Amended  IN  Senate  May 03, 2017
Amended  IN  Senate  March 21, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill No. 263

Introduced by Senator Leyva

February 08, 2017

An act to add Part 5 (commencing with Section 75250) to Division 44 of the Public Resources Code, relating to greenhouse gases.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 263, as amended, Leyva. Climate Assistance Centers.
Existing law creates the Transformative Climate Communities Program, which is administered by the Strategic Growth Council. Existing law requires the council to award competitive grants to specified eligible entities for the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that include greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities, as defined. Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to provide assistance in performing outreach to disadvantaged communities and assessing the environmental justice benefits of project awards.
This bill would require the council council, among other things, to establish no less than 10 regional climate assistance centers, as specified. specified, and award competitive grants to eligible entities through an application process, as specified. The bill would require the climate assistance centers to provide to target user groups technical assistance in applying for moneys, provide to target user groups assistance and training in project management and implementation, and work with local organizations to formulate policy ideas policies and programming that accomplish specified goals. The bill would authorize the council and climate assistance centers to solicit and accept nonstate money. The bill would require the council, among other things, to convene an annual statewide summit for climate assistance center staff and grant recipients, as specified. The bill would require the council and the State Air Resources Board to make a specified report to the Legislature.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The state has designated significant moneys from climate investment programs to enable disadvantaged communities to help meet the state’s greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation goals while advancing social equity.
(b) Small businesses, community-based nonprofits, local governments, and other eligible entities in disadvantaged communities often lack the resources, capacity, and technical expertise to develop grant and financing options.
(c) For the state to meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals while advancing social equity, every entity and community must have the same opportunity to compete for the funding that is available to meet those goals and should have access to technical assistance to develop funding proposals that will maximize carbon mitigation and climate adaptation benefits for each dollar requested.
(d) Some regions and jurisdictions have existing programs and organizations in place to build local leadership, capacity, and technical expertise for climate mitigation and adaptation, and any additional investments should support and leverage existing efforts to be effective and efficient.

SEC. 2.

 Part 5 (commencing with Section 75250) is added to Division 44 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

PART 5. Climate Assistance Centers

75250.
 For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings:
(a) “Center” means a climate assistance center established pursuant to this part.
(b) “Council” means the Strategic Growth Council.
(c) “Disadvantaged community” means a community identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code or Section 75005.

75252.

(a)The council shall establish no less than 10 regional centers as follows:

75252.
 (a) The council shall do all of the following:
(1) Establish no less than 10 regional centers as follows:

(1)

(A) One center in northern California no later than January 1, 2020.

(2)

(B) One center in southern California no later than January 1, 2020.

(3)

(C) One center in the San Joaquin Valley no later than January 1, 2020.

(4)

(D) The remaining centers shall be equitably distributed across urban and rural areas of the state no later than January 1, 2023.

(b)(1)The council shall develop a policy for siting the centers in subdivision (a) and hold at least one public meeting to solicit public input before adopting the policy.

(2) (A) Develop a policy for siting the centers in paragraph (1).

(2)

(B) The draft policy shall be posted on the council’s Internet Web site at least 30 days prior to the meeting. site.

(3)The council shall respond to all public comments before adopting the policy.

(c)Before adopting the site of a center pursuant to subdivision (a), the council shall hold at least one public hearing in the region in which the center will be located to solicit and consider public input on the proposed site.

(d)Centers established pursuant to subdivision (a) shall do all of the following:

(1)Provide technical assistance to target user groups in applying for moneys, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(A)Programs funded by moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code.

(B)Programs funded by moneys pursuant to the Active Transportation Program (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 2380) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code).

(C)Programs funded pursuant to the California Farmland Conservancy Program Act (Division 10.2 (commencing with Section 10200)).

(2)Provide assistance and training to target user groups in project management and implementation for the projects funded pursuant to paragraph (1).

(3)Work with local organizations, including, but not limited to, community-based organizations, small businesses, and local governments, to formulate policy ideas that accomplish any of the following:

(A)Increase community and private sector engagement in addressing climate change.

(B)Increase equitable investment in disadvantaged communities.

