Bill Text: CA SB732 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: General plan: agricultural land.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-10-02 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 434, Statutes of 2017. [SB732 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SB732-Chaptered.html
| Senate Bill No. 732 |
| CHAPTER 434 |
An act to amend Section 669.5 of the Evidence Code, to amend Sections 51283, 65560, and 65570 of, and to add Sections 65565 and 65565.1 to, the Government Code, to amend Section 5950.1 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, to amend Sections 612, 10281.5, and 10282 of the Public Resources Code, and to amend Section 79033.6 of the Water Code, relating to land use.
[
Approved by
Governor
October 02, 2017.
Filed with
Secretary of State
October 02, 2017.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 732, Stern.
General plan: agricultural land.
(1) The Planning and Zoning Law requires each city, county, and city and county to prepare and adopt a general plan that contains certain mandatory elements, including a land use element and an open-space element. Existing law requires the land use element to, among other things, designate the proposed general distribution and general location and extent of the uses of the land for agricultural use. Existing law requires the open-space element to include a plan for the comprehensive and long-range preservation and conservation of open-space land within the city or county that prepares it.
This bill would authorize a city and county to develop an agricultural land component of the city or county’s open-space element, or a separate agricultural land element. The bill would require a city or county to comply with specified
requirements when preparing that component or element, including identifying and mapping, where applicable, using specified data, agricultural lands that are within the city’s or county’s jurisdiction; establishing a comprehensive set of goals, policies, and objectives to support the long-term protection of agricultural land; identifying and designating priority land for conservation; and identifying and establishing a set of feasible implementation measures designed to promote those goals, policies, and objectives. The bill would authorize the Department of Conservation, to the extent funds are available, to award grants to a city or county to implement these provisions. The bill would, at least 45 days before adopting or amending the open-space element or the agricultural land element, require a city or county to submit to the department a draft of the agricultural land component or amendment, or agricultural land element or amendment, prepared pursuant to these provisions, and any maps used in creating
that component or amendment. The bill would authorize the department to review any drafts submitted, and to provide recommendations to the city or county, as provided. The bill would require the department to give priority consideration for grants, bond proceeds, and other local assistance provided by the department to a city or county that complies with specified requirements. The bill would authorize a city or county with an existing agricultural land component of their open-space element or an existing separate agricultural land element that substantially complies with the requirements set out in this bill, and complies with certain procedures, to receive priority consideration as described in the previous sentence.
(2) Existing law requires the department to prepare, and to update biennially, Important Farmland Series maps using data compiled by the United States Soil Conservation Service, and collect or acquire information on the amount of
land converted to or from agricultural use using specified data for every county for which Important Farmland Series maps exist. Existing law requires the department to submit a report to the Legislature on the data collected pursuant to these provisions by June 30, 1988, and biennially thereafter. Existing law also requires the department to update and send counties copies of current Important Farmland Series maps by August 1, 1986, and biennially thereafter.
This bill would require the department to also collect or acquire information on the amount of land converted between agricultural categories. This bill would require the department to submit the report described above to the Legislature by December 31, 2018, and biennially thereafter. The bill would require the department to update and send counties copies of the updated current Important Farmland Series maps by December 31, 2018, and biennially thereafter. This bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to
those provisions.
(3) Existing law establishes the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, otherwise known as the Williamson Act, and authorizes a city or county to enter into 10-year contracts with owners of land devoted to agricultural use, whereby the owners agree to continue using the property for that purpose, and the city or county agrees to value the land accordingly for purposes of property taxation, as specified. Existing law authorizes the cancellation of a Williamson Act contract under certain circumstances, and authorizes the city or county to charge a cancellation fee in an amount equal to 121/2 of the cancellation valuation of the property. Existing law requires these cancellation fees to be transmitted by the county treasurer to the Controller upon collection, and specifies that those cancellation fees are to be deposited in the
General Fund, except for a portion of those cancellation fees, as approved in the final Budget Act for each fiscal year, which are to be deposited in the Soil Conservation Fund to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature to support, among other things, the cost of the farmlands mapping and monitoring program of the Department of Conservation.
This bill would provide that if funds are available after providing other specified support, that those funds be used for program support costs incurred by the Department of
Conservation in carrying out specified duties of the department related to open-space lands.
