State California PRC Sec 5096.111-5096.139 NEJEDLY-HART STATE, URBAN, AND COASTAL PARK BOND ACT OF 1976 (PARKS AND MONUMENTS) PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE SECTION 5096.111-5096.139 5096.111. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Nejedly-Hart State, Urban, and Coastal Park Bond Act of 1976. 5096.112. The Legislature hereby finds and declares that: (a) It is the responsibility of this state to provide and to encourage the provision of recreational opportunities for the citizens of California. (b) It is the policy of the state to preserve, protect, and, where possible, to restore coastal resources which are of significant recreational or environmental importance for the enjoyment of present and future generations of persons of all income levels, all ages, and all social groups. (c) When there is proper planning and development, parks, beaches, recreation areas and recreational facilities, and historical resources preservation projects contribute not only to a healthy physical and moral environment, but also contribute to the economic betterment of the state, and, therefore, it is in the public interest for the state to acquire, develop, and restore areas for recreation, conservation, and preservation and to aid local governments of the state in acquiring, developing, and restoring such areas as will contribute to the realization of the policy declared in this chapter. 5096.113. The Legislature further finds and declares that: (a) The demand for parks, beaches, recreation areas and recreational facilities, and historical resources preservation projects in California is far greater than what is presently available, with the number of people who cannot be accommodated at the area of their choice or any comparable area increasing rapidly. (b) The demand for parks, beaches, recreation areas and recreational facilities, and historical resources preservation projects in the urban areas of our state are even greater: over 90 percent of the present population of California reside in urban areas; there continues to be approximately a 30 percent deficiency in open space and recreation areas in the metropolitan areas of the state; less urban land is available, costs are escalating, and competition for land is increasing. (c) There is a high concentration of urban social problems in California's major metropolitan areas which can be partially alleviated by increased recreational opportunities. (d) California's coast provides a great variety of recreational opportunities not found at inland sites; it is heavily used because the state's major urban areas lie, and 85 percent of the state's population lives, within 30 miles of the Pacific Ocean; a shortage of facilities for almost every popular coastal recreation activity exists; and there will be a continuing high demand for popular coastal activities such as fishing, swimming, sightseeing, general beach use, camping, and day use. Funding for the acquisition of a number of key coastal sites is critical at this time, particularly in metropolitan areas where both the demand for and the deficiency of recreational facilities is greatest. Current development pressures in urbanized areas threaten to preclude public acquisition of these key remaining undeveloped coastal parcels unless these sites are acquired in the near future. (e) Increasing and often conflicting pressures on limited coastal land and water areas, escalating costs for coastal land, and growing coastal recreational demand requires, as soon as possible, funding for, and the acquisition of, land and water areas needed to meet demands for coastal recreational opportunities and to implement recommendations for acquisitions of the Coastal Plan prepared and adopted in accordance with the requirements of the California Coastal Zone Conservation Act of 1972. (f) By 1980, the need for local parks, beaches, and recreation areas and recreational facilities will be nearly twice as great as presently required. (g) By 1980, unless the lands and waters that hold recreation potential today are acquired or reserved for recreation as soon as possible, there will be a marked shortage of recreation lands and waters on a local and regional basis. (h) Cities, counties, and districts must exercise constant vigilance to see that the parks, beaches, recreation lands and recreational facilities, and historical resources they now have are not lost to other uses; they should acquire additional lands as such lands become available; they should take steps to improve the facilities they now have. (i) Past and current funding programs have not and cannot meet present deficiencies. (j) There is a pressing need to provide statutory authority and funding for a coordinated state program designed to provide expanded public access to the coast, to preserve prime coastal agricultural lands, and to restore and enhance natural and man-made coastal environments. (k) In view of the foregoing, the Legislature declares that an aggressive, coordinated, funded program for meeting existing and projected recreational demands must be implemented without delay. 5096.114. Bonds in the total amount of two hundred eighty million dollars ($280,000,000), or so much thereof as is necessary, may be issued and sold to provide a fund to be used for carrying out the purposes expressed hereinafter, and to be used to reimburse the General Obligation Bond Expense Revolving Fund pursuant to Section 16724.5 of the Government Code. Said bonds shall, when sold, be and constitute a valid and binding obligation of the State of California, and the full faith and credit of the State of California are hereby pledged for the punctual payment of both principal and interest on said bonds as said principal and interest become due and payable. 