BOARD LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE Friday, May 17, 2019 12:30 p.m. EBRPD – Administrative Headquarters 2950 Peralta Oaks Court Oakland, California 94605 The following agenda items are listed for Committee consideration. In accordance with the Board Operating Guidelines, no official action of the Board will be taken at this meeting; rather, the Committee’s purpose shall be to review the listed items and to consider developing recommendations to the Board of Directors. A copy of the background materials concerning these agenda items, including any material that may have been submitted less than 72 hours before the meeting, is available for inspection on the District’s website (www. ebparks.org), the Headquarters reception desk, and at the meeting. Public Comment on Agenda Items If you wish to testify on an item on the agenda, please complete a speaker’s form and submit it to the recording secretary. Your name will be called when the item is announced for discussion. Accommodations and Access District facilities and meetings comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If special accommodations are needed for you to participate, please contact the Clerk of the Board at 510-544-2020 as soon as possible, but preferably at least three working days prior to the meeting. AGENDA TIME ITEM STATUS STAFF 12:30 I. STATE LEGISLATION / OTHER MATTERS A. NEW LEGISLATION R Doyle/Pfuehler 1. AB 296 (Cooley D-Rancho Cordova) - Climate Innovation Grant Program 2. AB 1190 (Irwin D-Thousand Oaks) – Prohibition of Local Drone Bans 3. AB 1300 (Kamlager-Dove D-Los Angeles) – Explore the Coast Program of the State Coastal Conservancy 4. AB 1486 (Ting D-San Francisco) – Surplus Land for Housing 5. AB 1516 (Friedman D-Glendale) - Defensible Space and Wildfire Protection 6. ACR 89 (Cooley D-Rancho Cordova) Special Districts Week 7. Other Matters B. OTHER STATE MATTERS I Doyle/Pfuehler 1. Update about AB 1025 (Grayson D-Concord) – California Transportation Commission San Ramon Branch Corridor (Iron Horse Trail) Reimbursement 2. Governor’s May Budget Revision 3. Other Matters II. FEDERAL LEGISLATION / OTHER MATTERS A. NEW LEGISLATION R Doyle/Pfuehler 1. S. 1110 (Harris) and H.R. 2250 (Huffman D-CA) – Northwest California Wilderness Act 2. Other Matters B. OTHER FEDERAL MATTERS I Doyle/Pfuehler 1. Other Matters III. PARK AND PUBLIC INTEREST COMMUNITY I Pfuehler/Baldinger ENGAGEMENT PROJECT IV. ARTICLES V. OPEN FORUM PUBLIC COMMENT Individuals wishing to address the Committee on a topic not on the agenda may do so by completing a speaker’s form and submitting it to the recording secretary. VI. BOARD COMMENTS (R) Recommendation for Future Board Consideration Future Meetings: (I) Information January 18 July 19 (D) Discussion February – NO MTG August 16 March 15 September – NO MTG Legislative Committee Members April 19 October 18 Dennis Waespi (Chair); Ellen Corbett, Colin Coffey May 17 November – NO MTG Director Dee Rosario, Alternate June – NO MTG *December 13 Erich Pfuehler, Government Affairs Manager TO: Board Legislative Committee (Chair Dennis Waespi, Colin Coffey, Ellen Corbett, alt. Dee Rosario) FROM: Robert E. Doyle, General Manager Erich Pfuehler, Government Affairs Manager SUBJECT: Board Legislative Committee Meeting WHEN: Friday, May 17, 2019 12:30 PM Lunch will be served WHERE: Board Room, Peralta Oaks _______ Items to be discussed: I. STATE LEGISLATION / OTHER MATTERS A. NEW LEGISLATION 1. AB 296 (Cooley D – Rancho Cordova) – Climate Innovation Grant Program Assembly Member Cooley’s legislation would establish the Climate Innovation Grant Program, to be administered by the Strategic Growth Council. The program would award grants for the development and research of new innovations and technologies that either reduce emissions of greenhouse gases or address impacts caused by climate change. The bill establishes the Climate Innovation Voluntary Tax Contribution Account, where taxpayers can contribute a portion of their return to the Climate Innovation Fund which supports the grants. General Fund monies will not be deposited into the Fund. Some of the suggested innovations which could be funded by the grant program and could potentially benefit the District are: 1. Contribute to permanent and safe sequestration of greenhouse gases and carbon storage. 2. Contribute to permanent and safe removal of air pollutants. 3. Contribute to clean, reliable and affordable transportation solutions. 4. Address water quality and reliability issues that reduce environmental impacts. This could include promoting improved water quality, improved water supply reliability or reduced flood risk. It could also include enhancing fish and wildlife habitat. 