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AB-2371 Climate change: Office of Planning and Research: science advisory team: climate adaptation and hazard mitigation.(2019-2020)

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Date Published: 07/08/2020 09:00 PM
AB2371:v95#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Senate  July 08, 2020
Amended  IN  Assembly  June 04, 2020
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 04, 2020
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 16, 2020

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2371

Introduced by Assembly Member Friedman
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Boerner Horvath, Eduardo Garcia, and Mullin)

February 18, 2020

An act to add Section 71359 to the Public Resources Code, relating to climate change.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2371, as amended, Friedman. Climate change: Office of Planning and Research: science advisory team: climate adaptation and hazard mitigation.
Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency every 3 years to update the state’s climate adaptation strategy, known as the Safeguard California Plan (plan), including addressing certain topics. As part of the update, existing law requires the agency to coordinate with other state agencies to identify a lead agency or group of agencies to lead adaptation efforts in each sector. Existing law requires state agencies to work to maximize specified objectives related to climate change.
Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research (office) in state government in the Governor’s office. Existing law establishes the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP), to be administered by the office, to coordinate regional and local efforts with state climate adaptation strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change, as prescribed.
Existing law establishes the Strategic Growth Council (council) in state government and assigns to the council certain duties, including providing funding and distributing data and information to local governments and regional agencies that will assist in the development and planning of sustainable communities.
This bill would require the office, by July 1, 2021, to convene a climate science advisory team of distinguished scientists to advise on climate planning and adaptation efforts in the state and to provide independent, timely, and science-based advice on the state’s climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation efforts and to, among other things, provide input to improve climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation planning across state agencies, including the plan. The bill would require the team to serve as a working group of a specified ICARP advisory group. The bill would require the team to provide recommendations to inform certain activities of the council regarding climate change and sustainable communities. change. The bill would require, by January 1, 2022, the office to produce, in consultation with the team and relevant state agencies and using the best available science, a agencies, regional governments, and local governments, an evidence-based list of recommended existing projects and potential projects of statewide significance and urgency that should be prioritized in order to advance the state’s climate resilience, including projects that improve community resilience and climate-related hazard mitigation through natural infrastructure. The bill would require the office, by July 1, 2024, to submit to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a report summarizing the actions of the team, the team’s contribution to climate resiliency and adaptation planning, and the office’s recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the team.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) California’s changing climate increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires, droughts, floods, severe extreme heat events, intense rain events, and sea level rise. These changes will impact California’s residents, economy, agriculture, water quality and supply, water quality, and the health of the state’s forests, watersheds, fish and wildlife, biodiversity, and the economy. Already many lives and even whole communities have been lost or destroyed. and native biodiversity.
(b) Rising average temperatures, Extreme heat events, destructive fires, higher sea levels, and more severe droughts and floods put state residents in danger. Already, many lives and even whole communities have been lost or destroyed.
(c) The risks associated with a changing climate vary by region and may disproportionately harm vulnerable communities. Local and regional governments may not have the resources to or technical expertise to prepare for and cope with changing conditions and to respond to or recover from severe climate change-related events.
(d) The state has taken bold leadership to create the Safeguarding California Plan and other climate adaptation frameworks. The state must now translate this plan and other frameworks these plans into action to prepare our built and natural infrastructure infrastructure, communities, and economy to withstand the forecasted impacts of climate change.
(e) Hazard mitigation provides the context for many effective climate adaptation strategies, making strategies by preparing communities better prepared for increasing intensity and frequency of to be resilient to more frequent and intense natural disasters. The federal 2018 Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 places a greater emphasis on proactive investment before disasters occur, including significantly increasing the amount of funding available annually for predisaster mitigation nationwide, and nationwide. California is expected to receive a large portion of those funds. California funds, so the state has a unique opportunity to leverage available federal funds to prepare for the impacts of climate change while leveraging federal funds to do so. change.
(f) Climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation planning and action efforts must be guided by the best available science. science, which is evolving at a rapid rate. The direct involvement of the state’s distinguished scientists scientists, informed by experienced adaptation practitioners, will help ensure that state and federal resources are invested in transformative, cost-effective projects transformative and evidence-based adaptation measures that will produce the greatest benefits to the state advance California’s climate resilience in the long term.

SEC. 2.

