Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy: Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program.

(1) Existing law establishes the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency and prescribes its functions with respect to the Santa Monica Mountains Zone, as defined. This bill would establish the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program. The program would be administered by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to address the resource protection, public recreation, water conservation, and water quality goals of the Upper Los Angeles River watershed in a coordinated, comprehensive, and effective way. The bill would establish the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program Stakeholder Advisory Committee, comprised of a specified membership, with certain duties regarding proposing and reviewing projects for funding. The bill would authorize the conservancy to undertake projects and award grants to an eligible entity, as defined, for a project that is consistent with the program and meets other requirements. The conservancy would be authorized to adopt grant approval criteria, which would not be regulations subject to the rule-making provisions of the Administration Procedure Act. The conservancy would be required to submit in its annual report to the Governor and Legislature certain information regarding the projects funded by the program. The bill would establish the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program Account within the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Fund. The bill would specify the funds that may be transferred into that account. (2) Existing law specifies the membership of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy as consisting of 9 voting members and 3 ex officio members. This bill would additionally add to the membership of the conservancy, the chairperson of the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program Stakeholder Advisory Committee, except the bill would authorize that person to vote only upon a project within the Upper Los Angeles River Watershed.