(4) Existing law establishes the Agricultural Protection Planning Grant Program within the Department of Conservation to provide planning grants to improve the protection of agricultural lands and grazing lands, including oak woodlands and grasslands. Under existing law, the program authorizes a local government entity, nonprofit organization, authority, or joint powers authority to apply for a grant under the program, to be used for the protection of agricultural lands and grazing lands, and requires those applicants to demonstrate that the changes to the existing goals, objectives, policies, or programs
of the city, county, or city and county that will logically result from the grant will improve protection of agricultural land, grazing land, or grasslands. Existing law requires the Department of Conservation, in consultation with certain parties and entities, to develop and adopt guidelines and criteria for awarding grants pursuant to this program. Existing law requires a grant proposal by a park or open-space district, resource conservation district, other special district, nonprofit organization, authority, or joint powers authority to be approved by resolution of the city, county, or city and county, or multiple cities and counties, whose jurisdiction the proposal is intended to benefit.
This bill would eliminate the requirement that a proposal by a nonprofit
organization be approved by resolution of the city, county, or city and county, or multiple cities and counties, whose jurisdiction the proposal is intended to benefit. The bill would require the Department of Conservation, prior to awarding funds, to instead develop guidelines and selection criteria for awarding grants in accordance with certain criteria, and would additionally specify that the adoption of guidelines and criteria by the Department of Conservation for awarding grants pursuant to these provisions is not subject to the Administrative Procedure Act.
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.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) California is the most productive and diverse agricultural state in the nation, producing 350 different products, including nearly one-half of the nation’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The reliable and robust supply of these products is crucial to global and local food supplies, healthy communities, and California’s economy.
(b) California’s agricultural sector employs almost 350,000 people and contributes more than $70 billion to the state’s economy.
(c) California is currently losing thousands of acres of agricultural lands every year to urban development. Most of these losses come from prime farmland, which is a finite resource that developed over centuries and cannot easily be replaced. California is at risk of losing over one million more acres over the next several decades.
SEC. 2.
Section 669.5 of the Evidence Code is amended to read:669.5.
(a) Any ordinance enacted by the governing body of a city, county, or city and county which (1) directly limits, by number, the building permits that may be issued for residential construction or the buildable lots which may be developed for residential purposes, or (2) changes the standards of residential development on vacant land so that the governing body’s zoning is rendered in violation of Section 65913.1 of the Government Code is presumed to have an impact on the supply of residential units available in an area which includes territory outside the jurisdiction of the city, county, or city and county.(b) With respect to any action which
challenges the validity of an ordinance specified in subdivision (a) the city, county, or city and county enacting the ordinance shall bear the burden of proof that the ordinance is necessary for the protection of the public health, safety, or welfare of the population of the city, county, or city and county.
(c) This section does not apply to state and federal building code requirements or local ordinances which (1) impose a moratorium, to protect the public health and safety, on residential construction for a specified period of time, if, under the terms of the ordinance, the moratorium will cease when the public health or safety is no longer jeopardized by the construction, (2) create agricultural preserves under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 51200) of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code, or (3)
restrict the number of buildable parcels or designate lands within a zone for nonresidential uses in order to protect agricultural uses as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 51201 of the Government
Code or open-space land as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 65560 of the Government Code.
(d) This section shall not apply to a voter approved ordinance adopted by referendum or initiative prior to the effective date of this section which (1) requires the city, county, or city and county to establish a population growth limit which represents its fair share of each year’s statewide population growth, or (2) which sets a growth rate of no more than the average population growth rate experienced by the state as a whole. Paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) does not apply to a voter-approved ordinance adopted by referendum or initiative which exempts housing affordable to persons and families of low or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code, or which otherwise provides low- and
moderate-income housing sites equivalent to such an exemption.
SEC. 3.
Section 51283 of the Government Code is amended to read:51283.
