Existing law authorizes the Director of General Services, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to lease and sell real property held for armory purposes, subject to legislative approval. Existing law establishes the Armory Fund and requires that all proceeds from the sale or lease of armories be deposited into the fund for use, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes related to armories.

This bill would authorize the Director of General Services, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles Armory to the County of Los Angeles. The bill would require the lease to be for a period of 5 years, and to include options for 4 extensions of 5 additional years each, as specified.

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 653

Author:(Bloom and Kamlager-Dove)

As Amended Ver:June 17, 2019

Majority vote

SUMMARY:

Allows the state to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles Armory (Armory) for as long as 25 years, as specified, to Los Angeles County (County).

The Senate Amendments:

1. Require the lease to be at fair market value for a bridge housing program.
2. Require that the initial lease will be for five years with the option, as specified, for four extensions of five additional years each.
3. Requires that the County, if it enters a lease, to pay the state Department of General Services (DGS) for its costs related to the lease.

COMMENTS:

This bill allows DGS with the approval of the Adjutant General to lease approximately 1.3 acres of the Armory to the County for as long as 25 years. While the site is a working armory and would continue to operate as an armory, the portion that could be leased is a parking lot that is not used for military purposes.

Armories are the primary sites for unit training and are integral to the readiness and responsiveness of National Guard personnel.

For more than 10 years, part of the Armory has been used as a winter shelter. However, in 2017, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided to review all county winter shelters to determine if they could better serve the homeless population by becoming year-round bridge housing. Bridge housing provides a safe place for homeless people to sleep and wrap-around services to help them obtain permanent housing.

The California Military Department (CMD) has been working with the County on a possible lease for bridge housing. According to CMD, a beneficial agreement for the state and County can likely be reached if the lease is authorized by this bill. The County's conceptual plans include building a four-story structure with approximately 150 beds.

According to the Author:

"The communities surrounding this property are very supportive and I have introduced this bill so that when the design is complete and agreed upon, we will be able to break ground through the execution of this lease."

Arguments in Support:

According to supporters, this bill will help provide needed shelter and services to the homeless population.

Arguments in Opposition:

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS:

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

VOTES:

ASM ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW: 7-0-0

YES: Petrie-Norris, Patterson, Burke, Lackey, Medina, Quirk-Silva, Smith

ASM VETERANS AFFAIRS: 11-0-0

YES: Irwin, Voepel, Boerner Horvath, Brough, Daly, Frazier, Gloria, Mathis, Muratsuchi, Petrie-Norris, Salas

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 18-0-0

YES: Gonzalez, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Diep, Friedman, Fong, Gabriel, Eduardo Garcia, Maienschein, Obernolte, Petrie-Norris, Jones-Sawyer, Robert Rivas

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0-4

YES: Aguiar-Curry, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Obernolte, Patterson, Petrie- Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

ABS, ABST OR NV: Arambula, Chen, Dahle, Voepel

SENATE FLOOR: 40-0-0

YES: Allen, Archuleta, Atkins, Bates, Beall, Borgeas, Bradford, Caballero, Chang, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Galgiani, Glazer, Lena Gonzalez, Grove, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Hurtado, Jackson, Jones, Leyva, McGuire, Mitchell, Monning, Moorlach, Morrell, Nielsen, Pan, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Stone, Umberg, Wieckowski, Wiener, Wilk

UPDATED:

VERSION: June 17, 2019

CONSULTANT: Scott Herbstman / A. & A.R. / (916) 319-3600 FN: 0001238

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 653

Author: Bloom (D) and Kamlager-Dove (D), et al.

