reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 5 - Funding › Section 35171.

35171. (a) The authority shall review and assess the needs for acquisition, preservation, or maintenance of open-space lands. As part of this review and assessment, the authority shall solicit proposals from the cities in the county within the boundaries of the authority and from a citizens’ advisory committee, the membership of which shall be determined by the authority based upon criteria which provides a broad representation of interests within the authority’s jurisdiction. The membership of the citizens’ advisory committee shall reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the population within the authority’s jurisdiction. The authority shall adopt a procedure for evaluating these proposals in consultation with the cities and the citizens’ advisory committee in the authority’s jurisdiction. The entity submitting any proposal shall consider the impact the proposal may have on the availability of affordable housing.
(b) Based on the evaluation, the authority shall prepare a plan for the expenditure of the revenues expected to be derived from funding provided for this division, together with other federal, state, local, and private improvements, and funding.
(c) In addition to acquisition, preservation, or maintenance of open-space lands, the expenditure plan shall also include projections of revenues likely to be available in the next five years for capital, maintenance, and operational purposes. The expenditure plan shall establish general areas for acquisition without identifying specific parcels, and shall be periodically reviewed and amended. Before adoption or amendment of an expenditure plan, the authority shall conduct public hearings on that plan. No expenditure for open-space lands shall occur until the initial expenditure plan is approved.
(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 822, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 5 - Funding › Section 35172.

35172. The authority may impose a special tax pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 50075) of Chapter 12 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code. The special taxes shall be applied uniformly to all taxpayers or all real property within the authority, except that unimproved property may be taxed at a lower rate than improved property.
(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 822, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 5 - Funding › Section 35173.

35173. The authority may levy assessments pursuant to the Improvement Act of 1911, Division 7 (commencing with Section 5000), the Improvement Bond Act of 1915, Division 10 (commencing with Section 8500), and the Municipal Improvement Act of 1913, Division 12 (commencing with Section 10000) of the Streets and Highways Code.
(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 822, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 5 - Funding › Section 35174.

35174. The authority may incur indebtedness to finance capital improvements pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 43600) of Division 4 of Title 4 of the Government Code.
(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 822, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 6 - Coyote Valley Conservation Program › Section 35180.

35180. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the Coyote Valley Conservation Program.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 356, Sec. 1. (AB 948) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 6 - Coyote Valley Conservation Program › Section 35181.

35181. The authority may establish and administer the Coyote Valley Conservation Program to address the resource and recreational goals of the Coyote Valley, as provided in this chapter.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 356, Sec. 1. (AB 948) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 6 - Coyote Valley Conservation Program › Section 35182.

35182. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Coyote Valley is a unique landscape providing agricultural, wildlife, recreational, climate, and other natural infrastructure benefits, covering an area of about 17,200 acres in southern Santa Clara County.
(b) Coyote Valley is a resource of statewide significance. The Coyote Valley has been subject to intense development pressure and is in need of restoration, conservation, and enhancement.
(c) Coyote Valley is bounded by and includes two of the fastest growing cities in California, the City of San Jose to the north and the City of Morgan Hill to the south.
(d) Mushrooms, bell peppers, nursery crops, and other agricultural crops grown in Coyote Valley provide more than thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) of economic benefit each year.
(e) Coyote Valley provides a critical corridor for wildlife migrating between the Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range.
(f) Residents of the City of San Jose and other nearby cities access the outdoors in Coyote Valley to view wildlife, and recreate and connect with nature and the community.
(g) Coyote Valley’s natural resources provide opportunities for many climate and natural infrastructure benefits, including flood attenuation from improved wetlands, increased water supply from groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration from natural and working lands.
(h) Protection of Coyote Valley is a component of state and local efforts to preserve agriculture in the County of Santa Clara, including the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Plan, the Santa Clara Valley Greenprint, state investments from the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program, and a feasibility study funded by the State Coastal Conservancy.
(i) The establishment of the Coyote Valley Conservation Program pursuant to this chapter will provide a necessary structure to implement restoration and preservation projects and recreational opportunities, and enhance the overall condition of Coyote Valley.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 356, Sec. 1. (AB 948) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 6 - Coyote Valley Conservation Program › Section 35183.

