AB 746

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law, the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Act, until January 1, 2029, establishes the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority to raise and allocate resources for the restoration, enhancement, protection, and enjoyment of wetlands and wildlife habitat in the San Francisco Bay and along its shoreline. The act establishes a governing board of the authority composed of specified members, including a member who is a resident of the San Francisco Bay area with expertise in the implementation of the San Francisco Bay Conservancy Program, who serves as the chair. The act grants to the board all powers that are necessary to carry out the act, including, among other things, the power to levy specified benefit assessments, special taxes, and property-related fees, and to issue revenue bonds and general obligation bonds. However, the act limits the total amount of outstanding indebtedness incurred pursuant to those provisions authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds to 10% of the authority's total revenues in the preceding fiscal year. Existing law generally requires a district to reimburse the county elections official for the actual costs incurred in conducting an election for the district. However, the act authorizes, until January 1, 2017, the authority to reimburse only the incremental costs, as defined, that are incurred by the county elections official related to submitting a special tax measure to the voters. This bill would delete the requirement that one member of the board, who serves as the chair, be a resident of the San Francisco Bay area with expertise in the implementation of the San Francisco Bay Conservancy Program and would instead require that member to be an elected official of a bayside city or county, or an elected member of a special district, with expertise in the implementation of the San Francisco Bay Conservancy Program. The bill would also delete the limit on the authority's total amount of outstanding general obligation bonded indebtedness and would, instead, prohibit the authority from having a total amount of outstanding bonded indebtedness that exceeds $1,500,000,000. The bill would specify that the authority may incur general obligation bonded indebtedness for the acquisition or improvement of real property or for the funding or refunding of any outstanding bonded indebtness incurred by the authority. The bill would extend to January 1, 2019, the operation of the provision authorizing the authority to reimburse county elections officials for only the incremental costs of submitting a special tax measure to the voters, expanded to apply to other specified measures that would generate revenues for the authority. The bill would postpone to January 1, 2049, the repeal date for the act, and would make related conforming changes. By imposing additional duties on local government officials with regard to implementation of the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The act specifies that the special taxes are to be levied, and submitted to the voters, consistent with specified provisions of the California Constitution relating to voter approval for local tax levies and property-related fees, charges, and assessments. This bill would instead specify that measures that will generate revenues are to be submitted to the voters, consistent with those requirements of the California Constitution and the requirements of the California Constitution relating to general obligation bond indebtedness and ad valorem taxes. (2) 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.