Amended: 6/17/19 in Senate

Vote: 21

SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE: 14-0, 6/11/19

AYES: Dodd, Wilk, Allen, Archuleta, Borgeas, Bradford, Chang, Galgiani, Glazer, Hill, Jones, Nielsen, Portantino, Wiener

NO VOTE RECORDED: Hueso, Rubio

SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 6/25/19

AYES: Archuleta, Hurtado, Nielsen, Roth, Umberg, Wilk

NO VOTE RECORDED: Grove

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 5/9/19 (Consent) - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: State armories

SOURCE: County of Los Angeles

DIGEST:

This bill authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services (DGS), with the approval of the Adjutant General of the California Military Department (CMD), to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles Armory (Armory) to the County of Los Angeles (County), as specified.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Authorizes the Director of DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General of the CMD, to lease and sell real property held for armory purposes, on terms and conditions in the best interests of the state and subject to legislative approval.
2. Establishes the Armory Fund and requires that all proceeds from the sale or lease of armories be deposited into the fund for use, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the maintenance of existing armories, and for the acquisition or construction of new or replacement armories, including, but not limited to, the cost of design.
3. Provides that the sale of armories is not subject to the same process as the sale and disposition of state surplus properties.

This bill:

1. Authorizes the Director of DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to lease a portion of Armory to the County at fair market value, as specified.
2. Limits the cumulative term of all leases of the Armory to 25 years, as specified.
3. Requires the County, if it enters into a lease for the Armory, to pay DGS for its actual costs and staff time in drafting, negotiating, and executing the lease documents.

Background

The West Los Angeles National Guard Armory. The CMD operates more than 90 active armory sites throughout the state. The West Los Angeles Armory is located at 1300 Federal Ave., in Los Angeles, west of the 405 Freeway and north of Santa Monica Boulevard. The Armory is an important facility for the California Army National Guard which has units stationed there and utilizes it for emergency response due to its location. According to the CMD, the 1.3 acres that the County desires to lease is not currently used for military purposes. The proposed housing program structure would be built on the northeast corner of the parking lot. This portion would be fenced off from the rest of the property and have its own and entrance and exit.

Bridge housing proposal. For more than 10 years, the Armory has served as a winter shelter which has provided critical life-saving shelter from the elements for people who have nowhere else to sleep. However, winter shelters are becoming to be viewed as an outdated model that have not proven effective in diminishing long-term homelessness. In April 2017, the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County moved to examine all winter shelters in the County to determine if they could better serve the County’s growing homeless population by becoming a year-round 24/7 crisis housing, or “bridge housing.”

Bridge housing is 24-hour dormitory-style living quarters that give people experiencing homelessness greater access to wrap-around services in a safe and comfortable living environment. Bridge housing is used to house people temporarily while they get help finding and transitioning into permanent housing. Bridge housing combines a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and the comprehensive wrap-around services they need to successfully obtain and retain permanent housing. Creating this bridge housing program requires both state and federal legislation before a lease can be executed and construction can begin.

The 2018 Los Angeles Point-in-Time Homeless Count reported 52,765 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, 39,396 of whom are currently unsheltered. Data from 2018 revealed that in the Service Planning Area 5 of West Los Angeles, where the Armory is located, a total of 4,401 individuals are experiencing homelessness on any given night. Of these individuals, 79 percent are currently unsheltered.

This bill authorizes the Director of DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to lease a portion of the Armory to the County at fair market value and for a period of five years. This bill additionally authorizes four extensions of the lease at five years each, for a cumulative term of 25 years.

Comments

Purpose of the bill. According to the author’s office, “AB 653 authorizes the Director of General Services to enter into a lease agreement with the County of Los Angeles for a portion of the parking lot of the West Los Angeles Armory. For over 1.5 years, the County of Los Angeles has been working with relevant City of Los Angeles, State and Federal partners to explore the feasibility of siting a bridge housing facility in the northeast corner of the property. While the design is not yet complete, the County and the National Guard, in partnership with my office, has started a community process to discuss the proposal to build a new structure to serve as 24/7 year-round bridge housing for individual adults experiencing homelessness.”

Further, the author’s office states that, “all parties agree that this project would be a huge enhancement to Service Area Five in Los Angeles County (majority of the Westside of Los Angeles). The communities surrounding this property are very supportive and I have introduced this bill so that when the design is complete and agreed upon, we will be able to break ground through the execution of this lease.”