(a) Prior to any action by the board or council giving tentative approval to the cancellation of any contract, the county assessor of the county in which the land is located shall determine the current fair market value of the land as though it were free of the contractual restriction. The assessor shall certify to the board or council the cancellation valuation of the land for the purpose of determining the cancellation fee. At the same time, the assessor shall send a notice to the landowner and the Department of Conservation indicating the current fair market value of the land as though it were free of the contractual restriction and advise the parties, that upon their request, the assessor shall provide all information relevant to the valuation, excluding third-party information. If any information is confidential or otherwise protected from release, the department and the landowner shall hold it as confidential and return or destroy any protected information upon termination of all actions relating to valuation or cancellation of the contract on the property. The notice shall also advise the landowner and the department of the opportunity to request formal review from the assessor.(b) Prior to giving tentative approval to the cancellation of any contract, the board or council shall determine and certify to the county auditor the amount of the cancellation fee that the landowner shall pay the county treasurer upon cancellation. That fee shall be an amount equal to
121/2 percent of the cancellation valuation of the property.
(c) If it finds that it is in the public interest to do so, the board or council may waive any payment or any portion of a payment by the landowner, or may extend the time for making the payment or a portion of the payment contingent upon the future use made of the land and its economic return to the landowner for a period of time not to exceed the unexpired period of the contract, had it not been canceled, if all of the following occur:
(1) The cancellation is caused by an involuntary transfer or change in the use which may be made of the land and the land is not immediately suitable, nor will be immediately used, for a purpose
which produces a greater economic return to the owner.
(2) The board or council has determined that it is in the best interests of the program to conserve agricultural land use that the payment be either deferred or is not required.
(3) The waiver or extension of time is approved by the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency. The secretary shall approve a waiver or extension of time if the secretary finds that the granting of the waiver or extension of time by the board or council is consistent with the policies of this chapter and that the board or council complied with this article. In evaluating a request for a waiver or extension of time, the secretary shall review the findings of the board or council, the evidence in the record of the board or council, and any other evidence the
secretary may receive concerning the cancellation, waiver, or extension of time.
(d) The first two million five hundred thirty-six thousand dollars ($2,536,000) of revenue paid to the Controller pursuant to subdivision (e) in the 2004–05 fiscal year, and any other amount as approved in the final Budget Act for each fiscal year thereafter, shall be deposited in the Soil Conservation Fund, which is continued in existence. The money in the fund is available, when appropriated by the Legislature, for the support of all of the following:
(1) The cost of the farmlands mapping and monitoring program of the Department of Conservation pursuant to Section 65570.
(2) The soil conservation program identified in Section 614 of the Public Resources Code.
(3) Program support costs of this chapter as administered by the Department of Conservation.
(4) Program support costs incurred by the Department of Conservation in administering the open-space subvention program (Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 16140) of Part 1 of Division 4 of Title 2).
(5) The costs to the Department of Conservation for administering Section 51250.
(6) When available, after funding the duties of the Department of Conservation pursuant to paragraphs (1) through (5), inclusive, program support costs incurred by the department in carrying out the duties of the department pursuant to Sections 65565 and 66565.1.
(e) When cancellation fees required by this section are collected, they shall be transmitted by the county treasurer to the Controller and deposited in the General Fund, except as provided in subdivision (d) of this section and subdivision (b) of Section 51203. The funds collected by the county treasurer with respect to each cancellation of a contract shall be transmitted to the Controller within 30 days of the execution of a certificate of cancellation of contract by the board or council, as specified in subdivision (b) of Section
51283.4.
(f) It is the intent of the Legislature that fees paid to cancel a contract do not constitute taxes but are payments that, when made, provide a private benefit that tends to increase the value of the property.
SEC. 4.
Section 65560 of the Government Code is amended to read:65560.
For purposes of this chapter:(a) “Amount of land converted to agricultural use” means those lands that were brought into agricultural use or reestablished in agricultural use and were not shown as agricultural land on Important Farmland Series maps maintained by the department in the most recent biennial report.
(b) “Amount of land converted from agricultural use” means those lands that were permanently converted or committed to urban or other nonagricultural uses and were shown as agricultural land on Important Farmland Series maps maintained by the department and in the most
recent biennial report.
(c) “Category of agricultural land” means prime farmland, farmland of statewide importance, unique farmland, and farmland of local importance, as defined pursuant to the United States Department of Agriculture’s land inventory and monitoring criteria, as modified for California, and grazing land. “Grazing land” means land on which the existing vegetation, whether grown naturally or through management, is suitable for grazing or browsing of livestock.
