California State Laws
This tab features executive orders and laws passed in California that are relevant to climate adaptation.
Resources are automatically presented by date, but you may also sort by network rating or title. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by sector or climate impact.
45 results are shown below.
Resource
September 24, 2016
Senate Bill 1000 requires cities and counties of California to include an Environmental Justice element in their General Plans. The intent of the bill is to ensure that local governments proactively plan for and address environmental justice when developing their long-term goals, policies, and objectives for land use and any future growth. With this legislation, all cities and counties need to identify their “disadvantaged communities” and develop strategies to mitigate and reduce environment-related health risks.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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September 14, 2016
Signed by California Governor Jerry Brown in September 2016, Assembly Bill 2139 created a task force to study the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia, and to make recommendations to policymakers. The task force is designated to ensure that the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) decisions are supported by the best available science on ocean acidification and hypoxia, and to provide the Council strategies to address these impacts. Beginning January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, at its first meeting of the year, the OPC is to adopt recommendations for further actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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September 14, 2016
California AB 2722 creates the Transformative Climate Communities Program, and requires the CA Strategic Growth Council to award competitive grants to specified eligible entities for the development of “transformative” climate community plans. Priority is to be given to projects that implement the community plans, improve air and water quality, contribute to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and demonstrate potential climate, economic, workforce, health, and environmental benefits in disadvantaged communities.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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September 14, 2016
AB 1550 requires a minimum of 25% of proceeds from California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF, established by SB 535) to be invested in projects located directly within disadvantaged communities, with an additional 20% designated for projects that benefit low income households regardless of where they are located within California.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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May 9, 2016
B-37-16 “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life” is an executive order that builds on temporary statewide emergency water restrictions set forth by Governor Brown and the State Water Resources Control Board in 2015, to establish longer-term water conservation measures for California. In response to the extreme and persistent drought conditions along with warmer weather and reduced snowpack expected for the state, the 2016 executive order directs permanent changes to: use water more wisely, eliminate water waste, strengthen local drought resistance, and improve agricultural water use efficiency and drought planning.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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October 9, 2015
California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 758 into law in October 2015, establishing the Atmospheric Rivers: Research, Mitigation, and Climate Forecasting Program in the Department of Water Resources (DWR). Led by DWR and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego (UCSD) the research aims to better manage water supply by expanding climate and weather research focused on the causes of drought and flood. The legislation supports research in climate forecasting and the causes and impacts that climate change has on atmospheric rivers, to operate reservoirs in a manner that improves flood protection in the state, and to reoperate flood control and water storage facilities to capture water generated by atmospheric rivers.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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October 8, 2015
California SB 379 requires all cities and counties to include climate adaptation and resiliency strategies in the Safety Elements of their General Plans upon the next revision beginning January 1, 2017. The bill requires the climate adaptation update to include a set of goals, policies, and objectives for their communities based on the vulnerability assessment, as well as implementation measures, including the conservation and implementation of natural infrastructure that may be used in adaptation projects.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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October 8, 2015
SB 246 established an Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program for California as of January 1, 2017. The program will coordinate regional and local efforts with state climate adaptation strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change. There is to be an emphasis on climate equity considerations across sectors and regions and strategies that benefit both greenhouse gas emissions reductions and adaptation efforts, in order to facilitate the development of holistic, complementary strategies for adapting to climate change impacts.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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October 8, 2015
AB 1482 requires the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), in coordination with the Strategic Growth Council, to oversee and coordinate state agency actions to adapt to climate change. The bill requires CNRA to update the state’s climate adaptation strategy (Safeguarding California), by July 1, 2017, and every three years thereafter. As part of the update, the CNRA will coordinate with other state agencies to identify the agency or agencies to lead adaptation efforts in each sector. The updates to the plan are to include climate change vulnerabilities by sector and the priority actions needed to reduce risks, for at least the following sectors:
Water
Energy
Transportation
Public health
Agriculture
Emergency services
Forestry
Biodiversity and habitat
Ocean and coastal resources
To address the vulnerabilities as identified in the updated plan, state agencies are directed to fulfill the objectives of:
Educating the public about the consequences of climate change, such as sea-level rise, extreme weather events, the urban heat island effect, habitat loss, wildfire, drought, threats to infrastructure and agriculture, worsening air and water quality, and public health impacts.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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2015
California’s SOMAH and MASH programs provide an example of how financial incentives can be used to support installation of solar energy photovoltaic (PV) systems on multifamily affordable housing properties. Assembly Bill 693 provides financial incentives for the installation of PV systems, prescribes criteria for participation in the incentive program, sets targets for installation of solar PV systems, identifies various required elements for the Program, and gives direction to the California Public Utilities Commission on the administration of the Program. The SOMAH program's goal is to encourage the installation of 300 megawatts (MW) of solar power to benefit affordable housing units by 2030. This program is funded through GHG allowance auction proceeds and is administered by nonprofits and electric utilities. Eligible building owners and tenants can receive solar credits through a virtual net energy metering system. The program provides direct economic benefits by allowing low-income renters to receive energy produced on the roof of their housing unit, which lowers monthly utility costs and helps “disadvantaged communities” reap the benefits of the growing California solar industry.
Resource Category: Funding
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