5096.115. There shall be collected each year and in the same manner and at the same time as other state revenue is collected such sum in addition to the ordinary revenues of the state as shall be required to pay the principal and interest on said bonds maturing in said year, and it is hereby made the duty of all officers charged by law with any duty in regard to the collection of said revenue to do and perform each and every act which shall be necessary to collect such additional sum. 5096.116. There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund in the State Treasury for the purpose of this act, such an amount as will equal the following: (a) Such sum annually as will be necessary to pay the principal and interest on bonds issued and sold pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, as said principal and interest become due and payable. (b) Such sum as is necessary to carry out the provisions of Section 5096.117, which sum is appropriated without regard to fiscal years. 5096.117. For the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this chapter the Director of Finance may by executive order authorize the withdrawal from the General Fund of an amount or amounts not to exceed the amount of the unsold bonds which have been authorized to be sold for the purpose of carrying out this chapter. Any amounts withdrawn shall be deposited in the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund or the State Coastal Conservancy, which depositories are hereby created. Any moneys made available under this section shall be returned to the General Fund from moneys received from the sale of bonds sold for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this chapter. 5096.1175. Notwithstanding any other provision of this bond act, or of the State General Obligation Bond Law (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code), if the Treasurer sells bonds pursuant to this bond act that include a bond counsel opinion to the effect that the interest on the bonds is excluded from gross income for federal tax purposes under designated conditions, the Treasurer may maintain separate accounts for the bond proceeds invested and the investment earnings on those proceeds, and may use or direct the use of those proceeds or earnings to pay any rebate, penalty, or other payment required under federal law, or take any other action with respect to the investment and use of those bond proceeds, as may be required or desirable under federal law in order to maintain the tax-exempt status of those bonds and to obtain any other advantage under federal law on behalf of the funds of this state. 5096.118. The proceeds of bonds issued and sold pursuant to this chapter shall be deposited in the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund or the State Coastal Conservancy. The money in such depositories may be expended only for the purposes specified in this chapter and only pursuant to appropriation by the Legislature in the manner hereinafter prescribed. 5096.119. All proposed appropriations for the program specified in Section 5096.124 shall be included in a section in the Budget Bill for each fiscal year for consideration by the Legislature, and shall bear the caption "Nejedly-Hart State, Urban, and Coastal Park Bond Act Program." The section shall contain separate items for each project for which an appropriation is made. All proposed appropriations for purposes specified in Section 5096.125 shall be included in a section of the Budget Bill for each fiscal year for consideration by the Legislature, and shall bear the caption "State Coastal Conservancy." The section shall contain separate items for each project for which an appropriation is made. Such appropriations shall be subject to all limitations contained in the Budget Bill and to all fiscal procedures prescribed by law with respect to the expenditure of state funds unless expressly exempted from such laws by a statute enacted by the Legislature. Such sections shall contain proposed appropriations only for the programs contemplated by this chapter, and no funds derived from the bonds authorized by this chapter may be expended pursuant to an appropriation not contained in such sections of the Budget Act. 5096.120. The bonds authorized by this chapter shall be prepared, executed, issued, sold, paid, and redeemed as provided in the State General Obligation Bond Law (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3, Division 4, Title 2 of the Government Code) and all of the provisions of that law are applicable to the bonds and to this chapter, and are hereby incorporated in this chapter as though set forth in full herein. 5096.121. The State Park and Recreation Finance Committee is hereby created. The committee consists of the Governor, the State Controller, the Director of Finance, the State Treasurer, and the Secretary of the Resources Agency. For the purposes of this chapter the State Park and Recreation Finance Committee shall be "the committee" as that term is used in the State General Obligation Bond Law. The Secretary of the Resources Agency is hereby designated as "the board" for the purposes of this chapter and for the purposes of the State General Obligation Bond Law. 5096.122. All money deposited in the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund or the State Coastal Conservancy which is derived from premium and accrued interest on bonds sold shall be reserved in such depositories and shall be available for transfer to the General Fund as a credit to expenditures for bond interest. 5096.123. As used in this chapter and for the purposes of this chapter as used in the State General Obligation Bond Law, the following words shall have the following meanings: (a) "State grant" or "state grant moneys" means moneys received by the state from the sale of bonds authorized by this chapter which are available for grants to counties, cities, and districts for acquisition, development, or restoration of real property for park, beach, recreational, and historical resources preservation purposes. (b) "District" means any district authorized to provide park and recreation services, except a school district. (c) "Historical resource" includes, but is not limited to, any building, structure, site, area, or place which is historically or archaeologically significant, or is significant in the architectural, engineering, scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military, or cultural annals of California. (d) "Historical resources preservation project" is a project designed to preserve an historical resource which is either listed in the National Register of Historic Places or is registered as either a state historical landmark or point of historical interest pursuant to Section 5021. (e) "Coastal recreational resources" means those land and water areas adjacent to or in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean which are suitable for public park, beach, or recreational purposes, including, but not limited to, areas of historical significance and areas of open space that complement park, beach, or recreational areas. 5096.124. Except as otherwise provided in this section or elsewhere in this chapter, all money deposited in the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund shall be available for appropriation as set forth in Section 5096.119 for the purposes set forth below in amounts not to exceed the following: (a) For grants to counties, cities, and dis- tricts for the acquisition, development, or restoration of real property for park, beach, recreational, and historical re- sources preservation purposes, including state administrative costs .................. $85,000,000 (b) For acquisition, development, or restora- tion of real property for the state park system in accordance with the following schedule .................................... $34,000,000 Schedule: (1) Thirteen million dollars ($13,000,000) for acquisition and costs for planning and interpretation. (2) Twenty-one million dollars ($21,000,000) for development of real property, historical resources, and costs for planning and interpretation. (c) For acquisition of coastal recreational re- sources, consisting of real property for the state park system and costs of planning and interpretation .......................... $110,000,000 (d) For the acquisition or development of real property for wildlife management in accord- ance with the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1947 (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1300), Division 2, Fish and Game Code), including costs for planning and interpre- tation in accordance with the following schedule .................................... $15,000,000 Schedule: (1) Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for coastal projects. (2) Five million dollars ($5,000,000) for all projects, including coastal projects. (e) For recreational facilities of the State Water Facilities, as defined in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (d) of Section 12934 of the Water Code, for allocation in accordance with the following schedule .................................... $26,000,000 Schedule: (1) Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) to the Department of Parks and Recreation, of which up to six million dollars ($6,000,000) may be used for recreational facilities at Lake Elsinore, whether or not such facilities are a part of the State Water Facilities. (2) Five million dollars ($5,000,000) to the Department of Water Resources. (3) Six million dollars ($6,000,000) to the Department of Boating and Waterways. It is the intent of the Legislature that funds expended pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of this section may be used for the acquisition of parks, beaches, open-space lands, and historical resources, and for development rights and scenic easements in connection with such lands and resources, and, in the case of grants to counties, cities, and districts, also for the development or restoration of such lands or resources and that funds expended pursuant to subdivision (c) of this section be in accordance with the following criteria and priorities: (1) The first priority for the acquisition of coastal recreational resources is as follows: (i) Land and water areas best suited to serve the recreational needs of urban populations. (ii) Land and water areas of significant environmental importance, such as habitat protection. (iii) Land and water areas in either of the above categories shall be given the highest priority when incompatible uses threaten to destroy or substantially diminish the resource value of such area. (2) The second priority for the acquisition of coastal recreational resources is as follows: (i) Land for physical and visual access to the coastline where public access opportunities are inadequate or could be