SACRAMENTO: Property transfer legislation authored by Senator Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) has been signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger, and will allow the cities of Chico and Redding to begin negotiations with state agencies over important state properties.
SB 178 will allow the State Department of General Services (DGS) to move forward with a land and property swap involving the City of Redding and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) – while SB 256 will allow a similar land and property exchange between the City of Chico and the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
“I’m pleased that this Governor chose to sign both property exchange bills that represent carefully negotiated agreements designed to benefit the cities and state agencies involved,” said Senator Aanestad. “These agreements represent property exchanges of equal value and will also result in a substantial cost saving for north state constituents.”
SB 178 will allow the California Department of General Services (DGS) to sell, lease or exchange approximately three acres of state-owned property at 875 Cypress Avenue in Redding that is currently used by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) as its Shasta-Trinity Unit Headquarters.
Senator Aanestad agreed to author SB 178 at the request of the City of Redding, which is looking for a new location for its police headquarters. A recent review found that the Cypress Avenue site is the most suitable location because it is close to Redding City Hall and offers good response times for emergency situations.
SB 256, meanwhile, is a similar bill involving the City of Chico and the CHP. The measure would authorize the Department of General Services to sell at fair market value a Fir Street building that is currently used by the California Highway Patrol. The building, which is surrounded by property owned by the City of Chico, no longer fits the CHP’s needs. The City of Chico would use the property as a new location for police headquarters.
The Redding and Chico property exchange agreements are part of an ongoing program that DGS adopted nearly two decades ago to save taxpayer money and make government more accessible to citizens by rearranging state offices in major urban centers. The plan also calls for consolidation of office space where the State of California can locate several agencies instead of just one. These consolidation projects have already been carried out in major metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento.
“The goal of these exchanges is to make government more efficient and accountable to state taxpayers,” said Senator Aanestad. “If we can find a way to save money during this economic downturn, we should do it.”
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