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agencies enjoy limited liability protection due to injuries at city owned skateparks. It would also extend the sunset date for this protection by four years. Although some skateboarders remain opposed to the bill - claiming excessive enforcement and fining by local agencies and preferring no bill to SB 1179 - the bill has moved along now with no formal opposition. The League thanks Sen. Morrow for his willingness to move ahead with SB 1179. Cities with skateparks or planning to build skateparks should send letters of support to the author and their assembly members. Staff: Yvonne Hunter; Status: Pending on AsmFlr; Position: Support. ENVIRONMENTAL SB 1733 (Aanestad). Water Quality. Mandatory Minimum Penalties. Small Cities. SB 1733 represents a small but important step in the right direction for small cities struggling to meet new water quality standards. Introduced as a much broader bill, it has been signifICantly narrowed, including amendments taken by the author this week in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. As amended. SB 1733 would tweak existing law that determines which small waste water agencies are eligible to direct penalty money that they pay when fined by a regional water board under the existing mandatory minimum penalty structure to a local compliance project. Currently, only waste water agencies that serve a city or unincorporated community with a population of 10,000 or less. or a rural county are able to use the penalty money towards compliance of a waste water upgrade, if they have a financial hardship. Unfortunately, the existing definition of "financial hardship' is too narrow and unintentionally excludes waste water agencies that should be eligible. SB 1733 would provide a regional water board with additional flexibility and criteria to consider when determining financial hardship and whether to permit the agency to put the penalty money towards a compliance project, instead of directing it to the State's Cleanup and Abatement Account. The League thanks Sen, Aanestad for his persistence in getting SB 1733 through, and Assemblymember Ira Ruskin, chair, Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee, for his willingness to help address this difficult problem so that the bill would pass his committee. Staff: Yvonne Hunter; Status: Pending in AsmAppr; Position: Support. AB 2951 (Goldberg). Capital Facility Fees. AB 2951 would clarify existing law regarding whether or not a public agency may charge another public agency "capital facility fees' for utility seNices, such as sewer, water and electricity. The bìIJ passed the Senate Local Government Committee this week and moves next to the Senate Floor. Without enactment of AB 2951, a public agency (Le., a city or special district) that provides utility services to another public agency (Le., a school) would have to shift the costs of the revenue generated by the capital facility fees it can longer charge the other public agency to business and residential customers. A fact sheet on AB 2951 is available on the League's websjte. This bill is very important to those cities that provide utility services. Such cities are encouraged to be sure they have sent letters of support to the author and their senators and assembly members. This is the third time Assemblymernber Goldberg has taken on this diffICult issue - her two previous bills on the topic were vetoed. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm. Staff: Yvonne Hunter; Status: Pending on SenFlr; Position: Support. Want to Send a Letter in Support of a League Position? Here's Who to call: ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS- (18)-Chu (Chair), Runner (Vice Chair), Bass. Berg, Calderon, De La Torre, Emmerson, Haynes, Karnette, Klehs, Leno, Nakanishi, Nation, Oropeza, Ridley-Thomas, Saldana, Walters, and Yee. Chief Consultant: Geoff Long. Principal Consultants: 11 9A Page 19