County stakeholders are invited to a workshop to participate in
the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s development of the
enabling regulations to modernize California’s defensible space
codes. Specifically, AB 3074 (2020) directed the Board to
establish a 0-5 foot “ember resistant” zone around structures
adding to the existing two-zone defensible space system that
requires fuel and vegetation management out to 100 feet from the
structure.
The Forest Service just
announced that it will be distributing $238 million to
counties under the Secure Rural Schools program, with
California’s counties set to receive nearly $30 million from that
pot (up from almost $25 million last year). The program was
reauthorized for two years as part of the bipartisan
infrastructure law.
The AENR Committee was pleased to have Senator Bill Dodd kick off
our AENR Committee meeting. Senator Dodd has been active in the
wildfire, insurance and regional planning areas for the past
several years. The Senator focused his presentation on his work
to establish voluntary regional funding mechanisms to support
climate adaptation work and dedicating a funding stream to
provide insurance for prescribed and cultural fire preservation.=
Over the past 18 months, CSAC has participated in the development
of a needs assessment for stream gaging across the state.
Counties have a direct interest in how we monitor water in the
state, from drought to new challenges in flood management and
quarter quality across regions. The Technical Advisory Committee
made its recommendations to the state agencies who have begin the
formal review process. We encourage counties to participate in
this public process.
Last week, Governor Newsom issued
Executive Order N-7-22 to address California’s worsening
drought conditions. The Order includes new well permitting
requirements for local agencies, and the Department of Water
Resources (DWR) has released a
new fact sheet to assist in implementation.
CSAC is seeking feedback from counties on two bills in the
agriculture, environment, and natural resources portfolio. Please
send your feedback to Catherine Freeman (cfreeman@counties.org) and Ada
Waelder (awaelder@counties.org) by
April 8, 2022.
On March 28, 2022, the Governor issued
Executive Order N-7-22 which directs new state and local
efforts related to the ongoing drought. The Governor has called
on local water suppliers to move to Level 2 of their Water
Shortage Contingency Plans, which require locally-appropriate
actions that will conserve water across all sectors. In most
cases, Level 2 requires 10-20 percent conservation within a
district though local discretion is allowed.
The deadline for the Legislature to introduce new bills has
passed and it is a banner year for cannabis legislation. Over the
next several months CSAC will continue to keep counties apprised
as cannabis legislation moves through the legislative process.
For now, CSAC is seeking feedback on the following measures:
As we enter another year of dry conditions, CSAC is working on
behalf of counties to bring a unified voice to water
discussions—from groundwater policy dialogue to watershed
networks to updating the California Water Plan. Here are
some useful tools the state has unveiled to help local
communities keep abreast of water conditions at the local,
regional, and state levels. For more information, please contact
Catherine Freeman at cfreeman@counties.org.
The Legislature is in full swing following February’s bill
introduction deadline. While many bills are still being amended,
below are a few items in the agriculture, environment, and
natural resources portfolio that are of particular interest to
counties. In addition are several bills that CSAC would greatly
appreciate county feedback on.
Last week, the Department of Cannabis Control released proposed
changes to current regulations. The release of the text on
March 4 marked the start of a 45 day public comment period. The
substantial changes would affect all parts of the cannabis
industry including cultivation, distribution, manufacturing, and
retail, and are intended to streamline and simplify regulations.
In addition, it would make permanent several emergency
regulations that are slated to expire.
The California Department of Conservation (DOC) will host
workshops to inform how $50 million in funding should be
allocated for forest biomass projects that generate
carbon-negative hydrogen and/or liquid fuel within the Sierra
Nevada. This will be a competitive grant process. There will be
two online Request for Information (RFI) workshops in April:
The State Water Resources Control Board has funding
available to provide relief to wastewater agencies and
wastewater billing entities for unpaid customer debt accrued
during the Pandemic. The California Water and
Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program covers residential
and commercial customer debt accrued March
4, 2020 through June 15, 2021. Cities, counties,
and special districts that bill for
wastewater are encouraged to apply. Wastewater
treatment providers that bill customers directly can also apply.
On February 15, 2022, the Assembly Local Government and Assembly
Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committees held a
joint hearing titled: “What’s Up Down Below? An Update on
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).” The hearing
covered a variety of SGMA-related topics and included a
panel titled “SGMA on-the-ground: Local agency perspective on
governance and implementation,” which highlighted county
experiences.
This week, the Newsom Administration released their draft of a
statewide
Extreme Heat Action Plan, aimed at better protecting
communities during high heat events.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are hosting two Waters of
the United States (WOTUS) webinars specifically for state and
local officials and association staff. The webinars will take
place on Monday, January 24, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. –
12:00 p.m. and on Thursday, January 27, 2022
from 7:00 – 10:00 a.m.
The
SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program application is now
open! Applications are due by February 1,
2022. This one-time, non-competitive grant program will
provide $57 million to assist local governments in the
implementation of SB 1383 requirements for organic waste
diversion. Funding is available to cities, counties, cities and
counties, Regional or Joint Powers Authorities, and special
districts directly responsible for solid waste collection
services.
This week, the rulemaking on State Minimum Fire Safe Regulations
opened for a
15-day public comment period following revisions to the draft
rule text. The comment period ends Wednesday, January 19,
2022 at 5:00 p.m.
