California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: disadvantaged communities.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to identify disadvantaged communities and requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for the moneys deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law requires the 3-year investment plan to allocate a minimum of 25% of the available moneys in the fund to projects that provide benefits to disadvantaged communities. This bill would require the agency to establish a comprehensive technical assistance program, upon the appropriation of moneys from the fund, for eligible applicants, as specified, assisting eligible communities, as defined. The bill would require the agency to provide technical assistance to eligible communities based on a specified priority. This bill also would require the department to include in the 3-year investment plan an allocation to the agency for that technical assistance program.