CENTURIES OF
IMPACTS FROM COLONIZATION TO
PRESENT. HOWEVER, TRIBES STILL
FACE STRUCTURAL DISADVANTAGES
AND INEQUITIES WHEN IT COMES TO
WATER. MANY TRIBES ARE STILL NOT
BEING HEARD AND VALUED. ALL
TRIBES DESERVE STATE ACTION TO
HELP MAINTAIN OUR WAYS OF LIFE.
THIS BILL REPRESENTS AN
IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS
PROTECTING ALL TRIBAL WATER USES
FOR ALL CALIFORNIA TRIBES. THANK
YOU, DO WE HAVE ANY METOOS IN
THE AUDIENCE? PLEASE COME
FORWARD. OKAY OKAY, ALEX LIEBER,
ON BEHALF OF CALIFORNIA TROUT
AND STRONG SUPPORT. THANK YOU.
FRANK MOLINA, ON BEHALF OF THE
SANTA ANA SPANISH CHUMASH
INDIANS IN STRONG SUPPORT. KIM
DELFINO, REPRESENTING DEFENDERS
OF WILDLIFE IN SUPPORT. GABRIELA
FAZIO, THE SIERRA CLUB,
CALIFORNIA, IN STRONG SUPPORT.
KYLE JONES WITH COMMUNITY WATER
CENTER AND ALSO ON BEHALF OF
CLEAN WATER ACTION AND
LEADERSHIP, COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE
AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT.
THANK YOU. NATALIE BROWN WITH
THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION
LEAGUE IN SUPPORT. THANK YOU.
DON'T TOUCH. BUT I TOUCHED IT.
I'M SORRY. MY NAME IS B¢O
NAZARIAN. I'M CHAIRMAN OF MARINE
KHAN RESERVATION AND ALSO
PRESIDENT OF THE SAN LUIS REY
INDIAN WATER AUTHORITY,
CONSISTING OF FIVE TRIBES ON THE
SAN LUIS REY RIVER. THE SAN LUIS
REY WATER AUTHORITY IS THE
OLDEST ANY WATER AUTHORITY IN
THE UNITED STATES. THE I HAD A
GOOD DISCUSSION WITH CHAIRMAN
ESQUIVEL OF THE WATER BOARD THIS
MORNING, WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE
THIS? I'M NOT, HE SAID. HE'S NOT
TAKING A STAND AT THIS POINT,
BUT HE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH
ANY ISSUE THAT MAY ARISE. AND I
WOULD ASK THIS BODY TO MOVE THE
BILL FORWARD SO WE COULD WORK
AND COME TO CONCLUSION, WITH
POSITIVE RESULTS. OUR TRIBES
NEED TO CLARIFY THIS, AND THIS
IS THE WAY TO DO IT. WHAT IS
BENEFICIAL USES TO OUR PEOPLE,
WE NEED THAT. AND I ASK YOUR
BOARD, I COULD SAY, YOU KNOW,
I'M PROUD OF THIS GROUP AND THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THEY'RE THE
ONLY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES.
BUT CALIFORNIA IS THE ONLY STATE
IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGH THE
SIGMA LEGISLATION RECOGNIZED
FEDERAL RESERVE WATER RIGHTS.
AND WE THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYONE
ELSE? OKAY. AND I DON'T HAVE ANY
REGISTERED OPPOSITION. IS THERE
OPPOSITION WOULD LIKE TO COME
TO? THERE IS OPPOSITION. EXCUSE
ME. TIME FLIES. I'LL MOVE
MOTION. I HAVE NONE ON FILE.
GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR. AND
MEMBERS. BOB RIEBE THREE
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ON BEHALF
OF EL DORADO IRRIGATION DISTRICT
AND VALLEY WATER COALITION,
WHICH ARE REFERENCED IN YOUR
COMMITTEE ANALYSIS. SO THIS IS A
COMPLEX ISSUE. IF THIS BILL
SIMPLY ADDED TRIBAL WATER USES
TO THE DEFINITION OF BENEFICIAL
USES IN THE WATER CODE, MY
CLIENTS WOULD HAVE NO OBJECTION
TO THE BILL. BUT IT GOES MUCH,
MUCH FARTHER THAN THAT, WE
CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE
FRUSTRATION THE SPONSOR FEELS
REGARDING THE PACE OF WORK BY
THE STATE BOARD AND THE REGIONAL
BOARDS, THAT SAID, THIS BILL
GOES FAR BEYOND THAT WHICH OUR
CLIENTS BELIEVE IS NECESSARY,
THIS BILL WOULD PLACE THE HAND
OF THE LEGISLATURE ON THE SCALE
TOWARDS WHAT YOU HEARD.
PROTECTION OF TRIBAL WATER USES.
NOW STATE LAW AND THE WATER
QUALITY LAWS THAT GO BACK TO
1969 AND THE PORTER-COLOGNE
WATER QUALITY CONTROL ACT DO
DIRECT THE REGIONAL AND STATE
BOARDS, PROVIDE REASONABLE
PROTECTION TO BENEFICIAL USES OF
WATER, BUT THEY ALSO RECOGNIZE
THAT SOME OF THOSE USES MAY BE
DIMINISHED TO SOME EXTENT
WITHOUT UNREASONABLE AFFECTING
THAT BENEFICIAL USE AND SO WHEN
YOU HAVE THE WATER QUALITY
CONTROL PLANS, THEY THEN LOOK TO
IMPLEMENTATION THAT AFFECTS
WATER RIGHTS. AND THERE'S A LOT
OF PEOPLE THAT ARE FRUSTRATED
WITH THE PACE OF WORK THAT THE
STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL
BOARD IS UNDERTAKING ON THE
BAY-DELTA WATER QUALITY CONTROL
PLAN. IT'S REALLY NOT THEIR
FAULT. IT'S LIKE PUTTING
TOGETHER A 5000 PIECE JIGSAW
PUZZLE, AND ALL THE PIECES ARE
LIKE OPAQUE GRAY. THEY'RE DOING
THE BEST THEY CAN AND A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED. BUT THE
PROCESS NEEDS TO PLAY OUT. THIS
BILL WOULD, IN EFFECT, STOP
PROGRESS ON THE BAY-DELTA WATER
QUALITY CONTROL PLAN AND REQUIRE
THE STATE BOARD TO GO BACK TO
THE BEGINNING TO ESTABLISH
BENEFICIAL USES, THEN IDENTIFY
THE WATER BODIES THAT THOSE
BENEFICIAL USES WOULD BE A PART
OF, THEN ADOPT WATER QUALITY
OBJECTIVES, AND THEN INCORPORATE
THOSE INTO A WATER QUALITY
CONTROL PLAN, NOW THE SPONSORS
AND THEIR SUPPORTERS ARE IN A
DIFFERENT POSITION ON THE
BAY-DELTA WATER QUALITY CONTROL
PLAN. THEY SUPPORT THE
UNIMPAIRED FLOWS ALTERNATIVE
THAT STATE BOARD STAFF HAS
BROUGHT FORWARD. OUR CLIENTS AND
OTHERS SUPPORT WHAT HAS BEEN
CALLED THE VOLUNTARY AGREEMENTS
PROCESS. IT'S REALLY A MATTER OF
JUST ALLOWING MORE WATER TO GO
DOWN OUR RIVER, RIVERS AND
WATERWAYS FROM MARCH TO JUNE OF
EACH YEAR VERSUS THE AGREEMENTS
FOR HEALTHY RIVERS AND
LANDSCAPES. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A
MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH TO
RESTORING FLOODPLAIN HABITAT,
AQUATIC HABITAT AND INCREASE
FLOWS DURING CERTAIN TIMES OF
THE YEAR. AS I SAID, IT'S VERY
COMPLEX. THE STATE BOARD PROCESS
SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO PLAY OUT.