Governor Newsom met the October 10 deadline to take action on
measures approved by the Legislature and delivered to his desk.
To keep counties informed of new laws that impact them, CSAC will
be publishing a series of articles to spotlight those laws in
each policy area. This week, the Agriculture, Environment and
Natural Resources policy area provides information on new laws
affecting drought, wildfire and waste management and hazardous
waste.
The new laws listed below become effective January 1, 2022 unless
otherwise noted.
The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is seeking
applicants for the
Cannabis Advisory Committee (CAC) who reflect the
diversity of California and the communities impacted by
commercial cannabis ac
CalRecycle is seeking public comment on their
proposed criteria for their SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant
Program for 2021-22. A total of $60 million will be made
available to local governments for a wide variety of eligible
activities including collection, education and outreach, edible
food recovery, capacity planning, procurement, record keeping,
and enforcement. This is a non-competitive grant opportunity.
The CA Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) has
announced the 2021
Notice of Funding Opportunity for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program (HMGP).
This week, the state released a
proposed regulation that would prohibit the construction of
new oil and gas wells and facilities within a 3,200-foot setback
from homes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and other
sensitive locations. The proposed regulation, set forth by the
Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division
(CalGEM), would also require pollution controls for existing
wells and facilities within the same 3,200-foot setback area.
The Governor announced this week that additional counties would
be added to the drought
State of Emergency, which officially places all 58 California
counties under drought emergency. The new counties include Los
Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San
Francisco, and Ventura.
Sunday, October 10 was the deadline for final bill action by
Governor Newsom. Following is an update on major bills of
interest or concern for the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural
Resources policy area that were among the 800+ bills awaiting
action by Governor Gavin Newsom. For additional questions,
please contact Catherine
Freeman or Ada
Waelder.
October 12 Update- This event has been postponed to early
2022.
September 30, 2021
State, federal, and local emergency managers, and policymakers
are invited to join Cal OES on November 3, 2021,
for a Zoom conference to discuss the current status of hazard
mitigation policy and action in California, and the critical next
steps needed to ensure a safer future for all of
California.
The State has announced its second and third round of funding
commitments for $28 million in drought funding through the Small
Community Drought Relief program. This comes after the Department
of Water Resources allocated its
first round of funding last month.
Both chambers of the Legislature adjourned before 9 p.m. last
Friday night, bringing an end to the 2021 session. Following
is an update on major bills of interest or concern for
the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural
Resources policy area that are now among the 800+ bills
awaiting action by Governor Gavin Newsom. CSAC staff will
continue to monitor and advocate for County
priorities during the signing period, which ends October 10,
2021.
Following a canceled wildfire budget hearing, the Legislative
Analyst’s Office (LAO) released a document that provides
updated information on recent wildfire resilience-related budget
actions. The document provides an update on the administration’s
progress thus far towards committing the funding provided in
the April
2021 Wildfire and Forest Resilience Early Action
Package to specific projects and activities. Key
findings include:
The California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) is extending the deadline
for the CFSC County Coordinators Grant Application by one month,
until Thursday, September 30 at 11:59 p.m.
to help accommodate counties currently struggling with the
impacts of this season’s wildfires. Even with the extension, the
CFSC is making every effort to keep the grant process on track
and provide prompt payment. The grant activity period is
anticipated to begin November 1.
The Legislature has just two short weeks left to finish their
business and dispense with any bills that remain active.
Yesterday, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees took a
major step in that direction by hearing bills held in their
suspense file, including several bills that the CSAC Agriculture,
Environment, and Natural Resources team have been tracking
closely. Below is a recap of some of the most pressing bills in
the AENR realm.
This week, California secured a Presidential Major Disaster
Declaration for the Dixie and River fires, currently burning in
Lassen, Nevada, Placer, and Plumas counties. A Presidential Major
Disaster Declaration opens the door for a wide range of federal
assistance programs to assist state and local governments in
responding to and recovering from natural disasters.
In response to a request from CSAC and local government partners,
the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and
Department of Water Resources (DWR) are hosting a webinar to
increase awareness of available funding for emergency
drought response.
Chief Randy Moore, US Forest Service, earlier this week issued a
memo to all regional foresters temporarily halting “managed
fire” as a suppression strategy until further notice and
prioritizing fires that threaten communities and infrastructure.
As part of the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR)
commitment to supporting underrepresented communities, DWR’s
Division of Flood Management is partnering with the Division of
Regional Assistance on a free, virtual, pilot workshop. The focus
of the workshop is sharing information with California’s
Underrepresented Communities and California’s Native American
Tribes about the Floodplain Management Branch’s technical
assistance and grant programs – e.g., the Post-Wildfire Watershed
Assessment Program.
The California Fire Safe Council (CFSC), in partnership with the
California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and the Rural
County Representatives of California (RCRC), will open
applications for the 2021 County Coordinators Grant Program on
Monday, August 2, at 9:00 AM PST. Applications
will close August 31, 2021, at 11:59PM PST. Grant awards will be
announced in September 2021.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued
D.21-06-034 on June 29 which adopts and revises the
CPUC’s guidelines and rules for utilities regarding Public
Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events to mitigate the risk of
catastrophic wildfire caused by utility infrastructure. CSAC,
along with several member counties and coalitions, participated
in this proceeding and was able to secure several positive
changes for counties.
