Added by Stats. 1941, Ch. 548.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the general provisions and definitions set forth in this chapter shall govern the construction of this division.
Chapter 1 - General Provisions
California Public Resources Code — §§ 6001-6010
Sections (11)
Added by Stats. 1941, Ch. 548.
“Commission” means the State Lands Commission.
Added by Stats. 1941, Ch. 548.
“City” includes “city and county.”
Added by Stats. 1941, Ch. 548.
“Oil and gas” includes oil, gas and all other hydrocarbon substances.
Added by Stats. 1941, Ch. 548.
Whenever permissive authority or discretion is vested in any public officer or body under this division, such authority or discretion is subject to the condition that it be exercised in the best interests of the State.
Added by Stats. 1941, Ch. 548.
The repeal of Chapter 303 of the Statutes of 1921 and of Chapter 227 of the Statutes of 1923 effected by the State Lands Act of 1938 shall not affect any existing rights thereunder or any permit, lease, or agreement entered into under any provision of either chapter, nor shall it affect the rights or duties of any purchaser of State lands prior to June 11, 1938, the effective date of the State Lands Act of 1938.
Added by Stats. 1941, Ch. 548.
The repeal by this code of any provision of law codified herein shall not affect any existing vested rights thereunder or any contract, permit, lease, or agreement entered into under any such provision of law, nor shall it affect the rights or duties of any purchaser of State lands sold prior to the effective date of such codification.
Amended by Stats. 1987, Ch. 1132, Sec. 2. Effective September 25, 1987.
In order to protect the public’s access to, and use of, all state-owned lands in Humboldt Bay, no right to the use of any state lands, including, but not limited to, tide and submerged lands, in and adjacent to Humboldt Bay south of the entrance to the bay shall be sold.
This section shall not be applicable to settlements of title or boundary problems by the commission or to exchanges in connection therewith.
Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 330, Sec. 3. (SB 1350) Effective January 1, 2011.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)Upon admission to the United States, and as incident of its sovereignty, California received title to the tidelands, submerged lands, and beds of navigable lakes and rivers within its borders, to be held subject to the public trust for statewide public purposes, including commerce, navigation, fisheries, and other recognized uses, and for preservation in their natural state.
(b)The state’s power and right to control, regulate, and utilize its tidelands and submerged lands when acting within the terms of the public trust is absolute.
(c)Tidelands and submerged lands granted by the Legislature to local entities remain subject to the public trust, and remain subject to the oversight authority of the state by and through the State Lands Commission.
(d)Grantees are required to manage the state’s tidelands and submerged lands consistent with the terms and obligations of their grants and the public trust, without subjugation of statewide interests, concerns, or benefits to the inclination of local or municipal affairs, initiatives, or excises.
(e)The purposes and uses of tidelands and submerged lands is a statewide concern.
Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 368, Sec. 11. (SB 859) Effective September 14, 2016.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)Granted public trust lands remain subject to the supervision of the state and the state retains its duty to protect the public interest in granted public trust lands.
(b)The state acts both as the trustor and the representative of the beneficiaries, who are all of the people of this state, with regard to public trust lands, and a grantee of public trust lands, including tidelands and submerged lands, acts as a trustee, with the granted tidelands and submerged lands as the corpus of the trust.
(c)A grantee may fulfill its fiduciary duties as trustee by
determining the application of each of the following duties, all of which are applicable under common trust principles:
(1)The duty of loyalty.
(2)The duty of care.
(3)The duty of full disclosure.
(4)The duty to keep clear and adequate records and accounts.
(5)The duty to administer the trust solely in the interest of the beneficiaries.
(6)The duty to act impartially in managing the trust property.
(7)The duty to not use or deal with trust property for the trustee’s own profit or for any other purpose unconnected with the trust, and to not take part in a
transaction in which the trustee has an interest adverse to the beneficiaries.
(8)The duty to take reasonable steps under the circumstances to take and keep control of and to preserve the trust property.
(9)The duty to make the trust property productive under the circumstances and in furtherance of the purposes of the trust.
(10)The duty to keep the trust property separate from other property not subject to the trust and to see that the trust property is designated as property of the trust.
(11)The duty to take reasonable steps to enforce claims that are part of the trust property.
(12)The duty to take reasonable steps to defend actions that may result in a loss to the trust.
(13)The duty to not delegate to others the performance of acts that the trustee can reasonably be required to perform and to not transfer the administration of the trust to a cotrustee. If a trustee has properly delegated a matter to an agent, the trustee has a duty to exercise direct supervision over the performance of the delegated matter.
(d)All duties endowed upon a trustee of state lands shall depend upon the terms of the trust, and if there is no provision, express or implied, within the terms of the trust, a statute, or a grant, the trustee’s duties shall be interpreted and determined by principles and rules evolved by courts of equity with respect to common trust principles.
(e)Notwithstanding any other law, and in addition to any other rights and capacities of a trustee to act under law, a trustee of public
trust lands shall have the right to bring any action related to its granted public trust lands, including an action to abate a public nuisance, as a representative of the beneficiaries.
(f)Common trust principles do not nullify an act of the Legislature or modify its duty under the California Constitution to do all things necessary to execute and administer the public trust.
Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 311, Sec. 1. (SB 1472) Effective January 1, 2021.
The repeal of any provision of law codified in this division shall not affect any existing vested rights under those repealed provisions or under any contract, permit, lease, or agreement entered into under those repealed provisions, or the rights of any purchaser of school lands sold before the effective date of that repeal.