THIS BILL IS GOING TO INSERT ALL
MANNER OF CHAOS INTO THAT
PROCESS. AND FOR THOSE AND OTHER
REASONS AS INCLUDING SEQUA
IMPACTS AND CHANGES TO THE WATER
QUALITY MONITORING COUNCIL, OUR
CLIENTS ARE ASKING FOR A NO
VOTE, EL DORADO IRRIGATION
DISTRICT DID MEET WITH THE
PROPONENTS, A WEEK AGO YESTERDAY
PROVIDED THE SAME LETTER AND
AMENDMENTS THAT WE PROVIDED TO
THE COMMITTEE. WE HAVE NOT HEARD
BACK FROM THE SPONSORS, THE
PROPONENTS ON ON THOSE
AMENDMENTS YET. SO I UNDERSTAND
A WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT WE DON'T
VIEW THAT IN THIS LIGHT AND
WOULD ASK THAT THE BILL NOT BE
MOVED TODAY. THANK YOU. OKAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY MEMBERS
OF THE AUDIENCE IN OPPOSITION,
CHRIS ANDERSON, ASSOCIATION OF
CALIFORNIA WATER AGENCIES, WE
SUBMITTED A LETTER OF CONCERN.
NOW I WILL NOTE THAT WAS A SEVEN
PAGE LETTER OF CONCERN, WHICH
FOR US TO NOT TAKE A POSITION
BUT ENGAGE TO THAT LEVEL IS
UNUSUAL. BUT THAT'S BECAUSE WE
WE'VE WANTED TO ENDEAVOR TO HELP
THIS BILL REFLECT WHAT ARE THE
STATED GOALS OF THIS BILL? AS
MR. REEB EXPLAINED, IF THE BILL
JUST ADDED TRIBAL USES TO
BENEFICIAL USES, WE WOULDN'T BE
HERE. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER
IS, THIS BILL GOES FAR BEYOND
WHAT THE STATED INTENT OF THE
BILL IS. IT'S OBVIOUSLY NOW WITH
THE DIALOG REGARDING COMMITTEE
AMENDMENTS, WHICH WE THOUGHT
WERE VERY REASONABLE BUT STILL
WOULD REQUIRE A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT OF WORK EVEN IF THOSE
WERE ACCEPTED. BUT TO SEE THAT
WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THE
STATE OF THAT IS, IS CERTAINLY
CONCERNING TO US AS AS WE HAVE
REALLY ENDEAVORED TO TRY TO
AVOID TAKING AN OPPOSITION
POSITION. AND I REALLY WANT TO
UNDERSCORE THE LAST THING THAT
MR. REEB SAID, THE BAY DELTA
WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLAN AND
THE AND THE IMPACT THIS BILL
WILL HAVE ON IT AS THE COMMITTEE
ANALYSIS CORRECT CORRECTLY
HIGHLIGHTS, THIS IS A PROCESS
THAT HAS BEEN UNDERWAY FOR MORE
THAN A DECADE, AND WE'RE REALLY
AT THE 11TH HOUR OF TRYING TO
RESOLVE THIS. AND THIS BILL IS
GOING TO CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT
DELAY. I THINK EVERYBODY AGREES
IT IS TIME TO UPDATE THE WATER
QUALITY CONTROL PLAN, AND THIS
BILL IS AN IMPEDIMENT TO THAT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK
YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND MEMBERS.
