Two resources and resilience-focused general obligation bonds
have been re-introduced following the tabling of similar measures
in 2020. A comparison of the two measures is available
here. SB
45 (Portantino), the Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking
Water, Drought Preparation, and Flood Protection Bond Act of
2022, is a $5.51 billion bond mirroring SB 45 (Allen) from 2020.
Senator Allen is a co-author of the current SB 45, which focuses
on disaster preparedness with the largest funding pots going
towards wildfire and disaster preparedness ($1.5 billion) and
water and flood control ($1.47 billion). The bond also provides
nearly $1 billion for coastal resilience and sea level rise, and
adds $635 million for regional climate resilience, urban heat
islands, and community resilience.
AB 1500 (E. Garcia and Mullin), the Safe Drinking Water,
Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection,
Extreme Heat Mitigation, and Workforce Development Bond Act of
2022 is a $6.7 billion bond. Funding pots include $1.1 billion
focused on wildfire and disaster resilience, $1.65 billion for
water and flood control, and $1.15 billion for coastal resilience
and sea level rise. AB 1500 goes further to provide $670 million
for parks, park districts and open space. Included in the $1.3
billion regional resilience pot is a dedicated $60 million for
evacuation improvements at fairgrounds, a CSAC 2021 priority. AB
1500 also differs from SB 45 by providing $850 million within its
urban and community resilience pot for regional projects and
planning, including through local climate networks. This funding
program has not yet been fully defined and will likely be
developed in other companion legislation.
The two measures are moving through the legislative process
quickly with SB 45 passing out of the Senate Natural Resources
and Water Committee by a vote of 7-2. SB 45 now heads to the
Senate Governance and Finance Committee before queuing up in
Senate Appropriations Committee later this spring. AB 1500 will
be heard by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee
followed by the Assembly Natural Resources Committees before it
moves to Appropriations. The author anticipates some amendments
during this time and has met with CSAC and other local government
representatives to get feedback on the bill and its impacts to
our county governments.
CSAC continues to focus on funding and response for disasters and
rebuilding local communities. Given the increasing frequency of
these climate-related disasters, CSAC has made disaster
preparedness and resiliency issues a top priority and will be
following these two bonds closely. For more information, contact
Catherine Freeman, CSAC Legislative Representative at cfreeman@counties.org.
