SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Calif. Assembly Bill (AB) 691, authored by Assemblymember Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), was signed by Governor Brown. This bill will prepare California for the impacts of sea level rise by requiring holders of public trust lands to assess the impacts and report the results to the State Lands Commission.
“AB 691 will prepare Californians for the challenges of sea level rise,” said Muratsuchi. “I commend Governor Brown for signing this into law.”
California’s coastal areas, including tidelands, are granted in trust by the Legislature to local jurisdictions for management purposes. Although the lands are managed locally, the State Lands Commission is vested with all residual jurisdiction and authority.
“It is important that local trustees take reasonable steps to protect public trust lands from sea level rise,” continued the Assemblymember. “This law places the responsibility in the hands of the local trustee because they are the ones best equipped to assess the impacts of sea level rise.”
A trustee will not be required to complete the assessment if they receive less than $250,000 in gross public trust revenues, or the land is not subject to sea level rise by 2100, or the cost of the report would outweigh the potential impacts from sea level rise.
An assessment of the impacts associated with sea level rise would include maps showing the areas that may be affected, impact of sea level rise on the public trust lands and an estimate of the financial cost of the impact of sea level rise on granted lands.
This law becomes effective January 1, 2014.
Assemblymember Muratsuchi represents the 66th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, the Los Angeles communities of Harbor City and Harbor Gateway, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance and the unincorporated communities of El Camino Village and West