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 7/8/19)

County of Los Angeles (source)

Association of Community Human Service Agencies

City of Culver City

City of Santa Monica

City of West Hollywood

Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Harvest Home

SafeParkingLA

Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

St. Joseph Center

The People Concern

Venice Community Housing Corporation

Venice Family Clinic

Westside Council of Chambers of Commerce

Westside Family Health Center

OPPOSITION: (Verified 7/8/19)

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the County of Los Angeles, “AB 653 would authorize the Director of General Services, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles Armory that is not used for military purposes to the County of Los Angeles to build a year-round bridge housing program. The City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and California State representatives have begun exploratory conversations with the National Guard to close the current winter shelter program and to build a year-round bridge housing program on a portion of the West LA Armory parking lot which is not used for military purposes.”

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 5/9/19

AYES: Aguiar-Curry, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

NO VOTE RECORDED: Arambula, Chen, Dahle, Voepel

Prepared by: Brian Duke / G.O. / (916) 651-1530

7/10/19 14:31:14

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

Senator Bob Archuleta, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Bill No: AB 653 Hearing Date: 6/25/19

Subject: State armories

DESCRIPTION

Summary:

This bill authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services (DGS), with the approval of the Adjutant General of the California Military Department (CMD), to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles National Guard Armory (Armory) to the County of Los Angeles (County) for a Bridge Housing Program for a term of 5 years, with options for four (4) extensions of five (5) additional years each.

Existing law:

1) Authorizes the Director of DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General of the CMD, to lease and sell real property held for armory purposes, on terms and conditions in the best interests of the state and subject to legislative approval.

2) Establishes the Armory Fund and requires that all proceeds from the sale or lease of armories be deposited into the fund for use, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the maintenance of existing armories, and for the acquisition or construction of new or replacement armories, including, but not limited to, the cost of design.

3) Provides that the sale of armories is not subject to the same process as the sale and disposition of state surplus properties.

This bill:

1) Authorizes the Director of DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General of CMD, to lease a portion of the real property located at 1300 Federal Avenue, Los Angeles, California, to the County for a Bridge Housing Program for a term of 5 years, with options for four (4) extensions of five (5) additional years each.

BACKGROUND

The West Los Angeles National Guard Armory. The CMD operates more than 90 active armory sites throughout the state. The West Los Angeles National Guard Armory is located at 1300 Federal Ave., in Los Angeles, west of the 405 Freeway and north of Santa Monica Boulevard. The Armory is an important facility for the California Army National Guard which has units stationed there and utilizes it for emergency response due to its location. According to the CMD, the 1.3 acres that the County desires to lease is not currently used for military purposes. The proposed housing program structure would be built on the northeast corner of the parking lot. This portion would be fenced off from the rest of the property and have its own and entrance and exit.

Bridge housing proposal. For more than 10 years, the Armory has served as a winter shelter which has provided critical life-saving shelter from the elements for people who have nowhere else to sleep. However, winter shelters are becoming to be viewed as an outdated model that have not proven effective in diminishing long-term homelessness. In April 2017, the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County moved to examine all winter shelters in the County to determine if they could better serve the County’s growing homeless population by becoming a year-round 24/7 crisis housing, or “bridge housing.”

Bridge housing is 24-hour dormitory-style living quarters that give people experiencing homelessness greater access to wrap-around services in a safe and comfortable living environment. Bridge housing is used to house people temporarily while they get help finding and transitioning into permanent housing. Bridge housing combines a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and the comprehensive wrap-around services they need to successfully obtain and retain permanent housing. Creating this bridge housing program requires both state and federal legislation before a lease can be executed and construction can begin.

The 2018 Los Angeles Point-in-Time Homeless Count reported 52,765 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, 39,396 of whom are currently unsheltered. Data from 2018 revealed that in the Service Planning Area 5 of West Los Angeles, where the Armory is located, a total of 4,401 individuals are experiencing homelessness on any given night. Of these individuals, 79 percent are currently unsheltered.

