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AB-239 State-led County of Los Angeles disaster housing task force.(2025-2026)

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Date Published: 01/13/2025 09:00 PM
AB239:v99#DOCUMENT


CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 239

Introduced by Assembly Members Harabedian and Irwin
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Bryan, Caloza, Fong, Mark González, Ransom, Celeste Rodriguez, Schiavo, Schultz, and Zbur)

January 13, 2025

An act to add Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 50350) to Part 1 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 239, as introduced, Harabedian. State-led County of Los Angeles disaster housing task force.
Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and sets forth its powers and duties, including updating and revising the California Statewide Housing Plan, as provided. Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services (OES), which is responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or human-induced disasters and emergencies, including responsibility for activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters on people and property.
This bill would require HCD and OES to jointly convene a state-led County of Los Angeles disaster housing task force, as specified, for the purpose of coordinating and streamling efforts between HCD, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, OES, and local governments to rebuild housing in communities impacted by the wildfires that began on January 7, 2025, in the County of Los Angeles. The bill would require the task force to appoint a state disaster housing coordinator to accelerate the delivery of resources to communities impacted by the wildfires. The bill would require the task force to report to the Legislature on the status of rebuilding housing in communities impacted by the wildfires, on April 1, 2026, and every quarter thereafter, as specified.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 50350) is added to Part 1 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER  11. State-Led County of Los Angeles Disaster Housing Task Force

50350.
 (a) The Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services shall jointly convene a state-led County of Los Angeles disaster housing task force for the purpose of coordinating and streamlining efforts between the Department of Housing and Community Development, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Office of Emergency Services, and local governments to rebuild housing in communities impacted by the wildfire.
(b) The task force shall include representatives of all of the following:
(1) The Department of Housing and Community Development.
(2) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
(3) The Office of Emergency Services.
(4) Local governments.
(c) The task force shall appoint a state disaster housing coordinator to accelerate the delivery of resources, including, but not limited to, funding and technical assistance, to communities impacted by the wildfire.
(d) (1) On April 1, 2026, and every quarter thereafter, the task force shall report to the Legislature on the status of rebuilding housing in communities impacted by the wildfire.
(2) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under paragraph (1) is inoperative on April 1, 2030, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(e) For the purposes of this section, “wildfire” means the wildfires that began on January 7, 2025, in the County of Los Angeles.

SEC. 2.

 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 need to coordinate and streamline efforts to rebuild housing in communities in the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura impacted by the wildfires that began on January 7, 2025, in the County of Los Angeles.

SEC. 3.

 This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
The immediate need to coordinate and streamline efforts to rebuild housing in communities in the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura impacted by the wildfires that began on January 7, 2025, in the County of Los Angeles.