Bill Text: CA AB618 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: State parks: reservations.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-10-08 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 536, Statutes of 2023. [AB618 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB618-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  September 01, 2023

Amended  IN  Senate  July 05, 2023

Amended  IN  Senate  June 19, 2023

Amended  IN  Assembly  May 18, 2023

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 20, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 618

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Introduced by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Luz Rivas and Quirk-Silva)

February 09, 2023

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An act to add Section 5010.1.5 to, and to add and repeal Section 5010.1.6 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to state parks.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 618, as amended, Bauer-Kahan. State parks: reservations.

Existing law establishes the Department of Parks and Recreation and vests the department with control of the state park system. Existing law authorizes the department, whenever significant savings can be achieved, to enter into a contract with any natural person, corporation, partnership, or association for the operation of a reservation system for the state park system and for the collection of state park fees in connection therewith.

This bill would require any contract the department enters into, on and after January 1, 2024, for purposes of managing the department’s reservation system, to reflect specified rules and requirements, including, among other things, a requirement that a reservationholder who cancels a reservation within 7 2 to 6 calendar days before the reservation start date shall receive a credit that can be used for a future reservation within 5 years of the original reservation start date, as provided. forfeit the cost of the reservation for the first night plus any reservation fees. The bill would require the department to, on or before January 1, 2025, and until January 1, 2029, implement a reservation drawing for up to 5 of the most popular units of the state park system, as provided. The bill would require the department to report, on or before January 1, 2028, information regarding on the outcomes of the reservation drawing to the Legislature.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 5010.1.5 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

5010.1.5.

 (a) On and after January 1, 2024, any contract the department enters into for purposes of managing the department’s reservation system pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 5010.1 shall reflect the rules and requirements of this section.

(b)A person shall not reserve a site in a unit of the state park system for more than seven consecutive nights during peak season.

(c)A person shall not reserve a site in a unit of the state park system if that person has occupied a site at the same unit proposed for reservation for more than 30 days in a calendar year.

(d)A person shall not reserve a site in a unit of the state park system through the online reservation system for one calendar year if that person, at least three times in one calendar year, fails to show up for the reservation. During this time, this person may reserve a site through the walkup reservation system.

(b) For units of the state park system operated by the department, a person shall not reserve a site under any of the following circumstances:

(1) For more than seven consecutive nights during peak season.

(2) If the person has occupied a site at the same unit proposed for reservation for more than 30 days in a calendar year.

(3) (A) By using the online reservation system if the person failed to show up for at least three reservations in one calendar year.

(B) The person’s ability to reserve a site using the online reservation system shall resume within one calendar year.

(C) This paragraph shall not apply to reservations and occupation of sites obtained using walkup reservations or first-come-first-served systems.

(e)

(c) A reservationholder who cancels a reservation eight seven calendar days or more before the reservation start date shall receive a refund of the cost of the reservation, excluding any reservation fees.

(f)

(d) A reservationholder who cancels a reservation within seven two to six calendar days before the reservation start date shall receive a credit, excluding any reservation fees, that may be used for a future reservation within five years of the original reservation start date. forfeit the cost of the reservation for the first night plus any reservation fees.

(g)

(e) A reservationholder who cancels a reservation on the day of the reservation start date or after or fails to show up for the reservation within 24 hours of the reservation start date shall forfeit the entire cost of the reservation and shall not receive a credit. plus any reservation fees.

(h)

(f) A reservationholder shall either show up on the day of the reservation start date or provide advance notice or provide notice of late arrival to staff at the state park unit where the reservation is held that the reservationholder will arrive late within 24 hours of the reservation start date in order to avoid forfeiting the entire cost of the reservation.

(i)

(g) A camp or lodging site for which the reservationholder cancels a reservation three calendar days or more before the reservation start date shall be made available for reservation through the online reservation system.

(j)The following camp or lodging sites shall be made available for walkup reservation, which shall display in real time as available on the online reservation system, but shall not be available for reservation through the online system:

(1)A camp or lodging site for which the reservationholder cancels a reservation on the day of the reservation start date or up to two calendars days before the reservation start date.

(2)A camp or lodging site for which the reservationholder does not show up on the day of the reservation start date and does not provide advance notice to staff at the state park unit where the reservation is held that the reservationholder will arrive late.

(3)A camp or lodging site that has not been reserved up to two days before the start date.

(k)

(h) A reservationholder shall receive at least two reminder emails, reminders via email or another form of communication, as follows:

(1) Ten days before the reservation start date, that encourages cancellation at least eight seven days before the reservation start date to receive a refund of the cost of the reservation, excluding any reservation fees.

(2) Four days before the reservation start date, encouraging cancellation before the reservation start date to receive a credit for the cost of the reservation, excluding any reservation fees. within three calendar days of the reservation start date to avoid the forfeiture of one night of reservation costs plus any reservation fees.

(l)

(i) As part of the email communication described in subdivision (k), (h), a reservationholder shall be informed that the entire cost of the reservation plus any reservation fees shall be forfeited, and no credits shall be given, forfeited if the reservationholder does either of the following:

(1) Cancels on the day within 24 hours of the reservation start date.

(2) Fails to either show up on the day of the reservation start date or provide advance notice to or notify staff at the state park unit where the reservation is held that the reservationholder will arrive late. of a late arrival no later than 24 hours following the reservation start date.

(m)Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department may use the forfeited

(j) Forfeited reservation costs, as described in subdivisions (g) and (h), (d) and (e), shall be deposited into the State Parks and Recreation Fund, established pursuant to Section 5010, and may be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of deferred maintenance projects.

(n)

(k) This section shall only apply to a camp or lodging site that uses the reservation system described in subdivision (b) of Section 5010.1.

SEC. 2.

 Section 5010.1.6 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

5010.1.6.

 (a) On or before January 1, 2025, the department shall implement a reservation drawing for up to five of the most popular units of the state park system. The department shall determine the top units for purposes of this section based on units that have the most booking interest six months before the reservation date. The reservation drawing shall occur at least once per year for each of the selected units.

(b) At any unit of the state park system described in subdivision (a), the department may continue to use the reservation system authorized pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 5010.1 and as described in Section 5010.1.5 for a subset of camping or lodging sites within the state park unit for purposes of providing an analysis between the reservation drawing process established by this section and existing reservation system processes.

(c) (1) On or before January 1, 2028, the department shall provide a report to the Legislature regarding on the outcomes of the reservation drawing established pursuant to subdivision (a), including any analysis obtained pursuant to subdivision (b).

(2) A report submitted to the Legislature pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2029, and as of that date is repealed.