Senate committee refers bill to update Upper LA River working group, requires annual meetings and adjusted membership

Senator Allen introduced SB 832 to the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, saying the bill updates the statute for the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Working Group to reflect its ongoing work and to adjust membership for better representation. The working group, created by 2017 legislation and which produced a revitalization plan completed in 2020, monitors river revitalization efforts and evaluates potential amendments to the plan as directed by the Legislature in 2022.

"The bill would codify a requirement to meet at least once per year to evaluate and report progress implementing the plan as well as propose potential amendments to the plan," Senator Allen said, adding the change responds to shifts in city council boundaries after redistricting. He said the amendment would add one additional seat and specify that one of the city-appointed seats be filled by the Los Angeles city council member with the greatest number of Upper LA River miles; the hearing identified that council member as Nithya Raman.

April Bird, representing the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, testified in support and described the revitalization plan’s scope. "The revitalization plan identified 300 proposed opportunities with priority on disadvantaged communities throughout neighborhoods in the Upper LA River Watershed," Bird said, and she added that "currently, 18 of those projects are underway." Bird described the bill as a "minor legislative update" to membership and meeting frequency and asked the committee for an aye vote.

Senator Laird asked whether the change was codifying an existing annual meeting requirement or restoring annual meetings after an intervening change. Committee members said budget legislation in 2022 had set meetings to every two years, and the bill would restore an annual cadence to ensure more regular oversight. Senator Stern, speaking as the Upper LA River member of the committee, praised the measure and offered to sign on as a coauthor, noting the need for interagency coordination to ready projects for bond funding.

Senator Laird moved to refer SB 832 to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The clerk called the roll; Senators Becker, Sayarto, Allen, Cabaldon, Laird and Stern voted aye. The chair announced the bill passed out of committee by a vote of 6 to 0 and was referred to Senate Appropriations. The committee adjourned with no further business.

Notes on discrepancies in testimony: during the hearing the sponsor identified the measure as SB 832; the support witness referred to the measure as SB 837 in her testimony. The committee record and the sponsor’s introduction identify the bill as SB 832. Quantitative claims about the revitalization plan ("about 300 proposed opportunities" and "18 projects underway") were made by the MRCA representative during testimony and were reported here as presented to the committee without independent verification.