impeded by incompatible uses. (ii) Remaining areas of high recreational value. (iii) Areas proposed as a coastal reserve or preserve, including areas that are or include restricted natural communities, such as ecological areas that are scarce, involving only a limited area; rare and endangered wildlife species habitats; rare and endangered plant species ranges; specialized wildlife habitats; outstanding representative natural communities; sites with outstanding educational value; fragile or environmentally sensitive resources; and wilderness or primitive areas. Areas meeting more than one of these criteria may be considered as being especially important. (iv) Highly scenic areas that are or include landscape preservation projects designated by the Department of Parks and Recreation; open areas identified as being of particular value in providing visual contrast to urbanization, in preserving natural landforms and significant vegetation, in providing attractive transitions between natural and urbanized areas, or as scenic open space; and scenic areas and historical districts designated by cities and counties. All real property acquired pursuant to this chapter shall be acquired in compliance with Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 7260) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, and procedures sufficient to ensure compliance shall be prescribed by the Department of Parks and Recreation. It is the further intent of the Legislature that funds granted pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section may be used by counties, cities, and districts for the acquisition, development, and restoration of public indoor recreational facilities, including enclosed swimming pools, gymnasiums, recreation centers, historical buildings, and museums. For development, the land must be owned by, or subject to a long-term lease to, the applicant county, city, or district. The lease shall be for a period of not less than 25 years from the date an application for a grant is made and shall provide that it may not be revoked at will during that period. 5096.125. Except as otherwise provided in this section and elsewhere in this chapter, all money deposited in the State Coastal Conservancy shall be available for appropriation, as provided in Section 5096.119, for the purposes set forth in this section, in a total amount not to exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000): (a) For restoration and enhancement of degraded coastal lands, especially habitat areas and lands near urban areas, that are suitable for intensive or passive recreational use. (b) For the selective acquisition of prime coastal agricultural lands proposed for conversion to nonagricultural use, to prevent urban intrusions into agricultural areas and to assemble coastal agricultural lands into parcels of economic size, using appropriate techniques such as purchase and leaseback or resale of lands for productive use. (c) For the preacquisition of lands for reconveyance to other public agencies for coastal recreational resources preservation purposes. (d) For the selective acquisition of easements and development rights on lands adjacent to public parks or wildlife preserves on or near the coast, to establish a buffer of privately owned land for use consistent with the purposes of the park or preserve and to minimize the need for future acquisitions around existing parks and wildlife preserves. (e) For the acquisition or acceptance of lands providing public access to and along the coast. (f) For the costs of administration and planning. It is the intent of the Legislature that no funds allocated in this chapter to the State Coastal Conservancy shall be expended unless and until the Legislature has enacted legislation authorizing the administration of the conservancy by an existing state agency or a new state agency and has, in such legislation, set forth the purposes, powers, and duties of such agency. If the Legislature has not assigned such authority to an existing or new state agency by January 1, 1980, the funds allocated in this chapter to the State Coastal Conservancy shall be transferred to the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund and shall be allocated for expenditure for the purposes specified in subdivision (c) of Section 5096.124. It is the further intent of the Legislature that funds expended pursuant to this section may be used for acquisition of fee title to real property or any other interest in real property that is less than the fee. 5096.126. After the Legislature has authorized the administration of the State Coastal Conservancy by an existing or new state agency, any project involving state funds pursuant to Section 5096.125 shall originate and be processed in the manner to be specified by the Legislature in such authorizing legislation. 