California Air Resources Board

Summary

Would have required each five-year update to the California Transportation Plan (CTP) and the Strategic Growth Council’s report on the CTP and Sustainable Communities Strategies to include a forecast of the impacts of climate change on transportation infrastructure and measures to address those impacts, among other provisions.  Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

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Summary

Would have required each Sustainable Communities Strategy to identify areas within the region sufficient to house an eight-year projection of the emergency shelter needs for the region, as specified.  Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation or Natural Resources Committees.

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Summary

Reiterates that Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), in the development of a Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS), are allowed to conduct meetings with the public through electronic means if a call-in telephonic option is also provided and the informational meeting is not required to be conducted pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5).  This bill removes the requirement for MPOs to present an urban simulation model of an SCS at a public workshop.  The provisions of the bill sunset on January 1, 2023, at which point statute reverts to current law with minor nonsubstantive changes. 

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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 statutory changes to the fiscal year 2020-21 budget package to implement actions related to transportation.  Of interest to CARB, the budget trailer bill would have appropriated $1.7 million from the Air Pollution Control Fund to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to develop an interface system for the DMV’s vehicle registration system to communicate with CARB’s compliance database.  The budget trailer bill also would have required the State Controller to allocate Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) funding for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 fiscal years to recipient transit agencies based on transit operator ratios.  LCTOP receives a continuous appropriation from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.  Was not heard in the Assembly Budget Committee.

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Summary

Makes statutory changes to the fiscal year 2020-21 budget package to implement actions related to transportation.  Of interest to CARB, the budget trailer bill appropriates $1.7 million from the Air Pollution Control Fund to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to develop an interface system for the DMV’s vehicle registration system to communicate with CARB’s compliance database.  The budget trailer bill also requires the State Controller to allocate Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) funding for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 fiscal years to recipient transit agencies based on transit operator ratios.  LCTOP receives a continuous appropriation from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. 

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