Senate Bill No. 379

Introduced by Senator Jackson

February 24, 2015

An act to amend Section 65302 of the Government Code, relating to land use.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 379, as introduced, Jackson. Land use: general plan: safety element.

The Planning and Zoning Law requires the legislative body of a city or county to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan that includes various elements, including, among others, a safety element for the protection of the community from unreasonable risks associated with the effects of various geologic hazards, flooding, and wildland and urban fires.

This bill would, upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2017, require the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address climate adaptation and resiliency strategies applicable to that city or county. The bill would require the update to include a set of goals, policies, and objectives based on the most current information available regarding climate change adaptation and resiliency. By imposing new duties on cities and counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

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

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 65302 of the Government Code is
amended to read:

65302.  

The general plan shall consist of a statement of
development policies and shall include a diagram or diagrams and
text setting forth objectives, principles, standards, and plan
proposals. The plan shall include the following elements:

(a) A land use element that designates the proposed general
distribution and general location and extent of the uses of the land
for housing, business, industry, open space, including agriculture,
natural resources, recreation, and enjoyment of scenic beauty,
education, public buildings and grounds, solid and liquid waste
disposal facilities, and other categories of public and private uses
of land. The location and designation of the extent of the uses of
the land for public and private uses shall consider the identification
of land and natural resources pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subdivision (d). The land use element shall include a statement of
the standards of population density and building intensity
recommended for the various districts and other territory covered
by the plan. The land use element shall identify and annually
review those areas covered by the plan that are subject to flooding
identified by flood plain mapping prepared by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or the Department of
Water Resources. The land use element shall also do both of the
following:

(1) Designate in a land use category that provides for timber
production those parcels of real property zoned for timberland
production pursuant to the California Timberland Productivity Act
of 1982 (Chapter 6.7 (commencing with Section 51100) of Part 1
of Division 1 of Title 5).

(2) Consider the impact of new growth on military readiness
activities carried out on military bases, installations, and operating
and training areas, when proposing zoning ordinances or
designating land uses covered by the general plan for land, or other
territory adjacent to military facilities, or underlying designated
military aviation routes and airspace.

(A) In determining the impact of new growth on military
readiness activities, information provided by military facilities
shall be considered. Cities and counties shall address military
impacts based on information from the military and other sources.

(B) The following definitions govern this paragraph:

(i) “Military readiness activities” mean all of the following:

(I) Training, support, and operations that prepare the men and
women of the military for combat.

(II) Operation, maintenance, and security of any military
installation.

(III) Testing of military equipment, vehicles, weapons, and
sensors for proper operation or suitability for combat use.

(ii) “Military installation” means a base, camp, post, station,
yard, center, homeport facility for any ship, or other activity under
the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense as
defined in paragraph (1) of subsection (e) of Section 2687 of Title
10 of the United States Code.

(b) (1) A circulation element consisting of the general location
and extent of existing and proposed major thoroughfares,
transportation routes, terminals, any military airports and ports,
and other local public utilities and facilities, all correlated with the
land use element of the plan.

(2) (A) Commencing January 1, 2011, upon any substantive
revision of the circulation element, the legislative body shall
modify the circulation element to plan for a balanced, multimodal
transportation network that meets the needs of all users of streets,
roads, and highways for safe and convenient travel in a manner
that is suitable to the rural, suburban, or urban context of the
general plan.

(B) For purposes of this paragraph, “users of streets, roads, and
highways” mean bicyclists, children, persons with disabilities,
motorists, movers of commercial goods, pedestrians, users of public
transportation, and seniors.

(c) A housing element as provided in Article 10.6 (commencing
with Section 65580).

(d) (1) A conservation element for the conservation,
development, and utilization of natural resources including water
and its hydraulic force, forests, soils, rivers and other waters,
harbors, fisheries, wildlife, minerals, and other natural resources.
The conservation element shall consider the effect of development
within the jurisdiction, as described in the land use element, on
natural resources located on public lands, including military
installations. That portion of the conservation element including
waters shall be developed in coordination with any countywide
water agency and with all district and city agencies, including
flood management, water conservation, or groundwater agencies
that have developed, served, controlled, managed, or conserved
water of any type for any purpose in the county or city for which
the plan is prepared. Coordination shall include the discussion and
evaluation of any water supply and demand information described
in Section 65352.5, if that information has been submitted by the
water agency to the city or county.

(2) The conservation element may also cover all of the
following:

(A) The reclamation of land and waters.

(B) Prevention and control of the pollution of streams and other
waters.

(C) Regulation of the use of land in stream channels and other
areas required for the accomplishment of the conservation plan.

(D) Prevention, control, and correction of the erosion of soils,
beaches, and shores.

(E) Protection of watersheds.

(F) The location, quantity and quality of the rock, sand, and
gravel resources.

(3) Upon the next revision of the housing element on or after
January 1, 2009, the conservation element shall identify rivers,
creeks, streams, flood corridors, riparian habitats, and land that
may accommodate floodwater for purposes of groundwater
recharge and stormwater management.

(e) An open-space element as provided in Article 10.5
(commencing with Section 65560).

