SB1108 - Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy.

Amended IN Assembly July 01, 2026 Amended IN Senate April 07, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 1108 Introduced by Senator Caballero (Coauthor: Senator Grayson) (Coauthors: Senators Cortese and Grayson) February 17, 2026 An act to amend Section 12805 of the Government Code, and to add Division 23.1 (commencing with Section 33230) to the Public Resources Code, relating to conservancies. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1108, as amended, Caballero. Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy. Existing law authorizes various conservancies to acquire, manage, direct the management of, and conserve lands in the state. This bill would establish the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency, with jurisdiction over the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area, as defined, for specified purposes, including to protect, conserve, and restore the physical, cultural, archaeological, historical, and living resources of the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area and to provide increased opportunities for tourism and recreation. The bill would require the conservancy to be governed by a board composed of designated voting members, including certain members appointed by certain local agencies, and nonvoting liaison advisers. The bill would set forth the powers, duties, and limitations of the governing board and the conservancy, as provided. The bill would create the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy Fund and would make moneys in the fund available for expenditure by the conservancy, upon appropriation by the Legislature, only for the purposes of these provisions. The bill would require all funds or income received by the conservancy, including proceeds from donations or a lease, rental, sale, exchange, or transfer of an interest or option in real property, to be deposited into the fund. By imposing new duties on local agencies, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 12805 of the Government Code is amended to read: 12805. (a) The Resources Agency is hereby renamed the Natural Resources Agency. The Natural Resources Agency consists of the departments of Forestry and Fire Protection, Conservation, Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, and Water Resources; the State Lands Commission; the Colorado River Board; the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission; the Central Valley Flood Protection Board; the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission; the Wildlife Conservation Board; the Delta Protection Commission; Exposition Park; the California Science Center; the California African American Museum; the Native American Heritage Commission; the California Conservation Corps; the California Coastal Commission; the State Coastal Conservancy; the California Tahoe Conservancy; the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy; the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy; the San Joaquin River Conservancy; the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy; the Baldwin Hills and Urban Watersheds Conservancy; the San Diego River Conservancy; and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Conservancy; the Salton Sea Conservancy; and the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy. (b) Existing supplies, forms, insignias, signs, or logos shall not be destroyed or changed as a result of changing the name of the Resources Agency to the Natural Resources Agency, and those materials shall continue to be used until exhausted or unserviceable. SECTION 1. SEC. 2. Division 23.1 (commencing with Section 33230) is added to the Public Resources Code, to read: DIVISION 23.1. Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy CHAPTER 1. General Provisions 33230. This division shall be known, and may be cited, as the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy Act. 33231. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The Grassland Ecological Area is one of the largest remaining contiguous wetland and grassland complexes in California’s Central Valley and is of statewide significance for the conservation of wildlife habitat, biological diversity, and ecological processes. (b) The Grassland Ecological Area provides critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, including species that depend on managed wetlands and grasslands for breeding, wintering, and migration along the Pacific Flyway. (c) Wetlands and associated grassland habitats in California’s Central Valley have been substantially reduced and fragmented due to historical land conversion and development, making the long-term protection, restoration, and enhancement of the Grassland Ecological Area a matter of statewide concern. (d) The Grassland Ecological Area provides important public benefits, including wildlife conservation, ecosystem services, outdoor recreation, education, carbon management, and contributions to the economic vitality of surrounding communities. (e) The ecological health and sustainability of the Grassland Ecological Area depend on coordinated land management, water management, and conservation efforts among federal, state, regional, and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners. (f) The Grassland Ecological Area is recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, a wildlife management area by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and an important bird area and a shorebird site of international importance by nonprofit wildlife organizations. (g) The Grassland Focus Area is the area of land surrounding the Grassland Ecological Area that is recognized as a buffer of agricultural and other working landscapes that are compatible with wetland habitats and functions. (h) It is in the public interest to establish the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy to provide a coordinated, landscape-scale framework to conserve, restore, enhance, and manage the ecological, natural, and related resources of the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area for the benefit of present and future generations. 33232. The Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy is hereby created as a state agency within the Natural Resources Agency, working in collaboration and cooperation with local governments and interested parties, to fulfill all of the following purposes: (a) Protect, conserve, and restore the physical, cultural, archaeological, historical, and living resources of the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area, including migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway and other wildlife. (b) Provide increased opportunities for tourism and recreation. (c) Aid in the preservation of working landscapes. (d) Reduce the risk of natural disasters, such as wildfires. (e) Protect and improve water and air quality. (f) Assist the regional economy through the operation of the conservancy’s efforts. (g) Identify the highest priority projects and initiatives for which funding is needed. (h) Undertake efforts to enhance public and educational use and enjoyment of lands owned by the public. (i) Support efforts that advance both environmental preservation and the economic well-being of the region’s residents in a complementary manner. (j) Support efforts that advance climate resilience and equity. CHAPTER 2. Definitions 33232. 