California Government Code Section 53395.81

CA Govt Code § 53395.81 (2017)  

(a) This section shall apply only to a special waterfront district.

(b) A special waterfront district may be created as a waterfront district pursuant to, and shall be subject to, all applicable requirements of Sections 53395.3 and 53395.8, except as provided in this section.

(c) (1) The special waterfront district ERAF share produced in a Port America’s Cup district with a special waterfront district enhanced financing plan shall be used only to finance the following:

(A) Construction of the port’s maritime facilities at Pier 27.

(B) Planning and design work that is directly related to the port’s maritime facilities at Pier 27.

(C) Planning, design, and acquisition and construction of improvements to publicly owned waterfront lands held by trustee agencies, such as the National Park Service, the California State Parks, and departments of San Francisco, and used as public spectator viewing sites for America’s Cup-related events, including portions of the San Francisco Bay Trail under the jurisdiction of those trustee agencies. Any improvements authorized under this subparagraph shall not be required to be in the district.

(D) Future installations of shoreside power facilities on port maritime facilities.

(2) A special waterfront district enhanced financing plan for a Port America’s Cup district shall provide that the proceeds of special waterfront district ERAF-secured debt are restricted for use to finance directly, reimburse the port for its costs related to, or refinance other debt incurred in, the construction of the port’s maritime facilities at Pier 27, including public access and public open-space improvements, and for any other purposes for which the ERAF share can be used, subject to the set-aside requirements of paragraph (3).

(3) Twenty percent in the aggregate of the special waterfront district ERAF share allocated to a Port America’s Cup district under this section shall be set aside to finance costs of planning, design, acquisition, and construction of improvements to waterfront lands owned by federal, state, or local trustee agencies, such as the National Park Service or the California State Parks as provided in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1). Any improvements authorized under this paragraph are not required to be located in the district.

(4) The 20 percent set-aside requirements applicable to a special waterfront district set forth in paragraph (3) are in lieu of the set-aside requirement set forth in clause (ii) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (g) of Section 53395.8.

(5) All improvements authorized by this section in a Port America’s Cup district shall be deemed to be public facilities of communitywide significance, which provide significant benefits to an area larger than the area of the district.

(d) If any portion of the 20-percent set-aside funds described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) is allocated to a federal or state trustee agency, both of the following shall apply:

(1) The special waterfront district enhanced financing plan for the Port America’s Cup district shall specify the portion of the 20-percent set-aside funds described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) that is allocated to any federal or state trustee agency. However, the trustee agency’s proposed use of the 20-percent set-aside funds does not need to be described in the special waterfront district enhanced financing plan pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (g) of Section 53395.8.

(2) San Francisco shall direct the county tax collector to pay the 20-percent set-aside funds allocated to the federal or state trustee agency directly to such trustee agency.

(e) (1) Before adopting the resolution authorizing the first debt issuance by a Port America’s Cup district with a special waterfront district enhanced financing plan authorized by this section, the board of supervisors shall submit a fiscal analysis to the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank for review and approval.

(2) The bank may circulate the fiscal analysis to other state agencies, including, but not limited to, the Department of Finance, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Office of Planning and Research, and solicit their comments and recommendations. After considering the comments and recommendations of other state agencies, if any, the bank shall take one of the following actions:

(A) Approve the fiscal analysis if the bank makes the finding required pursuant to paragraph (4).

(B) Return the fiscal analysis to the board of supervisors with specific recommendations for changes that would allow the bank to approve the fiscal analysis.

(3) The bank shall have 90 days from the receipt of the fiscal analysis to act pursuant to this subdivision. If the bank does not act within 90 days, the fiscal analysis shall be deemed approved.

(4) For bank approval, the fiscal analysis shall demonstrate to the bank’s reasonable satisfaction a reasonable probability that the economic activity proposed to occur as a result of hosting the America’s Cup event in California would result in an amount of revenue to the General Fund with a net present value that is greater than the net present value of the amount of property tax increment revenues that would be diverted from ERAF over the term of the Port America’s Cup district, taking into consideration all pertinent data. In reviewing the board’s fiscal analysis, the bank shall consider only those General Fund revenues that would occur because of economic activity proposed to occur as a result of hosting the America’s Cup event in California. The bank shall not consider those General Fund revenues that would have occurred if the America’s Cup event were not held in California.

