California Sea Otter Fund.

Existing law, until January 1, 2016, establishes the California Sea Otter Fund and allows taxpayers to designate on their income tax returns that a specified amount in excess of their tax liability be transferred to the fund. Existing law requires money in that fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for the purposes of establishing a sea otter fund to be used for sea otter conservation, and to the State Coastal Conservancy for competitive grants and contracts for research, projects, and programs related to the Federal Sea Otter Recovery Plan or improving the nearshore ocean ecosystem. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions to January 1, 2021.