Regional notification centers: GIS data: excavations.

Existing law establishes the Department of Technology within the Government Operations Agency, which is supervised by the Director of Technology. Existing law authorizes the director and the department to exercise various powers in creating and managing the information technology policy of the state. Existing law includes among the director's duties the duty to perform enterprise information technology functions and services, including, but not limited to, implementing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) , shared services, applications, and program and project management activities in partnership with the owning agency or department. Existing law requires every operator of a subsurface installation, including specified private entities and any state or local public agency except the Department of Transportation, to become a member of, participate in, and share in the costs of, a regional notification center, defined to mean a nonprofit association or other organization of operators of subsurface installations that provides advance warning of excavations or other work close to existing subsurface installations, for the purpose of protecting those installations from damage, removal, relocation, or repair. This bill would authorize the Department of Technology to provide GIS data to a regional notification center, as specified. The bill would require the department to collect payment from a regional notification center to cover its reasonable costs for providing GIS data pursuant to those provisions. The bill would provide that a state agency is not liable to a regional notification center or other third party for providing GIS data pursuant to these provisions. Existing law requires an excavator to notify the appropriate regional notification center of the excavator's intent to excavate at least 2 working days, and not more than 14 calendar days, before conducting the excavation. Existing law requires a city or county to administratively approve applications to install solar energy systems through the issuance of a building permit or similar nondiscretionary permit. This bill would require a city or county to include a reference in an application to install a solar energy system to the requirement to notify the appropriate regional notification center before conducting an excavation, including, but not limited to, installing a grounding rod. The bill would require the Governor's Office of Planning and Research to, no later than January 1, 2021, include a reference in the California Solar Permitting Guidebook of the requirement to notify the appropriate regional notification center of the excavator's intent to excavate. The bill would prohibit a city or county from being liable for any damages associated with the failure of a person required to obtain a solar energy system permit to notify the appropriate regional notification center of an intended excavation. By requiring cities and counties to include specified information in the application documents for a solar energy system, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.