Staff recommendation before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015:

Subject: Approval of the recommended actions will allocate an amount not to exceed $2,012,000 in Specified Excess Funds, available to the Fifth Supervisorial District, to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority for the acquisition of open space and wildlife habitat land in the Lake Hughes Area.

From MRCA: The subject properties are located in the Lake Hughes area, south of Lancaster Rd./West Avenue D. Mainly comprised of gently sloping hillside open space, the properties provide unobstructed views of the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve to the northeast and borders the Angeles National Forest to the south.

IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE BOARD:

1. Find the proposed Lake Hughes Area Property Acquisition Project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act for the reasons stated herein and the reasons reflected in the record of the

2. Allocate an amount not to exceed $2,012,000 in Specified Excess Funds, available to the Fifth Supervisorial District, to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority for the proposed Lake Hughes Area Property Acquisition Project.

3. Authorize the Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, in his capacity as Director of the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, or his designee, to award a grant, in an amount not to exceed $2,012,000, to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority when applicable conditions have been met; and to administer the grant as of the date of award and pursuant to guidelines in the Procedural Guide for Specified, Per Parcel, and Excess Funds Projects; otherwise, funds shall remain in the Excess Funds

PURPOSE/JUSTIFICATION OF RECOMMENDED ACTION

Approval of the recommended actions will allocate an amount not to exceed $2,012,000 in Specified Excess Funds, available to the Fifth Supervisorial District pursuant to the Safe Neighborhood Parks Proposition of 1996 (1996 Proposition), to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) for the proposed Lake Hughes Area Property Acquisition Project (Project).

The Project consists of the fee simple acquisition of approximately 712 acres in the  Lake Hughes area for open space and wildlife habitat adjacent to the Angeles National Forest. The total estimated project cost is $2,862,000. The recommended Specified Excess Funds will be supplemented with $850,000 from a non-cash charitable contribution.

It is also recommended that the Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation (Director), in his capacity as Director of the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, or his designee, be authorized to award a grant to MRCA when applicable conditions have been met. Conditions include grantee qualifications, consistency between the projects and requirements of the 1996 Proposition, and grantee agreement with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements for the projects, if applicable. In addition, it is recommended that the Director, or his designee, be authorized to administer the grant pursuant to the Procedural Guide previously approved by the Board.

Implementation of Strategic Plan Goals

The proposed recommendations further the Board-approved County  Strategic  Plan Goal of Operational Effectiveness/Fiscal Sustainability (Goal 1) by enhancing health- promoting activities in the Fifth Supervisorial District.

FISCAL IMPACT/FINANCING

Sufficient appropriation for the grants, in the amount of $2,012,000, is budgeted in the Fifth Supervisorial District’s portion of Regional Park and Open Space District’s (RPOSD) Excess Funds Project Fund, HD6.

FACTS AND PROVISIONS/LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

The 1996 Proposition requires that agencies to which funds were allocated under the Safe Neighborhood Parks Propositions of 1992 and 1996 encumber all such funds prior to receiving grants of Excess Funds.  MRCA meets this requirement.

The 1996 Proposition provides a method for determining each fiscal year the amount of funds available in the following fiscal year to fund capital improvement projects in addition to the amounts specifically identified for projects in the Safe Neighborhood Parks Propositions of 1992 and 1996. The recommended Excess Fund grants will be funded from the Excess Funds available to the Fifth Supervisorial District for Specified projects.

The Board may establish additional conditions on grants of Excess Funds.  The  Director, or his designee, would be authorized to award grants to the various grantees when all applicable conditions have been met. Any funds allocated by the Board, but  not encumbered by award of a grant contract in the same fiscal year, shall be available for allocation by the Board in the following fiscal year.

On June 2, 2009, the Board approved the Procedural Guide to govern the  administration of RPOSD grants. The Procedural Guide will appropriately govern the administration of the recommended grant as well.

ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTATION

All public agency projects funded by RPOSD are required to comply with CEQA as a condition of the grant. The lead agency is responsible for preparing the appropriate environmental documentation for the project. MRCA is the lead agency for the  proposed Project.

The proposed Project is categorically exempt from CEQA. The Project, which consists acquisition of approximately 712 acres in the Lake Hughes area for open space and wildlife habitat adjacent to the Angeles National Forest, is categorically exempt from CEQA according to Section 15313 of the State CEQA Guidelines and Class 13 of the County’s Environmental Document Reporting Procedures and Guidelines, Appendix G, because the Project consists of acquisition of land for wildlife conservation purposes.

CONTRACTING PROCESS

Grant Project Agreements will be entered into and administered under authority delegated to the Director and pursuant to the Procedural Guide approved by the Board in 2009 only if all applicable conditions of the grants have been met. The Project Agreements will be approved as to form by County Counsel.

IMPACT ON CURRENT SERVICES (OR PROJECTS)

The recommended actions will have no impact on any other projects funded by RPOSD. The proposed Project will promote healthy activities in public spaces in the Fifth Supervisorial District.

CONCLUSION

Please instruct the Executive Officer-Clerk of the Board to return one adopted copy of this action to the Chief Executive Office, Capital Programs Division; and one to the Department of Parks and Recreation.

BACKGROUND from MRCA: