Natural resources.

(1) Under existing law, the State Geologist is the head of the California Geological Survey in the Department of Conservation. The State Geologist advises the Director of Conservation regarding technical, scientific, and engineering issues, including the scientific quality of the division's products and activities. Existing law authorizes the State Geologist to perform various activities. This bill would revise the existing authority of the State Geologist to contract with governmental and nongovernmental entities to provide funding for services and resources provided to those entities by the California Geological Survey. The bill would also define "governmental entities" and "nongovernmental entities" for purposes of the general contracting authority of the State Geologist. (2) Existing law provides that the Attorney General is the legal advisor for the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation. Existing law requires the Attorney General to perform or provide legal services for the division as it may require. This bill would repeal that provision. (3) The California Urban Forestry Act of 1978 authorizes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to implement a program in urban forestry for specified purposes. The act defines "urban forestry" for its purposes as the cultivation and management of trees in urban areas for their present and potential contribution to the economic, physiological, sociological, and ecological well-being of urban society. The act authorizes the department and other state agencies to assist local tree maintenance programs by making surplus equipment available on loan where feasible for regional and local urban forestry efforts. This bill would revise the definition of "urban forestry" to refer to native or introduced trees and related vegetation instead of only trees. The bill would revise the authorization for equipment loaning to instead authorize the department and other state agencies to assist local tree maintenance and green waste utilization programs by making equipment available on loan where feasible and not detrimental to department or other state agency operations, and would require the equipment to be used only to support regional or local urban forestry efforts consistent with the act.