JASON ECKERT, ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA MUNICIPAL UTILITIES
ASSOCIATION, VERY BRIEFLY,
SIMILAR TO MR. ANDERSON, CMU
DOES NOT HAVE AN OPPOSED
POSITION ON THIS BILL. WE DO
HAVE SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS. I
WON'T REPEAT THEM BECAUSE
THEY'RE ACTUALLY MANY OF THEM
ARE WELL STATED IN THE
COMMITTEE'S ANALYSIS, SHOULD THE
BILL MOVE FORWARD TODAY? YOU
KNOW, WE HOPE TO SIT DOWN WITH
THE AUTHOR, MEET WITH HIM, HEAR
HIM OUT AND SHARE THOSE CONCERNS
MORE THOROUGHLY AND SEE WHERE WE
COULD ARRIVE. BUT OBVIOUSLY
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING
THE OUTCOME HERE. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE
COMMITTEE. ANY QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS, COUNCILMEMBER ALANIZ,
I WANT TO THANK THE AUTHOR FOR
BRINGING THIS BILL FORWARD, AS
OPPOSITION AND OTHERS HAVE
BROUGHT UP, WE I, I HAVE THE
SAME, KIND OF CONCERNS AS WELL.
BUT OBVIOUSLY IT'S ESSENTIAL
ASPECT OF TRIBAL CULTURE. ALSO
HAVE GOOD CLEAN WATER AND
ACCESSIBILITY TO IT AS WELL. AND
SO WITH THAT, I WILL BE
SUPPORTING THIS BILL TODAY. BUT
I'M PRETTY SURE THE AUTHOR WILL
PROBABLY BE WORKING WITH
OPPOSITION THAT HAS COME UP. SO
THANK YOU. SO I WANT TO THANK
THANK THE AUTHOR FOR BRINGING
FORWARD THIS BILL. ASSEMBLY
MEMBER RAMOS, IF WHAT WE ARE
BEING ASKED TO DO RIGHT NOW IS
TO PUT THE HAND ON THE SCALE
TOWARD PROTECTION OF TRIBAL
WATER USAGE, THEN COUNT MY HAND
IN, PLEASE, I UNDERSTAND THAT
THIS HAS BEEN A DECADES LONG
PROCESS. PERHAPS, BUT IT'S VERY
CLEAR TO ME THAT WHY WE ARE HERE
TODAY IS BECAUSE TRIBAL VOICES
WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE WAY
THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN
DURING THAT DECADES LONG
PROCESS. SO I'M THANKFUL FOR YOU
TO BRING BRING FORTH THIS BILL
AND CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE
OPPONENTS ON WHATEVER MIGHT BE,
SUPPORTIVE OF THOSE ONGOING
EFFORTS. BUT AT THE END OF THE
DAY, WE KNOW AT LEAST WHERE MY
HAND LIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH,
MEMBER HART. YEAH, I JUST WANT
TO THANK THE AUTHOR AS WELL FOR
HIS WORK. I THINK, FRANKLY, JUST
BRINGING THE BILL FORWARD HAS
PUT PRESSURE ON EVERYBODY
INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATION AND
ACCELERATED THE WORK, WHICH IS
REALLY IMPORTANT. AND I
APPRECIATE YOUR OFFER TO WORK
WITH THE OPPOSITION TO, FIGURE
OUT SOME OF THESE MORE COMPLEX
ISSUES. AND AS IT GOES THROUGH
THE PROCESS AND I HEARD THIS
MORNING FROM REPRESENTATIVES
FROM THE CHUMASH TRIBE IN MY
DISTRICT ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS
ABOUT WORKING WITH THE REGIONAL
WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD IN
THE CENTRAL COAST. AND I THINK
THEY APPRECIATE VERY MUCH THE
EXTRA PUSH THAT YOUR BILL GIVES
TO THAT CONVERSATION. SO THANK
YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYONE
ELSE? SENATOR BENNETT, THERE ARE
LOTS OF COMPLICATED ISSUES WHEN
IT COMES TO WATER IN CALIFORNIA,
AND AS YOU SEE WITH THE WITH THE
WRITE UP FROM FROM STAFF, ETC,
AND SO I WISH THE AUTHOR WELL AS
HE GOES FORWARD IN TERMS OF
TRYING TO WORK ALL THOSE THINGS
OUT WITH, WITH EVERYBODY. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SENATOR
ADDED. I'LL DO A ME TOO. TO
ASSEMBLY MEMBER HART'S COMMENTS.