(d) “Department” means the Department of Conservation.
(e) “Interim Farmland maps” means those maps prepared by the department for areas that do not have the current soil survey information
needed to compile Important Farmland Series maps. The Interim Farmland maps shall indicate areas of irrigated agriculture, dry-farmed agriculture, grazing lands, urban and built-up lands, and any areas committed to urban or other nonagricultural uses.
(f) “Important Farmland Series maps” means those maps compiled by the United States Soil Conservation Service and updated and modified by the department’s Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program pursuant to Section 65570.
(g) “Local open-space plan” means the open-space element of a county or city general plan adopted by the board or council, either as the local open-space plan or as the interim local open-space plan adopted pursuant to Section 65563.
(h) “Open-space land” means any parcel or area of land or water that is devoted to an open-space use as defined in this section, and that is designated on a local, regional, or state open-space plan as any of the following:
(1) Open space for the preservation of natural resources, including, but not limited to, areas required for the preservation of plant and animal life, including habitat for fish and wildlife species; areas required for ecologic and other scientific study purposes; rivers, streams, bays, and estuaries; and coastal beaches, lakeshores, banks of rivers and streams, and watershed lands.
(2) Open space used for the managed production of resources, including, but not limited to, forest lands, rangeland,
agricultural lands, and areas of economic importance for the production of food or fiber; areas required for recharge of groundwater basins; bays, estuaries, marshes, rivers, and streams that are important for the management of commercial fisheries; and areas containing major mineral deposits, including those in short supply.
(3) Open space for outdoor recreation, including, but not limited to, areas of outstanding scenic, historic, and cultural value; areas particularly suited for park and recreation purposes, including access to lakeshores, beaches, and rivers and streams; and areas that serve as links between major recreation and open-space reservations, including utility easements, banks of rivers and streams, trails, and scenic highway corridors.
(4) Open space for
public health and safety, including, but not limited to, areas that require special management or regulation because of hazardous or special conditions such as earthquake fault zones, unstable soil areas, flood plains, watersheds, areas presenting high fire risks, areas required for the protection of water quality and water reservoirs, and areas required for the protection and enhancement of air quality.
(5) Open space in support of the mission of military installations that comprises areas adjacent to military installations, military training routes, and underlying restricted airspace that can provide additional buffer zones to military activities and complement the resource values of the military lands.
(6) Open space for the protection of places, features, and objects described in
Sections 5097.9 and 5097.997 of the Public Resources Code.
(i) “Priority land” means any part, or all of a category of, agricultural or open space lands, identified by a local government in that local government’s agricultural land component of its open-space element or agricultural land element of the general plan, that are prioritized for conservation, taking into consideration the need to balance competing land uses.
SEC. 5.
Section 65565 is added to the Government Code, to read:65565.
(a) A city or county may develop an agricultural land component of the city or county’s open-space element or a separate agricultural land element. If a city or county chooses to develop an agricultural land component of the open-space element or an agricultural land element, the agricultural land component of the open-space element or the agricultural land element shall do the following:(1) Identify and map, utilizing the designations in the Farmland Monitoring and Mapping Program pursuant to Section 65570 or
soil surveys conducted by the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service where applicable, agricultural lands within the city’s or county’s jurisdiction. That portion of the plan shall include all of the following:
(A) All parcels subject to a contract executed pursuant to the Williamson Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 51200) of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5).
(B) All parcels subject to a conservation easement.
(C) All agricultural preserves established pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 51230) of Chapter 7 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5.
(D) All parcels subject to a farmland security zone
contract established pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 51296) of Chapter 7 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5.
(E) All parcels being used for agricultural purposes within a sphere of influence or municipal service boundary and not subject to a permanent easement.
(F) The total acreage of land classified as a category of agricultural land and a breakdown of agricultural land by Farmland Monitoring and Mapping Program classification.
(G) The total acreage of agricultural land that is located within two miles of land zoned for housing, including rural residential uses, business, or industry in the land use element prepared pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 65302. The city or county shall not identify the
individual parcels subject to this subparagraph.
(H) All public agencies with responsibility for preservation of agricultural land within the jurisdiction, including resource
conservation districts established pursuant to Division 9 (commencing with Section 9001) of the Public Resources Code.
