65040.25.
(a) Unless the context otherwise requires, for purposes of this section, “development” means all new residential, commercial, or industrial development.(b) The office shall conduct a study and prepare a report, including recommendations, that evaluates potential improvements to state standards for ingress and egress and evacuation routes for development in the event of a natural disaster, including seismic activity and related hazards, flooding, and wildland and urban fires, for which local governments plan in accordance with paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) of Section 65302. The report and recommendations shall consider, at minimum, all of the following:
(1) The potential effect that a change to state standards, described in this subdivision, could have on all of the following:
(A) The cost and affordability of housing, including any potential impact on the ability of cities and counties to meet their obligations under Article 10.6 (commencing with Section 65580) of Chapter 3.
(B) Interactions, if any, with regional transportation planning requirements.
(C) The ability for individuals and communities to rebuild after a disaster.
(2) Existing evacuation planning
guidance and best practices, including, but not limited to, minimum fire safety standards.
(3) The role of wildfire behavior, fire modeling, and potential wildfire impacts affecting evacuation routes and temporary refuge area locations.
(4) Recommended feasible timeframes after notification of a natural disaster to accommodate travel by the development’s population to a point of safety, such as to a temporary refuge area, when appropriate, using designated evacuation routes.
(5) Scaling and tiering of feasible standards based on the development’s size, population density, motor vehicle volume, and other appropriate factors, including strategies and performance criteria to address
safety needs.
(6) The needs of vulnerable populations.
(7) Travel capacity needs for designated evacuation routes and needs for concurrent emergency vehicle access, including considerations of current use of existing routes by local populations and potential reductions of travel capacity posed by new development.
(8) The existence of evacuation routes, and the size, population
density, motor vehicle volume, and other appropriate factors, of the community or development that those existing routes support, in relation to the new development.
(c) To assist with and inform the development of the report and recommendations required by this section, the office shall convene and consult with a working group that includes, but is not limited to, voluntary representatives from all of the following entities:
(1) The Office of the State Fire Marshal.
(2) The State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection.
(3) The Department of Housing and Community Development.
(4) The Office of
Emergency Services.
(5) The Transportation Agency.
(6) The Seismic Safety Commission.
(7) The Department of Water Resources.
(8) Local fire chiefs and local law enforcement or statewide associations representing those entities.
(9) The building industry.
(10) Local governments and statewide organizations representing urban, suburban, and rural local governments.
(11) Environmental, housing, and other nongovernmental stakeholder organizations.
(d) When developing the report pursuant to this section, the office shall include public outreach and engagement by providing regular opportunities for input from and dialogue with the public.
(e) On or before January 1, 2027, the office shall submit the report required by this section to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, consistent with Section 9795, and to the Governor.
(f) Pursuant to Section 10231.5, this section is repealed on January 1, 2031.