AB 976: Resilient Economies and Community Health Pilot Program.

For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a)CalEnviroScreen means the California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool developed by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

(b)Community-based organization means a public or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated effectiveness that meets both of the following requirements:

(1)Is a representative of a community or significant segments of a community.

(2)Provides educational or benefit-related services to resident households of a community.

(c)Council means the Strategic Growth Council.

(d)Disadvantaged community is a community identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.

(e)Electrical corporation, gas corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, and water corporation have the same meanings as respectively defined in Sections 218, 222, 224.3, and 241 of the Public Utilities Code.

(f)outREACH Program refers to the Resilient Economies and Community Health Pilot Program created pursuant to this part.

(a)The Resilient Economies and Community Health Pilot Program is hereby established to be administered, from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2026, by the council as a grant pilot program for eligible community-based organizations to provide a comprehensive suite of coordinated incentives and services to disadvantaged communities at the resident household level to provide economic savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and improve resiliency to the impacts of climate change.

(b)When awarding grants, the council shall give priority to plans and projects that cover areas that have a high proportion of census tracts identified as disadvantaged communities and that focus on communities that are the most disadvantaged. The council shall administer the grant program as a pilot program with a preference for awards in regions identified in the 91 to 100, inclusive, percentiles of CalEnviroScreen.

(c)The council shall develop guidelines to administer the outREACH Program that include, at a minimum, all of the following:

(1)Criteria for determining the eligibility of and awarding grants to community-based organizations.

(2)Maximization of community-based outreach and resident household eligibility review to disadvantaged communities using a network of community-based organizations that have demonstrated neighborhood, city, or county-level ties to the local community in which they serve.

(3)Promotion of incentives and rebate programs, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(A)The states CalFresh program, pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(B)Regional and statewide utility ratepayer programs.

(C)Low-income weatherization services and rebates.

(D)Household appliance retrofits.

(E)Financial incentives to repair, lease, or purchase plug-in electric, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

(F)Financial incentives to support ridership for public transportation.

(G)Car-sharing and vanpooling services.

(H)Rooftop solar installation.

(I)Community solar projects.

(J)Water-efficient landscaping.

(K)Tree planting.

(L)Disaster preparedness.

(4) Coordination of incentives and rebate programs administered or supervised by, but not limited to, the Natural Resources Agency, State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, Public Utilities Commission, State Air Resources Board, local governments, and utility programs, including those offered by electrical corporations, gas corporations, water corporations, community choice aggregators, and local publicly owned electric, gas, and water utilities.

(5)Prioritization of disadvantaged communities that have the highest pollution burden and highest poverty rates.

(6)Maximization through the application process of the economic savings, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and climate adaptation benefits to each household, to the extent feasible.

(7)A streamlined process for households to apply for and receive services and incentives, to the extent feasible, to reduce the burden on and the potential deterrence of resident households.

(a)No later than January 1, 2026, the council shall evaluate the outREACH Program and report to the Legislature on all of the following:

(1)The impact of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other cobenefits in disadvantaged communities, including the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of different outREACH Program outreach methodologies and strategies.

(2)The ability for the outREACH Program to support hard-to-reach resident households.

(3)The best model for maximizing low-income and disadvantaged community participation in the outREACH Program while maximizing the requirements of Section 75252, to the extent feasible.

(b)The council shall submit the report to the Legislature required by this section in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

This part shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2027, and as of that date is repealed.