AB 1815, as amended, Alejo. California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: disadvantaged communities.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to identify disadvantaged communities and requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for the moneys deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law requires the 3-year investment plan to allocate a minimum of 25% of the available moneys in the fund to projects that provide benefits to disadvantaged communities.
This bill would require the agency to establish a comprehensive technical assistance program, upon the appropriation of moneys from the fund, for eligible applicants, as specified, assisting eligible communities, as defined. The bill would require the agency to provide technical assistance to eligible communities based on a specified priority.
This bill also would require the department to include in the 3-year investment plan an allocation to the agency for that technical assistance program.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 39713.5 is added to the Health and Safety
2Code, to read:
(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms
4have the following meanings:
5(1) “Agency” means the California Environmental Protection
6Agency.
7(2) “Eligible communities” means census tracts identified as
8disadvantaged pursuant to Section 39711 or with median incomes
9at or below 60 percent of the statewide median income or with
10median incomes at or below the threshold designated as very low
11income by the Department of Housing and Community
12Development’s list of state income limits adopted pursuant to
13Section 50093.
14(b) The investment plan developed and submitted to the
15Legislature pursuant to Section 39716 shall allocate from the
16available moneys in the fund technical assistance moneys to the
17agency to implement this section. That allocation of technical
18assistance moneys shall not be used to satisfy the requirements of
19subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 39713.
20(c) (1) Upon an appropriation of moneys from the fund, the
21agency shall establish a comprehensive technical assistance
22program for eligible applicants assisting eligible communities that
P3 1the agency determines require technical assistance in accessing
2programs allocated moneys appropriated from the fund.
3(2) Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, regional
4agencies and nonprofit organizations coordinating with local
5governments.
6(3) (A) The agency, in consultation with agencies that
7administer programs using moneys appropriated from the fund,
8shall develop guidelines to implement this program consistent with
9this section.
10(B) The agency shall provide an opportunity for public comment
11prior to
finalizing the guidelines.
12(d) The agency shall prioritize technical assistance for eligible
13communities based on the following order:
14(1) Communities having the greatest need for increased access
15to programs using moneys appropriated from the fund.
16(2) Communities having a lower demonstrated general capacity
17to apply for grant funding.
18(3) Communities that have not previously applied for and
19received grant funding.
20(4) Communities that have previously received grant funding.
21These communities shall be ranked based on the amount of grant
22funding per capita received, with those having received the lesser
23amount per capita provided with higher priority.
24(e) The program established pursuant to this section shall
25provide assistance to eligible applicants with any of the following:
26(1) Identifying state agencies with appropriate grant programs.
27(2) Developing competitive project proposals to apply for
28moneys available through state agencies or pursuant to this chapter.
29(3) Coordinating existing local programs to reduce greenhouse
30gas emissions with new programs receiving moneys pursuant to
31this chapter.
32(4) Conducting community outreach to residents of eligible
33communities that the agency determines require technical
34assistance on consumer programs receiving state or local moneys
35pursuant to this chapter or for other programs that reduce
36
greenhouse gas emissions.
37
(5) Conducting the planning process for future greenhouse gas
38emissions reductions projects.
39(f) Technical assistance provided pursuant to this section shall
40promote programs that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and
P4 1demonstrate a direct, meaningful benefit to eligible communities.
2Cobenefits of these programs may include, but are not limited to,
3improved air quality, improved water quality, improved public
4health, increased access to employment in clean energy, increased
5access to affordable housing and transit, reduced residential and
6commercial water use, and increased residential and commercial
7energy efficiency.
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