Bill Text: CA AB102 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 102 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Santa Susana State Park.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2009-06-18 - Referred to Coms. on N.R. & W. and RLS. [AB102 Detail]

Download: California-2009-AB102-Amended.html

BILL NUMBER: AB 102	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 1, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Smyth

                        JANUARY 8, 2009

   An act to add Section 5006.43 to the Public Resources Code,
relating to parks.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 102, as amended, Smyth. Santa Susana State Park.
   Existing law requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to
develop, operate, and maintain units of the state park system.
   This bill would require the Director of Parks and Recreation, not
later than January 1, 2012, to establish the Santa Susana State Park
Advisory Committee, which would be responsible for assisting the
department, in an advisory capacity, to plan for interim and
permanent land uses and facilities through the general planning
process for the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site in Ventura County.
The bill would also require the department to take specified actions
with respect to the development of a state park at the Santa Susana
Field Laboratory site.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) The Santa Susana Field Laboratory property in Ventura County
can play an important role in aiding the preservation of critical
habitat and wildlife corridors, as well as historical artifacts of
regional, statewide, and national importance. Remarkably preserved
Native American cave paintings exist at this site and should be
safeguarded for future generations.
   (b) The property played a crucial role in the development of our
country's space and nuclear programs. Equipment used to develop that
technology still exists at the site and should be preserved as
educational monuments for future generations.
   (c) Testing done at the site had the great misfortune of
contaminating the ground, causing the property to become a source of
regional controversy. The enactment of Chapter 729 of the Statutes of
2007 guarantees that the property will be cleaned to the highest
standards. With the issue of cleanup of the property codified in
state law, it is important to establish a vision for the property
once the cleanup is complete.
   (d) The site offers a rare opportunity to create a diverse park
that incorporates wildlife and habitat protection, recreational
opportunities, as well as the education of visitors on both the
historical significance of the site and the importance of applying
appropriate land use protocols in order to avoid contamination of
sensitive ecosystems in the future.
   (e) The Department of Parks and Recreation is the appropriate
state agency to lead the development of the creation of this property
as a new state park.
   (f) In creating a new state park in the Ventura and Los Angeles
region, it is important that the Department of Parks and Recreation
work with local groups and allow them to play an advisory role to
guarantee that the region has a voice during the creation of the
park.
  SEC. 2.  (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide park
and recreational opportunities for the Ventura and Los Angeles region
and the state by designating the Department of Parks and Recreation
to develop into a state park the property known as the "Santa Susana
Field Laboratory" in Ventura County.
   (b) It is further the intent of the Legislature that local, state,
and federal agencies, environmental, recreational, historic
preservation, and cultural organizations, museums, educational
institutions and organizations, labor groups, private persons and
entities, and community-based organizations, including the groups
instrumental in community advocacy that led to current plans for
development of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site as a state
park, have the opportunity to participate in project planning and
development.
  SEC. 3.  Section 5006.43 is added to the Public Resources Code, to
read:
   5006.43.  (a) On or before January 1, 2012, the director shall
establish the Santa Susana State Park Advisory Committee, which shall
be responsible for assisting the department, in an advisory
capacity, to plan for interim and permanent land uses and facilities
through the general planning process for the Santa Susana Field
Laboratory (SSFL) site. The director shall terminate the advisory
committee after the adoption of a general plan for the state park.
   (b) The director shall convene and appoint the advisory committee.
The members of the advisory committee shall be selected by the
director, and shall include representatives from entities, including,
but not limited to, local, state, and federal agencies,
environmental, recreational, historic preservation, and cultural
organizations, museums, educational institutions and organizations,
labor groups, individuals and private sector entities, and
community-based organizations, including African American, Asian
Pacific American, Chinese American, and Latino community
organizations, and other interested ethnic groups.
   (c) The department shall take all of the following actions with
respect to the development of a state park at the SSFL site:
   (1) Coordinate the implementation of the SSFL project, considering
recommendations for uses and development from the advisory
committee.
   (2) Survey statewide and community preferences in a range of park
services appropriate for the setting of the SSFL site, as assisted by
the advisory committee.
   (3) Seek input from and cooperate with local, state, and federal
agencies, environmental, recreational, historic preservation, and
cultural organizations, museums, educational institutions and
organizations, labor groups, individuals and private sector entities,
and community-based organizations, as appropriate, that are
interested in the use or development of park and recreational
facilities and programs for the public benefit at the state park
proposed to be located at the SSFL site, including the special needs
of children, youths, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
   (d) The advisory committee shall identify and recommend to the
director priorities for long-range plans for the SSFL site that meet
the needs of Californians and the general public, including park and
recreational facilities and programs serving residents within
communities surrounding the SSFL site in Ventura County.
  SEC. 4.   (a)    The Santa Susana Field
Laboratory (SSFL) property shall not be transferred to the state and
a park shall not be opened at the SSFL site until the site has been
cleaned pursuant to Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 25359.20) of
Chapter 6.8 of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code. 
   (b) This act shall not make the state liable for cleanup of any
contamination that may be found to be present at the SSFL site.