California 2023-2024 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

AB 2528 — Williamson Act contracts: cancellation: energy projects.

Last action — In committee: Held under submission.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2023-2024 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Existing law, the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, otherwise known as the Williamson Act, authorizes a city or county to enter into contracts with owners of agricultural land to preserve the land for agricultural use, as specified, in return for reduced property tax assessments. The act authorizes a landowner to petition the city council or board of supervisors, as applicable, for cancellation of the Williamson Act contract under specified circumstances and imposes a cancellation fee equal to 12.5% of the fair market value of the land without the restriction of the Williamson Act contract. The act also authorizes a landowner of specified agricultural land to petition the board to cancel the Williamson Act contract in order to designate the land as a farmland security zone, whereby the land is eligible for a specified property tax valuation and taxed at a reduced rate for specified special taxes. The act authorizes a landowner to petition the council or board, as applicable, to cancel a farmland security zone contract under specified circumstances and imposes a cancellation fee equal to 25% of the fair market value of the land without the restriction of the contract. This bill would authorize a landowner, if their land is located in the Counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tulare, with a water basin in condition of critical overdraft, to petition the board or council to cancel a Williamson Act contract or a farmland security zone contract if the land meets specified criteria, including, among other things, not having permanent access to sufficient water to support commercially viable irrigated agricultural use on the land, and the landowner would be subject to a land use entitlement for specified energy projects. The bill would authorize a board or council to approve the cancellation if the board or council finds that the land does not have permanent access to sufficient water to support commercially viable irrigated agricultural use and the landowner would be subject to a land use entitlement for the specified energy projects that would use less water than the agricultural use on the land. The bill would require special energy projects to provide a community benefits package, as specified. The bill would impose a cancellation fee equal to 6.25% of the fair market value of the property without the restriction of the Williamson Act contract for cancellation of a Williamson Act contract, and would impose a cancellation fee equal to 12.5% of the fair market value of the property without the restriction of the contract for cancellation of a farmland security zone contract. The bill would require the cancellation fees to be collected by the county treasurer, remitted to the Controller, and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, allocated to the Department of Conservation, and for community benefits packages within the county, as specified. The act requires a board or council, as applicable, to adopt rules governing the administration of agricultural preserves, including rules related to compatible uses consistent with specified principles of compatibility. This bill would specify that a cancellation under the bill's provisions does not prevent a board or council from determining that the specified energy projects are a compatible use on contracted land. Existing law authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin. This bill would require a landowner to submit a notification to the relevant groundwater sustainability agency when starting a cancellation petition and to report a completed contract cancellation to the relevant groundwater sustainability agency. The bill would prohibit a contract cancellation from precluding a landowner from voluntary participation in the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. In committee: Held under submission.

  2. Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 5215.)

  3. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  4. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. pursuant to Joint Rule 10.5.

  5. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  6. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

  7. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (April 24).

  8. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on AGRI. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 17). Re-referred to Com. on AGRI.

  9. Re-referred to Coms. on U. & E. and AGRI. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.

  10. Re-referred to Coms. on AGRI. and U. & E. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.

  11. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  12. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. Read second time and amended.

  13. Referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  14. From printer. May be heard in committee March 15.

  15. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Do pass as amended.

Passed 6 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 1002
Unaffiliated 3000
Democratic 2002
Total 6004
% of votes cast 60%0%0%40%
How each member voted (10)
Member Party Vote
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Villapudua — Yea
Wood — Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Not Voting
Connolly, Damon Democratic Not Voting
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Soria, Esmeralda Democratic Yea
Alanis, Juan Republican Not Voting
Sanchez, Kate Republican Yea
Ta, Tri Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Agriculture]

Passed 12 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 2001
Democratic 5002
Unaffiliated 5001
Total 12004
% of votes cast 75%0%0%25%
How each member voted (16)
Member Party Vote
Ting — Yea
Wood — Yea
Friedman — Yea
Holden — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Jim Patterson — Not Voting
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Not Voting
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Connolly, Damon Democratic Not Voting
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Yea
Schiavo, Pilar Democratic Yea
Zbur, Rick Chavez Democratic Yea
Chen, Phillip Republican Yea
Patterson, Joe Republican Not Voting
Wallis, Greg Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

agriculture energy
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 2528 do?
Existing law, the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, otherwise known as the Williamson Act, authorizes a city or county to enter into contracts with owners of agricultural land to preserve the land for agricultural use, as specified, in return for reduced property tax assessments. The act authorizes a landowner to petition the city council or board of supervisors, as applicable, for cancellation of the Williamson Act contract under specified circumstances and imposes a cancellation fee equal to 12.5% of the fair market value of the land without the restriction of the Williamson Act contract. The act also authorizes a landowner of specified agricultural land to petition the board to cancel the Williamson Act contract in order to designate the land as a farmland security zone, whereby the land is eligible for a specified property tax valuation and taxed at a reduced rate for specified special taxes. The act authorizes a landowner to petition the council or board, as applicable, to cancel a farmland security zone contract under specified circumstances and imposes a cancellation fee equal to 25% of the fair market value of the land without the restriction of the contract. This bill would authorize a landowner, if their land is located in the Counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tulare, with a water basin in condition of critical overdraft, to petition the board or council to cancel a Williamson Act contract or a farmland security zone contract if the land meets specified criteria, including, among other things, not having permanent access to sufficient water to support commercially viable irrigated agricultural use on the land, and the landowner would be subject to a land use entitlement for specified energy projects. The bill would authorize a board or council to approve the cancellation if the board or council finds that the land does not have permanent access to sufficient water to support commercially viable irrigated agricultural use and the landowner would be subject to a land use entitlement for the specified energy projects that would use less water than the agricultural use on the land. The bill would require special energy projects to provide a community benefits package, as specified. The bill would impose a cancellation fee equal to 6.25% of the fair market value of the property without the restriction of the Williamson Act contract for cancellation of a Williamson Act contract, and would impose a cancellation fee equal to 12.5% of the fair market value of the property without the restriction of the contract for cancellation of a farmland security zone contract. The bill would require the cancellation fees to be collected by the county treasurer, remitted to the Controller, and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, allocated to the Department of Conservation, and for community benefits packages within the county, as specified. The act requires a board or council, as applicable, to adopt rules governing the administration of agricultural preserves, including rules related to compatible uses consistent with specified principles of compatibility. This bill would specify that a cancellation under the bill's provisions does not prevent a board or council from determining that the specified energy projects are a compatible use on contracted land. Existing law authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin. This bill would require a landowner to submit a notification to the relevant groundwater sustainability agency when starting a cancellation petition and to report a completed contract cancellation to the relevant groundwater sustainability agency. The bill would prohibit a contract cancellation from precluding a landowner from voluntary participation in the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.
Who sponsors AB 2528?
AB 2528 is sponsored by Arambula, Joaquin (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 2528?
This bill died with 2023-2024 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track AB 2528?
Track AB 2528 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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