SB 1294, as introduced, Pavley. The California Community Climate, Drought, and Jobs Resiliency Act.
Existing law establishes the California Conservation Corps in the Natural Resources Agency as a service organization providing employment and training for young men and women. Existing law authorizes the Director of the California Conservation Corps, implementing the corps program, to recruit and employ corpsmembers and to adopt criteria for employment in the program.
This bill would require the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to award grants to local conservation corps certified by the California Conservation Corps for projects that improve the climate and drought resiliency of urban canopies, community landscaping, and urban greening efforts through the use of various water conservation methods, including the application of compost and mulch. The project would require the department to consider certain factors in selecting a project for a grant, and would require the department to give priority to projects that would aid urban canopies at the greatest risk from drought. The bill would require a project that receives a grant to leverage state and local funds. The bill would authorize the department, in coordination with local water agencies, to develop a pilot program to study the use of compost in landscaping to assist local water agencies in increasing groundwater supply and reducing evaporation.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 42200) is
2added to Part 3 of Division 30 of the Public Resources Code, to
3read:
4
(a) The department shall award grants to local
9conservation corps certified by the California Conservation Corps
10for projects that improve the climate and drought resiliency of
11urban canopies, community landscaping, and urban greening efforts
12through the use of various water conservation methods, including
13the application of compost and mulch.
14(b) The department, in selecting a project for a grant pursuant
15to subdivision (a), shall consider the extent to which the project
16would employ at-risk youth, save existing climate-beneficial green
17spaces, save water, beautify low-income communities, use compost
18and mulch, increase onsite stormwater infiltration and groundwater
19recharge, and build healthy, biologically active soil able to
20sequester carbon
and support healthy plants.
21(c) Projects eligible for grants pursuant to subdivision (a)
22include, but are not limited to, the following:
23(1) Projects that use local water sources as the water supply for
24urban canopies.
25(2) Landscaping projects that benefit the climate and use water
26sustainably.
27(3) Projects that develop, transport, and apply compost and
28mulch for purposes of improving tree and plant health, increasing
29groundwater supply, and reducing evaporation.
30(d) A project that receives a grant pursuant to subdivision (a)
31shall leverage state and local funds.
32(e) In awarding grants pursuant to subdivision (a), the
33department shall give priority to projects that would aid urban
34canopies at the greatest risk from drought.
The department, in coordination with local water
2agencies, may develop a pilot program to study the use of compost
3in landscaping to assist local water agencies in increasing
4groundwater supply and reducing evaporation.
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