AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 2, 2025
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 22, 2025
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 10, 2025
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
94
CHAPTER 259
Statutes of 2025
[ Approved by Governor October 3, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 3, 2025. ]
Introduced by Assembly Member Ramos
February 3, 2025
An act to add Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 5797) to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, relating to park property.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
The Roberti-Z’berg-Harris Urban Open-Space and Recreation Program Act provides grants to cities, counties, and certain districts for recreational purposes, open-space purposes, or both, on the basis of population and need. The act requires property acquired or developed with the grant money to be used by the grant recipient only for the purpose for which the grant moneys were requested and prohibits any other use of the area except by a specific act of the Legislature.
This bill would authorize the County of San Bernardino to dispose of up to 4.2 acres of property at Glen Helen Regional Park, including property acquired or improved with grant moneys from the above act, subject to the acquisition of replacement park property of equal or greater recreational value approved by the Department of Parks and Recreation, to be used for park purposes and at no cost to the state or the county, as provided. To exercise the authorization to dispose of the above-described property, the bill would require the county to, among other things, submit to the department an independent appraisal of the fair market value of the Glen Helen Regional Park property and the proposed replacement property, provide the department with preliminary title reports of the Glen Helen Regional Park property and the proposed replacement property, and, before the county disposes of the Glen Helen Regional Park property, enter into a final written agreement with the department to transfer all of the county’s responsibilities and obligations to any grant contract applicable to the Glen Helen Regional Park property to the proposed replacement park property in perpetuity, as provided. The bill would require that these provisions become inoperative on January 1, 2029, if the County of San Bernardino has not acquired replacement park property on or before January 1, 2029.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 5797) is added to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
Chapter 5. Glen Helen Regional Park Property
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a) “County” means the County of San Bernardino.
(b) “Department” means the Department of Parks and Recreation.
(c) “Glen Helen Regional Park property” means the 4.2 acres of property at Glen Helen Regional Park to be disposed of by the County of San Bernardino pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 5797.4.
It is the intent of the Legislature that the disposition of property at Glen Helen Regional Park and the acquisition of replacement park property of equal or greater recreational value authorized pursuant to this chapter is for the purpose of increasing recreational opportunities in the county.
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the county, acting through its Regional Parks Department, may dispose up to 4.2 acres of property at Glen Helen Regional Park. The property to be disposed may include property used or unused for park purposes, including land acquired or improved with state grant moneys, including, but not limited to, grant moneys from the Roberti-Z’Berg-Harris Urban Open-Space and Recreation Program Act established in Chapter 3.2 (commencing with Section 5620), subject to acquisition of replacement park property of equal or greater recreational value, as approved by the department, and at no cost to the state or the county, if all of the following requirements are met:
(1) The county obtains an independent appraisal of the fair market value of the Glen Helen Regional Park property, as approved by the department, and submits the appraisal to the department on or before July 1, 2026.
(2) (A) The county submits a plan identifying the proposed replacement property to the department on or before January 1, 2027.
(B) The county obtains an independent appraisal of the fair market value of the proposed replacement park property to be acquired, as approved by the department, and submits the appraisal to the department on or before July 1, 2027.
(3) The fair market value of the proposed replacement park property is equal to or greater than the highest of the following:
(A) The fair market value of the Glen Helen Regional Park property.
(B) The actual sales price of the Glen Helen Regional Park property. If the disposition is an exchange of property, then only subparagraph (A) shall apply.
(4) The recreational utility to the public of the proposed replacement park property is equal to or greater than that of the Glen Helen Regional Park property, as approved by the department.
(5) On or before January 1, 2028, the county provides the department with all of the following:
(A) Preliminary title reports that set forth all liens, encumbrances, easements, restrictions, conditions, exceptions, and other matters of record affecting title to the Glen Helen Regional Park property and the proposed replacement park property.
(B) A written environmental site assessment on the proposed replacement park property that describes the presence, absence, and nature of all known hazardous substances, environmental problems, faults, defects, and violations located in, on, under, or around the proposed replacement park property.
(C) A written attestation from the county regarding the presence and nature of all known hazardous substances, environmental problems, faults, defects, and violations located in, on, under, or around the proposed replacement park property, including whether the county objects to those hazardous substances, environmental problems, faults, defects, or violations.
(D) A written feasibility study that evaluates the suitability of the proposed replacement park property for public recreation.
(E) A complete and detailed list of the “permitted exceptions” listed in the preliminary title reports for the Glen Helen Regional Park property and the proposed replacement park property that the county and current owner of the proposed replacement park property have agreed on.
(F) A complete and detailed list of all rights, liens, mortgages, and bonds that remain in force against both the Glen Helen Regional Park property and the proposed replacement park property, and the details of all agreements between the county and the current owner of the proposed replacement park property regarding the nature, payment, or retirement of those rights, liens, mortgages, and bonds.
(6) On or before July 1, 2028, and before the county disposes of the Glen Helen Regional Park property, the county provides the department with final title reports that set forth all liens, encumbrances, easements, restrictions, conditions, exceptions, and other matters of record, including a detailed list of the “permitted exceptions” listed in the final title reports that the county and current owner of the replacement park property have agreed on, that affect title to the Glen Helen Regional Park property or the proposed replacement park property.
(7) On or before July 1, 2028, and before the county’s acquisition of the proposed replacement park property, the county provides the department with a detailed written report of all known hazardous substances, environmental problems, faults, defects, and violations located in, on, under, or around the proposed replacement park property that have been corrected and a list of all those hazardous substances, environmental problems, faults, defects, or violations that have not been corrected.
(8) Upon the requirements of paragraphs (1) to (7), inclusive, being met, and before the county disposes of the Glen Helen Regional Park property, the county enters into a final written agreement with the department, approved by the department, to transfer all of the county’s responsibilities and obligations pursuant to any grant contract applicable to the Glen Helen Regional Park property to the proposed replacement park property in perpetuity.
(b) Property acquired pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be used for park purposes and shall be subject to all applicable state law requirements, including, if applicable, the requirements of the Roberti-Z’Berg-Harris Urban Open-Space and Recreation Program Act established in Chapter 3.2 (commencing with Section 5620).
(c) Replacement park property, as approved by the department pursuant to subdivision (a), shall be acquired either before or concurrently with the disposition of Glen Helen Regional Park property.
Consistent with this chapter, any land exchanged for property at Glen Helen Regional Park pursuant to Section 5797.4 shall satisfy all of the following:
(a) Be replacement park property of comparable recreational and open space characteristics and of equal or greater size.
(b) Be located in an area accessible for use by the same general population that used the disposed property.
(c) Include replacement facilities of the same type and number, as applicable, with development costs for the replacement property and facilities being substantially equivalent to the value of the disposed property. This subdivision shall not be construed to require the replacement property to include a residential building.
If the county has not acquired replacement park property, as approved by the department pursuant to this chapter, on or before January 1, 2029, this chapter shall become inoperative on January 1, 2029.