I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, MIWOK
CAME IN AS WELL AS THE CHUMASH
TO EXPRESS THEIR SUPPORT AND
THEIR CONCERNS. AND RIVAS MEANS
THAT THIS IS NECESSARY. AND IT
WAS VERY HELPFUL FOR ME BECAUSE
I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT
HOW THIS WOULD ALL WORK. AND
SEQUA, WHICH IS ALWAYS VERY
SENSITIVE IN MY DISTRICT. AND
SO, BECAUSE OF ALL THOSE
CLARIFICATIONS AND ADVOCACY, I
WAS ABLE TO HELP MOVE THE BILL
TODAY. I'LL OBVIOUSLY VOTE FOR
THE BILL TODAY, AND, WANT TO SAY
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE CONTACT
AND COMMUNICATION AND YOUR
COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE WORKING
OUT ANY ISSUES. BUT AGREE WITH
ASSEMBLY MEMBER BONTA THAT AT
THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED TO
RIGHT THE WRONGS THAT HAVE
HAPPENED, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT
COMES TO WATER RIGHTS THAT ARE
INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED AND SO I
APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION AND
THE CONTACT ON THIS. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY, I
GOT A FEW COMMENTS, IF YOU WILL,
SO YOUR GOAL WITH BRINGING THIS
BILL FORWARD IS BOTH LAUDABLE
AND JUST NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
AND I APPRECIATE THE SPONSORS
SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCE HERE
TODAY, I SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS TO
OBTAIN EQUITY AND EQUITY AND TO
OBTAIN JUSTICE. THIS BILL IS NOT
WHETHER TO. WELL, LET ME PUT IT
THIS WAY. FOR ME, THE ISSUE IS
NOT WHETHER TO CONSIDER TRIBAL
BENEFITS, BUT RATHER HOW TO
CONSIDER THEM. I DO HAVE
RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE BILL'S
SCOPE AND THE FACT THAT IT SETS
A NEW PRECEDENT. BY DEFINING A
BENEFICIAL USE IN A STATUTE. IF
THIS BILL MOVES FORWARD, WOULD
LOOK LIKE IT DOES. I ENCOURAGE
YOU TO CONSIDER HOW A STATUTORY
DEFINITION MAY NOT GIVE YOU THE
FLEXIBILITY IN THE FUTURE,
SHOULD THE NEED ARISE FOR TRIBAL
BENEFIT USES TO EVOLVE.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER RAMOS, I
APPRECIATE YOUR COMMITMENT TO
CONTINUE WORKING ON THIS BILL TO
STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE AND
WHAT MAY BE WORKABLE, AS AS WE
GO FORWARD IN CONSIDERING WHAT
ARE TRIBAL BENEFITS, TRIBAL
BENEFIT, BENEFICIAL USES. EXCUSE
ME, I THINK IT NEEDS ADDITIONAL
THOUGHT AND ADDITIONAL
DELIBERATION, WHICH YOU'VE
REPRESENTED. YOU WILL BE DOING.
I, HOWEVER, WILL NOT BE
SUPPORTING THE BILL TODAY. I
FELT THAT THE AMENDMENTS, WERE
REASONABLE AND THAT WE SHOULD BE
VERY CAREFUL ABOUT STATUTORILY
PROVIDING FOR THESE DEFINITIONS,
BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO SPENDING
MORE TIME WITH A MORE FINISHED
AND CAREFULLY CRAFTED PRODUCT,
FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION DOWN
THE ROAD. SO WE HAVE A MOTION
AND A SECOND. AND WITH THAT,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE? THANK
YOU, MADAM CHAIR, FOR YOUR
COMMENTS. AND WE DID HAVE A
MEETING WHERE WE WERE GOING TO
ACCEPT COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS ON
AMENDMENT TWO. WE UNDERSTAND
THAT'S NOT ON THE TABLE ANYMORE.