35183. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Coyote Valley” means all areas southeast of a line drawn northeast to southwest through a point at the intersection of Coyote Creek and Metcalf Road, northeast to the first ridgeline of the Diablo Range, southwest to the first ridgeline of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and northwest of a line drawn northeast to southwest through a point at the intersection of Cochrane Road and Monterey Road, excluding all lands within the City of Morgan Hill’s Urban Service Area as of February 29, 2012.
(b) “Natural lands” has the same meaning as the term is defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 9001.5.
(c) “Program” means the Coyote Valley Conservation Program.
(d) “Program lands” means interests in real property acquired, managed, or subject to a project under this chapter.
(e) “Working lands” has the same meaning as the term is defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 9001.5.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 356, Sec. 1. (AB 948) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 6 - Coyote Valley Conservation Program › Section 35184.

35184. The authority may collaborate with state, regional, and local partners to help achieve all of the following goals of the program:
(a) To provide recreational opportunities, preserve open space, develop and maintain trails, restore, enhance, and preserve wildlife habitat and species, restore and preserve wetlands and agricultural lands, study, maintain, and preserve lands for groundwater recharge, watershed restoration, and natural floodwater conveyance, sequester greenhouse gases, and enhance resilience to climate change.
(b) To provide public access to, and enjoyment and enhancement of, recreational and educational experiences on, program lands in a manner consistent with the protection of land and natural resources in the area.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 356, Sec. 1. (AB 948) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 6 - Coyote Valley Conservation Program › Section 35185.

35185. In carrying out the purposes of this chapter, and without limiting the express or implied powers of the authority as provided in this division, the authority shall have, and may exercise, all necessary rights and powers, expressed or implied, to achieve the goals of this chapter. The authority may do all of the following:
(a) Acquire and dispose of interests and options in real property.
(b) Undertake, maintain, or fund projects to implement site improvements, upgrade deteriorating facilities, or construct new facilities for outdoor recreation, public access, nature appreciation, and interpretation; historic and cultural preservation; protection, restoration, or enhancement of natural resources and habitat; or continuation or expansion of agricultural activities.
(c) Provide technical assistance to landowners on practices to enhance the carbon sequestration or climate resilience benefits of natural and working lands.
(d) Enhance wildlife connectivity across Highway 101, Monterey Road and other impediments to the movement of wildlife in the Coyote Valley through implementation of wildlife friendly culverts and overpasses, removal of fencing, and placement of wildlife crossing signage, or other means.
(e) Provide for the management of program lands.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 356, Sec. 1. (AB 948) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN-SPACE AUTHORITY › CHAPTER 6 - Coyote Valley Conservation Program › Section 35186.

35186. (a) A proponent or party to a proposed development project converting natural lands or working lands within Coyote Valley for a nonagricultural purpose shall provide notice to the authority of the proposed project. The authority may provide analysis of the environmental values and potential impacts of the proposed project.
(b) Coyote Valley shall be acknowledged as an area of statewide significance in local planning documents developed or updated on or after January 1, 2020, affecting land use within Coyote Valley.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 356, Sec. 1. (AB 948) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 1 - General Provisions › Section 35505.