(I) The total acreage and Farmland Monitoring and Mapping Program classification of former agricultural land that has been developed since 1984. All land that was, at any time, classified as agricultural land shall be included, even if it was subsequently classified as “other” land.
(J) The total acreage of land that qualifies as a category of agricultural land that is likely to be developed in the next eight years.
(K) An identification and designation of priority land for conservation.
(2) Establish a comprehensive set of
goals, policies, and objectives based on the information identified pursuant to paragraph (1) to support long-term protection of agricultural land. In developing these goals, policies, and objectives, a city or county may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Evaluating and amending as necessary the action plan developed pursuant to Section 65564.
(B) Avoiding or minimizing, when feasible, new development that is located on priority land.
(C) Locating, when feasible, new essential public facilities no less than one mile from priority land.
(D) Adopting land use and zoning policies to discourage leapfrog development.
(E) Creating procedures for cooperating with other public agencies and agricultural associations to protect priority land.
(F) Developing strategies to promote the development of multicounty and city-county agreements for the protection of
priority land.
(G) Identifying the total acreage of agricultural land to be preserved within the jurisdiction.
(H) Prioritizing the development of housing, including affordable housing, and commercial development within existing areas zoned for housing and commercial development, when feasible.
(3) Identify and establish a set of feasible implementation measures designed to carry out and promote the goals, policies, and objectives established pursuant to paragraph (2). Implementation measures may include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Establishing, or entering into an agreement with a resource conservation
district, pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 9151) of Division 9 of the Public Resources Code.
(B) Establishing public-private partnerships for the long-term protection and stewardship of agricultural lands.
(C) Establishing streamlined procedures for the development of housing within areas identified as adequate housing sites in the housing element developed pursuant to Section 65583.
(D) Promoting the development of housing and utilizing the reforms and incentives to facilitate and expedite the construction of affordable housing that are identified in Section 65582.1.
(E) Repealing ordinances that limit development in existing or planned urban areas,
including, but not limited to, density limitations, permit caps, and height restrictions.
(F) Identifying all urban parcels suitable for infill development.
(b) Subject to available funding, and pursuant to the grant application requirements of Section 10281.5 of the Public Resources Code, the department may award grants to cities or counties to implement the requirements of this section.
(c) (1) At least 45 days before adopting or amending the open-space element, or at least 45 days before adopting or amending an agricultural land element, each county and city shall submit to the department one copy of a draft of the agricultural land component of the open-space plan or amendment, or the
agricultural land element or amendment, and any maps used in creating that component or element.
(2) The department may review drafts so submitted to determine whether the drafts incorporate all known agricultural land and reasonable measures for the long-term protection of agricultural land, and report its recommendations to the city or county within 30 days of receipt of the draft of the open-space element or amendment, or the agricultural land element or amendment, pursuant to this subdivision.
(3) The legislative body of the city or county shall consider the department’s recommendations before the final adoption of the open-space element or amendment, or the agricultural land element or amendment, unless the department’s recommendations are not available
within the above-prescribed time limits as described in paragraph (4), or unless the department has indicated to the city or county that the department will not review the agricultural component of the open-space element or amendment or the agricultural land element or amendment.
(4) If the department’s recommendations are not available within those prescribed time limits, the legislative body of the city or county may take the department’s recommendations into consideration at the time it considers future amendments to the agricultural component of the open-space
element or agricultural land element.
(5) All recommendations made by the department shall be advisory to the planning agency and legislative body of the city or county.
(d) This section does not require a city or county with an existing adopted agricultural land component of their open-space element, or an existing separate agricultural land element, that is in place before January 1, 2018, to update that element to require the information specified in this section.
SEC. 6.
Section 65565.1 is added to the Government Code, to read:65565.1.
(a) The department shall give priority consideration for any grants, bond proceeds, and other local assistance funding provided by the department to a city or county that does all of the following:(1) Completes the agricultural land component of the open space element or an agricultural land element as described in Section 65565.
(2) Provides the department with any geographical information system (GIS) data corresponding with the information identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 65565.
