General plans.

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 housing element and a safety element for the protection of the community from unreasonable risks associated with the effects of various geologic and seismic hazards, flooding, and wildland and urban fires. Existing law requires the housing element to be revised according to a specific schedule. Existing law requires, after the initial revision of the safety element to identify flood hazards and address the risk of fire in certain lands upon each revision of the housing element, the planning agency to review and, if necessary, revise the safety element to identify new information relating to flood and fire hazards that was not previously available during the previous revision of the safety element. Existing law also requires the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address climate adaptation and resiliency strategies applicable to the city or county. This bill would instead require the safety element to be reviewed and revised as necessary to address climate adaption and resiliency strategies and would require, after these revisions, the planning agency to review and, if necessary, revise the safety element upon each revision of the housing element or local hazard mitigation plan, but not less than once every 8 years, to identify new information relating to flood and fire hazards and climate adaptation and resiliency strategies applicable to the city or county that was not available during the previous revision of the safety element. By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65302 of the Government Code proposed by AB 3160 to be operative only if this bill and AB 3160 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.