HOWEVER, AS THE AUTHOR OF THE
BILL, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE
TO WORK ON THAT AMENDMENT, THE
AMENDMENT THAT WE WANT MORE TIME
TO WORK OUT AND VET THROUGH IS
THE STATUTORY VERSUS REGULATION.
AND YOU HEARD FROM OPPOSITION,
AS FAR AS SOME OF THE CONCERNS
THAT ARE THERE, AND YOU ALSO
HEARD FROM THOSE ON THIS DAIS
THAT THE VOICE OF THE
CALIFORNIA'S FIRST PEOPLE WAS
NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL
DISCUSSIONS BACK IN 1852, 1903
AND EVEN, 1969. SO IT'S TIME
THAT WE BRING THE TRIBAL VOICE
TO THE TABLE IN A COLLEGIAL
MANNER, WHERE WE HAVE BOTH SIDES
AT THE TABLE TO DISCUSS WHY IT'S
SO IMPORTANT TO ONE, AND WHY
IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO THE OTHER
THAT HAS NOT VETTED THROUGH YET.
BUT WE ARE OPEN TO MAKING SURE
THAT THAT DOES HAPPEN. AND SO AS
WE START TO LOOK AT THIS ISSUE
MOVING FORWARD, THESE ARE ISSUES
THAT WE'RE TACKLING THAT YOU CAN
SEE BY THE DATES THAT HAVE NOT
ALLOWED A VOICE TO BE HEARD FROM
CALIFORNIA'S FIRST PEOPLE AT THE
TABLE, SIMPLY TO BE PART OF THE
DISCUSSION ON HOW WE MOVE
FORWARD. SO IN ASKING FOR YOUR
AYE, VOTE AND STANDING UP AND
SHOWING THAT THE STATE STANDS BY
ITS CONSCIENCE, ITS CONSCIENCE
BASED ON THE APOLOGY BY THE
STATE ADMINISTRATOR, THE
GOVERNOR OF THE UNITED STATE OF
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO WRITE
THE WRONGS AGAINST CALIFORNIA'S
FIRST PEOPLE. IT'S TIME THAT THE
VOICE OF CALIFORNIA'S FIRST
PEOPLE IS HEARD. AND IT'S NOT AN
AFTERTHOUGHT. I ASK FOR YOUR I
VOTE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. WITH
THAT, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE A
VOTE. ALL RIGHT. ITEM NUMBER 13
AB 2614. MOTION IS DO PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS PAPPIN NOT VOTING
PAPPIN NOT VOTING. ADDIS. ADDIS
I ALANIZ. ALANIZ I ALVAREZ.
BENNETT. BENNETT I BONTA I BONTA
I GALLAGHER. GALLAGHER I DAVIES.
DAVIES I, GARCIA. HEART, HEART I
THREE OF US MISS RIVAS I CHAU
SHIAVO I VILLA LA. VILLA I WEBER
WEBER I OKAY OKAY AND IS THERE
ANYONE ELSE TO ADD ON. THAT WAS
THE ONLY ONE THAT HAD A COMPLETE
VOTE. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. THANK YOU. AND WITH
THAT WE WILL DO SOME CLEANUP AND
CALL IT A DAY UNTIL. OKAY. ON
THE ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR,
ALANIZ A ALANIZ I GALLAGHER.
GALLAGHER I OKAY, ITEM NUMBER
ONE AB 1889. MOTION WAS Dð PASS
TO APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIZ. NO
ALANIZ. NO. OKAY ITEM NUMBER
THREE, AB 2038. MOTION WAS Dð
PASS, AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIZ A, ALANIZ
I, BENNETT I, BENNETT I, BONTA
I, BONTA I, GALLAGHER A,
GALLAGHER I, GARCIA OKAY. ITEM
NUMBER FOUR AB 2060. MOTION IS
Dð. PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALANIZ A, ALANIZ I, ALVAREZ.
BENNETT. BENNETT I BONTA I BONTA
I GALLAGHER. GALLAGHER I GARCIA.
ITEM NUMBER FIVE AB 2079. MOTION
WAS Dð PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIZ NO.
