(a) The sum of one hundred sixty-two million dollars ($162,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for grants pursuant to the California River Parkways Act of 2004 (Chapter 3.8 (commencing with Section 5750) of Division 5) and the Urban Streams Restoration Program pursuant to § 7048 of the Water Code. Eligible projects shall include, but are not limited to, projects that protect and enhance urban creeks.

(1) (A) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, thirty-seven million five hundred thousand dollars ($37,500,000) shall be available to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 5753, of that amount, fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be available for projects within the San Fernando Valley that protect or enhance the Los Angeles River watershed and its tributaries or headwaters, pursuant to Division 23 (commencing with Section 33000).

Terms Used In California Public Resources Code 80100

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • County: includes "city and county. See California Public Resources Code 14
  • Department: means the Department of Parks and Recreation. See California Public Resources Code 80002
  • Disadvantaged community: means a community with a median household income less than 80 percent of the statewide average. See California Public Resources Code 80002
  • Preservation: means rehabilitation, stabilization, restoration, conservation, development, and reconstruction, or any combination of those activities. See California Public Resources Code 80002
  • Protection: means those actions necessary to prevent harm or damage to persons, property, or natural, cultural, and historic resources, actions to improve access to public open-space areas, or actions to allow the continued use and enjoyment of property or natural, cultural, and historic resources, and includes site monitoring, acquisition, development, restoration, preservation, and interpretation. See California Public Resources Code 80002
  • Restoration: means the improvement of physical structures or facilities and, in the case of natural systems and landscape features, includes, but is not limited to, projects for the control of erosion, stormwater capture and storage or to otherwise reduce stormwater pollution, the control and elimination of invasive species, the planting of native species, the removal of waste and debris, prescribed burning, fuel hazard reduction, fencing out threats to existing or restored natural resources, road elimination, improving instream, riparian, or managed wetland habitat conditions, and other plant and wildlife habitat improvement to increase the natural system value of the property or coastal or ocean resource. See California Public Resources Code 80002

(B) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, thirty-seven million five hundred thousand dollars ($37,500,000) shall be available to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

(C) Funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be expended pursuant to § 79508 of the Water Code and Division 22.8 (commencing with Section 32600) and Division 23 (commencing with Section 33000).

(2) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, sixteen million dollars ($16,000,000) shall be available to the Santa Ana River Conservancy Program pursuant to Chapter 4.6 (commencing with Section 31170) of Division 21. To the extent possible, the conservancy shall distribute funds equitably geographically along the Santa Ana River.

(3) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, ten million dollars ($10,000,000) shall be available to the Lower American River Conservancy Program pursuant to Chapter 10.5 (commencing with Section 5845) of Division 5.

(4) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, three million dollars ($3,000,000) shall be available to the Natural Resources Agency for projects supporting the preservation of the Los Gatos Creek and Upper Guadalupe River Watersheds and the protection of associated redwoods.

(5) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, three million dollars ($3,000,000) shall be available to the Natural Resources Agency for projects supporting a comprehensive regional use management plan for the Russian River to reduce conflict and promote water supply improvements, habitat restoration and protection, cooperative public recreation, and commercial activity.

(6) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, ten million dollars ($10,000,000) shall be available to the State Coastal Conservancy for river parkway projects along the Santa Margarita River in San Diego County.

(7) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be available to the Natural Resources Agency for improvements in and around Clear Lake and its watershed that demonstrate a comprehensive local and regional approach to restoration, public recreation, and management of the lake and its surrounding resources and recreation areas.

(8) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, ten million dollars ($10,000,000) shall be available for purposes of the California River Parkways Act of 2004 (Chapter 3.8 (commencing with Section 5750)).

(9) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, ten million dollars ($10,000,000) shall be made available to the Department of Water Resources, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to implement the Urban Streams Restoration Program, established pursuant to § 7048 of the Water Code.

(10) Of the amount made available pursuant to this subdivision, twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) shall be available to the Natural Resources Agency for river parkway projects along the Los Angeles River in the City of Glendale that include connectivity to parks and open space in neighboring communities.

(b) Unless the project has been identified as serving a disadvantaged community, an entity that receives an award under this chapter shall be required to provide a match of 20 percent.

(c) To maximize cooperation and leverage resources, the Natural Resources Agency may give priority to projects that include partnerships among federal, state, and local agencies and to projects proposed by nonprofit organizations, including, but not limited to, nonprofit land trusts, and grants that may complement a natural community conservation plan.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 852, Sec. 3. Approved in Proposition 68 at the June 5, 2018, election.)