2620-2627
FISH AND GAME CODE
SECTION 2620-2627
2620. All money deposited in the Fish and Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Fund shall be available for appropriation by the Legislature for the following purposes: (a) Forty million dollars ($40,000,000) for expenditure by the Wildlife Conservation Board pursuant to the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1947 for the acquisition, enhancement, or development, or any combination thereof, of lands located outside the coastal zone for the preservation of resources and the management of wildlife and fisheries, in accordance with the following schedule: (1) Thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) for the acquisition, enhancement, or development, or any combination thereof, of lands for habitat for wildfowl and other wildlife benefitted by a marsh or aquatic environment. (2) Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for the restoration of waterways for the management of fisheries and the enhancement or development, or both, of habitat for other wildlife. (b) Five million dollars ($5,000,000) for expenditure by the Wildlife Conservation Board pursuant to the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1947 for the acquisition, enhancement, or development, or any combination thereof, of lands for habitat for rare, endangered, and fully protected species. (c) Thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) for expenditure by the State Coastal Conservancy for the acquisition, enhancement, or development, or any combination thereof, of marshlands and associated and adjacent lands and the development of associated facilities and for grants to local public agencies for those purposes, in accordance with the following schedule: (1) Twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) for grants by the conservancy to local public agencies in the coastal zone and in the San Francisco Bay region for the acquisition, enhancement, or development, or any combination thereof, of marshlands and adjacent lands for habitat for wildlife benefitted by a marsh or aquatic environment and the improvement of drainage into wetlands to control or retard erosion and sedimentation, and biologically and hydrologically associated upland habitat areas. Of the amount made available pursuant to this paragraph, not less than five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be available for grants for projects in the San Francisco Bay region. (2) Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for expenditure by the conservancy for the purposes authorized in this subdivision. (d) Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for expenditure by the Wildlife Conservation Board pursuant to the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1947 for the acquisition, enhancement, or development, or any combination thereof, inside the coastal zone of marshlands and adjacent lands for habitat for wildlife benefitted by a marsh or aquatic environment. 2621. An annual amount, not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), may be appropriated from the funds available pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (d) of Section 2620 in the 1984-85 through 1989-90 fiscal years, in a particular amount to be determined in each annual appropriation, to the Wildlife Conservation Board for expenditure for costs incurred by the board in administering this chapter, as provided in this section. The board shall augment, as needed, any amount appropriated pursuant to this section with an appropriation from any other funds available to it. This chapter is not intended, nor shall it be construed, to authorize the Wildlife Conservation Board or the department to establish any additional personnel positions. 2622. An annual amount, not to exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), may be appropriated from the funds available pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2620 in the 1984-85 through 1989-90 fiscal years, in a particular amount to be determined in each annual appropriation, to the State Coastal Conservancy for expenditure for costs incurred by the conservancy in administering this chapter. 2623. (a) None of the funds appropriated pursuant to this chapter may be encumbered for any purpose described in Section 1353. (b) Notwithstanding Sections 31105 and 31106 of the Public Resources Code, the State Coastal Conservancy and the State Public Works Board may not make any acquisition pursuant to the power of eminent domain with any funds appropriated pursuant to this chapter. 2624. Funds available pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 2620 may be encumbered only for lands constituting habitat that is subject to destruction, drastic modification, or severe curtailment of habitat values. 2625. No acquisition shall be undertaken with funds appropriated pursuant to Section 2620 and no grant of funds appropriated pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2620 shall be encumbered until all practical alternatives to direct purchase of the full fee title have been considered. The Wildlife Conservation Board and the State Coastal Conservancy shall establish a procedure to assure consideration of alternatives to direct purchase. These alternatives shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) Opportunities for obtaining the land through exchanges of other publicly held lands. (b) Tax considerations that may pertain to the contemplated transaction. (c) Utilization of transfers of densities and density bonuses and other available land use controls. (d) Purchase of less than full fee title. 2626. (a) All restoration projects which involve the expenditure of funds available pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2620 shall be reviewed in accordance with Section 31208, 31208.5, 31258, or 31258.5 of the Public Resources Code, as applicable. (b) Funds available pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 2620 shall be encumbered in accordance with priorities of the California Coastal Commission. (c) Of the total amount available pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 2620, not more than four million dollars ($4,000,000) may be encumbered for any single acquisition project. 2627. (a) Funds granted pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2620 for any purpose, other than acquisition, shall not be encumbered by the recipient until the conservancy has entered into an agreement sufficient to protect the public interest in any improvements constructed pursuant to this chapter with the entity that exercises legal control of the real property on which the improvement is constructed. (b) The conservancy shall not disburse any grant until the applicant, or any other appropriate managing or operating entity, has entered into an agreement with the conservancy or its designee, or both, sufficient to assure that the property acquired, enhanced, or developed, and any improvements thereon, shall be managed and operated for the purpose for which the grant was requested. No use of the property that is incompatible with that purpose shall ever be permitted. (c) The minimum amount for which an application for an individual project may be made is fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000). (d) Every application for a grant shall comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code). (e) Notwithstanding Sections 31207 and 31257 of the Public Resources Code, funds granted pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2620 may be encumbered only for the acquisition, enhancement, or development, or any combination thereof, and the costs incurred by the recipient in planning, preparation of construction documents, fiscal management and accounting, and supervision of construction in connection with the project for which the grant was made. All expenditures made by a recipient of a grant shall be subject to being audited. (f) Funds granted pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2620 shall be available for encumbrance by the recipient for a period of three years after the date when the grant became effective.