Bill Text: CA SB234 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Wildlife management areas: payments.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 19-8)

Status: (Failed) 2016-02-01 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [SB234 Detail]

Download: California-2015-SB234-Introduced.html

---

BILL NUMBER: SB 234	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senators Wolk and Nielsen
   (Principal coauthors: Senators Berryhill, Cannella, and McGuire)
   (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Dodd, and Frazier)
   (Coauthors: Senators Gaines, Galgiani, Morrell, Stone, and Vidak)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Bigelow, Chávez, Dahle,
Gallagher, Gray, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Melendez, Olsen, Patterson,
Steinorth, and Waldron)

                        FEBRUARY 13, 2015

   An act relating to fish and wildlife, making an appropriation
therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect
immediately.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 234, as introduced, Wolk. Wildlife management areas: payments.
   Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife, when
income is derived directly from real property acquired and operated
by the state as a wildlife management area, as defined, to pay
annually to the county in which the property is located an amount
equal to the county taxes levied upon the property at the time title
to the property was transferred to the state, and any assessments
levied upon the property by any irrigation, drainage, or reclamation
district.
   This bill would appropriate $19,000,000 from the General Fund to
the department to make payments to counties for unpaid amounts under
these provisions.
    This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.
   Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. 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) Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code requires that payments
be made to counties equal to the property taxes previously levied on
property held by the Department of Fish and Wildlife pursuant to that
section.
   (b) No payments have been made to counties pursuant to Section
1504 of the Fish and Game Code since the 2001-02 fiscal year when a
partial payment was made.
   (c) Counties are now owed approximately nineteen million dollars
($19,000,000) for the unpaid payments.
   (d) If this property were owned by a private party, a county could
sell the property to recoup unpaid property taxes.
   (e) Because the sale of this state-owned property is not an option
for a county, the state should fulfill its statutory obligation and
pay the current and unpaid amounts.
   (f) To that end, an appropriation is needed to meet the
obligations of the Department of Fish and Wildlife incurred pursuant
to Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code since the 2001-02 fiscal
year.
  SEC. 2.  The sum of nineteen million dollars ($19,000,000) is
hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Fish
and Wildlife, to make payments to counties for unpaid amounts
incurred pursuant to Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code.
  SEC. 3.   This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
   In order for the fiscal arrangements made by this act to be
operative at the commencement of the 2015-16 fiscal year, it is
necessary for this act to take effect immediately.