Conservation: the Monterey Bay Area Stewardship Authority.

The working lands public board member (Section 66715(a)(7)(A)(ii)) now requires experience in 'voluntary and community-based forestry management, timber harvesting, agricultural production or grazing, or both' rather than just 'farming and ranching.' This broadens the scope of qualifying expertise to include the forestry sector.

Assembly Member Addis is added as a coauthor of the bill.

Numerous duplicated-word typos were corrected throughout the bill, including 'long term long-term' to 'long-term,' 'tribal-led tribal-led' to 'tribal-led,' 'community based community-based' to 'community-based,' and 'present day present-day' to 'present-day.'

The appointment language for the three public board members was restructured from being embedded within each member's description to appearing as a standalone sentence at the end of each paragraph, improving clarity without changing who appoints whom.

New finding (o) added to Section 66711 stating the Legislature's intent that the Authority's activities complement and not conflict with local housing elements adopted under Article 10.6 of Chapter 3 of Division 1 of Title 7, supporting a balanced approach between sustaining working/natural lands and meeting state and local housing obligations.

Bill subject line changed from 'relating to the Monterey Bay Area Stewardship Authority' to 'relating to conservation,' reclassifying the bill under a broader conservation category.

Added requirement in Section 66715(a)(7)(B) that the board shall seek to ensure reasonable geographic balance across the three counties when appointing public members to the advisory committee.

Fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes' and state-mandated local program designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' acknowledging the bill imposes costs on local agencies requiring fiscal review and potential state reimbursement.

Multiple technical corrections: 'long term' hyphenated to 'long-term' throughout, 'tribally-led' corrected to 'tribal-led', 'community based' hyphenated to 'community-based', '400,000 thousand metric tons' clarified to '400,000 four hundred thousand (400,000) metric tons', and 'Tahoe Regional Planning Agency' corrected to 'California Tahoe Regional Planning Agency'.

The bill now actually establishes the Monterey Bay Area Stewardship Authority as a regional entity with jurisdiction over the Counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz, rather than merely stating intent to do so in future legislation.

The legislative counsel digest now indicates a state-mandated local program (changed from 'no' to 'yes') because the bill imposes additional duties on local governmental agencies relating to membership of the authority's governing board. The fiscal committee designation also changed from 'no' to 'yes.'

Creates a nine-member governing board consisting of one supervisor from each county (3), one elected city official from each county (3), and three public members with specific expertise areas: tribal/underserved community experience, working lands/farming experience, and biodiversity/habitat protection. Initial appointments due by April 1, 2027.

Establishes a grant program allowing the authority to award grants to local governments, tribal entities, nonprofits, and private entities for eligible projects including restoration of natural/working/open space lands, nature-based practices for greenhouse gas reduction, collaborative conservation partnerships, and long-term stewardship. Priority is given to projects benefiting climate resilience, biodiversity, equitable outdoor access, ancestral land return, and rural/agricultural/tribal/underserved communities.

Requires the board to convene an advisory committee of up to 12 members within six months of its first meeting, with representation from California Native American tribes, state and federal agencies, special districts, community-based organizations, and the public. The board must provide per diem expenses for advisory members who lack adequate resources.

Mandates that the authority's policies, funding programs, and decisionmaking processes advance fair treatment and meaningful involvement of rural, agricultural, tribal, underserved, and disadvantaged communities consistent with the environmental justice definition in Public Resources Code Section 30107.3.

Authorizes the authority to levy benefit assessments, special taxes, or property-related fees; apply for and receive federal and state grants; accept gifts and private funding; issue revenue bonds; incur general obligation bonded indebtedness (dollar cap left blank); and enter joint powers agreements.

Defines key terms including 'Monterey Bay region' (Counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz), 'natural lands' and 'working lands' (cross-referencing Public Resources Code Section 9001.5), 'local government,' 'authority,' 'board,' and 'public member.'

Sets specific deadlines: initial board appointments by April 1, 2027; advisory committee to be convened within six months of the board's first meeting; vacancies to be filled within 90 days; board terms of three years with staggered initial terms (two years for city representatives from San Benito and Santa Cruz).

Provides that the authority is subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act for open meetings, the Political Reform Act for board members, the California Public Records Act for records, and requires annual financial reports available to the public with audits of accounts.