Reversion Clause. According to DGS, the federal government gave the armory property to the state and required in the deed that the property “shall be used for training of the National Guard and for other military purposes, but for no other purpose.” If the state does not comply, the property reverts to the federal government. However, the Author states that federal legislators introduced legislation on March 29, 2019 which would allow the West Los Angeles National Guard Armory property to be used for a 24/7 homeless services purpose under the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Double referred. This bill passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee (14-0) on 6/11/19.

COMMENT

Author’s Statement. According to the author’s office, “AB 653 authorizes the Director of General Services to enter into a lease agreement with the County of Los Angeles for a portion of the parking lot of the West Los Angeles Armory. For over 1.5 years, the County of Los Angeles has been working with relevant City of Los Angeles, State and Federal partners to explore the feasibility of siting a bridge housing facility in the northeast corner of the property. While the design is not yet complete, the County and the National Guard, in partnership with my office, has started a community process to discuss the proposal to build a new structure to serve as 24/7 year-round bridge housing for individual adults experiencing homelessness. All parties agree that this project would be a huge enhancement to Service Area Five in Los Angeles County (majority of the Westside of Los Angeles). The communities surrounding this property are very supportive and I have introduced this bill so that when the design is complete and agreed upon, we will be able to break ground through the execution of this lease.”

Previous/Related Legislation. SB 20 (Dodd, 2019) would extend the sunset date, which expired on January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2026, for the state to sell the area known as the Skyline Wilderness Park (Skyline Park) in the County of Napa. (This bill will be heard in the Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative review on 7/3/19)

SB 281 (Wiener, 2019) would, among other things, require the Director of DGS, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to enter into negotiations to sell, at fair market value, the real property known as the Cow Palace, as specified. (Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 501 (Hurtado, 2019) would rescind the authorization for DGS to sell the Reedley Armory. (Pending in the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 3251 (Veterans Affairs, Chapter 726, Statutes of 2018) authorized DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to sell a number of armories including the Reedley Armory.

AB 1709 (Veterans Affairs, Chapter 304, Statutes of 2017) required that an armory be offered for sale to a local agency, as defined, prior to being offered for sale to private entities or individuals.

POSITIONS

Sponsor: Los Angeles County

Support: City of Santa Monica

Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

St. Joseph Center

The People Concern

Westside Council of Chambers Of Commerce

Oppose: None on file.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION

Senator Bill Dodd

Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Bill No: AB 653 Hearing Date: 6/11/2019

SUBJECT: State armories

DIGEST: This bill authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services (DGS), with the approval of the Adjutant General of the California Military Department (CMD), to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles National Guard Armory (Armory) to the County of Los Angeles (County) for a term of 25 years.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Authorizes the Director of DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General of the CMD, to lease and sell real property held for armory purposes, on terms and conditions in the best interests of the state and subject to legislative approval.
2. Establishes the Armory Fund and requires that all proceeds from the sale or lease of armories be deposited into the fund for use, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the maintenance of existing armories, and for the acquisition or construction of new or replacement armories, including, but not limited to, the cost of design.
3. Provides that the sale of armories is not subject to the same process as the sale and disposition of state surplus properties.

This bill authorizes the Director of DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General of CMD, to lease approximately 1.3 acres of the real property located at 1300 Federal Avenue, Los Angeles, California, to the County for a term of 25 years.

Background

Purpose of the bill. According to the author’s office, “AB 653 authorizes the Director of General Services to enter into a lease agreement with the County of Los Angeles for a portion of the parking lot of the West Los Angeles Armory. For over 1.5 years, the County of Los Angeles has been working with relevant City of Los Angeles, State and Federal partners to explore the feasibility of siting a bridge housing facility in the northeast corner of the property. While the design is not yet complete, the County and the National Guard, in partnership with my office, has started a community process to discuss the proposal to build a new structure to serve as 24/7 year-round bridge housing for individual adults experiencing homelessness.”

Further, the author’s office states that, “all parties agree that this project would be a huge enhancement to Service Area Five in Los Angeles County (majority of the Westside of Los Angeles). The communities surrounding this property are very supportive and I have introduced this bill so that when the design is complete and agreed upon, we will be able to break ground through the execution of this lease.”

