Water: floods.

Existing law prohibits a city or county within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley from approving a discretionary permit or other discretionary entitlement, or a ministerial permit that would result in the construction of a new residence, for a project that is located within a flood hazard zone, unless the city or county finds, based on substantial evidence in the record, that certain criteria is met. This bill would prohibit a city or county within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley from approving a discretionary permit or entitlement that would result in the construction of a new building or construction that would result in an increase in allowed occupancy for an existing building for a project that is located within a flood hazard zone unless the city or county finds that the construction meets the criteria referenced above. Existing law authorizes the Department of Water Resources to administer funding, from various sources, for flood risk reduction projects. This bill would authorize the Department of Water Resources to provide reimbursement to funding recipients that execute a funding agreement under the Urban Flood Risk Reduction Projects program for expenditures associated with continued funding of a project initiated under the Early Implementation Project program and incurred after July 1, 2014, and before the execution of the funding agreement, but no later than July 1, 2015. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.