Coachella Mountains Conservancy.

Existing law creates the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy in the Natural Resources Agency and, among other things, authorizes the conservancy to acquire and hold specified lands in the Coachella Valley and the Coachella Mountains for certain open-space, wildlife protection, and recreational uses. Existing law specifies that the governing board of the conservancy consists of 21 voting members, including, among other members, the mayor or a member of the city council of each of the Cities of Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage, appointed by a majority of the membership of the respective city council or each city. This bill would expand to 23 the membership of the governing board of the conservancy, and would include the mayor or a member of the city council of the Cities of Coachella and Indio, appointed by a majority of the membership of the respective city council of those cities. Existing law prescribes the territory of the conservancy, but expressly excludes the incorporated areas of the Cities of Coachella and Indio, as they exist on January 1, 1994. This bill would delete that provision excluding those lands in the incorporated Cities of Coachella and Indio from the territory of the conservancy.