Coastal resilience and adaptation program bill amended in committee

SACRAMENTO—State legislators are back in session after their summer break and putting the final touches on legislation before voting on them and potentially sending those proposals to Gov. Gavin Newsom for signature or veto. One of those proposals is Assembly Bill 552 (AB 552), which would authorize the state to spend money on implementation of sea level rise and coastal climate change programs. AB 552 was amended in a State Senate committee on Aug. 12; the bill was then re-referred to the upper house’s Appropriations Committee. A scheduled hearing on Aug. 7 was postponed to allow for the amendments. “This bill would establish a program and direct specified revenues to it for the purpose of funding certain scientifically-sound activities in order to help the state address coastal climate adaptation and resiliency,” a legislative analysis of AB 552 stated. The program – Coastal, Adaptation, Access, and Resilience Program – would direct public funding to activities intending to help state officials prepare, plan and implement actions to address and adapt to sea level rise and coastal climate change, according to a legislative analysis of AB 552. Funding would be directed to agencies such as the California Coastal Commission, California Natural Resources Agency, California State Parks, Coastal...