California Air Resources Board

Summary

Would have extended, to January 1, 2023, provisions requiring the Department of Motor Vehicles to coordinate with CARB, the California Department of Tax and Fee Authority, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery on enforcement and compliance activity related to unlicensed and unregulated automobile dismantling, including resulting tax evasion, environmental impacts, and public health impacts.  Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required CARB to make changes to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, including increasing the rebate payments by $500 for low-income applicants and increasing electric range requirement for plug-in hybrids to a minimum of 40 miles.  The bill also would have required CARB to consider, through a public process, changing Clean Vehicle Rebate Project’s eligibility requirements to increase the number of rebates provided to people who qualify as low-income, or who live in low-income communities disadvantaged communities, or an air basin that is designated as being in nonattainment for any criteria air pollutant.  Was not heard in Senate Transportation Committee.

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Summary

Would have required State agencies to establish policies by January 1, 2022, that would have provided for the reduction or waiver of civil penalties for a violation of a regulatory or statutory requirements by a small business under certain circumstances, as specified in the bill.  This bill also would have required State agencies to post an annual report on their website concerning application of the policy, and would have established notice requirements concerning the policy and annual report.  Was not heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have exempted emergency vehicles used by a community college, police academy, fire academy, or similar facility, solely for the training of emergency response personnel from motor vehicle pollution control regulations.  Was not heard in the Senate Transportation Committee.

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Summary

Would have amended State law to enhance fire prevention efforts by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) through improving vegetation management and home hardening, expanding the area where fire safety building standards apply, and increasing the eligible activities under CAL FIRE’s local assistance grant program.  This bill would have required CAL FIRE, in consultation with CARB and the California Forest Management Task Force, to report specified outcomes of the funds spent on healthy forest and fire prevention programs and projects to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2022.  Was not heard on the Assembly Floor.

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Summary

Would have established a new registration and identification program for off-highway vehicles (OHV) that are model year 2022 or newer and used in competition.  The bill would have imposed fees for the issuance or renewal of competition identification stickers and would have required certain competition OHVs to have a competition sticker to operate on public lands.  This bill would have required OHV riders to possess a current and valid competition card from a competition-sanctioning organization when practicing for a competition event on public lands.  Additionally, this bill would have required CARB, in consultation with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), to adopt a regulation by January 1, 2023, that would have provided the requirements for when competition OHVs were allowed to operate on public lands to practice for sanctioned competition events.  This regulation would have sunsetted on July 1, 2026.  Lastly, the bill would have required DPR, in collaboration with CARB and the Department of Motor Vehicles, to submit a report to the Legislature, by March 1, 2025, containing certain information regarding OHVs.  Was not heard on Senate Concurrence.

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Summary

Would have made appropriations to support CARB activities and programs from various funds.  This bill also would have made re-appropriations for the purposes of extending encumbrance, expenditure, and liquidation dates for certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund appropriations, including those to CARB.  Was not heard by the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.

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Summary

Would have, among other provisions, increased local planning requirements and guidelines for permitting development in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and directed local governments to develop retrofit strategies for structures in their communities that need fire hardening.  The bill would have also established a grant program for small jurisdictions, as defined, that contain very high fire risk areas.  Administered by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, this grant program would have funded wildfire risk reduction planning activities.  This bill would have required CARB to compile the greenhouse gas quantification data for the grant program if the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was identified as the funding source for the program.

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Governor’s Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 182 without my signature.

This bill would impose certain fire hazard planning responsibilities on local governments and would require cities and counties to make specified findings on fire standards prior to permitting development in the very high fire hazard severity zone.

I strongly support strengthening land use planning requirements in order to better protect our communities from wildfire.  The importance of reducing the number and impact of fires in our communities cannot be overstated.  However, this bill creates inconsistencies, duplicates existing requirements, creates a loophole for regions to not comply with their housing requirements, fails to account for consequences that could increase sprawl and places significant cost burdens on the state.

New state laws and policies are already directing housing to communities near transit, jobs and urban centers and away from fire risk areas, including integration into the current housing planning cycle.  Additionally, the 2019-20 Budget requires the California Department of Housing and Community Development, in collaboration with the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, to develop recommendations to improve the regional housing need allocation process to promote and streamline housing development to address California's housing shortage.

Wildfire resilience must become a more consistent part of land use and development decisions.  However, it must be done while meeting our housing needs.

For these reasons, I am returning Senate Bill 182 without my signature.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

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Summary

Would have made appropriations to support CARB activities and programs from various funds.  This bill also would have made re-appropriations for the purposes of extending encumbrance, expenditure, and liquidation dates for certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund appropriations, including those to CARB.  Was not heard in the Assembly Budget Committee.

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Summary

Contains the appropriations that support State government for fiscal year 2020-21.  Of interest to CARB, the bill makes re-appropriations for the purposes of extending encumbrance, expenditure, and liquidation dates for certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund appropriations.

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