The West Los Angeles National Guard Armory. The CMD operates more than 90 active armory sites throughout the state. The West Los Angeles National Guard Armory is located at 1300 Federal Ave., in Los Angeles, west of the 405 Freeway and north of Santa Monica Boulevard. The Armory is an important facility for the California Army National Guard which has units stationed there and utilizes it for emergency response due to its location. According to the CMD, the 1.3 acres that the County desires to lease is not currently used for military purposes. The proposed housing program structure would be built on the northeast corner of the parking lot. This portion would be fenced off from the rest of the property and have its own and entrance and exit.

Bridge housing proposal. For more than 10 years, the Armory has served as a winter shelter which has provided critical life-saving shelter from the elements for people who have nowhere else to sleep. However, winter shelters are becoming to be viewed as an outdated model that have not proven effective in diminishing long-term homelessness. In April 2017, the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County moved to examine all winter shelters in the County to determine if they could better serve the County’s growing homeless population by becoming a year-round 24/7 crisis housing, or “bridge housing.”

Bridge housing is 24-hour dormitory-style living quarters that give people experiencing homelessness greater access to wrap-around services in a safe and comfortable living environment. Bridge housing is used to house people temporarily while they get help finding and transitioning into permanent housing. Bridge housing combines a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and the comprehensive wrap-around services they need to successfully obtain and retain permanent housing. Creating this bridge housing program requires both state and federal legislation before a lease can be executed and construction can begin.

The 2018 Los Angeles Point-in-Time Homeless Count reported 52,765 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, 39,396 of whom are currently unsheltered. Data from 2018 revealed that in the Service Planning Area 5 of West Los Angeles, where the Armory is located, a total of 4,401 individuals are experiencing homelessness on any given night. Of these individuals, 79 percent are currently unsheltered.

Prior/Related Legislation

SB 20 (Dodd, 2019) would extend the sunset date, which expired on January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2026, for the state to sell the area known as the Skyline Wilderness Park (Skyline Park) in the County of Napa. (Pending at the Assembly Desk)

SB 281 (Wiener, 2019) would, among other things, require the Director of DGS, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to enter into negotiations to sell, at fair market value, the real property known as the Cow Palace, as specified. (Pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 501 (Hurtado, 2019) would rescind the authorization for DGS to sell the Reedley Armory. (Pending at the Assembly Desk)

AB 3251 (Veterans Affairs, Chapter 726, Statutes of 2018) authorized DGS, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to sell a number of armories including the Reedley Armory.

AB 1709 (Veterans Affairs, Chapter 304, Statutes of 2017) required that an armory be offered for sale to a local agency, as defined, prior to being offered for sale to private entities or individuals.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

SUPPORT:

County of Los Angeles (Source)

Association of Community Human Service Agencies

City of Culver City

City of Santa Monica

City of West Hollywood

Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Harvest Home

People Concern

SafeParkingLA

Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

St. Joseph Center

Venice Community Housing

Venice Family Clinic

Westside Cities Council of Governments

Westside Council of Chambers of Commerce

Westside Family Health Center

OPPOSITION:

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: In support of the bill, the County of Los Angeles writes that “bridge housing is a critical component of our homeless crisis response system as it combines a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and the comprehensive wrap-around services they need to successfully obtain and retain permanent housing. It differs from winter shelter in physical design (bridge housing provides more comfortable and semi-private sleeping areas), hours of operation (bridge housing is open 24 hours a day and encourages clients to stay onsite to receive services during the day), and service model (bridge housing provides ample wrap-around services).”

