Crystal M. Craig, Local Government Analyst I

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1 3.m. 5/26/2005 TO: FROM: Local Agency Formation Commission Crystal M. Craig, Local Government Analyst I SUBJECT: LAFCO All SPHERE OF INFLUENCE REVIEW AND POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS - RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS COACHELLA VALLEY RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT; EAST VALLEY RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT; ELSINORE/MURRIETA/ANZA RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT; INLAND EMPIRE WEST RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT; PALO VERDE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT; RIVERSIDE-CORONA RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT; SAN JACINTO BASIN RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT. PRIOR AGENDA/RELATED ACTIONS: None. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND GENERAL RECOMMENDATION: Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission is initiating sphere of influence (SOI) reviews for all cities and special districts in response to state mandates by the Cortese- Knox-Hertzberg (CKH) Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Government Code 56425). State law requires the Commission to review all city and district spheres of influence at least once every five years. This report addresses the Resource Conservation Districts (RCD), legal subdivisions of the State of California, authorized to develop programs to maintain the viability of the State s natural resources. There are seven RCDs in Riverside County. Existing State law (Government Code 56430), states that in order to prepare and update a Sphere of Influence (SOI), LAFCOs are required to first conduct a Municipal Service Review (MSR). This Commission has determined that the services provided by the RCDs are not municipal services related to growth and, therefore, not subject to MSR requirement.

2 LAFCO ALL Page 2 May 26, 2005 A Sphere of Influence is a plan for probably physical boundaries and service area of a local agency, as determined by the Commission. Spheres of Influences are used as a planning tool for agencies to conduct service and facility planning for areas it intends to serve in the future. In order to amend the SOI boundaries, formal approval from the LAFCO Commission is required. In some instances, the sphere of influence area may be coterminous to the district boundaries. ENABLING STATUTES & GENERAL FUNCTIONS: Conservation Districts emerged during the 1930s as a way to prevent the soil erosion problems of the Dust Bowl from recurring. This was due to improper farming techniques and drought, which posed a significant threat to the agriculture industry. Formed as independent local liaisons between the federal government and landowners, conservation districts have always worked closely with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service). A resource conservation district may be formed for the control of runoff, the prevention or control of soil erosion, the development and distribution of water, and the improvement of land capabilities. The Resource Conservation Districts are governed by Public Resources Code Sections 9000 through The governing body of a resource conservation district may be appointed or elected, and is composed of a five, seven, or nine member board of directors. The district may request, through adoption of a resolution, that the board of supervisors of the principal county appoint its directors. All RCDs in Riverside County have their governing board appointed by the Board of Supervisors. INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT ANALYSES: COACHELLA VALLEY RCD (CVRCD): GENERAL LOCATION: CVRCD geographic boundaries encompass 1.5 million acres/2,344 square miles of farm, urban, recreation and wildlife habitat lands in the Coachella Valley that include the Cities of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indio, Coachella, La Quinta and Cathedral City and surrounding regions. District boundaries include the eastern slopes of the San Jacinto mountains, much of Joshua Tree National Park and a corner

3 LAFCO ALL Page 3 May 26, 2005 of the Salton Sea. Over 70,000 acres of irrigated agricultural land, 110 golf courses and all of the urban areas of the Coachella Valley are located within the District. The District office is located at Bliss Avenue, Indio, CA HISTORY: CVRCD was formed December 10, 1956, under Division 9 of the State of California s Public Resources Code. DISCUSSION: CVRCD assists the Coachella Valley agricultural community in the effective conservation of their natural resources. CVRCD cooperates with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) Research Service. These agencies have initiated a number of sustainable agriculture field trials, research and farm assistance to promote sustainable agricultural practices within the Coachella Valley. The District also offer a number of conservation outreach programs. A few of the accomplishments over the last five years include 200 farming irrigation evaluations, 50 education meetings and 100 salinity mapping on private lands. Grants have been received from Coachella Valley Water District, Desert Water Agency and Bureau of Reclamation in providing funds for Irrigation and Salinity Tests. The District staffs two full-time and one part-time employee and receives approximately $50,000 in property taxes annually. Because the RCD is surrounded by and shares boundaries with other functioning RCDs and there are no community identity issues, there is no reason to amend for sphere of influence. RECOMMENDATION: The current sphere of influence has been reviewed and is adequate at this time. EAST VALLEY RCD (EVRCD)/INLAND EMPIRE WEST RCD (IEWRCD): The two districts appear together in this section because San Bernardino LAFCO approved the consolidation of the Inland Empire West Resource Conservation District and the East Valley Resource Conservation District to the successor agency, the new Inland Empire Resource Conservation District on February 7, The effective date will be on July 1, 2005.

