75250.
For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings:(a) “CalEnviroScreen” means the California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool developed by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
(b) “Community-based organization” means a public or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated effectiveness that is both of the following:
(1) Is a representative of a community or significant segments of a community.
(2) Provides educational or benefit-related
services to resident households of a community.
(c) “Council” means the Strategic Growth Council.
(d) “Disadvantaged community” is a community identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.
(e) “Electrical corporation,” “gas corporation,” “local publicly owned electric utility,” and “water corporation” have the same meanings as respectively defined in Sections 218, 222, 224.3, and 241 of the Public Utilities Code.
(e)“EMPOWER
(f) “outREACH Program” refers to the Environmental and Justice Empowerment Outreach Resilient Economies and Community Health Pilot Program created pursuant to this part.
75252.
(a) The Environmental and Justice Empowerment Outreach Resilient Economies and Community Health Pilot Program is hereby established to be administered, from January 1, 2021, through January 1, December 31, 2025, inclusive, by the council as a grant pilot program for eligible community-based organizations to provide
a comprehensive suite of coordinated incentives and services to disadvantaged communities at the resident household level to provide economic savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and improve resiliency to the impacts of climate change. (b) When awarding grants, the council shall give priority to plans and projects that cover areas that have a high proportion of census tracks tracts identified as disadvantaged communities and that focus on communities that are most disadvantaged. The grant program shall be established as a pilot program with a preference for awards in regions identified on the 91 to 100 percentiles of the CalEnviroScreen.
(c) The council shall develop guidelines for the EMPOWER outREACH Program to do the following:
(1) Maximize community-based outreach and resident household eligibility review to disadvantaged communities using a network of community-based organizations that have demonstrated neighborhood, city, or county-level ties to the local community in which they serve.
(2) Promote incentives and rebate programs, including, but not limited to, the following:
(A) CalFresh.
(B) Regional and statewide utility ratepayer programs.
(C) Low-income weatherization services and rebates.
(D) Household appliance retrofits.
(E) Financial incentives to repair, lease, or purchase plug-in electric, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
(F) Financial incentives to support ridership for public transportation.
(G) Car-sharing and vanpooling services.
(H) Rooftop solar installation.
(I) Community solar projects.
(J) Water-efficient landscaping.
(K) Tree planting.
(L) Disaster preparedness.
(3) Include Coordinate incentive and rebate programs administered or supervised by, but not limited to, the Natural Resources Agency, State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, Public Utilities Commission, State Air Resources Board, local governments, and publicly owned and investor-owned utilities.
utility programs, including those offered by electrical corporations, gas corporations, water corporations, and local publicly owned electric, gas, and water utilities.
(4) Prioritize disadvantaged communities that have the highest pollution burden and highest poverty rates.
(5) Maximize through the application process the economic savings, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and climate adaptation benefits to each household, to the extent feasible.
(6) Require a streamlined process for households to apply for and receive services and incentives, to the extent feasible, to reduce the burden on and the potential deterrence of resident households.
75254.
(a) No later than December 31, January 1, 2025, the council shall evaluate and report to the Legislature on the EMPOWER outREACH Program both of the following:(1) The impact of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other cobenefits in disadvantaged communities, including the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of different EMPOWER
outREACH Program outreach methodologies and strategies.
(2) The ability for the EMPOWER outREACH Program to support hard-to-reach resident households.
(b) Through EMPOWER outREACH Program evaluation, the council, no later than December 31, January 1,
2025, shall determine and report to the Legislature the best model for maximizing low-income and
disadvantaged community participation while maximizing the requirements of Section 75252, to the extent feasible.
(c) A report to be submitted pursuant to this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.