AB 2681: The California Concert and Festival Crowd Safety Act.

(1)Existing law requires a state agency that seeks to hold an event with an expected attendance level over a specified amount on property that is either owned or operated by a state agency to, prior to the event, conduct a threat assessment that addresses specified topics. Existing law also requires that if the state agency determines, based on the facts presented to it in the assessment, that there is a strong probability that loss of life or harm to the participants could occur, then the state agency must require the promoter to prepare an event action plan that includes specified information. Existing law requires the state agency to approve the event action plan before the promoter may hold the event. Existing law authorizes the state agency to charge the promoter a fee that does not exceed the reasonable costs to the state agency to prepare the threat assessment or to review the event action plan.

This bill would establish minimum crowd safety standards for large outdoor events, would require a local authority, as defined, to adopt those standards, and would require a promoter to develop an event operations plan before receiving a permit to host a large outdoor event. The bill would authorize a local authority to charge a promoter a reasonable fee for the cost of the review and approval of the plan. The bill would authorize a local authority to issue a permit for a large outdoor event, as defined, upon a promoters satisfactory completion of the plan and would specify that the bill does not prevent a local authority from adopting additional requirements for large outdoor events. By imposing these requirements on local government, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2)The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.

(3)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.