Regions Rise Grant Program.

Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research within the Governor's office to provide long-range planning and research, and to serve as the comprehensive state planning agency. This bill would establish the Regions Rise Grant Program within the Office of Planning and Research for the purpose of supporting inclusive, cross-jurisdictional, and innovative engagement processes that lead to inclusive consensus-based strategies to address barriers and challenges confronting communities in creating economic prosperity for all. The bill would define "region" as a geographic area composed of one or more counties and cities that form a functional economy. This bill would require the office, upon appropriation by the Legislature and a specified determination by the Director of State Planning and Research, to develop and implement a process for the awarding of competitive grants to eligible applicants within the program. The bill would define an eligible applicant as a regional collective composed of a diverse set of public and private stakeholders who organize themselves around one or more community challenges or priorities impacting multiple adjacent geographic areas and meet certain requirements. This bill would require the process for awarding grants to meet certain minimum conditions, including that the funds awarded be available for a period of 3 years and that the application contain specified information. The bill would require the office, upon appropriation by the Legislature and a specified determination by the Director of State Planning and Research, to issue grants to qualified regional collectives, as specified. The bill would also require each regional collective receiving funding to submit a specified annual and final report to the office, and would require each regional collective to adopt a transparency and accountability tool to track the progress of regional economic development strategies, equity activities, and mobility outcomes.