(a)Of the funds made available by Section 91500, one hundred thirty-five million dollars ($135,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Office of Emergency Services for a wildfire mitigation grant program. The Office of Emergency Services shall coordinate with the Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection in administering these moneys. The grant program shall assist local and state agencies to leverage additional funds, including matching grants from federal agencies. Funds may be used to provide loans, rebates, direct assistance, and matching funds for projects that prevent wildfires, increase resilience, maintain existing wildfire risk reduction projects, reduce the risk of wildfires to communities, or increase home or community hardening. Proj
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(a)
Of the funds made available by Section 91500, one hundred thirty-five million dollars ($135,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Office of Emergency Services for a wildfire mitigation grant program. The Office of Emergency Services shall coordinate with the Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection in administering these moneys. The grant program shall assist local and state agencies to leverage additional funds, including matching grants from federal agencies. Funds may be used to provide loans, rebates, direct assistance, and matching funds for projects that prevent wildfires, increase resilience, maintain existing wildfire risk reduction projects, reduce the risk of wildfires to communities, or increase home or community hardening. Projects shall benefit disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, any of the
following:
(1)
Grants to local agencies, state agencies, joint powers authorities,
nonprofit organizations, resource conservation districts, and tribes for projects that reduce wildfire risks to people and property consistent with an approved community wildfire protection plan.
(2)
Grants to local agencies, state agencies, joint powers authorities, tribes, resource conservation districts, fire safe councils, and nonprofit organizations for structure hardening of critical community infrastructure, wildfire smoke mitigation, evacuation centers, including community clean air centers, structure hardening projects that reduce the risk of wildfire for entire neighborhoods and communities, water delivery system
improvements for fire suppression purposes for communities in very high or high fire hazard areas, wildfire buffers, and incentives to remove structures that significantly
increase hazard risk.
(3)
Grants, in coordination with the Public Utilities Commission, to local agencies, state agencies, special districts, joint powers authorities, tribes, and nonprofit organizations for zero-emission backup power, energy storage, and microgrids for critical community infrastructure in order to provide continuity of electrical service, reduced wildfire ignitions, and to safeguard communities from disruption due to deenergization events, wildfire, or air pollution caused by wildfire, extreme heat, or other disaster.
(4)
Grants under the Home Hardening Program to retrofit, harden, or create defensible space for homes at high risk of wildfire in order to protect California communities.
(b)
The Office of Emergency Services and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shall prioritize
wildfire mitigation grant funding applications from local agencies based on the Fire Risk Reduction Community list, pursuant to Section 4290.1.
(c)
The Office of Emergency Services and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shall provide technical assistance to disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations, including those with access and functional needs, socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, and economically distressed areas to ensure the grant program reduces the vulnerability of those most in need.