DUAL REFERAL: Senate Governmental Organization Committee and Veterans Affairs Committee

Date of Hearing: May 1, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 653

Author:(Bloom) – As Amended Ver:March 21, 2019

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

SUMMARY:

This bill authorizes the Director of General Services, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to lease an approximately 1.3 acre portion of the West Los Angeles National Guard Armory (Armory) to the County of Los Angeles for 25 years.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. No net fiscal impact to the Department of General Services (DGS). The lease authorized in the bill allows DGS to recover its costs for leasing or selling armories, assuming the reversion clause in the property deed is satisfactorily addressed.
2. Unknown fiscal impact to the California Military Department (CMD). However, CMD notes that if a long-term lease is ultimately executed between the state and the County of Los Angeles, the lease would require fair market value and could result in additional revenue for the Armory Fund.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. This bill seeks to allow Los Angeles County to lease 1.3 acres of the Armory for 25 year for possible use as bridge housing for homeless individuals. While the site is a working armory and would continue to operate as an armory, the CMD indicates the 1.3 acres is a parking lot not used for military purposes. The purposed housing support structure would be built on the northeast corner of the parking lot, be fenced off and have its own entrance and exit. The county’s conceptual plans include building a four-story structure with approximately 150 beds.

According to the author, the county has been working with the CMD, the City of Los Angeles, and the federal government for more than a year-and-a-half on this proposal. The author states:

All parties agree that this project would be a huge enhancement to Service Area Five in Los Angeles County (majority of the Westside of Los Angeles). The communities surrounding this property are very supportive and I have introduced this bill so that when the design is complete and agreed upon, we will be able to break ground through the execution of this lease.

1. Background. Armories are the primary sites for unit training and are integral to the readiness and responsiveness of National Guard personnel. The CMD has 98 active National Guard armories throughout the state.

For more than 10 years, the County of Los Angeles has operated a winter shelter at the Armory under the CMD’s Winter Shelter Program. This program allows a city or county to use an armory, for a fee, during the winter months for a homeless shelter. In 2017 the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors reviewed its winter shelters to determine if the shelters could better serve the county’s growing homeless population as year-round 24/7 crisis housing or “bridge housing” sites. Bridge housing provides a safe place for homeless people to sleep and wrap-around services to help them obtain permanent housing.

The 2018 Los Angeles County Point-in-Time Homeless Count reported 52,765 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, 39,396 of whom are currently unsheltered.

1. Reversion Clause. According to DGS, the federal government gave the armory property to the state and required in the deed that the property “shall be used for training of the National Guard and for other military purposes, but for no other purpose.” If the state does not comply, the property reverts to the federal government. It is the understanding of DGS that Los Angeles County officials are working with federal legislators to address the reversion clause issue.
2. Related Legislation. AB 761 (Nazarian), of this legislative session, allows an armory deemed vacant by the CMD to be made available throughout the year to the city or county where it is located to provide temporary shelter from hazardous weather conditions for homeless persons. The bill is pending on the Assembly Floor.

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

Date of Hearing: April 23, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

Jacqui Irwin, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 653 (

Author:Bloom) – As Amended Ver:March 21, 2019

SUBJECT: State armories

SUMMARY: Authorizes the Director of General Services, with the approval of the Adjutant General, to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles National Guard Armory (Armory) for 25 years to the County of Los Angeles.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Authorizes the Director of General Services, with the approval of the Adjutant General of the California Military Department (CMD), to lease and sell any real property held for armory purposes, for not more than 99 years, subject to legislative approval.
2. Establishes the Armory Fund and requires that all net proceeds from the sale or lease of armories be deposited into the fund for use, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the maintenance of existing armories, and for the acquisition or construction of new or replacement armories, including, but not limited to, the cost of design.

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown at this time.

COMMENTS:

According to the author:

AB 653 authorizes the Director of General Services to enter into a lease agreement with the County of Los Angeles for a portion of the parking lot of the West Los Angeles Armory. For over 1.5 years, the County of Los Angeles has been working with relevant City of Los Angeles, State and Federal partners to explore the feasibility of siting a bridge housing facility in the northeast corner of the property. While the design is not yet complete, the County and the National Guard, in partnership with my office, has started a community process to discuss the proposal to build a new structure to serve as 24/7 year-round bridge housing for individual adults experiencing homelessness. All parties agree that this project would be a huge enhancement to Service Area Five in Los Angeles County (majority of the Westside of Los Angeles). The communities surrounding this property are very supportive and I have introduced this bill so that when the design is complete and agreed upon, we will be able to break ground through the execution of this lease.

