Bill Text: CA AB1195 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Climate Change Preparedness, Resiliency, and Jobs for Communities Program: climate-beneficial projects: grant funding.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1195 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB1195-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 29, 2023 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1195
| Introduced by Assembly Member Calderon |
February 16, 2023 |
An act to add Part 6 (commencing with Section 75300) to Division 44 of the Public Resources Code, relating to climate change.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1195, as amended, Calderon.
Climate Change Preparedness, Resiliency, and Jobs for Communities Program: climate-beneficial projects: grant funding.
Existing law establishes the Transformative Climate Communities Program, to be administered by the Strategic Growth Council, and requires the program to fund the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that include multiple, coordinated greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency. Existing law requires the council to award competitive grants to eligible entities, as specified, through an application process and to develop guidelines and selection criteria for plan development and implementation of the program, as provided.
This bill would establish the Climate Change Preparedness, Resiliency, and Jobs for Communities Program, to be
administered by the council, and would require the council to fund grants to develop and implement multibenefit, community-level, climate-beneficial projects to support community and landscape resiliency and workforce development. The bill would require the council to award competitive grants to eligible entities, as defined, through an application process, as provided. The bill would require the council, on or before July 1, 2024, to develop guidelines to implement the program and criteria to select projects eligible for grant funding that include, at a minimum, specified information related to community resiliency grants, landscape resiliency grants, and climate and career pathways grants.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Part 6 (commencing with Section 75300) is added to Division 44 of the Public Resources Code, to read:PART 6. Climate Change Preparedness, Resiliency, and Jobs for Communities Program
75300.
For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings:(a) “Council” means the Strategic Growth Council.
(b) “Eligible entity” includes, but is not limited to, a nonprofit organization, a special district, a joint powers authority, or a tribal government that is eligible to apply for and receive grant funding from the council pursuant to the program.
(c) “Funded entity” means an eligible entity that is awarded a grant by and receives grant funding from the council pursuant to the program.
(d) “Program” means the Climate Change Preparedness, Resiliency, and Jobs for Communities Program created pursuant to Section 75301.
(e) “Special district” means any regional park district, regional park and open-space district, or regional open-space district formed pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 5500) of Chapter 3 of Division 5.
(f) “Underresourced community” means a community identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code, subdivision (d) of Section 39713 of the Health and Safety Code, or subdivision (g) of Section 75005 of this code.
75301.
The Climate Change Preparedness, Resiliency, and Jobs for Communities Program is hereby created, to be administered by the council. The council shall fund grants to develop and implement multibenefit, community-level,75302.
(a) The council shall award competitive grants to eligible entities through an application process and implement the program to do all of the following:(1) Provide a preference for Prioritize projects in underresourced communities.
(2) Ensure that projects that receive grant funding maximize multibenefit, community-level, climate-beneficial projects that create community and landscape resiliency and workforce development benefits.
(3) Make grant selections for plan development contingent on the implementation of one or more projects identified by the plan.
(4) Disburse grants throughout the state to maximize the impacts and benefits of the program in as many communities as possible.
(5) Ensure that the grant application process is simple and minimizes the resources necessary for an eligible entity to apply for grant funding.
(b) In awarding grants pursuant to the program, the council may do both of the following:
(1) Prioritize projects that are administered by a special district or a state conservancy.
(2) Award to an eligible entity a grant over multiple years.
(c) To be eligible for grant funding pursuant to the program, an eligible entity shall deploy best management practices in the development and implementation of
projects to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, remove barriers that will lead to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, sequester greenhouse gases, reduce vehicle miles travelled, or provide other climate or climate adaptation benefits. benefits to the greatest extent practicable.
(a)The council and all funded entities shall endeavor to identify additional public and private sources of funding to sustain and expand the program.
(b)
75303.
(a) The council may provide(b) The council may authorize advance payments on a grant awarded under this section in accordance with Section 11019.1 of the Government Code.
75304.
(a) Before awarding grant funding under the program, the council, on or before July 1, 2024, shall develop guidelines to implement the program and criteria to select projects eligible for grant funding.(b) In developing the guidelines and selection criteria required pursuant to subdivision (a), the council shall consider comments, if any, from local governments, regional agencies, tribes, and other stakeholders. The council shall conduct outreach to underresourced communities to encourage comments on the draft guidelines and selection criteria from those communities.
