Land conservation: California Wildlife, Coastal, and Park Land Conservation Act: County of San Bernardino.

The California Wildlife, Coastal, and Park Land Conservation Act, an initiative measure approved by the voters in the June 7, 1988, statewide primary election, provided bond funds for wildlife, coastal, and parkland conservation. The initiative measure may be amended by a 23 vote of the Legislature if the amendment is consistent with the purposes of the act. Existing law requires an applicant receiving state funds under the act to maintain any property acquired in perpetuity, as specified, and use the property only for the purposes stated in the act and to make no other use, sale, or other disposition of the property except as authorized by a specific act of the Legislature. Existing law requires the County of San Bernardino to sell property it owns within the Chino Agricultural Preserve that was purchased with the bond funds if the county meets certain conditions. This bill would revise and recast that law to authorize the County of San Bernardino to sell or exchange property it owns within the Chino Agricultural Preserve that was purchased with grant funds provided pursuant to the act if the county, among other things, preserves all lands and conservation easements, acquired or dedicated, in perpetuity for agricultural preservation, as specified, or for open-space conservation purposes. The bill would prohibit the county from selling, exchanging, or otherwise acquiring replacement land or conservation easements unless and until the Board of Supervisors for the County of San Bernardino adopts a detailed land plan by December 31, 2011. The bill would require the land plan to meet certain conditions including that it identify each parcel of property acquired with grant funds and show which parcel will be sold, exchanged, purchased, or retained. This bill would also require the county to take certain steps to implement an adopted land plan, including recording a conservation easement for the purpose of agricultural preservation, as specified, or open-space conservation on each property identified for retention by April 1, 2012. The bill would also require the county to provide a report to the California Department of Parks and Recreation on all expenditures and revenues from all of the sales or exchanges of land under the land plan, on the acreages of all lands or easements sold, exchanged, and held, and on any funds from all of the sales or exchanges of land under the land plan that have not been expended. The bill would authorize the county to, among other things, propose a plan to the department for the expenditure of any unexpended proceeds from land sales or exchanges under the land plan, to be approved by the department. The bill would authorize the county to, among other things, apply to the department for an extension of the deadline to submit a land plan if the county satisfies specified criteria. The bill would require the department to review and approve or disapprove the request within 60 days of receipt, among other things. The bill would declare that these requirements are an amendment of the act within the meaning of Section 6 of the act and is consistent with the act.