Energy: Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program: community capacity funding activities and grants.

Removed 'nonprofit organization representing a community' from the definition of eligible entity in Section 25992.5(c). Previously, a nonprofit representing a community could qualify on its own; now only local communities, local governments, California tribes, tribal-selected nonprofits, and coalitions of those entities are eligible for capacity funding grants.

Removed 'nonprofit organizations representing communities' from the list of information providers referenced in Section 25992.22(b), consistent with removing that entity type from eligibility.

Changed the term 'capacity building funding activities and grants' to 'capacity funding activities and grants' in Section 25992.10(b)(7), Section 25992.22(b), and the legislative counsel's digest. This is a terminology simplification rather than a substantive policy shift.

Fixed a duplicate word error in Section 25992.10(b)(7) where 'grants' appeared twice ('Capacity building funding activities and grants. grants within local communities').

Header changed from enrolled bill format (Assembly/Senate passage lines, Governor receipt line) to chaptered format with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' and 'CHAPTER 397' designation.

Page numbers changed from 93 to 92 and page headers changed from 'AB 1417' to 'Ch. 397' throughout the document.

The Governor approval line at the end was filled in with the date October 6, 2025, replacing the previously blank signature block.

The document was reformatted from an authenticated electronic legal material (chaptered) presentation to a web page layout, adding site navigation, version history, bill metadata, and removing the formal state header. No legislative language was changed.

The Offshore Wind Community Capacity Funding Grant Account (Section 25992.20) is entirely removed from the bill, eliminating the dedicated account, its continuous appropriation, the 5% administrative fee cap, and the requirement for the commission to develop guidelines through public workshops with a 3-year review cycle.

The specific statutory obligation requiring offshore wind entities to provide financial assistance for capacity funding activities and grants for four years after executing an offshore wind lease is removed from Section 25992.21(a)(2).

A new subdivision (c) in Section 25992.21 requires offshore wind entities to report to the commission every 90 days on aggregate donation amounts, number of groups or tribes receiving donations, counties where those groups are based, and types of eligible entities that received donations.

The commission's public disclosure shifts from posting a report within 30 days of each individual donation to an annual report containing only aggregate information: total donation amounts, amounts by county, types of eligible entities, and number of eligible entities receiving donations.

The bill's scope narrows from amending five sections (25992.5, 25992.10, 25992.20, 25992.21, 25992.22) to four sections (25992.5, 25992.10, 25992.21, 25992.22), reflecting the removal of Section 25992.20.

The reference in Section 25992.10(b)(7) to capacity funding being provided 'pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 25992.21' is removed, making the capacity funding paragraph standalone without a cross-reference to a now-deleted provision.

The bill now amends five additional sections of the Public Resources Code (25992.5, 25992.10, 25992.20, 25992.21, and 25992.22) relating to offshore wind energy development, in addition to the original Section 5021 historical resources amendment.

Defines 'offshore wind entity' as any entity with planned generation capacity of 50 megawatts or more that impacts the coastal/marine/human environment and requires state permits or leases. Also defines 'grant account,' 'account,' and 'program.'

Creates the Offshore Wind Community Capacity Funding Grant Account within the Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Fund, continuously appropriated to the commission. The commission may use up to 5 percent of deposited moneys for administration.

Vote threshold changed from majority to two-thirds of each house because the bill now makes an appropriation. Appropriation and fiscal committee designations both changed from 'no' to 'yes.'

Mandates that offshore wind entities provide financial assistance to fund community capacity activities and grants for the four-year period after executing an offshore wind lease. This can be paid directly to eligible entities or deposited into the grant account, and may be satisfied through one or more payments.

Financial assistance from offshore wind entities cannot be used to satisfy bidding credits received in a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management lease sale auction, ensuring community funding is separate from federal auction obligations.

Eligible recipients include local communities, California tribes (those on the Native American Heritage Commission contact list or federally recognized), nonprofits selected by tribes, and coalitions of these entities. Moneys must be awarded equitably considering needs and capacities of applicants.

Offshore wind entities must disclose to the commission within 30 days: donor name/address, recipient name/address, donation amount, date, description of goods or services, and specific purpose. The commission must post a report on its website within 30 days of receiving each donation.

The commission must develop guidelines through a public process including workshops, subject to review and revision every three years. An annual report to the Legislature is due by March 1 each year on implementation and effectiveness of the capacity funding program.

The definition of 'eligible entity' in Section 25992.5(c) is expanded to include 'nonprofit organization representing a community' as a new category, alongside the existing categories of local communities, local governments, California tribes, and tribal-selected nonprofits.

Section 25992.10(b)(7) changes the funding mechanism from 'Funds under this paragraph are available only to eligible entities' to 'Grants under this paragraph are available only to eligible entities,' narrowing the type of financial support that can be provided to specifically grants rather than any form of fund allocation.

The detailed per-donation disclosure requirements are removed. The Assembly version required offshore wind entities to report specific details (donor name/address, recipient name/address, amount, date, description of goods or services, and purpose) within 30 days of each donation, and required the commission to post a website report within 30 days of receiving each donation. These are eliminated in the Senate version.

The remaining disclosure framework now relies solely on a 90-day aggregate reporting requirement (total donations, number of recipients, counties, and types of eligible entities) plus an annual website posting with summary statistics, rather than the previous combination of per-donation reports and 30-day website postings.

Throughout the bill, the term 'capacity funding activities and grants' is changed to 'capacity funding building activities and grants,' adding the word 'building' to clarify the nature of the funded activities.

Senator Rubio is added as a coauthor of the bill, indicating bipartisan or cross-chamber sponsorship in the Senate version.

The entire provision amending Section 5021 of the Public Resources Code (relating to historical resources and the State Historical Resources Commission) was removed. The bill now addresses only offshore wind energy development.

A new definition of 'eligible entity' was added to Section 25992.5, defining it as a local community, local government, California tribe, or nonprofit organization selected by California tribes to represent their interests, if geographically, culturally, or economically impacted by the offshore wind industry. Coalitions of such entities also qualify.

The definition of 'offshore wind entity' was revised: criterion (2) changed from 'involves development activities expected to impact' to 'engages in development activities expected to impact' and removed the phrase 'of the California coast or submerged lands within its jurisdiction'; criterion (3) changed from 'will require the entity to obtain' to 'will be required to obtain.'

Section 25992.10(b)(7) now explicitly states that capacity funding funds 'are available only to eligible entities,' restricting recipients to the newly defined category rather than the broader 'local communities and tribal communities' language.

Public disclosure requirements in Section 25992.21 were narrowed: donations subject to disclosure are now limited to those received by eligible entities specifically from offshore wind entities, rather than all donations received by eligible entities regardless of source.

The annual legislative report requirement in Section 25992.22(b) now includes 'local governments' as a source of information, in addition to local communities and tribes.