California Air Resources Board

Summary

Would have enacted the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation, Clean Energy, and Workforce Development Bond Act of 2024, which, if approved by the voters, would have authorized the issuance of bonds in the amount of $15,995,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance projects for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparation, flood protection, extreme heat mitigation, clean energy, and workforce development programs. Was not heard in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

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Summary 

Requires CEC to create an incentive program that provides grants to facilitate electric vehicle sharing services operated at affordable multifamily housing properties. The bill limits grantees to non-profits, public agencies/local governments, and air districts. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

This bill requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to provide rebates, via the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) for zero-emission pickup trucks and requires CARB to ensure that the rebate provided is $2500 more than rebates provided for other fuel cell or battery electric vehicles. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Imposes an additional annual $4 charge on each motor vehicle registered in the state and requires Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to collect the charge and deposit revenues from the charge in the Air Quality Improvement Fee Fund, which the bill would create. The bill would continuously appropriate the revenues in the fund to the DMV for distribution upon request to air pollution control districts and air quality management districts based upon the amount of the charges collected from motor vehicles registered within each air district, thereby creating an appropriation. The bill would require these revenues to be used for the reduction of air pollution from motor vehicles and for related planning, monitoring, enforcement, and technical studies, as specified, or for the attainment or maintenance of state or federal ambient air quality standards or the reduction of toxic air contaminant emissions from motor vehicles. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Requires CARB to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, ensure that beginning January 1, 2025, an additional incentive is awarded under any light-duty ZEV incentive program to program participants who qualify as a gasoline or diesel superuser, as determined by CARB. Additionally, the bill requires CARB, on or before January 1, 2025, to develop and implement a strategy for doing all of the following: (1) Identifying the drivers who use the most gasoline or diesel and are low income or moderate income; (2) Expediting the replacement of gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles of these drivers; (3) Identifying barriers that prevent gasoline or diesel superusers from accessing ZEV incentive programs; (4) Developing outreach protocols. The bill also requires CARB to produce a biennial report beginning on January 1, 2025 which includes: (1) gasoline or diesel emissions reduced per dollar spent on ZEV programs; (2) impacts of ZEV incentive program spending in terms of quantifiable emissions reductions and transportation savings among low- to moderate-income individuals; (3) changes in annual gasoline and diesel use at local levels by census tract or ZIP Code. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

This bill would have required CARB to exempt agricultural vehicles and specialty agricultural vehicles that do not exceed 10,000 miles of operation annually from any regulation to reduce emissions of diesel particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, and other criteria air pollutants from in-use, diesel-fueled vehicles.The bill would also have prohibited CARB from adopting any regulation that requires an off-road agricultural vehicle or piece of equipment to satisfy any zero-emission requirement.Was amended to deal with the Drought Relief Grant Program.

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Summary 

This bill requires the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) to create high road evaluation metrics and provide technical assistance to state agencies in their high road reporting requirements. Requires, by January 1, 2025, specified state agencies, including the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to enter into Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the CWDB to incorporate high road evaluation metrics in the state agency’s procurement processes, contracts, and incentive programs. The bill also requires the MOUs to include advice and recommendations from CWDB to ensure state agency policies and regulated programs create or support high-quality jobs in the broadband, energy, resources, and transportation sectors and expand access to those jobs for priority populations through high-quality education and training.

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Governor’s Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 822 without my signature.

This bill creates the lnteragency High Road Act and requires the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the California Workforce Development Board [CWDB) to consult with stakeholders, including public input, on the development and evaluation of high road metrics. It also requires certain state agencies to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the CWDB to incorporate high road evaluation metrics in the state agency's procurement processes, contracts, and incentive programs.

I strongly support efforts to maximize state and federal funding opportunities while delivering high quality jobs that increase opportunity for all communities and decrease disparities in historically disadvantaged areas. To further this work, I issued an Executive Order to accelerate clean infrastructure projects with an all-of-government strategy for planning and development and tracking progress toward equity goals that support disadvantaged communities - including good jobs. California's Infrastructure Strike Team is also driving collaboration across state agencies - including in the area of workforce training and development. Additionally, the Department of General Services and the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development are supporting implementation of AB 2019 (2022), to advance equitable inclusion and utilization of small and diverse businesses in California's state procurement and contracting opportunities.

Additionally, I have signed several bills that ensure public contracting dollars are also investing in human infrastructure, including SB 150 that requires the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Government Operations Agency, and the State Transportation Agency to convene relevant stakeholders and draft recommendations to ensure that investments maximize benefits to marginalized and disadvantaged communities. The recommendations are due by March 30, 2024.

It is advisable to allow time for those policies to be implemented before adding more requirements that may duplicate efforts.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

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Summary 

Would have required CARB to establish the Zero-Emission Aftermarket Conversion Project (ZACP) to provide an applicant with a rebate for the aftermarket conversion of a motor vehicle into a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV). This bill also requires, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or at the discretion of CARB, to fund the program using funds available from a clean transportation program that is in effect on or after the date CARB establishes ZACP. Placed on the Assembly Inactive File.

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Summary 

Would have extended fee authority for both CARB's Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) and the California Energy Commission's (CEC) Clean Transportation Program. The bill also would have made programmatic changes, including providing direction that AQIP projects should focus on the deployment of zero-emission fuel and vehicle technologies and that the primary purpose of the program is to fund projects to reduce criteria air pollutants in the logistics, trucking, and port sectors, improve air quality in nonattainment basins, and improve the air quality impacts of zero-emission transportation fuels and vehicles, vessels, and equipment technologies. Moved to Senate Inactive File.

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Summary 

This bill requires CARB to authorize public agency utilities to purchase replacements for traditional utility-specialized vehicles that are at the end of life, as determined by CARB in consultation with public agency utilities, when needed to maintain reliable service and respond to major foreseeable events, including, but not limited to, severe weather, wildfires, natural disasters, and physical attacks, without regard to the model year of the vehicle being replaced. The bill also states that in determining the daily usage of a medium- or heavy-duty vehicle, a public agency utility may provide comprehensive usage data for a class of vehicles that does not exclusively rely on the lowest mileage reading and does not exclude the highest usage days.

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