SECTIONS 8551-8558 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 8551-8558

8551. An act of Congress entitled "An act to stop injury to the
public grazing lands by preventing overgrazing and soil
deterioration, to provide for their orderly use, improvement and
development, to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon the
public range, and for other purposes," approved June 28, 1934,
provides for the cooperation of the Secretary of the Interior of the
United States with State and other officials and associations, and
for the payment of certain money by the Secretary of the Interior to
the State.

8552. The State Lands Commission may cooperate with the Secretary
of the Interior, and may, in the name of the State, exchange lands in
the manner and under the conditions prescribed in Section 8 of the
Act of Congress cited in Section 8551 of this code.

8553. The State Lands Commission is hereby designated the "State
land officials" referred to in Section 9 of the Act of Congress cited
in Section 8551 of this code.

8554. The Department of Fish and Game is hereby designated the
"official state agency engaged in the conservation or propagation of
wild life" referred to in Section 9 of the act of Congress cited in
Section 8551 of this code.

8555. All moneys received by the State of California from the
government of the United States pursuant to the act referred to in
Section 8551, or pursuant to any other act of Congress providing for
the distribution and payment to states and territories of a fixed and
definite percentage of the moneys received by the government of the
United States from grazing lands or districts acquired or established
therein by the government of the United States or by any officer or
instrumentality thereof, shall, on order of the Controller, be
deposited in the United States Grazing Fees Fund, which is hereby
established in the State Treasury. That money shall be disposed of,
in accordance with the terms of that act of Congress, by the payment
of that money to the counties in which those grazing lands or
districts are situated. The payments made to each county from the
receipts of any given parcel of grazing lands or of any grazing
district shall be allocated in accordance with a payment schedule
that distributes the payments in the same manner and basis upon which
the fees were collected, as officially established by the Secretary
of the Interior or other authorized official of the government of the
United States.

8556. The State Controller shall keep a record of the receipts from
the Government of the United States on account of Federal grazing
lands or districts situated in each county in this State. On or
before the thirtieth day of June of each year, the State Controller
shall draw his warrant in favor of the treasurer of each and every
county entitled to payment hereunder for whatever sum of money may be
due to such county according to the provisions of this article, and
the State Treasurer shall pay the warrants so drawn. All moneys now
or hereafter deposited in the United States Grazing Fees Fund under
the provisions of this article are hereby appropriated to be
apportioned and paid to the counties of this State as herein
provided.

8557. Any State or county offices or agency, or any stockmen's
association, whether incorporated or unincorporated, or any person,
firm, corporation, or association may enter into cooperative
agreements with the Secretary of the Interior for the purpose of
carrying out the provision and policy of the Act of Congress cited in
Section 8551 of this code.

8557.5. Any money deposited in the State Treasury pursuant to
Section 10 of the act of Congress referred to in Section 8551 of this
code and apportioned to any county or counties of this State as
herein provided shall be expended by and within each of such counties
solely for range improvements and for control of predators; and it
shall be the duty of the county auditor of any county receiving a
payment of such money immediately to credit the same to an account in
the proper fund on his books earmarked and available only for
expenditures for range improvements and for control of predators.
There is in each county in which there are public lands leased to
five or more lessees under Section 15 of the act referred to in
Section 8551 of this code a grazing advisory board. The members of
such board shall be appointed by the board of supervisors of the
county. The members of the committee shall be selected from
candidates recommended by the lessees of land in the county under
Section 15 of the act referred to in Section 8551 of this code at an
election conducted in the manner prescribed by rule and regulation of
the board of supervisors of the county. There shall be not less than
five nor more than 12 such lessees on such committee and there shall
be one additional member to represent the interests of wildlife
conservation. The terms of the members of the committee shall be
three years except that of the members first appointed the terms
shall be arranged so that those of one-third of the members, as
nearly as may be, will expire at the end of the first, second, and
third years, respectively. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall be
for the unexpired term. The members of the advisory grazing board
shall receive no compensation and no reimbursement for any personal
expenses. Said board shall meet at least once annually and shall
recommend to the board of supervisors plans or projects of range
development and predator control for which money derived from leases
under Section 15 of the act referred to in Section 8551 of this code
is to be expended.

8558. Any money deposited in the State Treasury pursuant to Section
11 of the act of Congress referred to in Section 8551 of this code
and apportioned to any county or counties of this State as provided
in this article, shall be expended by and within each of such
counties, in equal shares, solely for the benefit of the public
schools and county highways; and it shall be the duty of the county
auditor of any county receiving a payment of such money immediately
to credit the same as follows: 50 percent thereof to an account in
the proper fund on his books earmarked and available solely for
expenditures for the benefit of the public schools in such county,
and 50 percent thereof to an account in the proper fund on his books
earmarked and available solely for expenditures for county highways
in such county.