Senate Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Water

The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will begin in 60 seconds.

The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will come to order. Good morning. We'd love the rest of the committee to be here in Room 2100. We only have one bill on today's agenda, and it is not on consent. We will first establish a quorum. Please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Okay, a quorum is present. We only have one bill up, SB 832 by Senator Allen. He is ready. Please go ahead.

Please go ahead.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, I'm here to present SB832, which updates the statute for the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Working Group to reflect the ongoing nature of their work and adjust the membership of the working group to ensure appropriate representation. So, this was an entity that was created through legislation in 2017.

It creates a revitalization plan for the area's rivers and tributaries through watershed-based planning. The original revitalization plan was completed in 2020. The Working Group, since then, has done some good work identifying opportunities for all these different projects to restore natural habitat, increase outdoor access for nearby communities.

And it continues to serve an important function, monitoring the river revitalization efforts, evaluating potential needed amendments to the plan as directed by the Legislature in 22. So, now there are a few things that I think need to be codified in law to reflect the ongoing nature of this work.

First of all, the Bill would codify requirement to meet at least once per year to evaluate and report progress implementing the plan, as well as propose potential amendments to the plan. And it also, we had all these shifts to the City Council boundaries in the last redistricting process.

And so now, unfortunately, as a result, the Working Group, as it stands, doesn't include the LA City Council Member who's got the most miles of the Upper LA river in her district. It's Nithya Raman in this case. So, the current Working Group is allowed up to 23 members.

But as part of its creation, certain seats were reserved for either certain local positions or to be appointed by certain entities. So, just for example, I think one seat is reserved for the Director of LA Bureau of Sanitation. Four seats are reserved to be appointed by the California State Senate.

Three seats reserved for appointments by the City Council. So, those three seats that are appointed by the Council are currently all filled by members representing Riparian Council Districts. And this would simply add an additional seat to the Working Group, and it would specify that one of those seats needs to be filled by the city council member with the greatest number of LA River miles, Upper LA River miles, in order to improve representation. So, here to speak in support of the Bill, we have April Bird, who's here on behalf of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.

Thank you for being here. You have two minutes.

Okay. Good morning, Mr. Chair and Members. I'm April Bird on behalf of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, sponsoring SB837. As the Senator said, this is a pretty minor legislative update to the Working Group's membership and number of meetings.

The revitalization plan that the ULART Working Group put together identified 300 proposed opportunities and projects with a priority on disadvantaged communities throughout neighborhoods in the Upper LA River Watershed. Currently, 18 of those projects are underway and being implemented. And as the Senator said, the updating of the membership will ensure appropriate geographical representation.

We appreciate the Senator's leadership in authoring SB832 and respectfully request your aye vote on the Bill. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Any other witnesses in support? Any add-ons in support? Any opposition witnesses? Opposition? Seeing now, bring it back to the Committee. Senator Laird.

I recall this because it was a Boca Negra Bill, and then Anthony Portantino was irritated that there weren't enough tributaries from his district. So, there was a follow-up bill the next year. And Henry was always mad that there wasn't some tributary from his district. It might be in your district now.

Important to create more tributaries.

Yeah, well, not more. My only question is, you are codifying that it meets one time a year, and I think I read in the analysis that it already is supposed to meet one time a year. Is it that it's supposed to meet one time a year, and it's not? And so you have to codify it to make sure they do it.

That's my understanding, yes. Your point is that they are. Yeah, we want to make sure that there's just regular, you know, at least some somewhat regular meetings here. But maybe April can speak more to the issue. Because right now it says it has to be every two years, right? Yeah, and we're making it every year.

Is that anything to add on that?

Yeah, it was in a budget legislation that made it two years, and so this was just updated to require one year. They've been trying to meet two years at the moment since that Bill passed in 2022.

Thank you very much. Mr. Chair, I move the Bill.

Okay. The Assemblymember moves the bill. Thanks for that clarification. Any other comments? Senator Stern.

Yeah. Thank you. As the Upper LA River Member of this body, pleased to see you carrying this measure. Would love to sign on as a co-author.

We're just saving you vehicles.

At the appropriate time, but I think it's a really good idea. I think we need Citi.

I mean, we're looking at several projects in the tributaries right now under the master plan. And just as an example, you know, when you've got these really complex land use plans, right, where you got city property mixing with county property mixing with MRCA and the whole thing, like, you've got to have that puzzle work.

So, I think it's wise to do so. We don't want too many cooks in the kitchen, just to like, overcomplicate it, but I actually think this is going to help. And yeah, there's a lot of unused land that's just sitting there as potentially beautiful park space that still serves the flood purposes.

And if we're going to get any of these bond dollars out, we've got to have this ready. So, if you'll indulge me, I'll sign on and let's go.

We can even make you a joint author.

There we go. I'll take it.

Okay. Thank you, Senator. All right.

Okay. Well, I'm glad the LA Members are all in alignment on this. Sounds like as opposed to the past, and this sounds like a common sense measure to me. Would you like to close?

No. I appreciate the discussion, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Excellent. Please call the roll. Oh, yes, I would do the motion. Thank you. Senator Laird has moved the Bill, and the motion is. Actually, I don't have the motion right here. Do pass to Senate Appropriations. Okay. Moved by Senator Laird. Please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Okay, that Bill is out by a vote of six to zero today. Thank you, Senator Allen. With no additional bills, this meeting of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee is adjourned.