TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Ryan J. Alsop, Chief Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Andrew M. Mize, Legislative & Policy Analyst
SUBJECT: Assembly Bill 35 - Proposed Letter in Support
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve for transmission a position letter in support of California Assembly Bill 35, related to climate bond rulemaking. (No fiscal impact.)
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BACKGROUND
This matter is before the Board by referral to the Chief Executive Officer at its January 27, 2026 meeting.
In 2024, California voters passed Proposition 4, a $10 billion bond known colloquially as the Climate Bond. The Legislature in 2025 appropriated $3.3 billion of this funding.
Assembly Bill 35, a bipartisan bill authored by Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-Chula Vista) and principally co-authored by Asm. Heather Hadwick (R-Redding), seeks to speed the disbursement of this funding to recipients and get projects underway. The bill proposes to accomplish this by suspending the requirement that executive branch programs (including grant programs, like those funded by the State Coastal Conservancy) funded by the bill proceed through rulemaking under the Administrative Procedures Act.
Approval of this bill would expedite disbursement of State Coastal Conservancy grant funds, sourced from Proposition 4, in the amount of $2.77 million to the Napa River Ecology Center.
Requested action: Authorize the transmission of position letters in support of AB 35 to the committee currently considering the proposal, and to future committees to which the bill is referred for vote.
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
The Board has broad discretion to take positions on state and federal legislation. This requested action represents an exercise of that discretion in the interest of supporting a local project that will bring broader community benefits. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
No letter in support of AB 35 will transmit from the Board. |
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Additional Information |
Strategic Initiative: Build Healthy, Connected Communities; Champion Environmental Sustainability and Resilience. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.