(a) The secretary may award grants to public and private entities for training public prosecutors, peace officers, firefighters, community-based nonprofit organizations, and state or local environmental regulators in the investigation and enforcement of environmental laws.

(b) The secretary may award local assistance grants as follows for the enforcement of environmental laws:

Terms Used In California Penal Code 14308

  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the district and territories. See California Penal Code 7

(1) To local environmental regulators.

(2) To community-based nonprofit organizations.

(3) To local environmental regulators jointly with community-based nonprofit organizations.

(c) The secretary may allow local environmental regulators to subgrant funding to community-based nonprofit organizations.

(d) Grant funding awarded to community-based nonprofit organizations either directly by the secretary or through a subgrant pursuant to this section may be used to address environmental violations that occur in or disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities, to support the inclusion of residents of disadvantaged communities in environmental enforcement efforts, for the identification and investigation of environmental violations, and for the development and litigation of environmental enforcement cases.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 58, Sec. 34. (AB 200) Effective June 30, 2022.)