Bill Text: CA AB951 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered

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Bill Title: Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2015-09-28 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 342, Statutes of 2015. [AB951 Detail]

Download: California-2015-AB951-Chaptered.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 951	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	CHAPTER  342
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 31, 2015
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 10, 2015
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 20, 2015
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 26, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Wilk

                        FEBRUARY 26, 2015

   An act to add Article 10 (commencing with Section 4859) to Chapter
3 of Part 3 of Division 5 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to
local government.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 951, Wilk.  Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District.
   The County Sanitation District Act provides for the formation of
county sanitation districts. Existing law, the Ralph M. Brown Act,
requires the regular and special meetings of a legislative body to be
held within the boundaries of the territory over which the local
agency exercises jurisdiction, except that the local agency may meet
in the closest meeting facility if it has no meeting facility within
the boundaries of the territory over which the local agency exercises
jurisdiction, or at its principal office if that office is located
outside the territory over which the local agency exercises
jurisdiction. Under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, each
state is required to identify those waters for which prescribed
effluent limitations are not stringent enough to implement applicable
water quality standards and to establish, with regard to those
waters, total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), subject to the approval of
the United States Environmental Protection Agency, for certain
pollutants at a level necessary to implement those water quality
standards.
   This bill would prohibit the meeting exception described above
from applying to the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District when
decisions are being made upon policy items relating to a total
maximum daily load (TMDL) of any pollutant. By imposing new duties on
the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District, this bill would impose
a state-mandated local program.
   This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to
the necessity of a special statute.
   The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the
purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies
and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a
statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public
records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the
enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this
purpose.
   This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason.



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

  SECTION 1.  Article 10 (commencing with Section 4859) is added to
Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 5 of the Health and Safety Code, to
read:

      Article 10.  Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District


   4859.  (a) Paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 54954 of
the Government Code does not apply to the regular and special
meetings of the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District where
decisions are being made upon policy items relating to a total
maximum daily load (TMDL) of any pollutant.
   (b) For purposes of this section, "meetings" has the same
definition as that term is defined in Section 54952.2 of the
Government Code.
  SEC. 2.  The Legislature finds and declares that a special law is
necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the
meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution
because of the need to hold certain meetings of the Santa Clarita
Valley Sanitation District in a location within the boundaries of the
territory over which the district exercises jurisdiction instead of
at the principal office of the district, which is over fifty miles
away.
  SEC. 3.  The Legislature finds and declares that Section 1 of this
act, which amends Section 54954 of the Government Code, furthers,
within the meaning of paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3
of Article I of the California Constitution, the purposes of that
constitutional section as it relates to the right of public access to
the meetings of local public bodies or the writings of local public
officials and local agencies. Pursuant to paragraph (7) of
subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California
Constitution, the Legislature makes the following findings:
   Because of the need to hold certain meetings of the Santa Clarita
Valley Sanitation District in a location within the boundaries of the
territory over which the district exercises jurisdiction instead of
at the principal office of the district, which is over 50 miles away,
this act would further the purpose of Section 3 of Article I of the
California Constitution.
  SEC. 4.  No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district under this act would result from a legislative mandate that
is within the scope of paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3
of Article I of the California Constitution.