Today's Law As Amended


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AB-1823 Fire protection: local fire planning.(2019-2020)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Section 4005 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

4005.
 “Forest Management Task Force” means the task force established by the Governor to oversee the implementation of Executive Order No. B-52-18.

SEC. 2.

 Section 4124.7 of the Public Resources Code, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 632 of the Statutes of 2018, is repealed.

4124.7.
 (a) The department shall, except for activities described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) of Section 4124.5, prioritize local assistance grant funding applications from local agencies based on the “Fire Risk Reduction Community” list, upon development of that list, pursuant to Section 4290.1.
(b) The prioritization required in subdivision (a) shall not affect applications from entities that are not local agencies.
(c) This section shall become operative only if Assembly Bill 1956 of the 2017–18 Regular Session is chaptered and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2019.

SEC. 3.

 Section 4290.1 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

4290.1.
 (a) On or before July 1, 2022, the board shall develop criteria for and maintain a “Fire Risk Reduction Community” list of local agencies located in a state responsibility area or a very high fire hazard severity zone, identified pursuant to Section 51178 of the Government Code, that meet best practices for local fire planning.
(b) The board shall consider all of the following when developing the criteria for the list required under subdivision (a):
(1) Compliance with the board’s regulations, including minimum fire safety standards.
(2) Participation in the National Fire Protection Association’s “Firewise USA” or the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s “Fire Adapted Communities” programs.
(3) Adoption of the board’s recommendations to improve the safety element pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 65302.5 of the Government Code.
(4) Recently developed or updated community wildfire protection plans.
(c) The board shall post the “Fire Risk Reduction Community” list on its internet website.

SEC. 4.

 Section 4630.1 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

4630.1.
 (a) On or before July 1, 2020, the department, in consultation with the board, shall identify barriers to in-state production of mass timber and other innovative forest products products,  and shall develop solutions that are consistent with the state’s climate objectives on forest lands.
(b) The department shall collaborate, in implementing this section, with members of the working group established pursuant to Section 717, other state agencies, and independent experts, including with apprenticeship programs of organized labor, community colleges, and others with similar expertise, on innovative forest products and mass timber workforce training and job creation.

SEC. 5.

 Section 4630.2 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

4630.2.
 (a) On or before July 1, 2020, the Forest Management Task Force or its successor entity shall, in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation in the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, private industry, investors, and other stakeholders it deems appropriate, develop recommendations for siting additional wood product manufacturing facilities in the state. These recommendations shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) A financially viable proposal for the development and construction of at least one new mass timber production facility that can manufacture mass timber panels that can be cross or dowel laminated or use similar mass timber technology.
(2) The identification and proposal of the necessary incentives needed to attract private investment to construct such a mass timber production facility in California.
(3) The identification of other former manufacturing or wood processing sites that may be suitable for future investment.
(b) In developing the recommendations pursuant to subdivision (a), it is the intent of the Legislature that the location and activities of the mass timber production facilities, to the extent feasible, meet all of the following:
(1) Be adjacent to a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, as identified by the department, and be capable of processing materials generated as a result of fuel treatments or other forest management practices.
(2) Generate mass timber workforce training and job creation opportunities.
(3) Be located in, or be proximate to, areas that are near the locations of large landscape fires of greater than 50,000 acres that have occurred since 2005 and in areas identified as federal opportunity zones or in areas that have an average household income of at least 5 percent below the state’s median household income.