ARTICLE 1. General Provisions [5620. - 5623.]

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 1.
in effect

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5621. Section 5621.

As used in this chapter: (a) “City” and “county” both include the City and County of San Francisco; “county” does not include a county service area, or zone therein, within the County of San Bernardino empowered to provide public park and recreation services pursuant to the County Service Area Law (Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 25210) of Part 2 of Division 2 of Title 3 of the Government Code). (b) “Districts” means regional park districts formed under Article 3 (commencing with Section 5500) of Chapter 3; recreation and park districts formed under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 5780); any public utility district formed under Division 7 (commencing with Section 15501) of the Public Utilities Code in a nonurbanized area that employs a full-time park and recreation director and offers year-round park and recreation services on lands and facilities owned by the district; any community services district formed under Division 3 (commencing with Section 61000) of Title 6 of the Government Code in a nonurbanized area which is authorized to provide public recreation as specified in subdivision (e) of Section 61600 of the Government Code; any memorial district formed under Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1170) of Division 6 of the Military and Veterans Code that employs a full-time park and recreation director and offers year-round park and recreation services on lands and facilities owned by the district; the Malaga County Water District exercising powers authorized under Section 31133 of the Water Code; and any county service area, or zone therein, within the County of San Bernardino which is empowered to provide public park and recreation services pursuant to the County Service Area Law (Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 25210) of Part 2 of Division 2 of Title 3 of the Government Code), which is actually providing public park and recreation services, and which was reorganized prior to January 1, 1987, from a park and recreation district to a county service area or zone. (c) “Urbanized area” consists of a central city or cities and surrounding closely settled territory, as determined by the Department of Finance on the basis of the most recent verifiable census data. “Urbanized county” means any county with a population of 200,000 or more, as determined by the Department of Finance on the basis of the most recent verifiable census data. (d) “Heavily urbanized area” means a large city with a population of 300,000 or more and a large county or regional park district with a population of 1,000,000 or more, as determined by the Department of Finance on the basis of the most recent verifiable census data. (e) “Nonurbanized area” means any city, county, or district which does not qualify as an urbanized area or urbanized county under the definitions in subdivision (c). (f) “Block grant” means the allocation of moneys for one or more projects for the acquisition or development of recreational lands and facilities. (g) “Need basis grant” means the allocation of moneys for one or more projects for the acquisition or development of recreational lands and facilities on a project-by-project basis, based upon need. (h) “Account” means the Roberti-Z’berg-Harris Urban Open-Space and Recreation Program Account in the General Fund. (i) “Special major maintenance project” means a rehabilitation or refurbishing activity performed on an annual or more infrequent interval, excluding capital improvements and routinized or other regularly scheduled and performed tasks such as grounds mowing, hedge trimming, garbage removal, and watering. Special major maintenance project includes activities which will reduce energy requirements to operate recreational lands or facilities. (j) “Innovative recreation program” means specially designed, creative social, cultural, and human service activities which by their nature are intended to respond to the unique and otherwise unmet recreation needs of special urban populations, including, but not limited to, senior citizens, physically or emotionally handicapped, chronic and “new” poor, single parents, “latchkey” children, and minorities. The term includes special transportation programs designed to facilitate access of these groups to parks and recreational programs and facilities.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5622. Section 5622.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares: (a) The demand for recreation areas, facilities, and programs in California is far greater than the present supply, with the number of people who cannot be accommodated at the area of their choice or any comparable area increasing rapidly. (b) The demand for recreation areas, facilities, and programs in the urban areas of our state are even greater: over 90 percent of the present population of California reside in urban areas; there continues to be approximately a 30-percent deficiency in open-space and recreation areas in the metropolitan areas of the state; less urban land is available, costs are escalating, and competition for land is increasing; and lack of sufficient annual operating funds has resulted in a general deterioration of existing facilities. (c) There is a high concentration of urban social problems in California’s major metropolitan areas which can be partially alleviated by increased recreational opportunities. (d) Within the urban areas there reside a broad spectrum and heavy concentration of special populations, including senior citizens, physically and emotionally handicapped, chronic and “new” poor, single parents, “latchkey children,” and minorities, who typically are unable, because of a variety of limiting circumstances, to avail themselves of use of remote, nonurban state and national parks and open spaces. (e) The upward spiral in the cost of energy for private automobiles and all forms of public transportation during the recent period has further limited access to remote state and national parks and open spaces, and this provides an additional emphasis to the urgent need for close-to-home urban parks and open spaces. (f) The need for local recreation areas, facilities, and programs is doubling at 10-year intervals. (g) Unless the lands and waters that currently have significant recreation potential today are acquired or reserved for recreation as soon as possible, and unless there is a means available to provide a regularized, major rehabilitation program for existing facilities, there will be a marked shortage of recreation lands and waters on a local and regional basis. (h) Cities, counties, and districts must exercise constant vigilance to see that the recreation lands and facilities they now have are not lost to other uses; they should acquire additional lands as such lands become available; and they should take steps to improve the facilities they now have. (i) The state recognizes its partnership role with local government agencies and officials, in support of acquisition, development, and major rehabilitation of parks and open spaces in urbanized areas and heavily urbanized areas, as a means of fulfilling state support, and a proper level of response to the overwhelmingly large percentage of state residents whose parks and open-space needs can only be addressed in urban settings. (j) The state further recognizes that every effort is necessary and appropriate to find and utilize resources, other than those secured exclusively through tax levies, in order to support and maintain this significant urban program. (k) In view of the foregoing, the Legislature declares that an aggressive, coordinated, funded program for meeting existing and projected local recreation demands must be implemented without delay.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5623. Section 5623.

Grants to cities, counties, and districts pursuant to this chapter are intended to supplement and not to supplant local expenditures for park and recreation areas and facilities or to diminish in any way then current efforts for providing parks and recreation services.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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