The CMD operates 98 armories in California. The West LA-Federal Ave armory is an important facility for the California Army National Guard, which has units stationed there and utilizes the armory for emergency response due to its location. According to the CMD, the 1.3 acres Los Angeles County (County) desires to lease is not currently used for military purposes, although a large portion of the land contains armories and is operated by the CMD. The proposed housing program structure would be built on the Northeast corner of the parking lot. This portion would be fenced off from the rest of the property and have its own entrance and exit.

The 2018 Los Angeles County Point-in-Time Homeless Count reported 52,765 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, 39,396 of whom are currently unsheltered. Los Angeles County continues to face a homelessness crisis as a result of increasing rents and stagnating incomes.

A Winter Shelter has operated at the West Los Angeles Armory for more than 10 years. Winter shelters are considered by some to be an outdated model that have not proven effective in diminishing long-term homelessness, although they do provide critical life-saving shelter from the elements for people who have nowhere else to sleep. In April 2017, the Board of Supervisors moved to examine all winter shelters in the County to determine if they could better serve the County’s growing homeless population by becoming year-round 24/7 crisis housing or “bridge housing” sites.

According to the author, the housing program to be located at the armory provides 24-hour dormitory-style living quarters that gives people experiencing homelessness greater access to wrap-around services in a safe and comfortable living environment.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

Association of Community Human Service Agencies
City of Santa Monica
City of West Hollywood
Community Corporation of Santa Monica
Harvest Home
Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office
Safe Parking LA
Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
St. Joseph Center
The People Concern
Venice Community Housing Corporation
Venice Family Clinic
Westside Cities Council Of Governments
Westside Family Health Center

Opposition

None on File

Analysis Prepared by: Jenny Callison / V.A. / (916) 319-3550

Date of Hearing: April 10, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW

Cottie Petrie-Norris, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 653 (

Author:Bloom) – As Amended Ver:March 21, 2019

SUBJECT: State armories

SUMMARY: Allows the state to lease a portion of the West Los Angeles National Guard Armory (Armory) for 25 years to Los Angeles County (County).

EXISTING LAW authorizes the Department of General Services (DGS) with the approval of the Adjutant General of the California Military Department (CMD) to lease and sell armory properties subject to legislative approval.

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown

COMMENTS: This bill allows DGS with the approval of the Adjutant General to lease approximately 1.3 acres of the Armory to the County for 25 years. While the site is a working armory and would continue to operate as an armory, the portion that could be leased is a parking lot that is not used for military purposes.

Armories are the primary sites for unit training and are integral to the readiness and responsiveness of National Guard personnel. The CMD has approximately 100 active armory sites throughout the state.

For more than 10 years, part of the Armory has been used as a winter shelter. However, in 2017, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided to review all county winter shelters to determine if they could better serve the homeless population by becoming year-round bridge housing. Bridge housing provides a safe place for homeless people to sleep and wrap-around services to help them obtain permanent housing.

The CMD has been working with the County on a possible lease for bridge housing. According to CMD, a beneficial agreement for the state and County can likely be reached if the lease is authorized by this bill. The County’s conceptual plans include building a four-story structure with approximately 150 beds.

According to the author, the County has been working with the CMD, the City of Los Angeles, and the federal government for more than a year and a half. The author states, “the communities surrounding this property are very supportive and I have introduced this bill so that when the design is complete and agreed upon, we will be able to break ground through the execution of this lease.”

PRIOR LEGISLATION: AB 3251 (Veterans Affairs Committee), Chapter 726, Statutes of 2018, authorized the sale of specified armory properties.

DOUBLE REFERRAL: This bill has been double referred. Should it pass this committee, it will be re-referred to the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (sponsor)

Association of Community Human Service Agencies
City of Culver City
City of Santa Monica
City of West Hollywood
Community Corporation of Santa Monica
Harvest Home
Safe Parking LA

Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
St. Joseph Center
The People Concern
Venice Community Housing Corporation
Venice Family Clinic
Westside Cities Council of Governments
Westside Family Health Center

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Scott Herbstman / A. & A.R. / (916) 319-3600