Bees: apiculture: state-owned lands.

Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to consider permitting apiculture on department-managed wildlife areas, and requires the department to determine, when developing or amending its land management plans, the appropriate use or permit fee to be assessed for conducting apiculture on department-managed wildlife areas. This bill would instead require the department to consider authorizing, rather than permitting, apiculture on department-managed wildlife areas. The bill would require the department to determine the appropriate fee and lease rent to be assessed for conducting apiculture on department-managed wildlife areas, would specify that the fee determined by the department for those purposes shall be sufficient to recover the administrative and implementation costs of the department, and would require the lease rent to take into account if the lease is a nonexclusive use of the land.The bill would authorize the department to authorize the temporary placement of beehives on department-managed wildlife areas through simple lease or permit agreements specifying appropriate conditions and would provide that these agreements are not subject to competitive bidding requirements.The bill would authorize the department to continue any authorization for apiculture on department-managed lands that it granted before January 1, 2015, without taking further action. Existing law generally authorizes the Director of General Services, with the consent of the agency concerned, to let any real or personal state property in accordance with specified requirements. This bill would authorize the director to let state land for apiary purposes, and would authorize the director to lease state land for those purposes for less than fair market rent if the lease for apiary purposes does not require exclusive use of the land. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.