AB 672 Threatens Golf’s Future

AB 672 is the most damaging piece of legislation re golf to be filed in a generation.

It proposes to facilitate the development of California’s municipal golf courses (22% of the total courses in the state) as “affordable” housing tracts by:

• Removing them from the protections of the Public Park Preservation Act.
• Providing an exemption to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
• Mandating a one-size-fits-all zoning element.
• Singling golf as the ONLY open space/recreational activity for which these exemptions and facilitations apply, literally targeting them for development to the exclusion of all other open space/recreational activities.

The bill may take direct aim at California’s publicly owned golf courses (22% of the total), but its passage would put golf’s blood in the water in such a way as to jeopardize the position of golf’s private sector clubs as well. Just as the Public Park Preservation Act is the public game’s backstop against residential/commercial development, ARTICLE XIII, Section 10 of California’s Constitution establishing “open space” as the property tax basis for private golf clubs is the private sector’s backstop against residential/commercial development. Tax something per an economic “highest and best use” standard, and residential/commercial use is what you’re going to get.

This is one of those rare “speak up now or forever hold your peace” moments.

Click here, type in your address, and the direct E-mail addresses of your Assembly Member and State Senator will pop up. Compose your own message or click here for a variety of messages, one of which may suit your fancy.

Click here to read the opposition letter that the California Alliance for Golf filed with the members of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee and AB 672 author Cristina Garcia.

Feel free to reach out to SCGA Governmental Affairs Director Craig Kessler at ckessler@scga.org or SCGA Governmental Affairs Assistant Director Kevin Fitzgerald at kfitzgerald@scga.org for further information and/or clarification.