 Section 71359 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

71359.
 (a) (1) On or before July 1, 2021, the office shall establish a climate science advisory team of distinguished scientists to advise on climate planning and adaptation efforts in the state. The team shall provide independent and timely advice to guide climate change planning and adaptation based on the best available science by drawing on state, national, and international experts. to provide independent, timely, and science-based advice on the state’s climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation efforts.
(2) For purposes of this section, “team” means the climate science advisory team established pursuant to this subdivision.
(b) The team shall include scientists all of the following:
(1) Scientists from geographically diverse institutions in California with expertise in a range of physical, natural, and social science disciplines related to the study of climate change, climate impacts, resilience, and adaptation. Scientists from institutions outside of California may be selected to participate on the team if they have relevant expertise that is not available within the state.
(2) At least one representative from an organization with experience carrying out projects in California that advance climate adaptation and resilience.
(3) Other members, if deemed appropriate by the office.
(c) Except for reimbursement of expenses, scientists expenses individuals serving on the team shall serve without compensation.
(d) The team shall serve as a working group of the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program technical advisory council established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 71358. The team shall consult with the rest of the advisory council where appropriate to ensure that the team’s recommendations are relevant and actionable for adaptation practitioners, local governments, and regional entities.

(d)

(e) Based on the best available science and relevant policy, and by drawing on local, state, national, and international experts, the team shall provide do all of the following:
(1) Provide input to improve climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation planning across state agencies, including the plan developed pursuant to Section 71153. The team shall convene to make
(2) Make actionable, evidence-based recommendations regarding state priorities for climate adaptation based on the best available science. The team may also recommend and hazard mitigation as it relates to climate change-driven disasters.
(3) Identify gaps in the existing body of knowledge related to climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation and recommend, if appropriate, new scientific studies and improvements to state models for purposes of predicting climate impacts on statewide, regional, and local scales.

(e)By January 1, 2022, the office shall, in consultation with the team and relevant state agencies and based on the best available science, produce a list of recommended projects and potential projects of statewide significance and urgency that should be prioritized in order to advance the state’s climate resilience. These recommendations shall include projects that improve community resilience and hazard mitigation through natural infrastructure.

(4) Make recommendations to enhance collaboration and communication between scientific experts and on-the-ground climate practitioners to enhance alignment between science and adaptation decisionmaking.
(5) Undertake other related tasks and activities as deemed necessary by the office.
(f) To the extent authorized by law, the team shall do both of the following:
(1) Review and comment on guidelines of public state agencies related to the allocation and administration of state-funded programs and projects, based on the best available science. projects related to climate resilience or climate-related hazard mitigation. At a minimum, the team shall focus on making make recommendations to state agencies to assist them in soliciting projects that will be strategically deployed, science-based, and likely to advance the state’s resiliency to climate change and climate change driven natural disasters.
(2) Assist state agencies in selecting developing metrics for measuring the success of programs funded by any climate-related bond measure or other major climate resilience investments. state-funded programs and projects related to climate resilience, climate adaptation, and climate-related hazard mitigation. This includes advising on the development of standards and metrics for the measuring progress toward advancing regional and statewide climate resilience and for monitoring and adaptive management of state climate adaptation and hazard mitigation programs and projects, and to measure progress in advancing regional climate resilience. individual programs and projects.

(g)The team shall serve as a working group of the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program advisory council established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 71358.

(g) (1) By January 1, 2022, the office shall, in consultation with the team and relevant state agencies, regional entities, and local governments, produce an evidence-based list of recommended projects and potential projects of statewide significance and urgency that should be prioritized in order to advance the state’s climate resilience. These projects shall address climate change impacts, including, but not limited to, extreme heat, wildfire, sea level rise, drought, and flooding. These recommendations shall include projects that improve community resilience and climate-related hazard mitigation through natural infrastructure.
(2) The office shall, in consultation with the team and relevant state agencies, regional entities, and local governments, update the list of projects produced pursuant to paragraph (1) within six months of an update to the plan developed pursuant to Section 71153.
(h) The team shall also provide recommendations to the Strategic Growth Council to inform activities carried out by the council pursuant to Section 75125, including evaluation of projects and investments for consistency with the state’s strategy to mitigate climate change impacts and climate change driven natural disasters.
(i) (1) On or before July 1, 2024, the office shall submit to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a report, consistent with Section 9795 of the Government Code, that summarizes the actions of the team, the team’s contributions to climate resiliency and adaptation planning, and the office’s recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the team.
(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2028.