4 LAFCO ALL Page 4 May 26, 2005 San Bernardino LAFCO recommended reducing the sphere of influence for the Inland Empire West RCD to zero, while expanding the sphere of influence of the EVRCD to include the territory within the IEWRCD, the community of Alta Loma and the unsphered territory between the existing boundaries of the EVRCD and the IEWRCD. Both Board of Directors unanimously adopted resolutions requesting the consolidation of the two Districts. GENERAL LOCATION FOR EAST VALLEY RCD: The District encompasses a total of 708 square miles acres of public and private land and serves the cities and communities of Banning, Beaumont, Cabazon, Calimesa, Cherry Valley, and Yucaipa. The District covers 309,880 acres in San Bernardino County and 143,510 acres are within Riverside County. Of the 453,390 acres in the District, there are 48,307 acres of urban and rural/urban lands in the District. The District office is located at K Business Center Drive, Redlands, CA GENERAL LOCATION FOR INLAND EMPIRE WEST RCD: IEWRCD is comprised of 578 square miles that consists of the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Upland, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Rialto and parts of Colton and San Bernardino as well as unincorporated areas in San Bernardino County and portions of Northern Riverside County that include Mira Loma, Glen Avon and Jurupa areas within these boundaries. The District is bounded on the north by the Mojave Desert RCD along the ridgeline of the San Bernardino Mountains. Its easterly boundary is joined by the East Valley RCD. The far westerly boundary is the Los Angeles/San Bernardino county line. Inland Empire West RCD is bounded on the south by the Santa Ana River. Upon consolidation, the service area will be approximately 1,286 miles. HISTORY: On March 9, 1943 Yucaipa Valley & Oak Glen voted for the formation of Yucaipa Valley Soil Conservation District followed by the formation of the San Gorgonio Soil Conservation District on April 17, Later, Redlands- Highland Soil Conservation District formed on December 6, All three of these districts operated independently for 20 years. On April 20, 1970 a consolidation occurred forming the Redlands-Highland-Yucaipa Soil District. Due to

5 LAFCO ALL Page 5 May 26, 2005 passage of legislation in 1972, Soil Conservation District was renamed to Resource Conservation District. Nine years later East Valley RCD was formed May 10, 1982, through a consolidation of Redlands-Highland-Yucaipa RCD and San Gorgonio RCD. Inland Empire West RCD first began through the consolidation of three former Soil Conservation District s (SCD) called Mira Loma SCD, Mountain View SCD and the West SCD in 1970 and was called West End RCD. The District was developed to help wine and citrus growers control erosion and improve their irrigation. On February 7, 2005 East Valley RCD consolidated with Inland Empire West RCD and is now the Inland Empire RCD. GOVERNING BOARD: The initial Board of Directors of new newly consolidated District shall consist of the existing four members of the current Board of Directors of the EVRCD and the existing three members of the current Board of Directors of the IEWRCD. One member of the appointed Board of Directors shall reside within and/or represent Riverside County. DISCUSSION: East Valley Resource Conservation District is working to conserve land, water, forest, wildlife, and biodiversity for the benefit of the residents within District boundaries. The RCD strives to accomplish this through a number of programs and projects that include the San Timoteo Canyon Wetlands Project, Conservation Easements Project, an Environmental Education Center, Releaf Program, Invasive Weed Abatement Program, and an Education Department that administers seven different programs targeted toward elementary and middle school students along with the Big Bear Lake Restoration Project. The Inland Empire West RCD provides technical assistance on soil, air, water, plant and diary issues in cooperation with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The District has a number of programs and projects that they conduct for the benefit of the residents. They include a Nature Discovery Program that comprise of a number of educational programs, the Invasive Weed Abatement Program, the Chino Basin Green program, the Revision of the Chino Basin Landscape Manual, Native Plant Garden Project, Representative Backyard Landscape Garden Project, Highway 138 Mitigation Project, Burrowing Owl Preserve Program,

