Text of CA AB 266 (2012)

BILL NUMBER: AB 266 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Ammiano FEBRUARY 7, 2011 An act relating to state government. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 266, as introduced, Ammiano. State government: sports authority. Existing law exempts from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act and specified local planning requirements the development, planning, design, site acquisition, subdivision, financing, leasing, construction, operation, or maintenance of a specified stadium complex and associated development, and infrastructure improvements associated with that stadium complex and associated development. This bill would set forth the findings and declarations of the Legislature with respect to obtaining and retaining professional sports teams within the state, and state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that will create a Statewide Sports Authority for the purposes of eliminating intrastate conflicts in the procurement of sports teams, coordinating efforts to procure and retain professional sports teams within the state, and helping to finance sports arenas within the state. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) California is home to five Major League Baseball teams, three National Football League teams, and numerous other professional sports teams, including soccer and hockey teams. (2) The hosting of professional sports teams and large-scale sports events brings in millions of dollars to local economies each year, and California is in competition with the rest of the nation to secure and keep professional sports teams, many of which have become part of the state's identity. (3) Currently, California has several local sports authorities, which sometimes work in competition with each other, and this creates the possibility of the state losing out to other states for sports arenas and team locations. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that will create a Statewide Sports Authority for the purposes of eliminating intrastate conflicts in the procurement of sports teams, coordinating efforts to procure and retain professional sports teams within the state, and helping to finance sports arenas within the state.