Climate change: Office of Planning and Research: science advisory team: climate adaptation and hazard mitigation.

Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency every 3 years to update the state's climate adaptation strategy, known as the Safeguard California Plan (plan) , including addressing certain topics. As part of the update, existing law requires the agency to coordinate with other state agencies to identify a lead agency or group of agencies to lead adaptation efforts in each sector. Existing law requires state agencies to work to maximize specified objectives related to climate change. Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research (office) in state government in the Governor's office. Existing law establishes the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) , to be administered by the office, to coordinate regional and local efforts with state climate adaptation strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change, as prescribed. Existing law establishes the Strategic Growth Council (council) in state government and assigns to the council certain duties, including providing funding and distributing data and information to local governments and regional agencies that will assist in the development and planning of sustainable communities. This bill would require the office, by July 1, 2021, to convene a climate science advisory team to provide independent, timely, and science-based advice on the state's climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation efforts and to, among other things, provide input to improve climate adaptation and climate-related hazard mitigation planning across state agencies, including the plan. The bill would require the team to serve as a working group of a specified ICARP advisory group. The bill would require the team to provide recommendations to inform certain activities of the council regarding climate change. The bill would require, by January 1, 2022, the office to produce, in consultation with the team and relevant state agencies, regional governments, and local governments, an evidence-based list of recommended existing projects and potential projects of statewide significance and urgency that should be prioritized in order to advance the state's climate resilience, including projects that improve community resilience and climate-related hazard mitigation through natural infrastructure. The bill would require the office, by July 1, 2024, to submit to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a report summarizing the actions of the team, the team's contribution to climate resiliency and adaptation planning, and the office's recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the team.