Bill > SB782

This bill establishes a streamlined process for creating climate resilience districts in areas that have experienced significant disaster damage, allowing cities and counties to more quickly establish financing mechanisms for recovery and rebuilding efforts. The bill permits local governments to create districts within disaster-impacted areas (with up to 20% of adjacent areas included) within two years of a gubernatorially declared state of emergency, without following standard infrastructure financing plan procedures. The districts can use incremental property tax revenues to fund activities such as repairing or replacing damaged buildings, low and moderate-income housing, and infrastructure; mitigating future disaster risks (like undergrounding electrical lines); and supporting economic recovery through initiatives like affordable housing development, preventing displacement, providing low-interest construction loans, and supporting workforce development programs. Public members appointed to the district's governing board must be residents, property owners, or business representatives within the district's boundaries and serve at least four-year terms. The bill is specifically designed to expedite infrastructure restoration, with language referencing the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County as an example of the type of emergency response the legislation aims to facilitate. The bill is classified as an urgency statute, meaning it goes into immediate effect to address critical public safety and economic recovery needs.

Government Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB782