(a) There shall be within the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy an Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Working Group. The Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, in consultation with the conservancy, and, to the extent that they wish to consult, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the City of Los Angeles, shall consider requests from local agency representatives to participate in the working group and may appoint no more than 23 representatives to the working group. A representative appointed to the working group may designate an alternate in his or her place. The working group may include, but need not be limited to, representatives from the conservancy, the County of Los Angeles, the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Fernando, and South Pasadena, elected officials of the cities riparian to the Pacoima Wash and Tujunga Wash, and nonprofit organizations serving the Upper Los Angeles River, San Fernando Valley, Pacoima Wash, Tujunga Wash, and Verdugo Wash.

(b) On or before June 30, 2020, the working group shall develop, through watershed-based planning methods and community engagement, a revitalization plan for the Upper Los Angeles River, the tributaries of the Pacoima Wash, Tujunga Wash, and Verdugo Wash, the Arroyo Seco, and any additional tributary waterway that the working group determines to be necessary. The revitalization plan shall address the unique and diverse needs of the Upper Los Angeles River, Pacoima Wash, Tujunga Wash, Verdugo Wash, and Arroyo Seco, and the communities through which they pass. The plan shall be consistent with and enhance, and may be incorporated into plans that include, but are not limited to, the County of Los Angeles’ Master Plan. The plan shall include watershed education programs that help the Upper Los Angeles River, Pacoima Wash, Tujunga Wash, Verdugo Wash, and Arroyo Seco communities recognize the value of the waterways and the importance of protecting the river’s watershed resources and its vitality to their communities. The revitalization plan shall require a master planning process that includes community engagement and a prioritization of disadvantaged communities, identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.

(c) The conservancy shall provide any necessary staffing to the working group to assist in the development of the plan.

(d) The development and implementation of the revitalization plan may be eligible for funding from any public or private source, including, but not limited to, funding available pursuant to Section 79735 of the Water Code. Entities that are eligible to implement the revitalization plan include, but are not limited to, state agencies, local agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and may be eligible for state funding. An entity receiving funding to implement the revitalization plan shall submit progress reports to the conservancy that include the status of funding.

(e) The working group shall submit the revitalization plan to the conservancy for approval. Upon adoption by the conservancy, the revitalization plan shall be considered an amendment to the Watershed and Open Space Plan for the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers. To the extent that the city or county wishes to consider the revitalization plan, the conservancy shall submit the plan for adoption to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for inclusion in the Master Plan of the County of Los Angeles and to the Los Angeles City Council for inclusion into the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan.

(f) No later than June 30, 2020, the conservancy shall submit a copy of the plan to the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 895, Sec. 1. (SB 1126) Effective September 28, 2018.)