Land use: general plan: safety element: fire hazard impacts.

(1) The Planning and Zoning Law requires the legislative body of a city or county to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan that includes various elements, including, among others, a safety element for the protection of the community from unreasonable risks associated with, among other things, wildland and urban fires. The safety element includes requirements for state responsibility areas, as defined, and very high fire hazard severity zones, as defined. This bill would revise the safety element requirements for state responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones, as specified, and require the safety element, prior to January 1, 2015, and thereafter upon each revision of the housing element, to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire in state responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones, taking into account specified considerations, including, among others, the most recent version of the Office of Planning and Research's "Fire Hazard Planning" document, which this bill would require the office to update on or before January 1, 2012. By imposing new duties on a city or county with regard to reviewing and updating its general plan, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA requires the Office of Planning and Research to prepare and develop guidelines for the implementation of CEQA by public agencies. This bill would require the office, on or after January 1, 2011, at the time of the next update of the guidelines for implementing CEQA, in cooperation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to prepare, develop, and transmit to the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency recommended proposed changes or amendments to the initial study for the inclusion of questions related to fire hazard impacts for projects in state responsibility areas and high fire hazard severity zones. This bill would also require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt these recommended proposed changes or amendments. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.