Local government: California tribes: federal fee-to-trust applications to regain ancestral lands.

Existing federal law sets forth policies and procedures governing the acquisition of land by the United States in trust status for specified individuals and tribes. Existing federal law requires the Secretary of the Interior to notify the state and local governments having regulatory jurisdiction over the land to be acquired, and authorizes the state or local government to provide written comments as to the acquisition's potential impacts on regulatory jurisdiction, real property taxes, and special assessments. Existing law enumerates powers and duties common to cities, counties, and other agencies. This bill would encourage state and local governments, as defined, to work cooperatively with tribes in their fee-to-trust applications for purposes of regaining ancestral lands, and to support tribes in their nongaming fee-to-trust applications. The bill would prohibit local governments from adopting or enforcing a resolution or ordinance that would prevent the local government from conducting a fair evaluation of a fee-to-trust application by a federally recognized tribe based on the merits of the application. The bill would require a local government that opposes an application to (1) request, by certified mail to the tribe, within 10 days of the notice of the application from the federal government, information on the economic benefits to the local government from both the project that is the subject of the application, if applicable, and the tribe's economic contribution to the local jurisdiction in the last 5 years, and (2) if the tribe provides the information within 10 days of the local government's request, to include that information in any opposition letter or other document submitted to the federal government, as specified. By requiring additional duties by local governments, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.