35505. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) California’s coastal and ocean resources are critical to the state’s environmental and economic security, and integral to the state’s high quality of life and culture. A healthy ocean is part of the state’s legacy, and is necessary to support the state’s human and wildlife populations. Each generation of Californians has an obligation to be good stewards of the ocean, to pass the legacy on to their children.
(b) The ocean and coastal waters offshore of the state are unique and valuable natural resources that the state holds in trust for the people of California. The state of our ocean’s health is well documented. Reports such as the 1997 Resources Agency report, “California’s Ocean Resources: An Agenda for the Future,” the 2003 Pew Oceans Commission report, “America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change,” and the United States Commission on Oceans Policy’s 2004 preliminary report, document degraded ocean values, due to coastal and ocean development, onshore and offshore pollution, certain fishing and aquaculture practices, and invasive species, among other things.
(c) The preservation of the state’s ocean resources depends on healthy, productive, and resilient ocean ecosystems. The governance of ocean resources should be guided by principles of sustainability, ecosystem health, precaution, recognition of the interconnectedness between land and ocean, decisions informed by good science and improved understanding of coastal and ocean ecosystems, and public participation in decisionmaking.
(d) Good governance and stewardship of ocean resources necessitate more efficient and effective use of public funds.
(e) The state needs to coordinate governance and stewardship of the state’s ocean, to identify priorities, bridge existing gaps, and ensure effective and scientifically sound approaches to protecting and conserving the most important ocean resources.
(f) The California Ocean Resources Management Act of 1990 (Division 27 (commencing with Section 36000)) establishes the California Ocean Resources Management Program. The mission of the program is to ensure comprehensive and coordinated management, conservation, and enhancement of the state’s ocean resources, for their intrinsic value and the benefit of current and future generations.
(g) Terrestrial sources of ocean pollution in the state contribute to significant water quality degradation, causing deleterious impacts to public health and marine ecosystems, as well as coastal and recreational economics that are essential to the state’s future.
(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 719, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 1 - General Provisions › Section 35510.

35510. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The coastal waters offshore of the state and the ocean ecosystems associated with those waters are natural resources that the state holds in trust for the people of the state.
(b) It is the state’s policy that all public agencies shall consider the following principles in administering the laws established for the protection and conservation of coastal waters:
(1) State decisions affecting coastal waters and the ocean environment should be designed and implemented to conserve the health and diversity of ocean life and ecosystems, allow and encourage those activities and uses that are sustainable, and recognize the importance of aesthetic, educational, and recreational uses.
(2) The ocean ecosystem is inextricably linked to activities on land and all public agencies should consider the impact of activities on land that may adversely affect the health of the coastal and ocean environment.
(3) It is the state’s policy to incorporate ecosystem perspectives into the management of coastal and ocean resources, using sound science, with a priority of protecting, conserving, and restoring coastal and ocean ecosystems, rather than managing on a single species or single resource basis.
(4) A goal of all state actions shall be to improve monitoring and data gathering, and advance scientific understanding, to continually improve efforts to protect, conserve, restore, and manage coastal waters and ocean ecosystems.
(5) State and local actions that affect ocean waters or coastal or ocean resources should be conducted in a manner consistent with protection, conservation, and maintenance of healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and restoration of degraded ocean ecosystems.
(6) Improving the quality of coastal waters and the health of fish in coastal waters should be a priority for the state.
(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 719, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 1 - General Provisions › Section 35515.

35515. The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this division is to integrate and coordinate the state’s laws and institutions responsible for protecting and conserving ocean resources, including coastal waters and ocean ecosystems, to accomplish all of the following objectives:
(a) Provide a set of guiding principles for all state agencies to follow, consistent with existing law, in protecting the state’s coastal and ocean resources.
(b) Encourage cooperative management with federal agencies, to protect and conserve representative coastal and ocean habitats and the ecological processes that support those habitats.
(c) Improve coordination and management of state efforts to protect and conserve the ocean by establishing a cabinet level oversight body responsible for identifying more efficient methods of protecting the ocean at less cost to taxpayers.
(d) Use California’s private and charitable resources more effectively in developing ocean protection and conservation strategies.
(e) Provide for public access to the ocean and ocean resources, including to marine protected areas, for recreational use, and aesthetic, educational, and scientific purposes, consistent with the sustainable long-term conservation of those resources.
(f) Identify scientific research and planning that is useful for the protection and conservation of coastal waters and ocean ecosystems, and coordinate and assist state agencies in addressing those needs.
(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 372, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2008.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 2 - Definitions › Section 35550.