(f) (1) A noise element that shall identify and appraise noise
problems in the community. The noise element shall analyze and
quantify, to the extent practicable, as determined by the legislative
body, current and projected noise levels for all of the following
sources:

(A) Highways and freeways.

(B) Primary arterials and major local streets.

(C) Passenger and freight online railroad operations and ground
rapid transit systems.

(D) Commercial, general aviation, heliport, helistop, and military
airport operations, aircraft overflights, jet engine test stands, and
all other ground facilities and maintenance functions related to
airport operation.

(E) Local industrial plants, including, but not limited to, railroad
classification yards.

(F) Other ground stationary noise sources, including, but not
limited to, military installations, identified by local agencies as
contributing to the community noise environment.

(2) Noise contours shall be shown for all of these sources and
stated in terms of community noise equivalent level (CNEL) or
day-night average level (L_dn). The noise contours shall be prepared
on the basis of noise monitoring or following generally accepted
noise modeling techniques for the various sources identified in
paragraphs (1) to (6), inclusive.

(3) The noise contours shall be used as a guide for establishing
a pattern of land uses in the land use element that minimizes the
exposure of community residents to excessive noise.

(4) The noise element shall include implementation measures
and possible solutions that address existing and foreseeable noise
problems, if any. The adopted noise element shall serve as a
guideline for compliance with the state’s noise insulation standards.

(g) (1) A safety element for the protection of the community
from any unreasonable risks associated with the effects of
seismically induced surface rupture, ground shaking, ground
failure, tsunami, seiche, and dam failure; slope instability leading
to mudslides and landslides; subsidence; liquefaction; and other
seismic hazards identified pursuant to Chapter 7.8 (commencing
with Section 2690) of Division 2 of the Public Resources Code,
and other geologic hazards known to the legislative body; flooding;
and wildland and urban fires. The safety element shall include
mapping of known seismic and other geologic hazards. It shall
also address evacuation routes, military installations, peakload
water supply requirements, and minimum road widths and
clearances around structures, as those items relate to identified fire
and geologic hazards.

(2) The safety element, upon the next revision of the housing
element on or after January 1, 2009, shall also do the following:

(A) Identify information regarding flood hazards, including,
but not limited to, the following:

(i) Flood hazard zones. As used in this subdivision, “flood
hazard zone” means an area subject to flooding that is delineated
as either a special hazard area or an area of moderate or minimal
hazard on an official flood insurance rate map issued by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The identification of
a flood hazard zone does not imply that areas outside the flood
hazard zones or uses permitted within flood hazard zones will be
free from flooding or flood damage.

(ii) National Flood Insurance Program maps published by
FEMA.

(iii) Information about flood hazards that is available from the
United States Army Corps of Engineers.

(iv) Designated floodway maps that are available from the
Central Valley Flood Protection Board.

(v) Dam failure inundation maps prepared pursuant to Section
8589.5 that are available from the Office of Emergency Services.

(vi) Awareness Floodplain Mapping Program maps and 200-year
flood plain maps that are or may be available from, or accepted
by, the Department of Water Resources.

(vii) Maps of levee protection zones.

(viii) Areas subject to inundation in the event of the failure of
project or nonproject levees or floodwalls.

(ix) Historical data on flooding, including locally prepared maps
of areas that are subject to flooding, areas that are vulnerable to
flooding after wildfires, and sites that have been repeatedly
damaged by flooding.

(x) Existing and planned development in flood hazard zones,
including structures, roads, utilities, and essential public facilities.

(xi) Local, state, and federal agencies with responsibility for
flood protection, including special districts and local offices of
emergency services.

(B) Establish a set of comprehensive goals, policies, and
objectives based on the information identified pursuant to
subparagraph (A), for the protection of the community from the
unreasonable risks of flooding, including, but not limited to:

(i) Avoiding or minimizing the risks of flooding to new
development.

(ii) Evaluating whether new development should be located in
flood hazard zones, and identifying construction methods or other
methods to minimize damage if new development is located in
flood hazard zones.

(iii) Maintaining the structural and operational integrity of
essential public facilities during flooding.

(iv) Locating, when feasible, new essential public facilities
outside of flood hazard zones, including hospitals and health care
facilities, emergency shelters, fire stations, emergency command
centers, and emergency communications facilities or identifying
construction methods or other methods to minimize damage if
these facilities are located in flood hazard zones.

(v) Establishing cooperative working relationships among public
agencies with responsibility for flood protection.

(C) Establish a set of feasible implementation measures designed
to carry out the goals, policies, and objectives established pursuant
to subparagraph (B).

(3) Upon the next revision of the housing element on or after
January 1, 2014, the safety element shall be reviewed and updated
as necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as state
responsibility areas, as defined in Section 4102 of the Public
Resources Code, and land classified as very high fire hazard
severity zones, as defined in Section 51177. This review shall
consider the advice included in the Office of Planning and
Research’s most recent publication of “Fire Hazard Planning,
General Technical Advice Series” and shall also include all of the
following:

(A) Information regarding fire hazards, including, but not limited
to, all of the following:

(i) Fire hazard severity zone maps available from the Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection.