5096.127. (a) All of the funds authorized by subdivision (a) of Section 5096.124 for grants, shall be allocated to the counties, such allocation to be based upon the estimated population of the counties on July 1, 1980, as projected by the Department of Finance. (b) Each county's apportionment of such funds shall be in the same ratio as the county's population is to the state's total population; provided, however, that each county having a projected 1980 population of 40,000 or fewer persons shall receive an allocation of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000); and provided, further, that any grant made to a city or district shall be subtracted from the total otherwise allocable under the provisions of this chapter to the county or counties in which the city or district is located. (c) Each county shall consult with all cities and districts within the county and shall develop and submit to the state for approval a priority plan for expenditure of the county's allocation. The priority plan for expenditure shall consist of an allocation of the county's funds to the eligible recipients specified in subdivision (a) of Section 5096.124. The priority plan for expenditure may include the names of individual projects under each governmental jurisdiction. The priority plan for expenditure shall be submitted to the Director of Parks and Recreation prior to June 30, 1978. The priority plan for expenditure of the total county allocation shall be approved by at least 50 percent of the cities and districts representing 50 percent of the population of the cities and districts within the county, and by the county board of supervisors. Failure to submit an approved priority plan by June 30, 1978, shall result in a 10-percent annual reduction of the total county allocation until the priority plan is submitted. Any funds not allocated to a county shall remain in the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund and shall be expended under the same conditions as set forth in Section 5096.128 in 1983. By June 30, 1980, if agreement on the priority plan for expenditure has not been submitted to the Director of Parks and Recreation, the county board of supervisors shall petition the Director of Parks and Recreation to distribute to high-priority projects the remaining 80 percent of the county's allocation. (d) Applications for individual projects may be submitted directly to the Director of Parks and Recreation by individual jurisdictions. 5096.128. On July 1, 1983, the Secretary of the Resources Agency shall cause to be totaled the unencumbered balances remaining in the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund. A program shall be submitted in the budget for the 1984 -1985 fiscal year to appropriate this balance. This program shall consist of projects deemed to be of highest priority from among the purposes expressed in subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 5096.124 and shall not be subject to the maximum amounts allocated to those purposes in Section 5096.124. 5096.129. Any project involving state funds only, pursuant to subdivisions (b), (c), and (e) of Section 5096.124, shall originate by resolution of the Legislature or of the State Park and Recreation Commission directing a study of the proposed project or by action of the Secretary of the Resources Agency, either on his own initiative, or, with respect to projects to be funded pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 5096.124, at the request of the Director of Water Resources, directing a study of the proposed project. The costs of these project studies shall be borne by the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund. Allocations for the purposes of subdivision (d) of Section 5096.124 that are authorized by the Legislature and approved by the Governor shall be made from the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund and shall be expended in accordance with the provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1947 (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1300), Division 2, Fish and Game Code). 5096.130. (a) An application for a grant pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 5096.124 shall be submitted to the Director of Parks and Recreation for review. The application shall be accompanied by a certification from the planning agency of the applicant that the project is consistent with the park and recreation plan for the applicant's jurisdiction. (b) The minimum amount that may be applied for any individual grant project is ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Any application for a state grant shall comply with the provisions of the Environmental Quality Act of 1970 (commencing with Section 21000). (c) Upon completion of the grant application review by the Director of Parks and Recreation, approved projects shall be forwarded to the Director of Finance for inclusion in the Budget Bill. 5096.131. Projects proposed pursuant to subdivisions (b), (c), (d), and (e) of Section 5096.124 shall be submitted to the office of the Secretary of the Resources Agency for review. The Director of Parks and Recreation shall provide the Secretary of the Resources Agency with a statement concerning each project originated pursuant to subdivisions (b), (c), and (e) of Section 5096.124, which statement shall include the priority of the project in regard to the need to correct the following deficiencies: (a) Deficiencies in providing recreation. (b) Deficiencies in preserving historical resources. (c) Deficiencies in preserving or protecting natural, scenic, ecological, geological, or other environmental values. 