6 LAFCO ALL Page 6 May 26, 2005 Home Landscape Course Program, Environmental Expositions, Arbor and Earth Day festivities and the Guide to the Inland Empire s Wildlife and Wild Areas publication. The Boards of Directors for both the IEW and EV RCDs adopted resolutions requesting the consolidation of the two districts The objective was to form one RCD, the IEWRCD, to more efficiently provide conservation and resource education services to the residents of the Inland Empire and provide the IEWRCD with greater financial strength, economies of scale and cost saving opportunities. According to San Bernardino LAFCO staff report, the primary funding mechanism for both the EVRCD and the IEWRCD is a share of the 1% general ad valorum levy, grants and the provision of contract services. All employees of both the Inland Empire West and East Valley RCDs shall become employees of the consolidated District. RECOMMENDATION: The current sphere of influence has been reviewed and is adequate at this time. ELSINORE-MURRIETA-ANZA RCD (EMARCD): GENERAL LOCATION: The District is comprised of 785 square miles and serves the cities of Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Temecula and Anza areas. The District boundary line falls down to the San Diego County Line. The District is located at Camino Alba, Murrieta, CA HISTORY: EMARCD was formed August 3, 1949, under Division 9 of the State of California s Public Resources Code. DISCUSSION: Elsinore-Murrieta-Anza (EMARCD) RCD conserves the renewable natural resources, including soils, water, air, and wildlife. To implement that goal the District carries out research, public education, and advisory activities to many public and private agencies and to individuals. The District receives technical assistance from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS-USDA) and works with governing and regulatory agencies such as the Santa Margarita Watershed Planning group and with the Mission RCD and Camp Pendleton in addition to working with the Anza Valley Municipal Advisory Council working on environmental and human impacts of off-road vehicles, in connection to the County s proposed Off-Road Vehicle Ordinance.

7 LAFCO ALL Page 7 May 26, 2005 These activities consume on average 60 hours a week, provided mostly by Board Members and volunteers. EMARCD has no paid employees or contractors at this time, but as funding permitted have had as many as five contractors in the past as they receive assistance from NRCS-USDA. Since the Board of Directors never established a tax base prior to Proposition 13 and due to cutting all augmentations funds to the specials districts in 1993, EMARCD does not levy any special taxes or assessments and is fully dependent on donations and grants. The biggest challenge the District foresees in the next five years is a continuation of the one they have had over the last ten years, which is the impacts on natural and human resources of Southwestern Riverside County s explosive growth. Elsinore-Murrieta-Anza stated that the district had discussed potential consolidation with San Jacinto RCD many years ago but felt the needs of the two districts were sufficiently different to make a merge impractical. The District has utilized Memorandums of Understanding (MOU s) between the two districts and with other agencies such as the San Diego Quality Control Board. Given that there has been previous discussion on the topic, there might be some potential for consolidation with Riverside-Corona and San Jacinto Basin RCDs that should be considered. A potential disadvantage with this is that no significant additional revenue would flow into a consolidated district with enlarging the boundaries. Due to the unlikelihood of significant public benefit, this should not be considered a high priority. However, LAFCO staff can look into this in the future and report back in six months. RECOMMENDATION: Direct staff to report back in six months on the potential for consolidation. PALO VERDE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT (PVRCD): GENERAL LOCATION: The Palo Verde Resource Conservation District contains approximately 1,628,000 acres in eastern Riverside County and approximately 340,000 acres in Imperial County. City of Blythe is located within this RCD. District can be contacted at PO Box 610, Blythe, CA

8 LAFCO ALL Page 8 May 26, 2005 HISTORY: PVRCD was formed June 12, 1956, under Division 9 of the State of California s Public Resources Code. DISCUSSION: Palo Verde RCD is composed of an appointed board representing rural landowners in the district and represents local interests in discussions with agencies concerned with environmental regulation and natural resource management. PVRCD engages in cooperative programs with the USDA, NRCD and the State of California Department of Conservation. The PVRCD is a co-sponsor with County of Riverside of the McCoy Wash Flood Control Project, which has overseen planning and development of the McCoy Wash Flood Control Project. The District is also a founding member and sponsor of the Southern Low Desert Resource Conservation and Development Council and has sponsored informational programs for the public in the areas of soil and water management. The PVRCD does not have staff and is governed by the appointed Board of Directors. The McCoy Wash Flood Control Project has one part-time staff person. The challenge that the District foresees in the next five years is completing the planning state and beginning construction of the McCoy Wash Flood Control Project. The District does not have any tax authority however the McCoy Wash Flood Control District levies a small tax on properties located within the flood control district. Because the RCD is surrounded by and shares boundaries with other functioning RCDs, there is no opportunity amending for sphere of influence and there is no reason to realign the spheres RECOMMENDATION: The current sphere of influence has been reviewed and is adequate at this time. RIVERSIDE-CORONA RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT (RCRCD): LOCATION: The District encompasses 312 square miles of land. Some 85,000 acres of these are urban. The RCD includes the western portion Riverside County, the cities and communities of Riverside, Corona, Norco, Woodcrest, Orangecrest, Gavilan Hills, Temescal Canyon and Canyon Lake. The District also covers a small area in San Bernardino County of Grand Terrace, Cooley Ranch and Reche Canyon areas of Colton. The Santa Ana River borders the

