Existing law gives control of the state park system to the Department of Parks and Recreation, and requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to promote and regulate the use of the state park system in a manner that conserves the scenery, natural and historic resources, and wildlife for the enjoyment of future generations. Existing law authorizes the department to collect fees, rents, and other returns for the use of any state park system area, with the amounts of those charges to be determined by the department.

This bill would require the department to report to the Legislature, by April 15, 2018, its recommendations for a statutory fee policy that would specify the share of state park operational costs that should be borne by park users and the share that should be borne by the General Fund or any alternative funding source.

The bill would require the State Park and Recreation Commission, by an unspecified date, to develop, and subsequently update, fee guidelines to be implemented by state park districts in order to provide greater consistency in state park fee structures throughout the state. The bill would also require the commission to adopt a fee-setting process that is consistent on a statewide basis and that provides substantial opportunity for public input.

Date of Hearing: April 26, 2017

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 907

Author:(Eduardo Garcia) – As Amended Ver:March 14, 2017

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

SUMMARY:

This bill creates an Office of Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands Enhancement office within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) to:

1. Promote economic and job development opportunities within the outdoor recreation sector of the state’s economy.
2. Monitor, analyze, develop, and coordinate sustainable outdoor recreation policies at the state, federal, and local levels.
3. Serve as a central point of contact, and foster connections and communications, for the national outdoor recreation industry and between government agencies that manage natural resources.
4. Collaborate with “Visit California,” a 501(c)(6) nonprofit to promote “California State of Mind” brand and to enhance outdoor active recreation.
5. Promote active healthy lifestyles and improve quality of life through related outdoor recreation activities.
6. Work with private landowners, including land trusts, to promote outdoor recreation activities.

Additionally, this bill requires the Office to create an advisory committee comprised of representatives from environmental justice communities, outdoor industries, recreation communities, open-space communities, federal entities engaged in public lands management, open-space communities, and other groups that promote the outdoors and the best available public land management practices. Lastly, this bill makes a variety of legislative findings and declarations.

FISCAL EFFECT:

Increased annual ongoing costs of approximately $720,000 (GF) to create the office and perform the required duties.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. According to the author, establishing a new Office of Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands Enhancement offers the opportunity to bring together industry leaders and recreation providers to find new ways to keep the recreation industry thriving and innovating in California.
2. Go-Biz. The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) was created by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. to serve as California’s single point of contact for economic development and job creation efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit assistance, regulatory guidance, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more.

According to its website, GO-Biz has staff dedicated to support businesses who are experts in the following areas:

• California Business Investment Services
• California Competes Tax Credit
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• International Affairs and Business Development
• Permit Assistance
• Small Business Assistance
• Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV)

Other GO-Biz affiliations include the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), Visit California, and the California Film Commission. To date, Go-Biz has not provided expertise in public lands, outdoor recreational opportunities and natural resource management. The author may wish to consider whether Go-Biz is the appropriate entity in which to establish this new office.

1. Outdoor Recreation in California. According to the proponents, California’s outdoor recreation economy is the largest in the United States. It generates over $85 billion in annual consumer spending and creates more than 730,000 direct jobs. Sales of consumer goods, travel and tourism expenses, and the cost of participating in outdoor recreational activities all generate this spending that likewise contributes significantly to federal, state, and local tax revenues.

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

Date of Hearing: April 4, 2017

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS, AND WILDLIFE

Eduardo Garcia, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 907 (

Author:Eduardo Garcia) – As Amended Ver:March 14, 2017

SUBJECT: Office of Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands Enhancement

SUMMARY: Creates an Office of Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Specifically, this bill:

1. Establishes an Office of Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands Enhancement within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. The purpose of the office is to:
   1. Promote economic and job development opportunities within the outdoor recreation sector of the state’s economy;
   2. Monitor, analyze, develop, and coordinate sustainable outdoor recreation policies at the state, federal, and local levels.
   3. Serve as a central point of contact, and foster connections and communications, for the national outdoor recreation industry and between government agencies that manage natural resources.
   4. Collaborate with “Visit California,” a 501(c)(6) nonprofit to promote “California State of Mind” brand and to enhance outdoor active recreation.
   5. Promote active healthy lifestyles and improve quality of life through related outdoor recreation activities.
   6. Work with private landowners, including land trusts, to promote outdoor recreation activities.
2. The bill requires the office to create an advisory committee comprised of representatives from environmental justice communities, outdoor industries, recreation communities, open-space communities, federal entities engaged in public lands management, open-space communities, and other groups that promote the outdoors and the best available public land management practices.
3. The bill makes various findings and declarations related to: the need, and opportunity, to actively engage the outdoor recreation industry, take a leadership role in stewardship of natural resources, and to provide a connection for people of color to the outdoors; and, the need for policy discussions to include outdoor recreation in tourism and resource management; as well as the benefits of the outdoors, for public and environmental health.
4. The bill finds that neighboring states outpace California on a per capita spending basis for outdoor recreation. Further, the bill finds that Colorado, Washington and Utah all have offices or executive positions within their state governments dedicated to promoting outdoor recreation.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) which is responsible for administering the state park system. The DPR has also been directed under prior bond acts to administer grant programs for local and regional parks and related programs. Authorizes DPR to provide spaces within the state park system for schools to use for environmental education.
2. Establishes the California Natural Resources Agency, comprised of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the state’s natural and cultural resources.
3. Establishes various boards and commissions responsible for public lands enhancement, including, but not limited to, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Board, the State Coastal Conservancy, the California Tahoe Conservancy, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, the San Joaquin River Conservancy, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, the San Diego River Conservancy, and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
4. Establishes the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.

