Bill Text: CA AB2622 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: State parks: California Historic Barrio State Historic Park: advisory committee.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-04-06 - In committee: Hearing postponed by committee. [AB2622 Detail]
Download: California-2019-AB2622-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2622
| Introduced by Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia |
February 20, 2020 |
An act to add Section 5006.43 to the Public Resources Code, relating to state parks.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2622, as introduced, Eduardo Garcia.
State parks: California Historic Barrio State Historic Park: advisory committee.
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, on or before an unspecified date, to establish the California Historic Barrio State Historic 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 a state historic park at the historic barrio site in ______. The bill would also require the department to take specified actions with respect to the development of a state historic park at the historic barrio site. The bill would make the implementation of these provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute
for these purposes.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) The urban historic barrio property in ______ meets the requirements to be a state historic park, to be known as a California Historic Barrio State Historic Park.
(2) The development of the urban historic barrio property as a state historic park presents a unique opportunity to interpret and reflect on the entire scope of 19th-century Mexican, Mexican American, and Latinx American history, and no other Mexican American historic site of statewide significant has this capacity.
(3) The 19th-century urban barrio life experience
was a unique statewide California phenomenon lived almost exclusively by Mexicans and Mexican Americans. This unique statewide barrio life experience meets the requirements for a state historic park designation.
(4) The development of the urban historic barrio property in ______ as a state historic park presents a unique opportunity for the Department of Parks and Recreation to address the longstanding underrepresentation of 19th-century Mexican and Mexican American history.
(5) The development of the urban historic barrio property will provide the opportunity for the Department of Parks and Recreation to address the concerns expressed by previous Department of Parks and Recreation executive officials.
(6) Former Department of Parks and Recreation Director Ruth Coleman, in the California History Plan of 2002, stated:
“Failure to preserve diverse resources may result in the state’s history and preservation programs becoming increasingly irrelevant to California’s growing multi-cultural population.”
(7) Former California Historic Preservation Officer Milford Wayne Donaldson, in 2012, stated: “The National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historic Resources must continue to evolve in order to be embraced by all communities and to fulfill their promise as the ‘people’s register.’”
(8) Former President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Stephanie Meeks, in 2011, stated: “As U.S. demographics continue to be transformed, preservationists are recognizing that our historic landmarks, preservation programs, and professional ranks do not reflect the growing diversity of the American people.”
(9) The
development of the urban historic barrio property as a state historic park will make the park experience uniquely relevant to Mexican Americans and connect the largest ethnic population group in the state to the state parks system on a deep and spiritual level. Former Director of the National Park Service, Jonathan B. Jarvis, in 2010, said: “Making the park experience relevant for visitors is the critical first stage for cultivating individual commitment to park stewardship.”
(10) The development of the urban historic barrio property as a state historic park, with its unique capacity to provide a deep, relevant experience for the Mexican American community, comprehensively addresses the Parks Forward Commission executive summary concerns. The executive summary states, “Key challenges facing State Parks include: ensuring parks are affordable to lower income groups, effectively reaching out to youth, providing sufficient access to state parks,
addressing cultural and language barriers, and making visitors feel safe.”
(11) Former Department of Parks and Recreation Assistant Director for Policy and Public Involvement, Ricardo Ramirez, in 2015, recognized another executive summary statement: “Long-term (State Parks) success requires meeting the needs of California’s evolving populations. If State Parks is to be successful moving forward, it needs to be relevant to the citizens it is serving, who will be more urban and non-white.”
(12) The development of the urban historic barrio property as a state historic park will support the Department of Parks and Recreation in meeting goals and initiatives expressed in its 2015 Transformation Action Plan. The action plan states a goal of the department to “develop and solidify meaningful connection and relevancy to underserved communities.” The action plan states initiatives of the
department to “study the feasibility of adding new parks in urban areas” and “study the feasibility of adding new parks that celebrate themes of statewide significance.”
(13) The development of the urban historic barrio property as a state historic park will for the first time officially and permanently place a comprehensive Mexican American California history in the state’s mainstream public history of the state park system. The State of California, the nation, and the world will be historically literate of California’s largest ethnic group; an ethnic group that will become the majority of California’s population in the not too distant future.
(14) The development of the urban historic barrio property as a state historic park will provide opportunities for compatible state historic park products and services that can enhance the state historic park experience and the surrounding
area’s local economy and social life.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide the citizens of the State of California with a state historic park that commemorates and celebrates the entire scope of Mexican and Mexican American history by appropriating funds to the Department of Parks and Recreation to be used for the identification, acquisition, planning, design, environmental assessment, and environmental cleanup of the urban historic barrio property site in ______.
(c) 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, private persons and entities, and community-based organizations, including groups instrumental in community advocacy leading to current plans for development of the California Historic
Barrio State Historic Park, to have the opportunity to participate in project planning and development of the urban historic barrio property site.
SEC. 2.
Section 5006.43 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:5006.43.
(a) As used in this section, “historic barrio site” means the urban historic barrio property site in ______.(b) On or before ______1, 2021, the director shall establish the California Historic Barrio State Historic 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 a state historic park at the historic barrio site. The director shall terminate the advisory committee after the adoption of a general plan for the state historic park.
(c) The director shall convene and appoint the advisory committee. The members of the advisory
committee shall be selected by the director, who shall include in the advisory committee representatives from entities, including, but not limited to, local, state, and federal agencies, environmental, historic preservation, and cultural organizations, museums, educational institutions and organizations, individuals and private-sector entities, and community-based organizations, including Latinx community organizations and other interested ethnic groups.
(d) The department shall take all of the following actions with respect to the development of a state historic park at the historic barrio site.
(1) Coordinate the implementation of the historic barrio site project, considering recommendations for uses and development from the advisory committee.
(2) Survey statewide and community preferences in a range of state park
products and services appropriate for urban state park settings, as assisted by the advisory committee.
(3) Seek input and cooperate with local, state, and federal agencies, environmental, recreational, historic preservation and cultural organizations, museums, educational institutions and organizations, individuals and private-sector entities, and community-based organizations, as appropriate, that are interested in the use or development of historic park and recreational facilities and programs for public benefit at the state historic park proposed to be located at the historic barrio site, including the special needs of children, youths, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
(e) The advisory committee shall identify and recommend to the director, not later than 12 months after the date of acquisition of a fee title to the historic barrio site, priorities for
long-range plans for the site that meet the needs of Californians and the general public, including park and recreational facilities and programs serving residents within communities surrounding the historic barrio site in ______.
(f) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.
