California Disaster Assistance Act: climate change.

Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, requires the Director of Emergency Services to provide financial assistance to local agencies for their personnel costs, equipment costs, and the cost of supplies and materials used during disaster response activities, incurred as a result of a state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor, subject to specified criteria. The act requires the director to authorize the replacement of a damaged or destroyed facility, whenever a local agency and the director determine that the general public and state interest will be better served by replacing a damaged or destroyed facility with a facility that will more adequately serve the present and future public needs than would be accomplished merely by repairing or restoring the damaged or destroyed facility. Existing law also authorizes the director to implement mitigation measures when the director determines that the measures are cost effective and substantially reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any area where a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor. This bill would specify that mitigation measures for climate change and disasters related to climate, may include, but are not limited to, measures that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and investments in natural infrastructure, as defined, including, but not limited to, the preservation of natural and working lands, as described, improved forest management, and wildfire risk reduction measures. The act defines the term "disaster" to mean a fire, flood, storm, tidal wave, earthquake, terrorism, epidemic, or other similar public calamity that the Governor determines presents a threat to public safety. This bill would include climate change within the definition of disaster.