(C)Maximize the cobenefits of climate-related projects.

(D)Expand workforce development training.

(E)Identify strategies that prevent the displacement of persons and families of low or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code, from their homes.

(4)Seek scientific and technical support from federal, state, and local sources of expertise in accomplishing the goals of the center, as needed.

(3) Hold, before adopting the site of a center pursuant to paragraph (1), at least one public hearing in the region in which the center will be located to solicit and consider public input on the proposed site.
(4) Conduct outreach and provide direct technical assistance to the centers and the public in order to identify relevant state funding programs, develop eligible activities, and prepare applications.
(5) Promote the effective alignment and streamlining of state climate investment programs for low-income customers and disadvantaged communities, including, but not limited to, energy, water, resilience, natural resources, housing, and low-emission transportation infrastructure programs.
(6) Identify potential matching funds from federal, state, and local agencies.
(7) (A) Award competitive grants to eligible entities, through an application process, to staff the regional centers and ensure compliance with this section and Section 75256.
(B) An eligible entity shall be a multistakeholder collaborative of community-based organizations, labor groups, local agencies, small businesses, and other stakeholders, as appropriate. An eligible entity also shall include, at a minimum, a combination of four or more of the following:
(i) A community-based organization.
(ii) A nonprofit organization.
(iii) A faith-based organization.
(iv) A coalition of nonprofit organizations.
(v) A community development finance institution.
(vi) A community development corporation.
(vii) A small business.
(viii) A local agency.
(ix) A local, statewide, or national technical assistance provider.

(e)

(b) To support the goals of this part, the council and the centers may solicit and accept nonstate money, including, but not limited to, philanthropic public and private sector donations.

75256.

The council shall do all of the following:

(a)Conduct outreach and provide direct technical assistance to the centers and the public in order to identify relevant state funding programs, develop eligible activities, and prepare applications.

(b)Promote the effective integration of state climate investment programs for low-income customers and disadvantaged communities, including, but not limited to, energy, water, resilience, housing, and low-emission transportation infrastructure programs.

(c)Identify potential matching funds from federal, state, and local agencies.

(d)Convene an annual statewide summit for center staff and grant recipients. The summit shall include a forum to present individual project details and programmatic changes desired by the centers and grant recipients. The first summit shall be held no later than December 31, 2021.

75256.
 Centers established pursuant to Section 75252 shall do all of the following:
(a) Provide technical assistance to target user groups in applying for moneys, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(1) Programs funded by moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code.
(2) Programs funded by moneys pursuant to the Active Transportation Program (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 2380) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code).
(3) Programs funded pursuant to the California Farmland Conservancy Program Act (Division 10.2 (commencing with Section 10200)).
(b) Provide assistance and training to target user groups in project management and implementation for the projects funded pursuant to subdivision (a).
(c) Work with local organizations, including, but not limited to, community-based organizations, small businesses, and local governments, to formulate policies and programming that accomplish any of the following:
(1) Increase community and public and private sector partnerships and engagement in addressing climate change.
(2) Increase equitable investment in disadvantaged communities.
(3) Maximize the cobenefits of climate-related projects.
(4) Expand workforce development training.
(5) Identify strategies that prevent the displacement of persons and families of low or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code, from their homes.
(6) Create and secure new funding from public and private sources.
(d) Seek scientific and technical support from federal, state, and local sources of expertise in accomplishing the goals of the center, as needed, including, but not limited to, associations of municipal and county governments.

75260.
 (a) The council and the State Air Resources Board shall collaborate to develop performance measures for activities pursuant to this part. On or before January 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the council and the State Air Resources Board shall report to the Legislature on measures that include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Quantitative assessment of changes in annual participation from eligible entities in disadvantaged communities and the success rate of those applicants.
(2) Survey results from the regions for each center that include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(A) The impacts and effectiveness of the centers.
(B) Changes to the centers and their services desired in each region.
(C) Any nonstate funding awarded to projects in each region that are also funded by the state.
(3) Quantitative assessment of any change in the efficacy of state climate investment program dollars in achieving state climate mitigation and adaptation goals in disadvantaged communities due to the centers. communities.
(b) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.