CCASLA Bill Tracking

AB 31: (De Leon [D] ) Murray-Frommer Urban Parks and Renewal Act.
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: Existing law establishes the Urban Park Act of 2006, which requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to establish a local assistance program to offer grants, on a competitive basis, to various local entities and nonprofit organizations, as defined, for the acquisition or development, or both, of urban parks and recreational areas and facilities. Existing law authorizes heavily urbanized counties to apply for these grants. For purposes of the act, the term "heavily urbanized county" is defined. This bill would change the name of the act to the Murray-Frommer Urban Parks and Renewal Act. The bill would expand the definition of "heavily urbanized county" to include counties with a population of 350,000 or more people and a density of at least 900 persons per square mile. This bill contains other related provisions.

AB 566 (Plescia [R] ) Water conservation.
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: Existing law, the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, required the Department of Water Resources, by January 1, 1992, to adopt a model local water efficient landscape ordinance that each local agency may adopt. Existing law further requires the department, to the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, by January 1, 2009, and after holding public hearings, to update the model water efficient landscape ordinance that may include climate information for irrigation scheduling based on the California Irrigation Management Information System. This bill would require, rather than permit, the model ordinance to include climate information for irrigation scheduling based on the California Irrigation Management Information System.

AB 662 (Ruskin [D] ) Water conservation.
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: The Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to prescribe, by regulation, energy conservation design standards for new residential and new nonresidential buildings before January 1, 1981. This bill would require the Energy Commission to prescribe, by regulation, water conservation design and construction standards for those buildings before January 1, 2009.

AB 665 (DeSaulnier [D] California Growth Management Act.
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: The Planning and Zoning Law requires that a general plan consist of a statement of development policies and include a diagram or diagrams and text setting forth objectives, principles, standards, and plan proposals, including, among other things, a land use element, that designates, among other things, the proposed general distribution and general location and extent of the uses of the land for housing, business, industry, open space, and other categories of public and private uses of land. This bill would declare the Legislature's intent to enact legislation to create the California Growth Management Act.

AB 711 (Emmerson [R] ) Contractors: landscape contractors.
Current Location: 03/05/2007-Assembly Business & Professions Committee

Summary: Existing law, the Contractors' State License Law, creates the Contractors' State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs and provides for the licensing and regulation of contractors. Existing law authorizes a landscape contractor working within the classification of his or her license to enter into a prime contract for the construction of a swimming pool, spa, or hot tub, provided that the improvements are included within a landscape project that the landscape contractor is supervising and are subcontracted to a single licensed swimming pool contractor or are performed by the landscape contractor who is a licensed swimming pool contractor. This bill would authorize a landscape contractor working within the classification of his or her license to enter into a prime contract for the construction of an outdoor cooking center or an outdoor fireplace provided that the improvements are included within a landscape project that the contractor is supervising and that, in the case of an outdoor fireplace, it is not attached to a dwelling.

AB 1303 (Smyth [R] ) Urban Greening Act of 2007
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: Under existing law, programs have been established pursuant to bond acts for, among other things, the development and enhancement of state and local parks and recreational facilities. This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation, consistent with those provisions of the initiative, to establish a local assistance program to offer grants, on a competitive basis, to an eligible city, county, or district authorized to provide park, recreational, or open-space services, or a combination of those services. The bill would require the department, in evaluating an application for a grant, to assign higher priority to an application based on satisfying specified criteria. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

AB 1435 (Salas [D] ) Water charges: conservation rate structure.
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: Existing law authorizes a public entity that supplies water at retail or wholesale within its service area to adopt, in accordance with specified procedures, and enforce a water conservation program. This bill would require a local water purveyor that supplies water to retail customers to institute a conservation rate structure based on the amount of water used for other than agricultural purposes for each customer that has a service connection for which a water meter has been installed.

AB 1481 (De La Torre [D] ) Water recycling.
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: The Water Recycling Law requires each California regional water quality control board, after consulting with and receiving the recommendations of the State Department of Public Health and any party who has requested in writing to be consulted, to prescribe water reclamation requirements for water that is used or proposed to be used as reclaimed water, if the regional board determines that it is necessary to protect the public health, safety, or welfare. This bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board, on or before January 1, 2010, to prescribe general water recycling requirements applicable to landscape irrigation uses of recycled water for which the State Department of Public Health has established uniform statewide recycling criteria. The bill would authorize the state board to establish a reasonable schedule of fees to reimburse the state board for the costs it incurs in developing and implementing these requirements. The bill would authorize the person recycling the water, the user, or both, to obtain coverage for water recycling uses by filing a notice of intent to be covered and submitting the appropriate fee to the state board.

AB 1602 (Nunez [D] ) Environment: Sustainable Communities and Urban Greening Program.
Current Location: Assembly

Summary: The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, an initiative statute adopted by the voters at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, among other things, makes $580,000,000 in bond funds available for improving the sustainability and livability of the state's communities through investment in natural resources. The initiative requires $90,000,000 of those bond funds to be available for urban greening projects that reduce energy consumption, conserve water, improve air and water quality, and provide other community benefits, and requires implementing legislation to provide for planning grants for urban greening programs. This bill would establish in the Resources Agency, the Sustainable Communities and Urban Greening Grant Program and would provide that moneys made available by those bond funds may be expended for this program. The bill would require the Resources Agency, in consultation with the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, to develop and administer a program of grants to local public agencies and nonprofit organizations for the purpose of improving the sustainability and livability of communities through the development of green infrastructure that provides multiple benefits, including improved air and water quality, energy and water conservation, climate change mitigation, and recreational and other community benefits. The bill would specify eligible projects.

SB 59 (Cogdill [D] ) Reliable Water Supply Bond Act of 2008.
Current Location: 03/27/07 Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee

Summary: Under existing law, various bond acts have been approved by the voters to provide funds for water projects, facilities, and programs. This bill would enact the Reliable Water Supply Bond Act of 2008 which, if approved by the voters, would authorize, for purposes of financing a water supply program, the issuance, pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law, of bonds in the amount of $3,950,000,000. The bill would require the Secretary of State to submit the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2008, statewide general election.

SB 825 (Padilla [D] ) Water: water conservation policy.
Current Location: 03/08/2007-Senate Rules Committee

Summary: Under existing law, the state is required to determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit. This bill would declare that it is the policy of the state to promote water conservation, water efficiency, and water recycling as the most cost-effective means of increasing water supply and protecting the environment.