California Legislation Update – June 17

by Cate Moore on June 16, 2014

Committee hearings are under way again.  Many of our bills are being heard in the next two weeks.  We have been busy sending out correspondence in advance of these hearings.

There was a hearing on June 10 at the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.  The following bills were heard and we sent these letters:

Bill AB-2048 »  Fire prevention fees: state responsibility areas

Dear Chairman Pavley and members of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee,

 The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.

 CCFA supports AB 2048 which applies fire prevention fees to only habitable structures and exempts those structures that are not currently habitable due to a natural disaster. This adjustment to the SRA fee structure will correct the situation where rural landowners are being unfairly billed for fees for structures they cannot inhabit due to no fault of their own.


Bill AB-2082 »   Forest practices: resource conservation standards: stocking standards

Dear Chairman Pavley and members of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee,

The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.

CCFA supports AB 2082.

 Since the time that the original stocking standard specifications were written, there have been several changes in forestry technology and intent that have made the existing stocking standards an impediment.

Better genetic stock and planting practices have dramatically improved seedling survival rates, so that current stocking standards are actually causing overstocking in replanted stands.

Current stocking standards are also impeding the restoration of oak woodlands, since the encroaching conifers cannot be removed, since that would violate stocking standards for these stands.

For these reasons, we support authorizing the Board of Forestry to create alternative stocking standards to suit alternative forestry and ecosystem restoration goals.


Bill AB-2112 »  Forestry: timber operations

Dear Chairman Pavley and members of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee,

The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.

CCFA supports AB 2112.

Some counties, such as Santa Cruz County, are notorious for delays in timber harvest permits.  The ability to apply for an extension over a wider window provides processing assurances to the landowner and smoothes the workflow for CAL FIRE and other involved agencies by not creating a flood of last minute applications.


Bill AB-2184 »   Timber and engineered wood products assessment: forest restoration grants

Dear Chairman Pavley and members of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee,

The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.

CCFA supports AB 2184 under the following conditions.

Once the primary purpose of this tax, paying for regulating public values on private timberland, is accomplished, the remaining funds should be spent on improving forests.  We believe remediating the devastated sites of former marijuana growing operations on forest land will serve to the goal of improving forest health in those locations.


 The following bills are still waiting to be heard:

Bill AB-1686  Trespass
Committee Senate floor
Hearing Date not set

Bill AB-1707  Water Quality: scientific peer review
Committee Senate Environmental Quality
Hearing Date 6/18 
Dear Senator Hill and members of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee,

The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.

We support AB 1707 which requires the posting of external scientific peer review of proposed rules.

The regulatory environment of managing water quality has become incredibly complicated and even convoluted.  It would be a good move to have proposed new rules examined by outside sources prior to enactment to vet them for probable effectiveness and to identify unintended consequences before they are enacted.

We note that there is considerable overlap of responsibilities between the agencies, such as the Water Quality Control Boards, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Forestry and FIre Protection.  We hope some of these peer reviews will include checking with fellow agencies to see what they are already doing in the field of the proposed rules and how it has been working.  This can help prevent duplication of rules, and especially, avoid contradictory rules.

We thank you for your consideration and ask you to support AB 1707.


Bill AB-1711 Administrative Procedures Act: economic impact assessment

Committee Senate Environmental Quality
Hearing Date June 25, was recommended for consent calendar

Bill AB-1867 »   Timber harvest plans: exemption: reducing flammable materials
Committee Senate Natural Resources and Water
Hearing Date 6/24

Bill AB-1905 »  Water rights: appropriation: small domestic, small irrigation, and livestock stockpond use
Committee Senate Natural Resources and Water
Hearing Date 6/24

Bill AB-2193 »  Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Act
Committee Senate Natural Resources and Water
Hearing Date 6/24 



Bill AB-2465 »  Burning of lands: private burns  
Committee Senate Environmental Quality
Hearing Date 6/18
Dear Chairman Hill and members of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee,

The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.

CCFA supports AB 2465 takes a first step into returning fire as a management tool for private lands.

Prescribed fire is one of the most cost-effective ways of reducing overgrown vegetation.  It has benefits beyond what is possible in only mechanical thinning, including activating the seeds of fire-dependent plants, reducing the populations of pests like oak moths and destroying the spores of fungal pathogens.  It may also serve to reduce the populations of invasive species.

AB 2465 provides a tool to help private burners perform burns that are safe, done according to regulations and with a minimum impact on the public.

Most of California’s ecosystems are fire-dependent.  Many landowners are eager to bring fire back into their land management suite.  We ask the legislature to help us make this tool available by passing AB 2465.


Bill SB-930  Arson
Committee Assembly Public Safety
Hearing Date 6/17

Dear Chairman Ammiano and members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee,

The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.

We support SB 930 which renews the provisions of Section 451.5 of the Penal Code until January 1, 2019.


Bill SB-1295 »  Trespass: requests for law enforcement assistance

Committee Assembly Public Safety
Hearing Date 6/24

For the latest, please see our legislation table at: CA Legislation Progress 2014 June 17

 

{ 0 comments… add one now }

Leave a Comment