COMMENTS:

Author’s Statement: California has a tremendous wealth of public lands, parks, and open spaces that make outdoor recreation possible and world-class in the state. Economically, outdoor recreation generates over $85 billion in annual consumer spending and creates more than 730,000 direct jobs in the state. The iconic imagery of our state – towering redwoods, crashing waves, and Joshua Trees – are themselves inspiration for outdoor recreation pursuits of backpacking, swimming and surfing, or hiking and rock-climbing at those iconic places. While there are multiple agencies, departments and commissions that have relationships or interactions with the outdoor recreation industry, there is no one body that is charged with helping coordinate and grow this important economic sector and ensuring its continued important linkages to the health, recreation, and education goals of the state. Establishing a new Office of Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands Enhancement offers the opportunity to bring together industry leaders and recreation providers to find new ways to keep the recreation industry thriving and innovating in California.

Background: Outdoor Recreation in California. According to the proponents, California’s outdoor recreation economy is the largest in the United States. It generates over $85 billion in annual consumer spending and creates more than 730,000 direct jobs. Sales of consumer goods, travel and tourism expenses, and the cost of participating in outdoor recreational activities all generate this spending that likewise contributes significantly to federal, state, and local tax revenues.

Nationally, outdoor recreation generates $646 billion of economic activity and consumer spending nationwide, and creates 6.1 million direct jobs. Spending on outdoor recreation activities outpaces all other economic sectors with the exception of health care and financial and insurance services.

Despite the size and impact of the outdoor recreation economy in California, there is no single state-level office or governmental body that has the visibility and authority necessary to promote and advance the sector and harness its impact to improve outdoor recreation opportunities in the state. Additionally, as California’s population continues to grow and diversify, there is an opportunity to actively engage the outdoor recreation industry to continue and grow its leadership on issues related to stewardship of natural resources and connecting Californians, especially those from diverse communities, to the outdoors.

Other States’ Efforts. The Western Association of Governors (Governor Brown and California are an affiliate member) repeatedly recognize the irreplaceable contribution of the outdoor recreation economy to state and local tax revenues and job creation throughout the western U.S. To date, three other Western states have offices or positions dedicated to leadership for their states’ outdoor recreation economies, and Oregon and Montana are currently considering proposals by their states’ recreation industries to establish similar offices or positions. Below is a summary of existing models among Western states.

Assessing Unmet Needs for Park and Natural Resource Investments. To measure the national need for public outdoor recreation facilities and parkland acquisitions at the state and local level, the National Park Service annually, as part of the Land and Water Conservation Fund program, requests each state partner to estimate the total cost of desired outdoor recreation facility development and parklands acquisition projects that cannot be met with available levels of funding. The 2012 report found there was a $3.6 billion total in unmet needs for state and local parks in California in 2011, and $4.9 billion in 2012.

Related legislation: AB 18 (E. Garcia), of the current legislative session, authorizes the issuance of State General Obligation bonds, in the amount of $3.105 billion, to finance parks, water, climate adaptation, coastal protection, and outdoor access programs. SB 5 (De León), of the current legislative session, proposes to authorize $3 billion in bond expenditures, including $1.45 billion for parks. Recent federal action also highlights the national importance of the outdoor recreation economy and the growing realization that its impact is substantial. After being signed by President Obama on December 8, 2016, the national Outdoor Recreation's Economic Contributions Act (HR 4665-REC Act) became law. The law requires the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Interior to collaborate and conduct an assessment and analysis of the outdoor recreation industry in the U.S. and the effects of that industry on the overall national economy and GDP.

Comments: As this bill moves forward, the author and sponsors should consider where and how this office be located. For example, there may be advantages to locating the office within the Strategic Growth Council, Natural Resources Agency, or at the cabinet level. Other state models place this office within the Governor’s office, elevating the program’s profile.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

100%

Access Fund

Advanced Elements, Inc.

American Alpine Club

American Canoe Association

American Whitewater

BearVault

Bedrock Sandals

Bicycle Product Suppliers Association

Big Blue Adventure

Bike and Park Santa Monica LLC

Bulls Bikes USA

California Outdoor Recreation Partners

California Park & Recreation Society

Campagnolo North America, Inc.

Clif Bar & Company

East Bay Regional Park District

Eastside Sports Inc.

Felt Bicycles

Fidelitas Development

Friends of the Inyo

Giant Bicycles USA

HipCamp

ichoosebikes

Interbike

International Mountain Bicycling Association

Jansport

Latino Outdoors

Linus Bike

Mammoth Lakes Recreation

Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation

Marmot / Ex Officio

Menlo Velo Bicycles

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

Motostrano

National Interscholastic Cycling Association

North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association

Oru Kayak

OutDoor Afro

Outdoor Alliance

Outdoor Industry Association

OutdoorIndustryJobs.com

OutsidePR

Pacific Sierra Group

Parks Project

Patagonia, Inc.

PeopleforBikes

Pure Cycles

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Western Region

Raleigh Electric

Recreational Equipment, Inc.

Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

Sierra Business Council

Sonoma County Regional Parks

Specialized Bicycle Components

State Park Partners Coalition

Tahoe Adventure Company

Tahoe City Public Utility District

Tahoe Mountain Sports

Tern North America

Toad&Co.

Trust for Public Land, The

VF Outdoor & Action Sports

Vintage Electric Bikes

Watershed Conservation Authority

Wild Places

Winter Wildlands Alliance

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Catherine Freeman / W., P., & W. /