SEC. 35.
The total sum of seven hundred eighty-seven million four hundred ninety-seven thousand dollars ($787,497,000) is hereby allocated, including five hundred thirty-four million dollars ($534,000,000) from the General Fund and two hundred fifty-three million four hundred ninety-seven dollars ($253,497,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund for the 2021–22 fiscal year. This section meets the requirements of “future legislation” as identified in Control Section 19.54 of the Budget Act of 2021 (Chapter 44 of the Statutes of 2022) to be allocated under the following schedule and for the following purposes:(a) (1) The sum of three hundred one million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($301,750,000), including two hundred eighteen million dollars ($218,000,000) from the General Fund and eighty-three million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($83,750,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund is hereby allocated to the Department of Water Resources.
(2) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), forty-eight million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($48,750,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund for activities that support immediate drought response, critical data collection, and agriculture.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations. These funds may be transferred to the Water Resources Revolving Fund for direct expenditure in amounts as needed to meet operational needs.
(3) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), fifty-six million dollars ($56,000,000) from the General Fund for implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations. Up to 5 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs. These funds may be transferred to the Water Resources Revolving Fund for direct expenditure in amounts as needed to meet operational needs.
(C) Any guidelines adopted to implement projects or activities funded by this subparagraph are not subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(4) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), one hundred twenty-two million dollars ($122,000,000) from the General Fund for multibenefit projects and programs that support aquatic habitat and drought resilience.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations. Up to 5 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs. These funds may be transferred to the Water Resources Revolving Fund for direct expenditure in amounts as needed to meet operational needs.
(C) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be for programs and projects that improve environmental conditions to promote recovery of native fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed, including habitat restoration projects, multibenefit projects that promote native species improvements while increasing climate resiliency, and projects that enable water users to make additional flows available for environmental purposes. Use of these funds should occur expeditiously, without regard to the timing of State Water Resources Control Board efforts to update the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary.
(D) Any guidelines adopted to implement projects or activities funded by this paragraph are not subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(5) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) from the General Fund for solar demonstration projects.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations. Up to 5 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs. These funds may be transferred to the Water Resources Revolving Fund for direct expenditure in amounts as needed to meet operational needs.
(6) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) from the General Fund and twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to improve and expand its infrastructure to make its entire jurisdiction resilient to fluctuating water supplies from each of its imported water sources, to allow conveyance of water throughout its jurisdiction.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024. Up to 5 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs. These funds may be transferred to the Water Resources Revolving Fund for direct expenditure in amounts as needed to meet operational needs.
(7) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), ten million dollars ($10,000,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund for grants to water agencies and public agencies through the Urban Community and Multi-Benefit Drought Relief Program to fund drought resilience and identification and assessment of climate risks on a watershed basis.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024. Up to 5 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs. These funds may be transferred to the Water Resources Revolving Fund for direct expenditure in amounts as needed to meet operational needs.
(C) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be prioritized in areas with the greatest risk or potential to reduce environmental conflicts. Funds may be used for longer-term planning and resilience projects including, but not limited to, watershed climate risk assessment, streamflow improvement projects, streamflow measurement and remote sensing to establish baseline conditions and monitor project performance, water use efficiency projects with verifiable demand reduction, infrastructure to improve regional flexibility to address drought conditions, and conjunctive use and management between multiple water supply sources.
(b) (1) The sum of one hundred thirty-two million dollars ($132,000,000), including one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) from the General Fund and thirty-two million dollars ($32,000,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
(2) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) from the General Fund for protecting salmon.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations.
(3) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), thirty-two million dollars ($32,000,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund for improving drought resiliency on state-owned land and climate-induced hatchery upgrades.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations.
(c) (1) The sum of one hundred forty-three million seven hundred forty-seven thousand dollars ($143,747,000), including one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) from the General Fund and forty-three million seven hundred forty-seven thousand dollars ($43,747,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund to the State Water Resources Control Board.
(2) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), forty-three million seven hundred forty-seven thousand dollars ($43,747,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund for water rights modernization.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations.