35550. Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions govern this division:
(a) “Council” means the Ocean Protection Council established pursuant to Section 35600.
(b) “Fund” means the California Ocean Protection Trust Fund established pursuant to Section 35650.
(c) “Internationally accepted standards for sustainable seafood” means standards that meet all of the following criteria:
(1) Meet or exceed the Guidelines for the Ecolabeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries promulgated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
(2) Conform to all of the following principles:
(A) A fishery must be conducted in a manner that does not lead to overfishing or depletion of the exploited populations and, for those populations that are depleted, the fishery must be conducted in a manner that demonstrably leads to their recovery.
(B) Fishing operations should allow for the maintenance of the structure, productivity, function, and diversity of the ecosystem, including habitat and associated dependent and ecologically related species on which the fishery depends.
(C) The fishery is subject to an effective management system that respects local, national, and international laws and standards and incorporates institutional and operational frameworks that require use of the resource to be responsible and sustainable.
(d) “Public agency” means a city, county, city and county, district, or the state or any agency or department of the state.
(e) “Sustainable” and “sustainability” mean both of the following:
(1) Continuous replacement of resources, taking into account fluctuations in abundance and environmental variability.
(2) Securing the fullest possible range of present and long-term economic, social, and ecological benefits, while maintaining biological diversity.
(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 279, Sec. 2. (AB 1217) Effective January 1, 2010.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35600.

35600. (a) The Ocean Protection Council is established in state government. The council consists of the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, the Secretary for Environmental Protection, the Chair of the State Lands Commission, and two members of the public appointed by the Governor.
(b) The two public members shall each serve a term of four years, and may each be reappointed to one additional term. The public members of the board shall be appointed on the basis of their educational and professional qualifications and their general knowledge of, interest in, and experience in the protection and conservation of coastal waters and ocean ecosystems. One of the public members shall have a scientific professional background and experience in coastal and ocean ecosystems.
(c) Except as provided in this section, members of the council shall serve without compensation. A member shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his or her duties, and in addition shall be compensated at one hundred dollars ($100) for each day during which the member is engaged in the performance of official duties of the council. Payment for actual and necessary expenses shall be paid only to the extent that those expenses are not provided or payable by another public agency. The total number of days for which a member shall be compensated may not exceed 25 days in any one fiscal year.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 356, Sec. 30. (SB 96) Effective September 26, 2013.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35605.

35605. The Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency shall serve as the chairperson of the council, and the Secretary for Environmental Protection shall serve as the vice chairperson of the council. The Assistant Secretary for Coastal Matters at the Natural Resources Agency shall be designated as the Deputy Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency for Ocean and Coastal Policy, and the deputy secretary shall also serve as the executive director for the council.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 356, Sec. 31. (SB 96) Effective September 26, 2013.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35610.

35610. One Member of the Senate, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and one Member of the Assembly, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, shall meet with the council as nonvoting, ex officio members.
(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 719, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35612.

35612. (a) The council’s meetings shall be open to the public.
(b) The council may sponsor conferences, symposia, and other public forums, to seek a broad range of public advice when establishing priorities for ocean resource protection, enhancement, and restoration.
(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 719, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35615.

