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Administration outlines Prop 4 extreme heat spending plan; lawmakers ask for distribution and project lists
Summary
Agency witnesses described how the governor's proposed climate bond expenditures would expand extreme heat mitigation, urban greening, urban forestry, and fairground cooling capacity; lawmakers requested geographic, project-level breakdowns and examples of prior successful projects.
State agency witnesses briefed the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on the administration's proposed use of Proposition 4 (the climate bond) money for extreme heat mitigation and related programs, and committee members pressed for more detailed, geographically disaggregated information and project examples.
Abby Edwards, senior deputy director for the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, described the administration's Climate Bond Expenditure Plan for extreme heat and community resilience. Edwards said the proposal would provide additional funding for the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program, build on prior rounds, and expand technical assistance and implementation capacity. She said round 1 of the program awarded projects to 48 grantees and that more than 95% of those served disadvantaged communities.
Brian Cash of the Natural Resources Agency outlined administration allocations for urban greening ($100 million over two years) and new allocations for other outdoor and natural resources programs. Matthew Reichman of CAL FIRE said his department would use an initial $50 million for urban forestry grants and technical assistance, and he estimated those funds might support planting roughly 15,000 to 20,000 trees and 30 to 40 grants.
Jamie Gonzales of the Department of Finance presented the CDFA's proposal to use climate bond funds to upgrade fairground infrastructure so fairs can serve as cooling centers and emergency staging sites. Gonzales said investments would include HVAC, electrical, restroom and roof repairs at frequently activated fairgrounds.
Rachel Alibbs of the Legislative Analyst's Office noted the extreme heat chapter of Prop 4 authorizes $450 million in total, and that the administration proposes to allocate a portion in the first year with additional sums in future years. LAO recommended the Legislature consider whether to sign off now on a multi-year plan or reserve policy decisions for later, given many programs are existing and only the timing of disbursement is being proposed.
Members repeatedly requested more granular reporting. Assemblymember Lackie asked for breakdowns by region (Northern, Southern, rural, urban) and multi-year distribution, while Chair Bennett and other members asked agencies to produce photographs and short case studies of high-impact projects to help legislators and the public understand outcomes. Agency witnesses said they track project outcomes and are preparing evaluations, photos and regional flow tables and would provide that information to committee staff.
Lawmakers also asked about technical assistance. Agency witnesses said technical assistance is essential to reach low-resource and disadvantaged communities, to help with applications and implementation, and to secure matching funds and community benefits agreements. The agencies said technical assistance helped get complex, large-scale implementation projects ready and would be part of the administration's rollout plan for additional rounds.
