California Senate Bill SB725 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 725INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Anderson FEBRUARY 22, 2013 An act to amend Sections 1260, 1261, 1262, 1264, and 1266 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 725, as introduced, Anderson. Veterans buildings and memorials: county and city property: veterans service organizations: retrofit and remodel. Under existing law, a county may not revoke the dedication of specified facilities to a veterans' association, so long as the veterans' association has not violated the terms and conditions of the dedication, unless it dedicates substitute facilities or unless the veterans' organization has either consented to the proposed county action or has abandoned its use of the facilities. This bill would extend this law to cities and a city and county. This bill would also provide that a property is not considered abandoned if the veterans service organization is required to move from the property in order for the property to undergo seismic retrofitting or remodeling, and that the veterans service organization is to be allowed to return to its previous space in the property upon completion of any retrofit or remodeling. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to change references to veterans' association to veterans service organization. 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. Section 1260 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read: 1260. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates: (a) "Political subdivision" means any city, county, district, or other local governmental agency. (b) "Governing body" means the board of supervisors in the case of a county, or the city council or board of trustees or other governing board in the case of a city, district, or other local governmental agency. (c)  "Veterans' association"   "Veterans service organization"  means any association or organization which is composed solely of persons who served honorably in time of war or in time of peace in a campaign or expedition for service in which a medal has been authorized by the government of the United States, as members of the  armed forces   Armed Forces  of the United States, or who as citizens of the United States served honorably in time of war as members of the armed forces of any nation whose government was allied with the United States during that war, and which is organized for patriotic, fraternal, and benevolent objects. SEC. 2. Section 1261 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read: 1261. Any political subdivision may lease any lot or building or part thereof belonging to it and not required for public use, for not exceeding  twenty   20  years, or may acquire and lease or sublease any lot or building or part thereof for not exceeding  twenty   20  years, to a  veterans' association   veterans service organization  organized in such political subdivision, to be used for the purposes of such  veterans' association     veterans service organization  . The rental shall be fixed by the governing body of the political subdivisions, and may be nominal in amount. SEC. 3. Section 1262 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read: 1262. Any county may provide, maintain  ,  or provide and maintain buildings, memorial halls, meeting places, memorial parks, or recreation centers for the use or benefit of one or more  veterans' associations   veterans service organizations  . For these purposes the board of supervisors of any county may: (a) Purchase, receive by donation, condemn, lease, or acquire real or personal property necessary for such buildings, memorial parks, or recreation centers, and improve, preserve, manage, and control the same. (b) Purchase, construct, lease, furnish, or repair such buildings, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof. (c) Clear, grade, plant, irrigate, fence, and improve such memorial parks, or recreation centers, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof. (d) Furnish sites for such buildings to be built by or for such organizations, and furnish sites for the erection thereon of such buildings, the funds for which are supplied by county authorities or from other sources. Any part or portion of any public lot, block, or park may be used for such purpose. (e) Levy a special tax pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 50075) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code, and spend the proceeds for the purposes of this chapter. (f) Establish a fund for the purposes hereof, and transfer from the General Fund to such fund such moneys as the board deems necessary. (g) Incur, in the manner provided by law, a bonded indebtedness on behalf of the county for any of the purposes hereof. (h) Join with any incorporated city in the county in the accomplishment of the above purposes and to that end hold jointly with such city all property acquired, and expended money in conjunction with such city in accomplishing the above purposes. Title to any property jointly so acquired by a county and a city may at any time be conveyed by either of the joint owners to the other without consideration other than to carry out the purposes of this section. (i) Join with memorial districts in the purchase, acquisition, or construction of memorial halls, assembly halls, buildings or meeting places, or in the accomplishment of any other purpose for which a memorial district has been organized, using the funds authorized to be raised by this section. Title to any property so purchased, acquired, or constructed may be taken in the name of the memorial district, or jointly with the county, or the county may convey any property so acquired, purchased, or constructed to the memorial district without consideration to the county. The board of supervisors may transfer to a memorial district funds raised pursuant to this section to be expended by the district in furtherance of the purposes of the district under terms and conditions consistent with the purposes for which the funds were raised. SEC. 4. Section 1264 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read: 1264. The governing body maintaining any facilities constructed or maintained pursuant to this chapter may provide for the use of such facilities by persons or organizations other than veterans, either free of charge or for stated compensation to aid in defraying the cost of maintenance, for any purpose not inconsistent with the continued use pursuant to this chapter, when such use will not unduly interfere with the reasonable use of the facilities by  veterans' associations   veterans service organizations  . SEC. 5. Section 1266 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read: 1266.  (a)    Whenever a  county   city, county, or city and county  has provided, maintained, or provided and maintained any building, memorial hall, meeting place, memorial park, or recreation center for the use or benefit of one or more  veterans' associations   veterans service organizations  , pursuant to Section 1262, the provision of that facility and its acceptance by the  veterans' association   veterans service organizations  constitutes a dedication of that property to a public purpose, and the  county   city, county, or city and county  may not revoke the dedication, so long as the  veterans' association has   veterans service organizations have  not violated the terms and conditions of the dedication, unless it dedicates substitute facilities or unless the  veterans' organization has   veterans service organizations have  either consented to the proposed  county   city, county, or city and county  action or  has   have abandoned  its  use of the facilities.  (b) For purposes of subdivision (a), a property shall not be considered abandoned if the veterans service organization is required to move from the property in order for the property to undergo seismic retrofitting or remodeling. Upon completion of any retrofit or remodeling, the veterans service organization shall be allowed to return to its previous space in the property.