35615. The council shall do all of the following:
(a) (1) Coordinate activities of state agencies that are related to the protection and conservation of coastal waters and ocean ecosystems to improve the effectiveness of state efforts to protect ocean resources within existing fiscal limitations, consistent with Sections 35510 and 35515.
(2) Establish policies to coordinate the collection, evaluation, and sharing of scientific data related to coastal and ocean resources among agencies.
(3) (A) Establish a science advisory team of distinguished scientists to assist the council in meeting the purposes of this division. At the request of the council, the science advisory team may convene to identify, develop, and prioritize subjects and questions for research or investigation, and review and evaluate results of research or investigations to provide information for the council’s activities.
(B) The science advisory team shall include scientists from a range of disciplines that are a part of the council’s purview.
(C) The science advisory team shall provide an independent and timely analysis of reports and studies, identifying areas of scientific consensus or uncertainty, using the best available science by drawing on state, national, and international experts.
(D) Scientists selected as members of the science advisory team shall serve without compensation, except for reimbursement of expenses and subject to the terms of an existing contract with the state.
(4) Contract with the California Ocean Science Trust and other nonprofit organizations, ocean science institutes, academic institutions, or others that have experience in conducting the scientific and educational tasks that are required by the council.
(5) Transmit the results of research and investigations to state agencies to provide information for policy decisions.
(6) Identify and recommend to the Legislature changes in law needed to achieve the goals of this section.
(b) (1) Identify changes in federal law and policy necessary to achieve the goals of this division and to improve protection, conservation, and restoration of ocean ecosystems in federal and state waters off the state’s coast.
(2) Recommend to the Governor and the Legislature actions the state should take to encourage those changes in federal law and policy.
(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 179, Sec. 191. Effective January 1, 2009.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35616.

35616. (a) Subject to the availability of funding, the council shall develop and implement a coastal climate change adaptation, infrastructure, and readiness program to do all of the following:
(1) Recommend best practices and strategies to improve the climate change resiliency of the state’s coastal communities, infrastructure, and habitat.
(2) Coordinate with the State Coastal Conservancy, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the San Diego River Conservancy, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, and other state entities as needed to develop criteria to prioritize the types of projects needed to improve climate change resiliency in the coastal zone.
(3) Collaborate with California State University, Long Beach and other universities, scientists, and nongovernmental organizations involved in climate change activities covering areas along the Pacific Rim to facilitate information sharing regarding coastal climate change adaptation, infrastructure, and readiness, including providing information to the Office of Planning and Research to be considered for inclusion into the clearinghouse established pursuant to Sections 71354 and 71360.
(b) The council shall use existing staff, resources, databases, and information contained in reports and other documents, including, but not limited to, the “Safeguarding California Plan: 2018 Update” and the Office of Planning and Research Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program, to develop and implement the program required under subdivision (a).
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 374, Sec. 3. (SB 576) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35617.

35617. (a) The Ocean Protection Council shall develop and implement a voluntary sustainable seafood promotion program for the state.
(b) The program shall consist of all of the following:
(1) A protocol to guide entities on how to be independently certified to internationally accepted standards for sustainable seafood. The protocol and any substantive amendments or revisions to the protocol shall be developed in a transparent process and adopted by the council in a public meeting. The council shall identify in a public document that the provisions of subdivision (c) of Section 35550 have been met.
(2) (A) A marketing assistance program for seafood caught in California that is independently certified to internationally accepted standards for sustainable seafood. The council shall consult with the Department of Food and Agriculture in implementing this paragraph.
(B) Consistent with subparagraph (A), the marketing assistance program shall consist of competitive grants and loans for discrete and limited activities to benefit participants in the fishing industry in California.
(3) A competitive grant and loan program, only in years in which funds are appropriated by the Legislature to the California Ocean Protection Trust Fund, for eligible entities, including, but not limited to, fishery groups and associations, for the purpose of assisting California fisheries in qualifying for certification to internationally accepted standards for sustainable seafood. This program may be implemented in coordination with other state and private programs to maximize its effectiveness.
(4) The design of a label or labels that may be used exclusively to identify seafood caught in California that is certified to internationally accepted standards as sustainable seafood.
(c) Seafood produced through aquaculture or fish farming shall not be certified as sustainable under this division until nationally or internationally accepted sustainability standards have been developed and implemented.
(d) The program, each component of the program, and actions taken by the council to implement the program are based upon voluntary actions initiated by entities pursuant to this section and are not regulations as defined in Section 11342.600 of the Government Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 273, Sec. 1. (AB 337) Effective January 1, 2012.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35620.

