Department of Parks and Recreation: Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo, and Butano State Parks.

Assembly Member Pellerin, joined by a principal coauthor and a secondary coauthor, proposes a temporary shift in how land is acquired for Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo, and Butano State Parks, pairing a narrow exemption from the State Public Works Board process with new appraisal, notification, and public-review requirements. The core change designates a limited window through the end of 2033 during which the Department of Parks and Recreation may acquire real property for these parks without the Public Works Board’s standard oversight, while mandating specific controls and ongoing reporting to the Legislature.

To accompany the exemption, the bill creates new standards for these park-related acquisitions. Any fee title or lesser real property interest acquired for the three parks must have a purchase price not exceeding the property’s fair market value, with the value set by an appraisal prepared by a licensed appraiser and approved by the Department of General Services, and the appraisal and its review completed before negotiations begin. Contracts concerning the acquisition must be reviewed and approved by the Department of General Services. The property must be acquired for the department’s use in accordance with existing law, and the authorization expires on January 1, 2033. The provision applies only to property acquired for the three named parks under the specified authority, and does not exempt acquisitions made by grant, gift, devise, or bequest.

The bill also expands and specifies public-notice and public-participation requirements tied to park acquisitions. It requires public meetings for proposed acquisitions above five million dollars, with notice to county and city governments, legislative leadership, and relevant budget and policy committees at least 90 days in advance, and allows for the meeting to be conducted via teleconference. In cases where a proposed project is five million dollars or less but above five hundred thousand dollars, interested parties may request a public meeting, and the notice must describe potential impacts on park opportunities. For other acquisitions above five million dollars not proposed under the separate provision, the department must hold a public meeting in the county and publish notices accordingly, while also giving written notice of the intent to acquire to local governments as early as possible. The bill requires ongoing reporting every two years (with initial report due in 2028) detailing transactions, costs or savings, and duration, and clarifies that the new public-notice and meeting requirements also apply in tandem with existing state-procurement rules when the department pursues these acquisitions. The provisions conditionally operate with companion legislation and specify that operative timing depends on enactment order relative to that companion measure.

Together, the changes aim to support the department’s stated reimagining of these parks—emphasizing faster access to high-priority lands while maintaining a framework of appraisal discipline, independent review, public disclosure, and legislative accountability. The bill’s findings frame the CZU Lightning Complex Fire’s impact and the parks’ reimagining as the contextual rationale, and the authorized approach is tied to a discrete, time-limited statutory regime intended to balance rapid land transfers with public oversight and transparency.