§ 78420

(a) The department and the state board shall establish two community service offices, one to serve northern California and the other to serve southern California.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 80025, the department and, if appropriate, the state board shall expend a total of four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) per year from the Orphan Share Reimbursement Trust Fund established pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 80000) on the operation of the community service offices established pursuant to this section. The offices shall use these funds to provide direct technical and logistical support to any community advisory group established pursuant to Section 78950. Funds allocated pursuant to this subdivision shall supplement, and not supplant, any funds expended for the purposes of developing and implementing other public participation activities required to be undertaken pursuant to this part, including, but not limited to, activities undertaken pursuant to the national contingency plan or the public participation plan required to be adopted by the department pursuant to Section 78930.

(c) The state board may contract with the department to provide this service on behalf of a regional board if the state board finds that it would be more practical and economical to do so.

(d) In implementing this section and Section 78925, the department and the regional boards are not obligated to expend funds beyond the amounts appropriated in any fiscal year for purposes of developing and implementing public participation activities required by other provisions of this part unless the Orphan Share Reimbursement Trust Fund contains funding at the level specified in subdivision (b).

(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 257, Sec. 2. (AB 2293) Effective January 1, 2023. Operative January 1, 2024, pursuant to Sec. 4 of Stats. 2022, Ch. 257.)