ALANIZ. NO. ALVAREZ. GALLAGHER
ITEM NO. GALLAGHER. NO. OKAY
ITEM NUMBER SIX AB 2091. MOTION
WAS Dð. PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALANIZ 2091. YES, I ALANIZ I
BENNETT. BENNETT I ITEM NUMBER
SEVEN AB 2103. MOTION WAS Dð
PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIS I ALANIS
I ALVAREZ. BENNETT. BENNETT I
BONTA I BONTA I GALLAGHER. NOT
GALLAGHER, NOT VOTING GARCIA.
ITEM NUMBER EIGHT AB 2330.
MOTION WAS Dð PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATE. OWENS, ALANIS I
APOLOGIZE. WHAT WAS THE BILL
NUMBER, AB 2330. ITEM NUMBER
EIGHT. ALANIS I ALVAREZ. BENNETT
I BENNETT I BONTA I BONTA I
GARCIA. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER TEN AB
2443. MOTION WAS Dð PASS AS
AMENDED TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALANIS I ALANIS I ALVAREZ. BONTA
I BONTA I GALLAGHER. I GALLAGHER
I GARCIA. ITEM NUMBER 11 AB
2465. MOTION WAS Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. OWENS ALANIS I
ALANIS I ALVAREZ. BENNETT.
BENNETT I BONTA I BONTA I
GALLAGHER. GALLAGHER. NØ GARCIA.
OKAY. ITEM NUMBER 12 AB 2558.
MOTION IS Dð PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALANIS NØ ALANIS
NÓ ALVAREZ. BONTA I BONTA I
GALLAGHER NÓ GALLAGHER NÓ GARCIA
. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER. OH, WE JUST
DID THAT ONE. ITEM NUMBER 14 AB
2643 ALANIS I ALANIS I ALVAREZ
BONTA I BONTA I GALLAGHER. I
GALLAGHER I GARCIA OKAY. AND
ITEM NUMBER 17 AB 3182. MOTION
WAS Dð PASS AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALVAREZ BENNETT.
NUMBER 1731 82. I BENNETT I
GALLAGHER. GALLAGHER. I GARCIA.
THREE OF US THREE OF US. I OKAY,
THAT'S EVERYTHING
.
ITEM NUMBER TEN. AB 2443.
BENNETT BENNETT, I TO NOT
VOTING. OKAY.
ITEM NUMBER. ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
AB 2060. MOTION IS Dð. PASS TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ
I GARCIA. OKAY ITEM NUMBER FIVE,
AB 2079. MOTION IS Dð PASS, AS
AMENDED TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ, I THAT WAS THE
ONLY ONE. AND I THINK WE'RE GOOD
ON THAT ONE. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER
SEVEN AB 2103. MOTION IS Dð PASS
AS AMENDED TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALVAREZ ALVAREZ I GARCIA. OKAY.
ITEM NUMBER EIGHT AB 2330.
MOTION IS Dð PASS, AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ
I GARCIA. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER TEN
AB 2443. MOTION IS Dð PASS AS
AMENDED TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ I GARCIA. OKAY
ITEM NUMBER 11, AB 2465. MOTION
IS Dð. PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ I GARCIA. OKAY.
ITEM NUMBER 12 AB 2558. MOTION
IS Dð. PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ I GARCIA. OKAY.
ITEM NUMBER 13 AB 2614. MOTION
IS Dð. PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ I GARCIA, ITEM
NUMBER 14, AB 2643. MOTION IS
Dð. PASS TO APPROPRIATIONS.
ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ I GARCIA. OKAY.
AND ITEM NUMBER 17, AB 3182.
MOTION IS Dð PASS, AS AMENDED TO
APPROPRIATIONS. ALVAREZ. ALVAREZ
I GARCIA. THANK YOU. PRIVATE
LAND. I THINK IT'S
.
COMING FROM. OKAY, I'M GONNA
GAVEL DOWN, SO WE ARE ADJOURNED.