35620. (a) Consistent with this chapter, and subject to the availability of funding, the council shall support state agencies’ use and sharing of scientific and geospatial information for coastal- and ocean-relevant decisionmaking, including marine spatial planning, by taking all of the following actions:
(1) Assess the needs of California’s public agencies with respect to their abilities to gather, manage, use, and share information and decision-support tools relevant to ecosystem-based management in the coastal and ocean environment.
(2) Subject to a determination of need in paragraph (1) and in consultation with the relevant coastal or ocean management agency, increase the amount of baseline scientific and geospatial information that is available to public agencies in a publicly accessible, electronic, and geospatial format with respect to the following aspects of coastal and ocean ecosystems:
(A) Ecosystem health, structure, functioning, productivity, resilience, and vulnerability to threats.
(B) The effects of climate change.
(C) The cumulative effects of human-caused and natural sources of stress.
(D) Existing and predicted patterns of human activities, including activities that present conflicting or compatible demands on coastal and ocean ecosystems or those that require the use of a precautionary approach.
(E) Social, economic, and cultural values, including the value of coastal and ocean ecosystems for providing ecosystem services.
(F) Distinguishing ecological characteristics, including habitat heterogeneity, species abundance, and biodiversity.
(G) Other physical, biological, economic, social, and cultural information that the council determines is relevant to marine spatial planning.
(3) Support public agencies’ collaborative management and use of scientific and geospatial information relevant to ecosystem-based management.
(4) Help identify decision-support tools relevant to ecosystem-based management, and, where appropriate, support the adaptation of those tools or the creation of new tools to serve the state’s needs.
(b) Subject to available funding, and consistent with their individual mandates, each agency, board, department, or commission of the state with ocean or coastal management interests or regulatory authority shall cooperate with the council to achieve all of the goals described in subdivision (a).
(Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 544, Sec. 2. (AB 2125) Effective January 1, 2011.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35621.

35621. Consistent with the council’s authority and responsibility under this chapter to coordinate activities of state agencies with ocean or coastal management interests or regulatory authority, to improve the effectiveness of state efforts to protect ocean resources, and to establish policies to coordinate the collection and sharing of scientific data related to coastal and ocean resources among agencies, the council may award grants, enter into interagency agreements, and provide assistance to public agencies and nonprofit organizations to support this effort, including grants to improve geospatial data collection, interagency data sharing and collaboration, and tools for visualizing and analyzing these data. In allocating grants and assistance, the council shall give preference to public agencies that are meeting the goals described in Section 35620.
(Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 544, Sec. 3. (AB 2125) Effective January 1, 2011.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3 - Ocean Protection Council › Section 35625.

35625. (a) Under the direction of the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, the council shall administer its affairs, and provide the staff services that the council needs to carry out this division, including, but not limited to, both of the following:
(1) Administering grants and expenditures authorized by the council from the fund or other sources, including, but not limited to, block grants from other state boards, commissions, or departments.
(2) Arranging meetings, agendas, and other administrative functions in support of the council.
(b) The Legislature may make appropriations to be used for the purposes of this division directly to the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, for expenditures authorized by the council. If an expenditure has been approved by the council for the purposes of this division, approval of the secretary is not required, except in the case of block grants provided by the council to be administered by the secretary.
(c) Any bond funds received by the State Coastal Conservancy, on or before July 1, 2013, which authorized the use of funds for council programs, shall be transferred to the Natural Resources Agency for use for those programs.
(d) (1) The Legislature finds and declares that, on the effective date of the act adding this subdivision during the 2013–14 Regular Session, various contracts and grants will be pending or remain subject to management and control by the State Coastal Conservancy on behalf of the council. On and after that date, the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency is hereby designated as the legal successor to the State Coastal Conservancy, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency shall assume management and control of those contracts and grants and shall have all of the same powers and duties as the State Coastal Conservancy.
(2) In addition to the powers and duties described in paragraph (1), on and after the effective date of the act adding this subdivision during the 2013–14 Regular Session, the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency shall have the following powers and duties on behalf of the council:
(A) The management of all contracts and grants, including the completion, modification, and cancellation of those contracts and grants in accordance with existing law.
(B) The negotiation and settlement of claims relating to contracts and grants.
(C) Responsibility for the completion, maintenance, and disposal of any records relating to the transfer of responsibilities from the State Coastal Conservancy to the Natural Resources Agency.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 356, Sec. 32. (SB 96) Effective September 26, 2013.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3.1 - Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Mitigation › Section 35630.