9 LAFCO ALL Page 9 May 26, 2005 District in both counties. Principal tracts of public lands include a portion of the Cleveland National Forest, at nearly 25,000 acres; Lake Mathews and Prado Flood Control Basin, covering about 7,500 acres; and Riverside County Parks and Recreation Department holdings in excess of 6,000 acres. Elevations range from 400 feet in the Santa Ana River Canyon to 5,000 in the Santa Ana Mountains. The District is located at 4500 Glenwood Drive, Riverside, CA HISTORY: In 1953, 126 local farmers owning 6,700 acres sent a petition to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, which requested formation of a "Soil Conservation District". In 1953, an election was held and five landowners were elected as the first directors. RCRCD was formed June 8, 1953, under Division 9 of the State of California s Public Resources Code. DISCUSSION: The Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District facilitates natural resource conservation through education, collaboration, and technical assistance. The RCRCD is a small, government agency striving to conserve the natural resources of portions of western Riverside and San Bernardino Counties in Southern California. The RCD promotes sustainability and natural resource stewardship and is responsible for advising land users and others about natural resources and their conservation. Projects of the Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District include habitat restoration projects including invasive species removal, irrigation water management evaluations, education programs concerning storm water, trees, soil, etc., retrofit of the Resource Conservation Center to serve as a demonstration facility and to facilitate sustainability efforts, development of the LandUse Learning Center, a 3 ½ acre demonstration garden with museum and indoor exhibits, and an onsite native plant nursery, part of a Plant Material Center. The RCRCD has provided a number of valuable services in the last five years such as arundo removal, spraying and monitoring within its boundaries; working with local developers on habitat enhancement or creation as a result of their developments.

10 LAFCO ALL Page 10 May 26, 2005 The District does not share or contract for staff services with other agencies. There are four full-time employees, three part-time employees and two interns. The challenges RCRCD faces within the next five years include providing the amount of services to residents out of their district boundaries; increases in workload and decreased property tax funding and meeting the needs of their residents. There have been requests from individuals from outside of the RCRCDs service boundaries, particularly in western Riverside County to provide assistance to them. RCRCD states there has been no formal discussion between the other RCDs (Elsinore-Murrieta-Anza and San Jacinto Basin) regarding consolidation. The RCRCD is providing services that the other RCDs do not offer or have the technical staff to do so. (See Consolidation discussion under EMARCD) RECOMMENDATION: Direct staff to report back in six months on the potential for consolidation. SAN JACINTO BASIN RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT: LOCATION: The district boundary encompasses a service area of 748 square miles. The adopted sphere of influence includes falls within cities in Western Riverside County including the communities of Hemet, San Jacinto, Moreno Valley, Perris, Sun City and a number of unincorporated communities including Menifee, Nuevo, Winchester, Idyllwild, Sage, Homeland and Romoland. The District is located at 950 N. Ramona Blvd.,#6, San Jacinto, CA HISTORY: San Jacinto Basin RCD was formed June 21, 1949, under Division 9 of the State of California s Public Resources Code. DISCUSSION: San Jacinto Basin RCD promotes Soil and Water Conservation within the District boundaries. Some of the projects include: Irrigation Water Management on Citrus, Avocado, Vineyards and Landscape Irrigation Audits. A few highlights from the District s accomplishments have been a project in conjunction with the Santa Ana Watershed Association of RCDs to remove invasive plants species from the San Jacinto River Watershed. Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) & Rancho California Water District (RCWD)

11 LAFCO ALL Page 11 May 26, 2005 provided funding to perform Landscape Irrigation Audits on commercial landscapes on parcels that exceed the water districts allowable rate and installing Evapotranspiration controllers on sides that have corrected their on-site problems. Evapotranspiration controllers measure water loss from plants and soil). The district has a PRISM (Precision Irrigation Scheduling Method) program in the vineyards in Temecula, which is a computerized irrigation scheduling system that uses resonant frequency technology to measure soil moisture and is read weekly. The District has a cooperative agreement with Elsinore- Murrieta-Anza RCD to perform Irrigation Water Management programs in their District and also have funding agreements with EMWD and RCWD. San Jacinto Basin RCD is providing these services without any compensation from Elsinore- Murrieta-Anza RCD. San Jacinto Basin RCD does not share or contract for staff service with another agency. Presently, there are two fulltime and three part-time employees. The District does not levy any taxes or assessments. The challenge the District foresees is being able to secure sufficient funding to perform the programs at or above today s level. The District did not mention any consideration of a possible consolidation although LAFCO staff has felt that there is a chance to consolidate with Elsinore-Murrieta-Anza or Riverside-Corona RCDs. There might be a possibility to consolidate all three districts. (See discussion of consolidation under EMARCD. Respectfully submitted, Crystal M. Craig Local Government Analyst I