(c) The guidelines and selection criteria developed by the council pursuant to subdivision (a), shall provide, at a minimum, for all of the following:
(1) (A) Community resiliency grants to support the development of climate-beneficial projects with multiple benefits, including, but not limited to, affordable housing, community greening, and workforce development.
(B) In awarding community resiliency grants, the council shall prioritize projects that maximize one or more of the following benefits:
(i) Affordable housing.
(ii) Urban greening.
(iii) School greening.
(iv) River parkways.
(v) Parks.
(vi) Urban tree canopies.
(vii) Water capture and reuse.
(viii) Brownfield cleanup and remediation pilots.
(ix) Workforce development.
(x) Zero-emission appliances.
(xi) Active transportation and trails.
(xii) Zero- and near-zero emission
near-zero-emission
vehicle technologies and infrastructure for underresourced communities.
(C) The council shall attempt to do all of the following in its guidelines and selection criteria for community resiliency grants:
(i) Incorporate the development of new affordable housing and the protection and restoration of existing affordable housing stock.
(ii) Include provisions that leverage funding pursuant to the Housing-Related Parks Program established pursuant to Section 50701 of the Health and Safety Code, as appropriate.
(iii) Use of a portion of funds by agencies or eligible entities to acquire and bank lands for future, integrated community climate resiliency
projects.
(iv) Promote nongovernmental organization partnerships, especially between conservation, environmental justice, community-based, public health, workforce development, and housing organizations.
(v) Promote a portfolio approach to select projects to receive grant funding, including support for local organizations that work in the community.
(vi) Support leveraging regional funds, including, but not necessarily limited to, funds from measures adopted by the County of Los Angeles, such as Measure A, Measure M, and Measure HHH adopted in 2016, Measure H adopted in 2017, and Measure W adopted in 2018.
(vii) Advance antidisplacement policies that
promote equitable and sustainable project development without displacing existing communities.
(D) Grant funds may be used for project and program costs that support project completion and maintenance, including any of the following:
(i) Acquisition.
(ii) Restoration.
(iii) Enhancement.
(iv) Planning.
(v) Capacity.
(vi) Construction.
(vii) Technical assistance.
(viii) Advanced payments.
(ix) Maintenance and operations.
(x) Community access.
(2) (A) Landscape resiliency grants to support the development of climate beneficial climate-beneficial projects with multiple benefits, including, but not limited to, water conservation, watershed resiliency, wildlife and fish species enhancements, and natural landscapes resiliency.
(B) In awarding landscape resiliency grants, the council shall prioritize projects that maximize one
or more of the following benefits:
benefits to:
(i) The coast and oceans.
(ii) Natural lands.
(iii) Natural community conservation plan and habitat conservation plan implementation.
(iv) Wetlands and mountain meadows.
(v) Wildfire management and restoration, including projects in the wildland urban wildland-urban interface.
(C) The council shall attempt to do all
of the following in its guidelines and selection criteria for landscape resiliency grants:
(i) Promote nongovernmental organization partnerships, especially between conservation, environmental justice, tribal, and community-based organizations.
(ii) Promote a portfolio approach to select projects to receive grant funding, including support for local organizations that work in the community.
(iii) Support project deployment throughout the state.
(iv) Support leveraging regional funds.
(v) Advance
antidisplacement policies that promote equitable and sustainable development without displacing existing communities.
(D) Grant funds may be used for project and program costs that support project completion and maintenance, including any of the following:
(i) Acquisition.
(ii) Restoration.
(iii) Enhancement.
(iv) Planning.
(v) Capacity.
(vi) Construction.
(vii) Technical assistance.
(viii) Workforce development.
(ix) Advanced payments.
(x) Maintenance and operations.
(xi) Community access.
(3) Climate and career pathways grants to support the
development of climate-beneficial projects with multiple benefits that incorporate partnerships with nonprofit organizations that provide certifications or placement services for jobs and careers in the natural resources field, including, but not limited to, fire and vegetative management, restoration, parks, and natural resources management.