35630. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Ocean acidification and hypoxia, an abnormal deficiency of oxygen in marine environments, are two major threats to ocean and coastal ecosystems globally, and west coast states are particularly vulnerable, according to the April 2016 findings of the West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel.
(b) The West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel was a binational collaboration of leading scientists from California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia that was convened at the request of the council and the California Ocean Science Trust. The West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel’s executive summary report outlines findings, recommendations, and actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia.
(c) Ocean acidification is caused primarily by global carbon dioxide emissions. Local carbon dioxide emissions and local nutrient inputs can intensify the effects of ocean acidification.
(d) The West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel recommends that California and other west coast states actively employ strategies that address local factors that can reduce ocean acidification and hypoxia exposure, including protecting and restoring critical coastal and aquatic habitats.
(e) Eelgrass ecosystems are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world, with particular importance to farmed shellfish aquaculture and other forms of sustainable aquaculture and to commercially and recreationally valuable species, including shellfish, crabs, finfish, waterfowl, and shorebirds.
(f) Eelgrass protection and restoration efforts help promote a healthier ocean for ecosystems and industry.
(g) Since the 1850s, 90 percent of California’s eelgrass acreage has been destroyed, and the remaining 10 percent is continuously exposed to multiple stressors and threats.
(h) Scientific research has shown that eelgrass habitat provides multiple benefits, including the following:
(1) Providing essential habitat for salmon, groundfish, and Pacific herring, providing Dungeness crab nurseries, and supporting commercial fisheries important to California’s coastal economy.
(2) Improving water quality by filtering polluted runoff and by absorbing excess nutrients.
(3) Helping to mitigate hypoxia.
(4) Sequestering carbon in the underlying sediments.
(5) Protecting the shoreline from erosion by absorbing wave energy and helping to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise.
(i) Advancing the protection and restoration of eelgrass beds in California’s coastal environments, based on scientific and evidence-based approaches, is a critical strategy in enhancing California’s ability to cope with ocean acidification and hypoxia.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 846, Sec. 1. (SB 1363) Effective January 1, 2017.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3.1 - Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Mitigation › Section 35631.

35631. (a) Subject to the availability of funding, the council may develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia science task force to ensure that decisionmaking is supported by the best available science.
(b) Subject to the availability of funding, the council shall do both of the following:
(1) Take actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Implement measures to facilitate climate change adaptation in the ocean, consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 71154.
(B) Develop, refine, and integrate predictive models that identify the relative contributions of global and local drivers of ocean acidification and hypoxia in California waters.
(C) Work with other agencies to coordinate and ensure that criteria and standards for coastal water health to address ocean acidification and hypoxia are developed and informed by the best available science.
(D) Develop a comprehensive inventory of areas in California vulnerable to ocean acidification and hypoxia.
(E) Facilitate agreements with other national, state, and regional governments and private entities to establish and advance joint priorities for ocean acidification and hypoxia research.
(F) In coordination with relevant federal, state, and academic entities, identify gaps between the monitoring of ocean acidification and hypoxia and management needs, and the actions necessary to address these gaps.
(2) Beginning January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, at its first meeting of the year, adopt recommendations for further actions that may be taken to address ocean acidification and hypoxia.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 352, Sec. 2. (AB 2139) Effective January 1, 2017.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 3.1 - Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Mitigation › Section 35632.

