Existing law authorizes the Elk Valley Rancheria Tribal Council, as the governing body of the Elk Valley Rancheria, California, a federally recognized Indian tribe, to enter into a joint powers agreement with the County of Del Norte and the City of Crescent City, or both, and deems that joint powers agency to be a public agency for this purpose. Existing law also prohibits the joint powers authority from authorizing or issuing bonds pursuant to the Marks-Roos Local Bond Pooling Act of 1985, unless the funded public improvements will be owned and maintained by the authority or one or more public agency members and the revenue streams pledged to repay the bonds derived from the authority or one or more of its public agency members.

This bill would provide that the Smith River Rancheria Tribal Council may enter into a joint powers agreement to participate in the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority, and may also enter into a joint powers agreement with the County of Del Norte, the City of Crescent City, or both, for certain purposes, and, for those purposes, would provide that the Smith River Rancheria Tribal Council is a public agency for purposes of the law relating to joint powers agencies. This bill would also extend the prohibition against issuing bonds for public improvements except under specified circumstances to any authority created pursuant to this bill.