California Air Resources Board

Summary

Would have established a Racial Equity Commission, appointed by the Governor and Legislature, to develop a racial equity framework based on existing research, in consultation with specified public and private stakeholders, and perform other outreach, engagement, and assessment tasks to improve equity in State government. Moved to the Assembly Inactive file.

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Summary

Would have established fire hazard planning responsibilities for local governments and required cities and counties to make specified findings on fire standards prior to permitting residential development in a very high fire hazard severity zone. Also, would have established a grant program to provide funding to small jurisdictions that contain very high fire risk areas for wildfire risk reduction planning activities, to be administered by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Was not heard in the Assembly Housing and Community Development

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Summary

Would have required CARB by December 31, 2025, to include in the SB 901 report, which assesses GHG emissions associated with wildfire and forest management activities, a methodology to quantify GHG and short-lived climate pollutant emissions, including black carbon from wildfire, pile burning, and forest management activities and a list of the data needed to use the methodology. This bill would have also established a Forest Waste Biomass Utilization Program to be administered by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation, would have required the California Natural Resources Agency to facilitate the inclusion of recommendations for forest biomass waste utilization in relevant State climate adaptation plans, and would have required the California Energy Commission to report on innovative bioenergy technologies that utilize forest biomass waste. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required CARB to prepare an assessment, as specified, through a research contract, that quantifies the reduction in GHG emissions, measured in MMCO2e, resulting from work-from-home options offered by employers in the State as compared to overall statewide GHG emission reductions the same year. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required the establishment a State natural carbon sequestration goal in California of at least 60,000,000 MTCO2e annually by 2030, and 75,000,000 MTCO2e annually by 2035 and would have also required on December 31, 2025, and every year thereafter, CNRA and CARB to submit a progress report to the Legislature. Held on suspense in Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have allowed the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to authorize blue carbon demonstration projects to demonstrate and quantify the carbon sequestration potential of these projects to help inform the State’s natural and working lands and climate resilience strategies and would have required the CCC to consult with CARB and other entities when developing the blue carbon demonstration project program. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have added “climate change” to the definition of the term “disaster” for the purposes of the California Disaster Assistance Act, and would have specified that mitigation measures for climate change and disasters related to climate may include measures that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and investments in natural infrastructure, as specified.Moved to the Senate Inactive File.

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Summary

Would have required a minimum of 40percent of funds received by the State as part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to be allocated to projects with direct benefits to disadvantaged communities and an additional 10 percent to be allocated for projects that provide benefits to low-income communities. It would have also established the Justice40 Advisory Committee to provide a recommendation for projects to fund under these requirements. Held on suspense in Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required projects and programs included in each Regional Transportation Improvement Program also be consistent with the most recently prepared applicable Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) and State and federal air quality standards. This bill also would have prohibited funds from local transportation tax measures passed after 2023 from being spent until the proposed transportation projects were included in the most recently adopted SCS, and would have prohibited State funds from being used for a project that increased single-occupancy vehicle capacity, unless the project was included in an adopted SCS and provided sufficient enforceable mitigation to ensure that it would not increase the emissions of greenhouse gases and the metropolitan planning organization found that the project helps advance other regional goals. Was not heard in the Senate Committee on Transportation.

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Summary

Would have imposed specified existing public school prohibitions and requirements, which are related to environmental conditions that must be considered before selecting a school site, on the selection of private and charter school sites. Held on suspense in Senate Appropriations Committee.

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