Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality

Good morning, everybody. The Senate Committee on Environmental Quality is now in order. Welcome. We don't quite have a quorum, but we do have an author. So I would like to encourage all Members of the Environmental Quality Committee to come down to room 1200. We need one more Member for a quorum.

And we will begin as a Subcommitee with Assemblymember Hart. Do you want to announce the pulled bills? Yes, and I will announce the pulled bills now. So we have two bills that will not be heard in Committee today. It's File item number one, AB60, and file item number seven, AB1139. So with that, we'll invite you forward.

Assemblymember Hart. This is item number three, AB471.

Good morning, chair and members. I want to thank your team on their analysis of this bill today, and I'll be accepting the committee's amendments. I'm pleased to present AB 471, a bill to increase participation within local air districts by providing reasonable compensation to board members.

Last year, the legislature passed and the governor signed AB 2522, which allowed certain large and medium air districts to increase compensation limits. State law, however, is unclear on the authority of a single county air district to provide per diem compensation to board members. As a result, these members aren't receiving compensation for their service.

AB 471 addresses this inequity by providing explicit authority to provide per diem compensation for single county, small and medium sized districts. This bill includes transparency provisions, a prohibition on automatic increases, and a strict annual cap. Board members across the state work diligently to improve air quality and safeguard public health in our communities.

Low compensation levels create challenges, making it harder for these public servants to balance professional and personal obligations. AB 471 aims to reasonably compensate these board members and attract a wider range of elected officials from varied backgrounds. The bill has had bipartisan support, enjoys no opposition, and I respectfully request an I vote.

And speaking in support is our witness who's probably on her way, but we'll pause.

Well, we could pause and wait for your witness.

Yeah, let's see if she's able to make it. Thanks for your patience.

Maybe not.

Okay. Assembly Member Hart, we'll return to you.

We're back again, and speaking in support of the bill is Aeron Arlin Genet, Director and Air Pollution Control Officer for the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, and Brendan Twohig from the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association.

Welcome. You each have two minutes.

Is the light. Is it on? All right. Good morning. I'm Aeron Arlin Genet, the Executive Director of Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.

I am also on the board of the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association, CAPCOA, which is the association of the 35 air pollution control officers throughout the state and also the sponsor of the bill. Thank you for the opportunity to speak regarding the need for Assembly Bill 471.

Today we are asking that you extend the authority of last year's AB 2522 to Air District boards that are captured under different state statutes and comprised of county supervisors, city council representatives, or mayors or both.

It would give these boards the ability to consider per diem compensation for the work they do to improve air quality and safeguard public health in their communities.

In addition to the elected jobs of the county supervisors and city council representatives, when serving on air district boards, they serve an expanded and highly technical role that must consider air quality issues for the entire county that we serve, not just the specific jurisdiction that they are elected to represent.

Air district issues are very different from what elected officials contend with in their other roles.

In Santa Barbara County, for example, to effectively serve on my district board, directors must be familiar with federal, state, and local air district rules and regulations, the substantial number of complex industrial facilities that we permit, air quality attainment strategies, revenue limitations, negotiation aspect with employee unions, and long range fiscal strategies that are essential to ensure our agency operates in a fiscally sound way.

AB 471 addresses the compensation inequity in existing law by providing explicit statutory authority for additional air districts to consider providing appropriate limited per diem compensation with no state cost.

While per diem compensation in AB 471 is nominal, it is still additional and could facilitate broader participation and attract a wider range of elected officials who may be discouraged from serving on air district board due to financial burdens. Thank you for your support for AB 471.

Thank you. Madam Chair and members. Brendan Twohig, on behalf of the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association. That's the air pollution control officers from all 35 local air districts. We're the sponsor of the bill.

I will be very brief and just add that the provisions that are in this bill are modeled after and actually track very closely to what was in AB 2522 which passed last year and was signed into law. We chose the lowest of the annual caps that were that was in that measure.

We thought it was reasonable to move forward with that. And so, you know, I'm just here to help answer questions and really appreciate your consideration of the measure.

Well, thank you very much and we appreciate you being timely today. Thank you for coming. You were the very first bill and actually our only bill that was being presented, so we're so grateful that you're here. Is there anybody else in the room who wishes to express support?

Good morning, Madam Chair. Erik White with the Placer County Air Pollution Control District in support.

Thank you very much. And now we have a quorum, so we will turn it. We will establish a quorum, if you don't mind.

[roll call]

Okay, a quorum has been established. Thank you. Now, do we have any opposition witnesses? Please come forward if you are an opposition witness. Okay, seeing none. Anyone in the room wishing to express opposition? Okay, seeing none. We will turn it back to the members here. Any Member? Yes. Vice Chair.

Thank you. Well, first of all, thank you so much for bringing this bill forward. I know that we met to talk about the need for this in my office, and I appreciate you really working your bill. It's. It's important.

I just want to confirm, though, for the record, that you will be adding the Antelope Valley AQMD to the bill in the next when it goes to the next committee. Is that correct?

Yes. Thanks for that question. We didn't have time to do that yet, but we will absolutely commit to doing that. I will actually commit to doing that in the next committee hearing.

I appreciate that. And with that, I'd like to move the bill.

Okay, thank you. And just to clarify that The Antelope Valley APCD is virtually identical to the 11 districts that are covered by this bill. But the only difference is that the Antelope Valley includes a public member. So that's why there's a need to expand it. Okay, great. Thank you.

So now we'll turn it back to Assemblymember Hart to close.

I respectfully request an I vote. Thank you for your attention.

Okay, thank you. And we have a motion by the Vice Chair. And committee consultant, please call the roll.

[roll call]

Five to zero. We'll keep that on call. Thank you very much.

Move the consent calendar.

Okay, next up, we have the consent calendar. Just wanted to make sure and ask if any member would like to remove any item from the consent calendar. Hearing none. We have a motion from the vice chair on the consent calendar and committee assistant. Please call the roll.

[roll call]

Five to zero. We will keep the consent calendar on call.

Okay. We will now go into a brief recess.

The call.

So we're going to the consent calendar. So please call the roll.

Okay. Senators Gonzalez, Padilla, Perez. Aye. 6 to 0. If the consent calendar is adopted.

It's 6 to 0. The consent calendar is adopted. Now we will go to item number three from Assemblymember Hart, AB 471.

The motion is do pass as amended to local government. The current vote is five to zero. Senators Gonzalez, Padilla, Perez. Perez, aye. Six to zero.

That's six to zero. And that is out. Thank you. The Senate Environmental Quality Committee is now adjourned.