Today's Law As Amended


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AB-1913 Los Angeles Community College District: California Center for Climate Change Education.(2021-2022)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP 26, was held in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from October 31 to November 12, 2021, inclusive.
(2) A goal of the COP 26 is to secure net-zero carbon emissions globally by 2050, work together to ensure that the 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming threshold is not exceeded, facilitate all countries to protect and restore ecosystems already impacted by climate change, and enhance the world’s resiliency and adaptation towards the future expected impacts of climate change.
(3) Global climate change is an immediate threat to the United States’ national security, public health, national economy, and the legacy we will leave to our children.
(4) The most vulnerable communities, including communities of color, women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, low-income communities, and those with underlying health conditions, face even greater health risks as a result of climate change.
(5) The United States can lead the world in innovating and manufacturing clean energy technologies, creating good-paying jobs, modernizing the energy grid, and growing new companies that will be the titans of a new, clean energy economy.
(6) On July 8, 2020, the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District adopted the Clean Energy and Sustainability Resolution, which directs the district’s staff to develop and implement a Sustainability Vision 2040 Plan for the district that establishes a pathway to achieving the 100-percent carbon-free energy goal by 2040.
(7) The people of the state, and people across the United States overwhelmingly support teaching students about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to global climate change.
(8) Domestic clean energy jobs continue to be among the fastest growing occupations despite a temporary setback from the COVID-19 pandemic.
(9) The Los Angeles Community College District’s West Los Angeles College currently offers the only Climate Change and Environmental Studies Associate of Arts Degree in the state providing students with educational preparation to understand the impacts that climate change will have on their lives, local communities, and our global society.
(10) West Los Angeles College’s Climate Change and Environmental Studies Associate of Arts Degree is designed as a pathway for students to transfer to environmental studies programs at four-year postsecondary educational institutions, or for students pursuing environmental-related careers.
(b) It is the intent of this act to establish the California Center for Climate Change Education at the Los Angeles Community College District, West Los Angeles College campus.

SEC. 2.

 Article 8 (commencing with Section 78085) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:

Article  8. The California Center for Climate Change Education
78085.
 This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Center for Climate Change Education.
78086.
 As used in this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Center” means the California Center for Climate Change Education.
(b) “District” means the Los Angeles Community College District.
78087.
 (a) The California Center for Climate Change Education is hereby established in the Los Angeles Community College District. The center shall be located at West Los Angeles College.
(b) The mission of the center is to promote climate change education at the California Community Colleges and establish opportunities for students to engage in hands-on internships and other learning opportunities. The center shall do all of the following:
(1) Serve as a resource for community colleges on climate change education with the understanding that at its core, climate change is a global issue of equity and social justice.
(2) Build a clear climate change pathway that leads to appropriate certificates, degrees, and employment opportunities.
(3) Enhance partnerships with nonprofit organizations that encourage the development of student internships and work-based learning opportunities.
(4) Explore and expand internships, preapprenticeships, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning opportunities in the equity, environmental justice, and green jobs sectors.
(5) Partner with local and regional entities to support the workforce training needed in the greening of the energy grid and other industries.
(6) Develop and sustain an annual urban climate change and sustainability conference.
(c) When developing a clear climate change pathway as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), the center shall consult with relevant faculty and administrative groups of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California, including, but not limited to, the Academic Senates of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California and the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates.
(d) (1) The sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund for the development and initial operations of the center.
(2) The money appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) may be encumbered for up to a five-year period.
(3) The money appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) may be used for any of the following purposes:
(A) To develop curricula related to climate change education for community colleges.
(B) To establish opportunities for students to engage in hands-on internships and other learning opportunities.
(C) To hire staff to develop the center.
(e) On or before January 1, 2027, the district shall prepare and submit to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the Senate Committee on Education, and the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges a summary report that includes an evaluation of the center in accomplishing the mission of the center as described in paragraphs (1) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (b), recommendations for improving programs offered by the center, and an accounting of how the funds appropriated in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) accomplished the purposes in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d).
SEC. 3.
 The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique circumstances regarding the Los Angeles Community College District.
SEC. 4.
 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.