5096.132. The Secretary of the Resources Agency, after completing his review, shall forward those projects recommended by the appropriate board or commission together with his comments thereon to the Director of Finance for inclusion in the Budget Bill. Projects proposed pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 5096.124 shall be subject to the favorable recommendation of the Wildlife Conservation Board. Projects proposed for the state park system pursuant to subdivision (b) or (e) of Section 5096.124 shall be subject to the favorable recommendation of the State Park and Recreation Commission. In submitting the list of projects recommended for inclusion in the annual budget, the secretary shall organize the projects on a priority basis within each of the purposes as set forth in subdivisions (b), (c), (d), and (e) of Section 5096.124. This priority ranking shall be based upon the provisions of Section 5096.124 and the needs specified in Section 5096.131. In addition, the statement setting forth the priorities shall include the relationship of each separate project on the priority list to a proposed time schedule for the acquisition, development, or restoration expenditures associated with the accomplishment of the projects contained in such list. All projects proposed in the Governor's Budget of each fiscal year shall be contained in the Budget Bill as provided in Section 5096.119. 5096.133. Projects authorized for the purposes set forth in subdivisions (b), (c), and (e) of Section 5096.124 shall be subject to augmentation as provided in Section 16352 of the Government Code. The unexpended balance in any appropriation heretofore or hereafter made payable from the State, Urban, and Coastal Park Fund which the Director of Finance, with the approval of the State Public Works Board, determines not to be required for expenditure pursuant to the appropriation may be transferred on order of the Director of Finance to, and in augmentation of, the appropriation made in Section 16352 of the Government Code. 5096.134. The Director of Parks and Recreation may make agreements with respect to any real property acquired pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 5096.124 for continued tenancy of the seller of the property for a period of time and under such conditions as mutually agreed upon by the state and the seller so long as the seller promises to pay such taxes on his interest in the property as shall become due, owing, or unpaid on the interest created by such agreement, and so long as the seller conducts his operations on the land according to specifications issued by the Director of Parks and Recreation to protect the property for the public use for which it was acquired. A copy of such agreement shall be filed with the county clerk in the county in which the property lies. Such arrangement shall be compatible with the operation of the area by the state, as determined by the Director of Parks and Recreation. 5096.135. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, for the purposes of this chapter, acquisition may include gifts, purchases, leases, easements, eminent domain, the transfer or exchange of property for other property of like value, and purchases of development rights and other interests, unless the Legislature shall hereafter otherwise provide. Acquisition for the state park system by purchase or by eminent domain shall be under the Property Acquisition Law (commencing with Section 15850 of the Government Code), notwithstanding any other provisions of law. 5096.136. All grants, gifts, devises, or bequests to the state, conditional or unconditional, for park, conservation, recreation, or other purposes for which real property may be acquired or developed pursuant to this chapter, may be accepted and received on behalf of the state by the appropriate department head with the approval of the Director of Finance. Such grants, gifts, devises, or bequests shall be available, when appropriated by the Legislature, for expenditure for the purposes provided in Sections 5096.124 and 5096.125. 5096.137. There shall be an agreement or contract between the Department of Parks and Recreation and the applicant in the case of a state grant project which shall contain therein the provisions that the property so acquired or developed shall be used by the applicant only for the purpose for which the state grant funds were requested and that no other use of the area shall be permitted except by specific act of the Legislature. No state grant funds shall be available for expenditure until such agreement has been signed. 5096.138. Real property acquired by the state shall consist predominantly of open or natural lands, including lands under water capable of being utilized for multiple recreational purposes, and lands necessary for the preservation of historical resources. No funds derived from the bonds authorized by this chapter shall be expended for the construction of any reservoir designated as a part of the "State Water Facilities," as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 12934 of the Water Code, but such funds may be expended for the acquisition or development of beaches, parks, recreational facilities, and historical resources at or in the vicinity of any such reservoir. 5096.139. (a) The Director of Parks and Recreation may submit to the State Lands Commission any proposal by a state or local public agency for the acquisition of lands pursuant to this chapter, which lands are located on or near tidelands, submerged lands, swamp, overflowed, or other wetlands which are under the jurisdiction of the State Lands Commission, whether or not such lands are state-owned or have been granted in trust to a local public agency; and the State Lands Commission shall, within one year of such submittal, review such proposed acquisition, make a determination as to the state's existing or potential interest in the lands, and report its findings to the Director of Parks and Recreation, who shall forward such report to the Secretary of the Resources Agency. (b) No provision of this chapter shall be construed as authorizing the condemnation of state lands.