(Sacramento, CA) – Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) to authorize the use of more financial tools, subject to voter approval, to pay for the restoration of the San Francisco Bay.
“The bay is our region’s greatest natural treasure and it will take some doing to overcome a century of landfill and pollution,” said Ting. “Efforts to restore its beauty have stalled because we haven’t had all of the right financial tools. With that obstacle now gone, we can craft a viable restoration plan for voters to consider. This is very exciting.”
Restoring the wetlands along the San Francisco Bay requires a long-term investment. Only 20 percent of the Bay’s original wetlands remain. The Legislature created the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority in 2008 to raise local revenues to restore over 36,000 acres of publicly-owned bay shoreline into tidal wetlands. However, that law has proven to be too restrictive to fulfill this charge.
An inaugural member of the Authority’s Governing Board, Ting authored Assembly Bill (AB) 746 to authorize the Authority to issue bonds free from a current restriction that has complicated the creation of viable restoration financial plans. Currently, the Authority can issue bonds up for up to ten percent of its prior year’s revenue, which makes significant restoration projects unfeasible. The bill also extends the Authority’s existence to 2049 to ensure bond repayment. Any bond would require voter approval through a uniform measure within the nine Bay Area counties.
The Authority has ability to levy benefit assessments, property-related fees, and special taxes consistent subject to voter approval. It may also apply for grants and raise funds.
AB 746 is supported by environmental advocates, the business community, and local leaders. It passed the Assembly 49-28, following a Senate vote of 26-11. Here is what supporters of AB 746 are saying.
“San Francisco Bay is one of California’s greatest natural treasures, and is crucial to the quality of life and economy of the region and the state. Over the last century, the bay has suffered significant degradation from diking, landfill, and pollution, reducing its tidal marshes by 90 percent. Restoring wetlands on more than 30,000 acres already protected for that purpose will benefit people and wildlife by improving habitat, water quality, shoreline protection, and public recreation.”
-David Lewis, Executive Director, Save the Bay
“The San Francisco Bay is a site of global importance for birds and other wildlife that live in its waters and along its shores. The bay provides immense benefits to residents who depend on it for its economic, recreational, wildlife and aesthetic values.”
-Bridgid McCormack, Executive Director, Audubon California.
“Today, only 20 percent of the bay’s original wetlands remain due to filling and diking. Because these wetlands provide clean water, flood control, habitat, recreation, and economic benefits, they are crucial to the health of San Francisco Bay and to the safety and quality of life of the millions of residents in the communities that surround it.”
-Jena Price, Legislative Affairs Manager, California League of Conservation Voters
“This bill will help enhance the resilience of the bay’s natural and human communities to withstand the increasing threat of sea level rise and other impacts of climate change.”
-Louis Blumberg, Director of the California Climate Change Program, the Nature Conservancy
“Today, vast portions of the Bay Area lie at, beneath, or barely above sea level. These areas include 140,000 homes, 800 miles of roadways and, $30 billion worth of assets that include the Port of Oakland, SFO, CalTrain, world-class companies, and critical wastewater treatment facilities. Following the recent devastation of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, California cannot afford to wait until after an extreme seismic or weather event to build its coastal defenses.”
-Jim Wunderman, President and CEO, Bay Area Council
“Only limited state and federal funds are available for wetlands restoration, so the potential local revenue that can be raised by the [Authority] to leverage and add to these funds is critical to protect and restore this essential natural resource.”
-Carol Groom, President, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Further information about AB 746 is available at www.leginfo.ca.gov.