AB 972: Local Assistance and Grant Program Streamlining Workgroup.

Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research in the Governors office for the purpose of serving the Governor and the Governors cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research and constituting the comprehensive state planning agency.

This bill would require the Office of Planning and Research, in consultation with the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, and the California Special Districts Association, to convene a statewide, cross-agency Local Assistance and Grant Program Streamlining Workgroup, no later than January 1, 2025, to centralize local assistance and develop a coordinated system to manage available state and federal funding to deliver the maximum number of projects as efficiently as possible. The bill would require the Office of Planning and Research to appoint the workgroup members, as specified. The bill would require the workgroup to develop a report that includes the workgroups findings, plans, and recommendations for short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals, as specified, no later than June 30, 2026. The bill would require the report to be posted on the Office of Planning and Researchs internet website and require the workgroup to provide the report to the Department of Finance and relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. Subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the bill would require the Office of Planning and Research and any other relevant state entities to implement the workgroups recommendations pursuant to the specified deadlines. The bill would prohibit the implementation of the recommendations without an appropriation by the Legislature.