California AB 178

(1) Existing law, the California Farmland Conservancy Program Act, establishes within the Department of Conservation the California Farmland Conservancy Program. Existing law authorizes the program to offer financial assistance, including grants or contracts, for projects and activities on agricultural lands, as defined, that support agricultural conservation and sustainable land management. The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, approved by the voters as Proposition 4 at the November 5, 2024, statewide general election, authorized the issuance of bonds in the amount of $10,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance projects for specified purposes. Of these funds, the act makes $30,000,000 available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Conservation, in consultation with specified entities, to improve land access and tenure for socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, tribal producers, and beginning farmers and ranchers, as specified. This bill would establish the Farmland Access and Conservation for Thriving Communities Program under the administration of the department, and would authorize the department to administer the program through the California Farmland Conservancy Program. Under the program, the bill would require the department to provide grants and related technical assistance to qualified entities, as defined, for the purpose of acquiring agricultural lands to transfer or provide long-term leases to qualified farmer participants, as defined, to support agricultural land acquisition and protection, as provided. The bill would make the operation of the program contingent upon the Legislature making an appropriation from the above-described funding from Proposition 4, and would make the program inoperative on July 1, 2041, or when that funding has been fully spent and is no longer available to support or administer the program, whichever occurs sooner. (2) Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires a distributor of specified beverage containers to pay a redemption payment to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for each beverage container sold or transferred to a dealer, for deposit into the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except as specified, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes. Existing law requires the department to expend specified amounts from the fund for grants for beverage container litter reduction programs and recycling programs, including education and outreach, issued to specified community conservation corps. This bill would, for the 2026–27 fiscal year only, increase by $60,000,000 the amount required to be expended from the fund for those purposes. Because the bill would increase the amount of continuously appropriated moneys available for those purposes, the bill would make an appropriation. (3) Existing law designates all parks, public campgrounds, monument sites, landmark sites, and sites of historical interest established or acquired by the state, or that are under its control, as the state park system, except as specified. Under existing law, the Department of Parks and Recreation controls the state park system. This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation, by April 1, 2027, and in consultation with the California Coastal Commission, the Transportation Agency, and the Monterey County District 5 Supervisor, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature summarizing findings and options to reduce traffic congestion and unsafe parking conditions and to maximize public access, resource protection, and the overall visitor experience for the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, as specified. To the extent the bill would impose additional responsibilities on a local agency, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would appropriate $150,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Parks and Recreation for direct expenditure or to contract for services to assist with the report and would exempt any contract entered into for that purpose from the competitive bidding process, as provided. (4) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Monterey. (5) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (6) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.