(3) Continues to review, and revise if
necessary, the agricultural land component of the open-space element or the agricultural land element upon each revision of the housing element to identify new information that was not available during the previous revision of the open-space element or the agricultural land element.
(b) A city or county with an existing agricultural land component of their open-space element or an existing separate agricultural land element that substantially complies with Section 65565 may apply to the department for priority consideration pursuant to subdivision (a) by doing all of the following:
(1) Submitting a copy of the agricultural land component of their open-space element or the separate agricultural land element to the department. The department shall determine whether the component
substantially complies with Section 65565.
(2) Submitting any other supporting background documentation that corresponds with the information identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 65565.
(3) Continuing to review, and revise if necessary, the agricultural land component of the open-space element or the agricultural land element upon each revision of the housing element to identify new information that was not available during the previous revision of the open-space element or the agricultural land element.
(c) The department may promulgate regulations, pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2), that are necessary to carry
out its duties under this chapter.
(d) The department, in consultation with the Office of Planning and Research and the Department of Housing and Community Development, may develop nonbinding guidance for local governments on agricultural land conservation planning and policy, including model policies.
SEC. 7.
Section 65570 of the Government Code is amended to read:65570.
(a) The department may establish, after notice and hearing, rules and regulations, and require reports from local officials and may employ, borrow, or contract for such staff or other forms of assistance as are reasonably necessary to carry out this section, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 16140) of Part 1 of Division 4 of Title 2, and Section 612 of the Public Resources Code. In carrying out the department’s duties under those sections, it is the intention of the Legislature that the department shall consult with the Director of Food and Agriculture and the Director of State Planning and Research.(b) Commencing July 1, 1986, and continuing
biennially
thereafter, the department shall collect or acquire information on the amount of land converted to or from agricultural use, and between agricultural categories, using 1984 baseline information as updated pursuant to this section for every county for which Important Farmland Series maps exist. Commencing on December 31, 2018, and continuing biennially thereafter, the department shall report to the Legislature on the data collected pursuant to this section. In reporting, the department shall specify, by category of agricultural land, the amount of land converted to, or from, agricultural use, by county and on a statewide basis. The department shall also report on the nonagricultural uses to which these agricultural lands were converted or committed.
(c) Commencing on December 31, 2018, and continuing biennially thereafter,
the department shall update and send counties copies of current Important Farmland Series maps. Counties may review the maps and notify the department within 90 days of any changes in agricultural land pursuant to subdivision (b) that occurred during the previous fiscal year, and note and request correction of any discrepancies or errors in the classification of agricultural lands on the maps. The department shall make those corrections requested by counties. The department shall provide staff assistance, as available, to collect or acquire information on the amount of land converted to, or from, agricultural use for those counties for which Important Farmland Series maps exist.
(d) The department may also acquire any supplemental information which becomes available from new soil surveys and establish comparable baseline data for
counties not included in the 1984 baseline, and shall report on the data pursuant to this section. The department may prepare Interim Farmland maps to supplement the Important Farmland Series maps.
(e) The Legislature finds that the purpose of the Important Farmland Series maps and the Interim Farmland maps is not to consider the economic viability of agricultural lands or their current designation in the general plan. The purpose of the maps is limited to the preparation of an inventory of agricultural lands, as defined in this chapter, as well as land already committed to future urban or other nonagricultural purposes.
SEC. 8.
Section 5950.1 of the Harbors and Navigation Code is amended to read:5950.1.
The term “inland parks and recreation areas,” as used in this chapter, includes, but is not limited to, open-space land, as defined by subdivision (h) of Section 65560 of the Government Code, except that such term shall not include open-space land, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (h) of Section 65560.The provisions of Section 5900.4 shall not apply to the acquisition of forest lands, rangeland, or agricultural lands when the acquisition is for the purpose of establishing hiking, bicycling, or equestrian trails or where the lands are being acquired for their scenic or aesthetic values.
SEC. 9.
Section 612 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:612.
The department shall prepare, update, and maintain Important Farmland Series maps as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 65560 of the Government Code and other soils and land capability information, and prepare and maintain an automated map and data base system to record and report changes in the use of agricultural lands.SEC. 10.
Section 10281.5 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:10281.5.