33235. For purposes of this division, the following definitions apply: (a) “Board” means the governing board of the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy. (b) “Conservancy” means the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy. (c) “Fund” means the Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy Fund created pursuant to Section 33257. 33265. (d) “Grassland Ecological Area” means the portion of the County of Merced containing described and mapped in the County of Merced’s 2030 General Plan that includes the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, Grassland Water District, Grassland Resource Conservation District, Los Banos Wildlife Area, Volta Wildlife Area, Great Valley Grasslands State Park, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, and Merced National Wildlife Refuge, designated on, and specifically set forth in, the map called “Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy,” dated ____ 2026, and placed on file with the Secretary of State. The map shall be publicly posted by the Natural Resources Agency on its internet website. Refuge. (e) (1) “Grassland Focus Area” means the area of land within the County of Merced surrounding the Grassland Ecological Area that is recognized as a buffer of agricultural and other working landscapes that are compatible with wetland habitats and functions, designated on, and specifically set forth in, the map called “Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy,” dated ____ 2026, and placed on file with the Secretary of State. The map shall be publicly posted by the Natural Resources Agency on its internet website. functions described and mapped in the County of Merced’s 2030 General Plan. The Grassland Focus Area additionally includes all of the following lands east of State Highway Route 99: (2) Beginning at the intersection of State Highway Route 99 and Le Grand Road, said point lying on the eastern boundary of the Grassland Focus Area, the Grassland Focus Area boundary extending easterly along Le Grand Road for 6 miles; thence southerly along Minturn Road for one mile; thence easterly along Wade Avenue for 3 miles; thence northerly along Clausen Road for 5 miles; thence easterly along East Childs Avenue for 1.6 miles to its intersection with the eastern boundary of the County of Merced; thence southerly exactly along the eastern boundary of the County of Merced to the southeastern corner of the County of Merced; thence westerly along the southern boundary of the County of Merced for 12.5 circuitous miles to the point being latitude 37 degrees 9 minutes 22.42 seconds north, longitude 120 degrees 15 minutes 30.45 seconds west; thence northwesterly on a bearing of north 30 degrees 30 minutes west for 0.75 miles to the point being latitude 37 degrees 9 minutes 55.93 seconds north, longitude 120 degrees 15 minutes 55.31 west; thence northerly for 0.37 miles to the intersection of Harvey Pettit Road; thence westerly along Harvey Pettit Road for 2.4 miles to the intersection of State Highway Route 99, where said boundary fully rejoins the alignment of the Grassland Focus Area. (f) “Nonprofit organization” means a private, nonprofit organization that qualifies for exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code, and whose charitable purposes are consistent with the purposes of the conservancy as set forth in this division. 33233. The Grassland Ecological Area Conservancy is hereby created as a state agency within the Natural Resources Agency to fulfill all of the following purposes, working in collaboration and cooperation with local governments and interested parties: (a) Protect, conserve, and restore the physical, cultural, archaeological, historical, and living resources of the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area, including migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway and other wildlife. (b) Provide increased opportunities for tourism and recreation. (c) Aid in the preservation of working landscapes. (d) Reduce the risk of natural disasters, such as wildfires. (e) Protect and improve water and air quality. (f) Assist the regional economy through the operation of the conservancy’s efforts. (g) Identify the highest priority projects and initiatives for which funding is needed. (h) Undertake efforts to enhance public and educational use and enjoyment of lands owned by the public. (i) Support efforts that advance both environmental preservation and the economic well-being of the region’s residents in a complementary manner. (j) Support efforts that advance climate resilience and equity. CHAPTER 3. Governing Board 33234. 33240. (a) The board shall consist of nine voting members and two nonvoting liaison advisers, appointed or designated as follows: (1) The nine voting members of the board shall consist of all of the following: (A) The Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, or their designee. (B) The Director of Fish and Wildlife, or their designee. (C) One public member, who is not an elected official, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. (D) One public member, who is not an elected official, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. (E) Five members to represent local and regional interests within or affecting the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area, as follows: (i) The General Manager of the Grassland Water District, or their designee. (ii) A supervisor of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Merced, appointed by that board, or their designee, and a resident of the County of Merced. (iii) One member appointed by the Governor who is a landowner in the Grassland Ecological Area and owns the land exclusively for the purpose of habitat protection. (iv) One member appointed by the Governor who is a landowner in the Grassland Ecological Focus Area and owns or operates an agricultural operation. (v) One member appointed by the Governor who is an employee of a nongovernmental organization that is an active member of the Central Valley Joint Venture. (2) The two nonvoting liaison advisers, who serve in an advisory, nonvoting capacity, shall consist of both of the following representatives of state or federal agencies with jurisdiction over, regulatory authority concerning, or funding and technical expertise relevant to, wildlife, habitat, wetlands, or water resources within the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area: (A) The Regional Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8, or their designee. (B) The Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Board, or their designee. (b) Appointing powers shall seek to include individuals from a breadth of backgrounds. (c) Two members of the Senate, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and two members of the Assembly, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, shall meet with the conservancy and participate in its activities to the extent that such participation is not incompatible with their respective positions as Members of the Legislature. One appointee from each house of the Legislature shall represent a district either partially or wholly within the Grassland Ecological Area and the Grassland Focus Area and one appointee from each hou [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]