Public works: protection of underground infrastructure: regional notification center system: electronic positive response.

Existing law creates the California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board and requires the board to perform various duties relating to the protection of subsurface installations. Existing law requires an excavator planning to conduct an excavation to notify the appropriate regional notification center of the excavator's intent to excavate at least 2 working days, and not more than 14 calendar days, before beginning that excavation. Existing law requires the regional notification center to take the information and provide a ticket, and prohibits an excavator from beginning excavation until the excavator receives a response from all known operators of subsurface installations within the delineated boundaries of the proposed area of excavation, as provided. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2018, authorizes every operator to supply an electronic positive response through the regional notification center before the legal excavation start date and time, and requires the regional notification center to make those responses available to the excavator. Existing law defines "electronic positive response," for these purposes, to mean an electronic response from an operator to the regional notification center providing the status of an operator's statutorily required response to a ticket. This bill would, instead, on and after January 1, 2021, require every operator to supply an electronic positive response through the regional notification center before the legal excavation start date and time. The bill would authorize the board, upon a showing of good cause by an operator, to extend the time by which the operator is required to comply with this requirement, through December 31, 2021. The bill would require the board to determine which facts or circumstances constitute good cause. The bill would require the board, on or before January 1, 2021, to adopt emergency regulations, as prescribed, to implement these provisions. The bill would require the regional notification centers to annually report to the board regarding technological development, as prescribed.