35632. (a) To the extent funds are available from bonds or other sources, the council, in consultation with the State Coastal Conservancy and other relevant entities, shall establish and administer the Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Reduction Program for the purpose of achieving the following goals:
(1) Developing demonstration projects to research how important environmental and ecological factors interact across space and time to influence how geographically dispersed eelgrass beds function for carbon dioxide removal and hypoxia reduction.
(2) Generating an inventory of locations where conservation or restoration of aquatic habitats, including eelgrass, can be successfully applied to mitigate ocean acidification and hypoxia.
(3) Incorporating consideration of carbon dioxide removal for eelgrass restoration projects during the habitat restoration planning process in order to fully account for the benefits of long-term carbon storage of habitat restoration in addition to the habitat value.
(4) Supporting science, monitoring, and coordination to ensure that ocean and coastal policy and management in California reflect best readily available science on strategies to reduce ocean acidification and hypoxia to implement this section.
(b) In advancing approaches in the program to remove carbon dioxide from seawater, the council shall consider approaches that provide multiple cobenefits, including, but not limited to, providing essential fish and bird habitat, improving water quality, and mitigating the impacts of sea level rise.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 846, Sec. 1. (SB 1363) Effective January 1, 2017.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 26.5 - CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION ACT › CHAPTER 4 - California Ocean Protection Trust Fund › Section 35651.

35651. The council shall use one million dollars ($1,000,000) of the amount appropriated to it in Item 0540-101-0001 of Section 2.0 of the Budget Act of 2018 (Chapter 29 of the Statutes of 2018) for whale and sea turtle entanglement to fund the transition program established pursuant to Section 8583 of the Fish and Game Code. The council shall enter into an agreement with the fiscal agent described in Section 8583 of the Fish and Game Code to provide funds to the fiscal agent for permittees who participate in the transition program. If the amount described in this section is not necessary due to the number of participants who have indicated an intention to participate in the transition program pursuant to Section 8583 of the Fish and Game Code, the council may redirect the remaining funds to other purposes related to whale and sea turtle entanglement.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 497, Sec. 228. (AB 991) Effective January 1, 2020.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 27 - OCEAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT › CHAPTER 1 - Findings and Declarations › Section 36001.

36001. The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The Pacific Ocean and its many renewable and nonrenewable resources are of economic, environmental, aesthetic, recreational, military, and scientific importance to the people of the state and the nation.
(b) Humankind will benefit from ocean resources as technology continues to develop. Our ability to protect, preserve, coordinate, develop, and utilize these resources requires that we do so in an informed and balanced manner.
(c) On March 10, 1983, President Reagan established by proclamation an exclusive economic zone for the United States, declaring sovereign rights over living and nonliving resources within the 200-mile United States exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
(d) On December 27, 1988, President Reagan extended by proclamation the seaward limit of United States territorial waters from 3 to 12 nautical miles.
(e) The establishment of the exclusive economic zone and the extension of the Territorial Sea create zones under federal jurisdiction adjacent to state waters, and provide opportunity for all coastal states of the United States to more fully exercise and assert their responsibilities pertaining to the protection, conservation, and development of ocean resources under United States jurisdiction.
(f) Exploration, scientific research, development, and production of ocean resources resulting from differing jurisdictions and multiple programs in federal and state waters, will increase the chance of conflicting demands on ocean resources and uses, such as those for food, energy, minerals, and waste disposal.
(g) Resolution of conflicting interests in the use, development, and conservation of ocean resources will become one of the major policy issues facing the state. The problems which will emerge in the future due to interactions of competing users are already prevalent to some degree today.
(h) State agencies do have particular regulatory or program interests in protecting and managing resources and uses in state waters and for coordinating state interests in the territorial sea and the EEZ, but the state needs to formulate a framework of statewide objectives for management of ocean resources and their uses, and outline a clear statement of functional responsibility for state ocean resources management.
(i) The exclusive economic zone, the territorial sea, state waters, and terrestrial environments are an interdependent system that has to be managed through a cooperative effort between appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. The fluid, dynamic nature of the ocean and the migration of many of its living resources beyond state and federal boundaries extend the ocean management interests of this state beyond the three-nautical-mile limit currently managed by the state pursuant to the federal Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. Sec. 1301 et seq.).
(Added by Stats. 1989, Ch. 1215, Sec. 1.)