(3) (A) Of the amount specified in paragraph (1), one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) from the General Fund for water recycling.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024, and shall be available for local assistance or state operations. Up to 5 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs.
(C) Individual grants provided from this paragraph shall not exceed fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000). If the State Water Resources Control Board determines it is necessary for the timely encumbrance of the funds, it may increase the aforementioned threshold.
(d) (1) The sum of sixty million dollars ($60,000,000) from the General Fund to the Department of Food and Agriculture for the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program.
(2) The amount specified in paragraph (1) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024. Up to 8 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs. No less than 5 percent and no more than five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be used for technical assistance grants pursuant to Section 570 of the Food and Agriculture Code.
(e) (1) The sum of forty million dollars ($40,000,000) from the General Fund to the Department of Conservation for the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program.
(2) The amount specified in paragraph (1) shall be available to the Department of Conservation, in consultation with the Department of Water Resources, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the Department of Food and Agriculture, to implement the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program for groundwater sustainability projects that reduce groundwater use, repurpose irrigated agricultural land, and provide wildlife habitat. Projects may support implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (Part 2.74 (commencing with Section 10720) of Division 6 of the Water Code). Eligible project expenditures include, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) Projects that create or restore permanent wildlife habitat.
(B) Projects that create or restore seasonal wetland habitat that provides aquifer replenishment.
(C) Projects that improve groundwater supply, including groundwater recharge, improved base flows in rivers and streams, and groundwater supply improvement for fish and wildlife habitat.
(D) Projects that convert land to less intensive water uses while maintaining natural and working lands.
(3) Any groundwater recharge achieved with this funding shall be subtracted from any calculation by the groundwater sustainability agency of groundwater available for extraction by water users for the duration of benefits paid for by the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program. Payments shall be linked to achievement and delivery of defined conservation outcomes and the duration of those outcomes.
(4) The Department of Conservation shall prioritize achievement of disadvantaged community benefits when implementing the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program.
(5) The provisions of funding under this subdivision apply to critically overdrafted groundwater basins or parts of those basins managed under an approved groundwater sustainability plan or alternate plan, or high and medium priority groundwater basins where a state emergency drought declaration has been declared.
(6) No more than 5 percent of the amount specified in paragraph (1) may be used for administrative costs.
(f) (1) The sum of twenty-three million dollars ($23,000,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund to the State Department of Social Services for drought food assistance.
(2) The amount specified in paragraph (1) shall be used to provide foods and funds to existing providers of the Emergency Food Assistance Program (7 C.F.R. Part 251) or the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (7 C.F.R. Part 247). Notwithstanding any other law, the State Department of Social Services shall determine the eligibility criteria and methodology of distribution of these funds. These funds shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024.
(3) Notwithstanding any other law, the department’s allocation of these funds shall be exempt from the requirements of Article 4 (commencing with Section 19130) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and from the Public Contract Code and the State Contracting Manual.
(4) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the State Department of Social Services may implement and administer this subdivision without adopting regulations.
(g) (1) The sum of seventy-one million dollars ($71,000,000) from the California Emergency Relief Fund for drought contingency costs.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law, the Department of Finance may adjust amounts in any item of appropriation in fiscal year 2022–23 to support costs associated with preparing for and responding to the drought state of emergency, including, but not limited to, costs for the Save Our Water Program, enforcement, species protection, and drinking water shortages.
(3) The aggregate amount of California Emergency Relief Fund appropriation increases provided under this section during the fiscal year may not exceed seventy-one million dollars ($71,000,000).
(4) The Department of Finance shall notify the Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the amount augmented within 10 days after the augmentation is made.
(5) The appropriations specified in this subdivision may occur until June 30, 2023.
(h) (1) The sum of sixteen million dollars ($16,000,000) from the General Fund to the Wildlife Conservation Board for competitive grants through the Cascades and High Sierra Upper Watersheds Program to improve watershed protection and climate resiliency.
(2) The amount specified in paragraph (1) shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2024. Up to 5 percent of this amount may be used for administrative costs.