(ii)  Any historical data on wildfires available from local
agencies or a reference to where the data can be found.

(iii) Information about wildfire hazard areas that may be
available from the United States Geological Survey.

(iv) General location and distribution of existing and planned
uses of land in very high fire hazard severity zones and in state
responsibility areas, including structures, roads, utilities, and
essential public facilities. The location and distribution of planned
uses of land shall not require defensible space compliance measures
required by state law or local ordinance to occur on publicly owned
lands or open space designations of homeowner associations.

(v) Local, state, and federal agencies with responsibility for fire
protection, including special districts and local offices of
emergency services.

(B) A set of goals, policies, and objectives based on the
information identified pursuant to subparagraph (A) for the
protection of the community from the unreasonable risk of wildfire.

(C) A set of feasible implementation measures designed to carry
out the goals, policies, and objectives based on the information
identified pursuant to subparagraph (B) including, but not limited
to, all of the following:

(i) Avoiding or minimizing the wildfire hazards associated with
new uses of land.

(ii) Locating, when feasible, new essential public facilities
outside of high fire risk areas, including, but not limited to,
hospitals and health care facilities, emergency shelters, emergency
command centers, and emergency communications facilities, or
identifying construction methods or other methods to minimize
damage if these facilities are located in a state responsibility area
or very high fire hazard severity zone.

(iii) Designing adequate infrastructure if a new development is
located in a state responsibility area or in a very high fire hazard
severity zone, including safe access for emergency response
vehicles, visible street signs, and water supplies for structural fire
suppression.

(iv) Working cooperatively with public agencies with
responsibility for fire protection.

(D) If a city or county has adopted a fire safety plan or document
separate from the general plan, an attachment of, or reference to,
a city or county’s adopted fire safety plan or document that fulfills
commensurate goals and objectives and contains information
required pursuant to this paragraph.

begin insert

(4) Upon the next revision of the housing element on or after
January 1, 2017, the safety element shall be reviewed and updated
as necessary to address climate adaptation and resiliency strategies
applicable to the city or county. This review shall consider advice
provided in the Office of Planning and Research’s most recent
General Plan Guidelines and shall include all of the following:

end insert begin insert

(A) The most current information available regarding climate
change adaptation and resiliency, as appropriate.

end insert begin insert

(B) A set of goals, policies, and objectives based on the
information identified pursuant to subparagraph (A) for the
protection of the community.

end insert begin insert

(C) A set of feasible implementation measures designed to carry
out the goals, policies, and objectives identified pursuant to
subparagraph (B) including, but not limited to, all of the following:

end insert begin insert

(i) Methods to avoid or minimize climate change impacts
associated with new uses of land.

end insert begin insert

(ii) An identification of high-risk areas within the city or county.

end insert begin insert

(iii) The relocation, when feasible, of new essential public
facilities outside of high-risk areas, including, but not limited to,
hospitals and health care facilities, emergency shelters, emergency
command centers, and emergency communications facilities, or
identifying construction methods or other methods to minimize
damage if these facilities are located in high-risk areas.

end insert begin insert

(iv) The designation of adequate infrastructure if a new
development is located in a high-risk area, including, but not
limited to, safe access for emergency response vehicles.

end insert begin insert

(v) Guidelines for working cooperatively with relevant local,
state, and federal agencies.

end insert begin insert

(D) If a city or county has adopted a plan or document separate
from the general plan, an attachment of, or reference to, the plan
or document that fulfills commensurate goals and objectives and
contains information required pursuant to this paragraph.

end insert begin delete

(4)

end delete

begin insert (5) end insert  After the initial revision of the safety element pursuant to
paragraphs begin delete (2) and end delete begin insert (2), end insert (3), begin insert and (4) end insert upon each revision of the
housing element, the planning agency shall review and, if
necessary, revise the safety element to identify new information
that was not available during the previous revision of the safety
element.

begin delete

(5)

end delete

begin insert (6) end insert  Cities and counties that have flood plain management
ordinances that have been approved by FEMA that substantially
comply with this section, or have substantially equivalent
provisions to this subdivision in their general plans, may use that
information in the safety element to comply with this subdivision,
and shall summarize and incorporate by reference into the safety
element the other general plan provisions or the flood plain
ordinance, specifically showing how each requirement of this
subdivision has been met.

begin delete

(6)

end delete

begin insert (7) end insert  Prior to the periodic review of its general plan and prior to
preparing or revising its safety element, each city and county shall
consult the California Geological Survey of the Department of
Conservation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, if the
city or county is located within the boundaries of the Sacramento
and San Joaquin Drainage District, as set forth in Section 8501 of
the Water Code, and the Office of Emergency Services for the
purpose of including information known by and available to the
department, the agency, and the board required by this subdivision.

begin delete

(7)

end delete

begin insert (8) end insert  To the extent that a county’s safety element is sufficiently
detailed and contains appropriate policies and programs for
adoption by a city, a city may adopt that portion of the county’s
safety element that pertains to the city’s planning area in
satisfaction of the requirement imposed by this subdivision.

SEC. 2.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service
charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or
level of service mandated by this act, within the meaning of Section
17556 of the Government Code.