8654.7. (a) The joint powers authority may accept any federal funds granted, by act of Congress or by executive order, for all or any of the purposes of this article.
(b) The joint powers authority shall develop criteria and a scoring methodology to prioritize financial assistance provided under the wildfire mitigation program to areas and communities based upon criteria that include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Area and community vulnerability to wildfire.
(2) The impact of future climate risk factors on area and community wildfire vulnerability assessments.
(3) Factors that lead some populations to experience a greater risk to wildfire, adverse health outcomes, or an inhibited ability to respond to a wildfire, including socioeconomic characteristics of the areas or communities that would be protected by financial assistance. For purposes of this paragraph “relevant socioeconomic characteristics” may include, among other things, data on poverty levels, residents with disabilities, language barriers, residents over 65 or under 5 years of age, and households without a car.
(c) Subdivision (b) applies to all financial assistance provided under the wildfire mitigation program unless the joint powers authority determines that all, or a portion of, subdivision (b) should not apply to an award of federal funds on the basis of terms and conditions imposed by the federal government on that award of federal funds.
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 370, Sec. 132. (SB 1371) Effective January 1, 2021. Conditionally operative as prescribed by Section 8654.10. Repealed as of July 1, 2025, pursuant to Section 8654.10.)