(5) The legislative body shall reimburse the bank for the reasonable cost of the review and approval of the fiscal analysis.

(f) The county tax collector shall allocate and pay to a special waterfront district the portion of taxes required to be allocated pursuant to an approved special waterfront district enhanced financing plan. If the plan allocates 100 percent of the incremental tax revenue of San Francisco that is available under applicable law to be allocated to the special waterfront district, then the special waterfront district shall not make a payment to ERAF, but if the plan allocates less than 100 percent of the incremental tax revenue of San Francisco that is available under applicable law to be allocated to a special waterfront district then the special waterfront district shall pay a proportionate share of incremental tax revenue into ERAF. The special waterfront district shall file a statement of indebtedness and a reconciliation statement annually in the same manner as described in subdivision (i) of Section 53395.8. It is the intent of this subdivision that any special waterfront district shall be deemed to be a district formed pursuant to subparagraph (D) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (g) of Section 53395.8 for purposes of allocation and payment of taxes by the county tax collector as set forth in subdivision (i) of Section 53395.8.

(g) This section implements and fulfills the intent of Article 2 (commencing with Section 53395.10) and of Article XIII B and is consistent with the conclusion of California courts that tax increment revenues are not “proceeds of taxes” for purposes of the latter. The allocation and payment to a special waterfront district of the special waterfront district ERAF share for the purpose of paying principal of, or interest on, loans, advances, or indebtedness incurred for facilities or the cost of acquisition and construction of facilities under this section shall not be deemed the receipt by the special waterfront district of proceeds of taxes levied by or on behalf of the special waterfront district within the meaning or for the purposes of Article XIII B of the California Constitution, nor shall this portion of taxes be deemed the receipt of proceeds of taxes by, or an appropriation subject to limitation of, any other public body within the meaning or for purposes of Article XIII B of the California Constitution or any statutory provision enacted in implementation of Article XIII B. The allocation and payment to a special waterfront district of this portion of taxes shall not be deemed the appropriation by a special waterfront district of proceeds of taxes levied by or on behalf of a district within the meaning or for purposes of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

(h) For purposes of this section, the meanings set forth in subdivision (c) of Section 53395.8 shall apply as appropriate, and the following terms have the following meanings, except as otherwise provided:

(1) “Port America’s Cup district” means a special waterfront district in the City and County of San Francisco that includes one or more of Seawall Lot 330, Pier 19, Pier 23, and Pier 29.

(2) “Special waterfront district” means a waterfront district in San Francisco that may comprise some or all of the America’s Cup venues or potential venues.

(3) “Special waterfront district enhanced financing plan” means an infrastructure financing plan for a special waterfront district that contains a provision substantially similar to that authorized for a Pier 70 district under subparagraph (D) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (g) of Section 55395.8, with only those changes deemed necessary by the legislative body of the special waterfront district to implement the financing of the improvements described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c).

(4) “Special waterfront district ERAF-secured debt” means debt incurred in accordance with a special waterfront district enhanced financing plan that is secured by and will be repaid from the special waterfront district ERAF share. For a Port America’s Cup district, special waterfront district ERAF-secured debt includes the portion of any debt that is payable from the special waterfront district ERAF share as long as the same percentage of debt proceeds will be used for the purposes authorized by paragraph (2) of subdivision (c).

(5) (A) “Special waterfront ERAF share” means the county ERAF portion of incremental tax revenue committed, as applicable, to a special waterfront district under a special waterfront district enhanced financing plan.

(B) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the maximum amount of the county ERAF portion of incremental tax revenues committed to a special waterfront district under this section shall not exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) in any fiscal year.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 785, Sec. 2. (AB 2259) Effective January 1, 2013.)

Last modified: October 25, 2018