California Air Resources Board

Summary

Establishes the Salton Sea Conservancy (Conservancy) within the California Natural Resources Agency to operate, maintain, and manage projects that are planned and built under the authority of the Salton Sea Management Program to fulfill the State's obligations under the State Water Resources Control Board Order WR 2017-0134. The bill creates a board of directors to govern the Conservancy and adds CARB as one of seven nonvoting ex officio members. Operation of the statute established by SB 583 is contingent upon passage by the voters of the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 at the November 2024 State election.

View full bill text here

Governor’s Signing Message

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am signing Senate Bill 583, which creates the Salton Sea Conservancy within the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) to operate, maintain, and manage projects that are planned or built under the authority of the Salton Sea Management Program.

The Salton Sea Management Program is committed to building 30,000 acres of habitat and dust suppression projects around the Salton Sea to improve air quality and provide critical environmental habitat for birds along the Pacific Flyway. As the first projects are near completion, the state will need to transition to the operation and maintenance of completed projects. This bill will centralize the operation and maintenance of these projects in a new, mission-focused conservancy, led by the state, with extensive local community involvement and partnership. Importantly, enactment of this bill is contingent upon passage by the voters of the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, placed on the November 2024 ballot.

I support this approach, which balances the creation of a new, mission-focused conservancy with viable and stable funding sources. In signing this bill, I expect that this conservancy will remain focused on fulfilling its primary objective - operation, maintenance, and management of Salton Sea restoration projects - without placing undue pressure on the state's General Fund.

Sincerely,
Gavin Newsom

View Governor’s signing message here

Summary

Allows local air districts, in support of Tribal sovereignty, to enter into written agreements with federally recognized California Native American Tribes to allow cultural burning in their ancestral territories without undergoing the permitting, regulatory, or administrative requirements for prescribed burning. In the event of a disagreement between a local air district and a tribe in developing or implementing an agreement, the Secretary for Environmental Protection must assist in resolving the disagreement. The bill authorizes the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to enter into written agreements with federally recognized California Native American tribes in support of tribal sovereignty with respect to cultural burning in their ancestral territories. The Secretary may agree in the written agreement that compliance with specified permitting or regulatory requirements is not required.

View full bill text here

Summary

Urges the United States Congress and President Biden to: 1) fully fund the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution for the Tijuana River due to the ongoing impacts to public health, the environment, and the local economy caused by cross-border pollution, and 2) include sufficient ongoing operation and maintenance funding for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in future federal budgets and provide funding to address ongoing cross-border pollution impacting the New River. The measure also urges President Biden to declare a national emergency due to the ongoing impacts caused by cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley..

View full bill text here

Summary

Prohibits, under the Public Records Act, a public agency from publicly posting both the name and assessor parcel number associated with the home address of any elected or appointed official on the internet without first obtaining the written permission of that official. However, the bill does not prohibit a State or local agency from publicly posting a legally required notice or publication of an

elected or appointed official on the internet.

View full bill text here

Summary

Allows specified civil penalties, such as for strict liability, negligence, and willful and intentional violations, to be multiplied by a factor of not more than three under the following conditions:  (1) the emission is from a source regulated under Title V of the federal Clean Air Act, and (2) the emission contains one or more air contaminants, as identified by CARB as a toxic air contaminant, and as defined as a “air contaminant” or “air pollutant,” or a pollutant that has a California ambient air quality standard, as specified. The bill directs the court or the local air district when assessing penalties to consider health impacts, community disruptions, the timeliness and accuracy of the notifications from the violator, and other circumstances related to the violation.

View full bill text here

Summary

Requires the Secretary of Transportation to coordinate between stakeholders and provide guidance and recommendations to ensure the performance of the LOSSAN Rail Corridor, the 351-mile rail line running between San Luis Obispo and San Diego. Additionally, the Transportation Secretary must: 1) develop a report  with assistance from the Secretary of Environmental Protection and Secretary for  Natural Resources and submit a report to the Legislature, no later than two years after appropriation by the Legislature for purposes of the report, about capital improvement projects, resiliency improvement projects, zero-emission infrastructure, and other recommendations, 2) convene a working group of stakeholders to submit consensus recommendations and feedback on or before February 1, 2026, on various topics relating to rail service in the corridor and 3) work with rail operations stakeholders to submit a report to the Legislature on the performance of the corridor no later than three years after an appropriation by the Legislature and biennially thereafter.

View full bill text here

Summary

Removes the statutorily established caps in the Pilot Boat Surcharge Account established by AB 2056 (Grayson, Chapter 769, Statutes of 2022) to allow the San Francisco Bar Pilots to access more funds dedicated to the purchase of new pilot boats and providing design and engineering modifications for the purpose of extending the service life of existing pilot boats.

View full bill text here

Summary

Extends the deadline for implementation of various health, safety, and environmental requirements for oil or gas production facilities or wells with a wellhead within a health protection zone.

View full bill text here

Summary

Amends the Budget Act of 2024 and includes appropriations for implementation of Senate Bill 1137 (Gonzalez, Chapter 365, Statutes of 2022).

View full bill text here

Summary

Includes provisions for how moneys appropriated from Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund are to be expended.

View full bill text here