SB 475 Summary

• State Air Resources Board must issue new guidelines on sustainable communities strategies by June 30, 2023, and update them at least every 4 years, in coordination with the California Transportation Commission and Department of Housing and Community Development.

• Replaces the Regional Targets Advisory Committee with the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience (appointed by January 31, 2022) to develop quantitative tools for evaluating transportation plans, recommend guidelines integrating climate resilience and social equity, and generate point-based climate impact scores for implementation actions.

• State Air Resources Board must set regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for long-range strategies through 2050 and near-term implementation actions through 2030, with targets updated every 4 years and achievable within context of housing goals and climate adaptation strategies.

• Eliminates alternative planning strategy requirements; instead, metropolitan planning organizations that cannot meet near-term targets through identified implementation actions may adopt strategies but become ineligible for state funds requiring compliant sustainable communities strategies until an updated compliant plan is adopted.

• Requires metropolitan planning organizations to submit progress reports every 4 years on implementation actions; State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission must set regional building decarbonization targets for 2030 and 2045 by July 1, 2023.

• Makes permanent the allowance for informational meetings, public engagement gatherings, and public hearings to be conducted by electronic means with call-in telephonic options.