Office of Emergency Services: state matching funds: water system infrastructure improvements.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the criteria for prioritizing funding distribution or the exact amount of money available per community.

Water System Improvements for Wildfire Safety

This law creates a program that provides state funding to help urban wildland interface communities improve their water system infrastructure in high fire hazard zones.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes the Rural Water Infrastructure for Wildfire Resilience Program within the Office of Emergency Services (OES).
• Provides state matching funds to urban wildland interface communities in designated high fire hazard severity zones to improve water system infrastructure.
• Requires OES to work with other state agencies, such as the Department of Water Resources and State Fire Marshal, to carry out the program.
• Develops criteria and a scoring method for prioritizing funding distribution based on specific factors.

Who It Names or Affects

• Urban wildland interface communities in high fire hazard zones
• The Office of Emergency Services (OES)
• Other state agencies involved in emergency management

Terms To Know

urban wildland interface communities

Communities where buildings and homes are close to areas with lots of trees, bushes, and other plants that can catch fire easily.

high fire hazard severity zones

Areas identified by the state as having a high risk of severe wildfires due to factors like dry weather or dense vegetation.

Limits and Unknowns

• The program will only start if funding is provided through a bond act and approved by the Legislature.
• It's not clear how much money will be available for each community.
• The exact criteria for prioritizing communities have not been determined yet.

Official Summary Text

AB 372, as amended, Bennett.
Office of Emergency Services: state matching funds: water system infrastructure improvements.
Existing law establishes, within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services (OES), under the direction of the Director of Emergency Services. Existing law charges the OES with coordinating various emergency activities within the state. The California Emergency Services Act, contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature, requires the OES to enter into a joint powers agreement pursuant to the Joint Exercise of Powers Act with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop and administer a comprehensive wildfire mitigation program relating to structure hardening and retrofitting and prescribed fuel modification activities. Existing law authorizes the joint powers authority to establish financial assistance limits and matching funding or other recipient contribution requirements for the program, as provided.
This
bill, contingent
on funding being appropriated pursuant to a specified bond act,
upon appropriation by the Legislature,
would establish the Rural Water Infrastructure for Wildfire Resilience Program within the OES for the distribution of state matching funds to urban wildland interface communities, as defined, in designated high fire hazard severity zones or very high fire hazard severity zones to improve water system infrastructure, as prescribed. The bill would require the OES to work in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and other state entities as the OES determines to be appropriate, to achieve the purposes of the program. The bill would require the OES to develop criteria and a scoring methodology to prioritize the
distribution of state matching funds provided under the program to rural communities based upon specified criteria.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF