Amended in Assembly May 5, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 955

Introduced by Assembly Member Mathis

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(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Alejo)

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February 26, 2015

An act to add Section 8687.77 to the Government Code, relating to disaster assistance.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 955, as amended, Mathis. Disaster assistance: droughts: temporary assistance.

Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, authorizes the Office of Emergency Services to establish a model process that would be made available to assist a community in recovering from an emergency proclaimed by the Governor and would provide that the process may consider, among other things, the role of the office to facilitate the use of temporary services, including, but not limited to, the provision of potable water.

This bill would additionally authorize the office begin delete to establish a model process to end delete begin insert to, either independently, or working through local agencies, nonprofit organizations, or other state entities, end insert address the effects of a drought by providing temporary water supplies for drinking and sanitation to property owners. The bill would begin delete require the process to consider, end delete begin insert authorize the office, either independently, or working through local agencies, nonprofit organizations, or other state entities to, end insert among other things, begin delete the role of the office in providing end delete begin insert provide end insert temporary water supplies for drinking and sanitation to property owners, and to begin delete include provisions that would end delete allow begin delete for end delete temporary assistance to begin insert be provided to end insert property owners whose income begin delete exceed end delete begin insert exceeds end insert a begin delete threshold established by the office, as specified. end delete begin insert specified threshold. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 8687.77 is added to the Government
Code, to read:

8687.77.  

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following
shall apply:

(1) “Property owner” means the owner of a home, rental
housing, multifamily housing, or small business.

(2) “Small business” means a business with 25 or begin delete few end delete begin insert fewer end insert
employees.

(3) “Water supplies” means the purchase and installation of
water storage tanks and associated plumbing and the provision of
water deliveries for drinking and sanitation.

(b) In addition to any model process established by the Office
of Emergency Services to assist a community pursuant to Section
8687.7, the office begin delete may also establish a model process to end delete begin insert may, either
independently or working through local agencies, nonprofit
organizations, or other state entities, end insert address the effects of a
drought by providing temporary water supplies for drinking and
sanitation to property owners consistent with this section.

(c) The begin delete model process shall consist end delete begin insert office may, either
independently or working through local agencies, nonprofit
organizations, or other state entities, do any end insert of the following:

(1)  begin delete The role of the office in providing end delete begin insert Provide end insert temporary water
supplies for drinking and sanitation to property begin delete owners, including
any collaboration efforts with a local agency or non-profit
organization. end delete begin insert owners. end insert

(2)  begin delete The establishment of end delete begin insert Establish end insert income thresholds above
which begin delete the office determines end delete a property owner begin delete has end delete begin insert is determined
to have end insert adequate resources to remedy the water quality or water
supply problem without temporary assistance from the state.

(3) For instances where the property owner’s income exceeds
the threshold established in paragraph (2):

(A)  begin delete A provision that allows for end delete begin insert Allow end insert temporary assistance to
be provided if the property owner agrees to reimburse the full cost
of that temporary assistance.

(B) For instances where the property owner demonstrates that
the owner cannot afford to reimburse the full cost of that temporary
assistance, begin delete a provision that allows the office to end delete provide a loan to
the property owner to cover those temporary assistance costs with
an interest rate that does not exceed 1 percent. The loans shall be
made from any moneys appropriated by the Legislature begin delete to the
office. end delete begin insert for these purposes. end insert

(C)  begin delete The end delete begin insert Establish a end insert method of reimbursement or repayment of
any loan, including the period for reimbursement or repayment,
consistent with the property owner’s ability to repay.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as compelling a
property owner to accept any assistance offered begin delete by a model process
established end delete pursuant to this section.

(e) The recipient of any assistance received pursuant begin delete to a model
process established pursuant end delete to this section shall agree to hold the
state harmless from any damages due to that assistance.

(f) The office may adopt as an emergency regulation, in
accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340)
of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, any
regulation it determines is necessary to carry out the purposes of
this section.