31160-31165
PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE
SECTION 31160-31165
31160. The San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program is established pursuant to this chapter, to be administered by the conservancy, to address the resource and recreational goals of the San Francisco Bay area, as identified in Section 31162, in a coordinated, comprehensive, and effective way. 31161. The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the nine counties that bound San Francisco Bay constitute a region with unique natural resource and outdoor recreational needs. San Francisco Bay is the central feature in an interconnected open-space system of watersheds, natural habitats, waterways, scenic areas, agricultural lands, and regional trails. 31162. The conservancy may undertake projects and award grants in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area that will help achieve the following goals of the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program: (a) To improve public access to, within, and around the bay, coast, ridgetops, and urban open spaces, consistent with the rights of private property owners, and without having a significant adverse impact on agricultural operations and environmentally sensitive areas and wildlife, including wetlands and other wildlife habitats through completion and operation of regional bay, coast, water, and ridge trail systems, and local trails connecting to population centers and public facilities, which are part of a regional trail system and are consistent with locally and regionally adopted master plans and general plans, and through the provision and preservation of related facilities, such as interpretive centers, picnic areas, staging areas, and campgrounds. (b) To protect, restore, and enhance natural habitats and connecting corridors, watersheds, scenic areas, and other open-space resources of regional importance. (c) To assist in the implementation of the policies and programs of the California Coastal Act of 1976 (Division 20 (commencing with Section 30000)), the San Francisco Bay Plan, and the adopted plans of local governments and special districts. (d) To promote, assist, and enhance projects that provide open space and natural areas that are accessible to urban populations for recreational and educational purposes. 31163. (a) The conservancy shall cooperate with cities, counties, and districts, the bay commission, other regional governmental bodies, nonprofit land trusts, nonprofit landowner organizations, and other interested parties in identifying and adopting long-term resource and outdoor recreational goals for the San Francisco Bay area, which shall guide the ongoing activities of the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program. The conservancy shall utilize the list of priority areas and concerns established by the bay commission pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 31056 as guidance in the selection of those San Francisco area projects that are within the jurisdiction of the bay commission. However, the guidance provided by the bay commission is advisory and the conservancy shall have the responsibility for making program decisions. Any acquisition of real property using funds authorized pursuant to this chapter shall be from willing sellers if the land is actively farmed or ranched. Any acquisition of real property by the conservancy pursuant to this chapter shall be from willing sellers. (b) The conservancy shall participate in and support interagency actions and public/private partnerships in the San Francisco Bay area for the purpose of implementing subdivision (a), and providing for broad-based local involvement in, and support for, the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program. (c) The conservancy shall utilize the criteria specified in this subdivision to develop project priorities for the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program that provide for development and acquisition projects, urban and rural projects, and open space and outdoor recreational projects. The conservancy shall give priority to projects that, to the greatest extent, meet the following criteria: (1) Are supported by adopted local or regional plans. (2) Are multijurisdictional or serve a regional constituency. (3) Can be implemented in a timely way. (4) Provide opportunities for benefits that could be lost if the project is not quickly implemented. (5) Include matching funds from other sources of funding or assistance. (d) (1) The conservancy shall be the lead agency in the funding and development of projects implementing the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Plan prepared pursuant to Section 66694 of the Government Code. (2) During the period when the plan is being prepared and after the completion of the plan, the conservancy may undertake projects and award grants that are generally consistent with and advance the preparation of the plan or achieve the implementation of the plan. (3) To advance the preparation of the plan, the conservancy shall help coordinate a collaborative partnership with the bay commission, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and other interested persons, organizations, and agencies, including, but not limited to, interested state, county, and district departments and commissions, parks and park districts, ports, regional governmental bodies, nonprofit groups, user groups, and businesses. (4) In developing the plan and undertaking projects to implement the plan, areas for which access is to be managed or prohibited shall be determined in consultation with resource protection agencies, the United States Coast Guard, the Water Transit Authority, the State Lands Commission, local law enforcement agencies, and through the environmental review process required by the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000)). (5) Upon the completion of the plan, the conservancy shall consider the plan's adoption and inclusion of the appropriate elements of the plan in the conservancy's strategic plan. (6) The conservancy shall not award a grant or undertake a project for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail that would have a significant adverse impact on a sensitive wildlife area or is in conflict with the goals of subdivision (a) of Section 31162. 31164. (a) The San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program Account is hereby created in the State Coastal Conservancy Fund, for the purpose of depositing and disbursing funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the administration and implementation of the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program. All funds that are appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of this chapter, and all reimbursements, proceeds of sale, or other money received by the conservancy for the purposes of this chapter and derived from projects funded from this account shall be deposited in this account. Interest on funds in this account shall accrue to the General Fund. The conservancy shall account for all deposits and reimbursements of funds in this account. (b) Funds that are derived from other sources, exclusive of state or federal funds, for the purposes of this chapter, including, but not limited to, private donations, fees, penalties, and local government contributions, shall be deposited in the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program Account in the Coastal Trust Fund pursuant to Section 31012. 31165. In order to benefit the San Francisco Bay region, the conservancy may undertake projects and award grants for activities that are compatible with the preservation, restoration, or enhancement of ocean, coastal, bay, or watershed resources, or that facilitate environmental education related to these resources. These projects or activities may include, but are not limited to, exhibits or events emphasizing coastal, watershed, or ocean resources education, or maritime history, or the development of amenities and infrastructure consistent with this chapter.