(a) In addition to the requirements established by the department, the applicant shall demonstrate that the changes to the existing goals, objectives, policies, or programs of the city, county, or city and county that will logically result from the grant will improve protection of, or have a beneficial effect on climate change goals for, agricultural land, grazing land, or grasslands.(b) Prior to awarding funds under the program, the department shall develop guidelines and selection criteria for awarding grants in accordance with all of the following:
(1) Prior to the adoption of the guidelines and selection criteria, the department shall conduct at least two public workshops to receive and consider public comments.
(2) The department shall publish the draft guidelines and selection
criteria on its Internet Web site at least 30 days prior to the public meetings.
(3) In adopting the guidelines and selection criteria, the department shall consider the comments from farming and ranching groups, agricultural land conservation groups, building and construction groups, local governments, regional agencies, and other stakeholders.
(4) Program guidelines may be revised by the department to reflect changes in program focus or need. Outreach to stakeholders shall be conducted pursuant to paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) before the department adopts changes to guidelines.
(c) Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to the development and adoption of the guidelines and selection criteria pursuant to this section.
SEC. 11.
Section 10282 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:10282.
(a) Under the grant program, a local government entity, nonprofit organization, authority, or joint powers authority may apply to the department for a planning grant to be used for the protection of agricultural lands and grazing lands, including oak woodlands and grasslands. In addition to any requirements established by the department, to be eligible for a grant under the grant program, an applicant shall do all of the following:(1) Identify and map, utilizing the designations in the farmlands mapping and monitoring program of the Department of Conservation pursuant to Section 65570 of the Government Code, existing or potential agricultural lands in its jurisdiction.
(2) Specify its existing goals, objectives, policies, or programs that support the long-term protection of agricultural land.
(3) Specify the proposed changes to its existing goals, objectives, policies, or programs that support the long-term protection of agricultural land.
(4) Specify how the planning grant would be used to improve the long-term protection of agricultural land within its jurisdiction.
(b) A grant awarded by the department under the grant program shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to any applicant, or seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) if the department determines that a grant application is for collaborative
planning activities proposed to include two or more adjacent counties, cities, or city and county.
(c) In granting funds pursuant to this division, the department shall give priority to proposals that include matching funds from local sources.
(d) A grant proposal by a park or open-space district, resource conservation district, other special district, authority, or joint powers authority shall be approved by resolution of the city, county, or city and county, or multiple cities and counties, whose jurisdiction the proposal is intended to benefit. The city, county, or city and county shall provide evidence that it is willing to implement some of the planning process funded by the grant.
(e) The purposes for which a grant
made pursuant to this division for agricultural protection may include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(1) To update the general plan of a city, county, or city and county to improve protection of agricultural land, or a zoning ordinance designed to improve protection of agricultural land.
(2) To develop multicounty strategies to protect agricultural land.
(3) To develop city-county agreements to protect agricultural land.
(4) To develop strategies to implement existing general plan provisions, city-county agreements, or multicounty agreements to protect agricultural land, including technical assistance.
(5) To develop public-private partnerships for the long-term protection and stewardship of agricultural lands.
SEC. 12.
Section 79033.6 of the Water Code is amended to read:79033.6.
(a) The money in the Agriculture and Open Space Mapping Subaccount, upon appropriation by the Legislature to the Department of Conservation, may be used by the Department of Conservation for the purposes of assisting local land-use planning by making available Important Farmland Series maps and Interim Farmland maps, as those terms are defined in Section 65560 of the Government Code. The information provided by the Department of Conservation is intended for local government use in conjunction with floodplain and flood hazard maps developed by the department to protect agricultural land resources coincident with avoidance or reduction of future flood risk and damage to residential or commercial land uses. The use of the funds in that subaccount by the Department of Conservation shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:(1) Accelerating production of Important Farmland Series maps and Interim Farmland maps.
(2) Increasing the coverage and availability of soil surveys conducted by the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service.
(3) Increasing topographic, soil, and agricultural crop data collection and enhancing data gathering capability.
(4) Developing integrated mapping that incorporates Important Farmland Series mapping and Interim Farmland mapping data with other relevant information, including, but not limited to, floodplain
or flood hazard information, planning designation, and other land and natural resource data.
(b) For the purposes of this article, “maps” and “mapping” may include digital map files.