5. Address soil quality issues, including addressing plant and soil health and quality. Staff recommendation: Support 2. AB 1190 (Irwin D – Thousand Oaks) – Prohibition of Local Drone Bans Assembly Member Irwin’s bill would prohibit a state or local agency from adopting any law or regulation banning the operation of an unmanned aircraft system. The League of Cities and drone industry stakeholders are supporting this legislation as an attempt to establish a statewide regulatory policy on the use of drones. While recreational drone users are certainly an interested stakeholder, the real driver behind this legislation may be companies which intend to both sell and use drones as delivery vehicles. Unfortunately, in the League’s efforts to set uniform statewide standards, this ban on drone management would apply to park agencies managing open space areas where drone flights could be harmful to wildlife and inconsistent with a wilderness experience. The District has a current drone policy 1 based the ownership/management of parklands. District legal counsel feel the legislation as it stands should be opposed. Staff recommendation: Oppose 3. AB 1300 (Kamlager-Dove D – Los Angeles) – Explore the Coast Program of the State Coastal Conservancy Assembly Member Kamlager-Dove seeks to formalize the Explore the Coast Program within the Coastal Conservancy to expand opportunities for all Californians to access and enjoy the state’s coastal resources. While the Conservancy currently offers Explore the Coast grants, this bill would legislatively authorize the program. The bill would require the Conservancy to prioritize projects that provide students and youth with an opportunity to visit the coast for the first time. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, those projects that involve providing transportation, physical activity programming, resource interpretation, education, multilingual translation, or communication for purposes of providing access to and enjoyment of coastal resources. The District received a $50,000 grant from the Explore the Coast Program for Parks Express trips to Shoreline Parks in 2014-2015. The District has applied for another $50,000 to fund Shoreline Recreation Outreach Programs. Staff recommendation: Support 4. AB 1486 (Ting D – San Francisco) – Surplus Land for Housing Assembly Member Ting’s bill would require public agencies to offer a right of first refusal to affordable housing developers, schools and park agencies before leasing, selling or otherwise “conveying” any of the agency’s land. The bill would also require local agencies to produce a central inventory of specified surplus governmental property on or before December 31 of each year. It would further require the local agency to make a description of each parcel and its present uses a matter of public record. This inventory would need to be reported to the Department of Housing and Community Development no later than April 1 of each year, beginning April 1, 2021. Finally, the bill would provide that land is presumed to be surplus land when a local agency initiates an action to dispose of it. Given the District’s Mission and Vision seek to protect its lands in perpetuity, it is unclear if this bill would directly impact District parklands (other than the inventory requirement). It could, however, impact District acquisition of surplus lands. Staff recommendation: Watch 5. AB 1516 (Friedman D – Glendale) – Defensible Space and Wildfire Protection The goal of Assembly Member Friedman’s bill is to improve defensible space requirements and compliance to protect lives, businesses and homes. Current law requires owners of occupied dwellings to maintain a defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure. This bill would require a person described above to utilize more intense fuel reductions between 5 and 30 feet around the structure, and to create a noncombustible zone within 5 feet of the structure. This would put more teeth into vegetation management requirements with which individual homeowners would need to comply. By extension, less focus on adjacent landowners like the District in some cases. This legislation also aligns well with the work on which Public Affairs has engaged to educate homeowners about defensible space. 2 Staff recommendation: Watch 6. ACR 89 (Cooley D – Rancho Cordova) – Special Districts Week This measure proclaims September 22, 2019 to September 28, 2019, to be Special Districts Week. Staff recommendation: Support 7. Other Matters B. OTHER STATE MATTERS 1. Update about AB 1025 (Grayson D – Concord) – California Transportation Commission San Ramon Branch Corridor (Iron Horse Trail) Reimbursement The legislation has been amended to add the Contra Costa Transportation Agency (CCTA) to the Iron Horse Corridor Management Program Advisory Committee. It also calls on the Committee to