Official Summary Text
SB 330, as amended, Padilla.
Electrical transmission infrastructure: financing.
Budgets: multiyear financial commitments.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Controller, and the Director of Finance to develop and update as necessary, standards and criteria to be reviewed and adopted by the State Board of Education and to be used by local educational agencies in the development of annual budgets and the management of subsequent expenditures from that budget, as specified. Existing law requires these standards and criteria to include, among other things, multiyear commitments, including cost-of-living adjustments.
This bill would specify that the multiyear commitments are for only the current fiscal year and the subsequent fiscal year. The bill would require the state board, on or before March 1, 2027, to amend specified related regulations, as
provided, and would require the State Department of Education to modify the Standardized Account Code Structure reporting software infrastructure to eliminate reporting fields for a 2nd subsequent fiscal year and, commencing with the 2027–28 fiscal year, ensure that the system reflects a 2-year operational and forecasting structure.
Existing law requires the governing board of a school district and each county board of education, on or before July 1 of each year, to adopt a budget, as specified, and requires that budget to be filed with the county superintendent of schools or the Superintendent, respectively. Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools or the Superintendent, as applicable, to, among other things, examine the adopted budget to determine whether it complies with the standards and criteria adopted by the state board for local educational agency budgets and determine whether the adopted budget (1) will allow the school district or county
office of education to meet its financial obligations during the fiscal year and (2) is consistent with a financial plan that will enable the school district or county office of education to satisfy its multiyear financial commitments.
Existing law requires the governing board of each school district and each county superintendent of schools to certify whether the school district or county office of education is able to meet its financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year and for the subsequent 2 fiscal years. Existing law requires (1) a negative certification to be assigned to any school district or county office of education that will be unable to meet its financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year or the subsequent fiscal year, (2) a qualified certification to be assigned to the school district or county office of education that may not meet its financial obligations for the current fiscal year or 2 subsequent fiscal years, and (3)
a positive certification to be assigned to a school district or county office of education that will meet its financial obligations for the current fiscal year and subsequent 2 fiscal years. Existing law requires a copy of the school district’s or county superintendent’s certification to be filed with the county superintendent of schools or the Superintendent, respectively.
The bill would instead only require certification for the current fiscal year and the subsequent fiscal year, and would require determinations for qualified and positive certifications to instead be assigned based only on the current fiscal year and the subsequent fiscal year. The bill would also make conforming changes to related provisions.
Existing law makes an environmental leadership development project, as defined, that meets specified requirements and is certified by the Governor eligible for streamlined procedures under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Existing law authorizes persons proposing eligible facilities, including certain electrical transmission lines and electrical transmission projects, to file applications, on or before June 30, 2029, with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to certify sites and related facilities as environmental leadership development projects, as specified. Existing law makes a site and related facility certified by the Energy Commission as an environmental leadership development project subject to streamlined procedures under CEQA with no further action by the applicant or the Governor. Under existing law, the Energy
Commission’s certification of sites and related facilities is in lieu of any permit, certificate, or similar document required by any state, local, or regional agency, or federal agency to the extent permitted by federal law, for the use of the sites and related facilities, and supersedes any applicable statute, ordinance, or regulation of any state, local, or regional agency, or federal agency to the extent permitted by federal law, except as specified.
This bill would authorize the Governor to establish one or more pilot projects to develop, finance, or operate electrical transmission infrastructure that meets specified criteria, including, among other things, that the transmission
infrastructure is identified by the Independent System Operator in its transmission planning process as a project subject to competitive bidding and necessary to support clean energy generation to meet the state’s clean energy goals. The bill would require the Governor to designate existing state agencies, local public agencies, tribal organizations, or joint powers authorities to implement the pilot projects. The bill would authorize the pilot projects to develop, finance, operate, and maintain electrical transmission lines and all works, facilities, improvements, and property, or portions thereof, necessary or convenient for the conveyance of electricity, as specified. The bill would authorize the Governor to issue guidelines regarding application and certification of pilot projects.
Existing law creates the Wildfire Fund, which is a continuously
appropriated fund, to provide funds to participating electrical corporations to satisfy eligible claims arising from covered wildfires, as specified. Existing law authorizes electrical corporations to participate in the Wildfire Fund if they provide initial and annual contributions to the fund, as specified.
This bill would require the owner of a pilot project designated by the Governor pursuant to the above-described provisions to participate in the Wildfire Fund. The bill would authorize a pilot project owner who participates in the Wildfire Fund to seek payment for an eligible claim that results from a covered wildfire, consistent with the relevant requirements applicable to electrical corporations and subject to specific requirements, including, among other things, that the Wildfire Fund Administrator determines the timing and amounts of contributions by
the pilot project owner to the Wildfire Fund. The bill would require the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety to review and approve wildfire mitigation plans relating to pilot projects, as provided, and to oversee wildfire safety performance by pilot project owners.
By expanding the purposes for which the continuously appropriated Wildfire Fund may be used, the bill would make an appropriation.