(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The CALFED Bay-Delta Program has identified as a core action the need for emergency levee management planning for delta levees to improve system reliability.

(2) Even with active levee maintenance, the threat of delta levee failures from earthquake, flood, or poor levee foundation, will continue to exist.

(3) Because of this threat of failure, and the potential need to mobilize people and equipment in an emergency to protect delta levees and public benefits, the department needs authority that will enable it to act quickly.

(b) The department may do all of the following:

(1) In an emergency, as defined by Section 21060.3 of the Public Resources Code, that requires immediate levee work to protect public benefits in the delta, the department may use funds pursuant to this part without prior approval of a plan by the board or the Department of Fish and Wildlife, in which case the requirements of Sections 12314 and 12987, and the memorandum of understanding pursuant to Section 12307, shall be carried out as soon as possible.

(A) The amount of funds that may be expended each year on emergency levee work under this section shall not be greater than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) and the amount that may be expended per emergency levee site shall not be greater than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). The local agency shall fund 25 percent of the total costs of the emergency repair at a site or shall fund an appropriate share of the costs as approved by the board and based upon information of the local agency’s ability to pay for the repairs.

(B) Department contracts executed for emergency levee work under this section shall be exempted from Department of General Services approval required under the Public Contract Code.

(C) As soon as feasible after the emergency repair, the department shall submit a report to the board describing the levee work, costs incurred, and plans for future work at the site, including any necessary mitigation.

(D) This section is intended to supplement emergency services provided by the state or the United States. Nothing in this section overrides or supersedes the authority of the Director of Emergency Services under the California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code) or the Disaster Assistance Act (Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 8680) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

(2) Prepare and submit to the board for adoption a delta emergency response plan for levee failures. The plan is exempt from Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The plan may include recommendations of the multiagency response team established pursuant to paragraph (3) and may include, but not be limited to, the following:

(A) Standardized contracts for emergency levee work to be executed by the department, local agencies, or other appropriate entities.

(B) Criteria for eligible emergency levee work.

(C) Definition of an emergency levee site.

(D) Documentation requirements.

(E) Proposals for complying with the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq.) and the California Endangered Species Act (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 2050) of Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code) in an emergency.

(F) Stages of emergency response that may occur in various situations.

(3) Establish a multiagency emergency response team, consisting of representatives from the department, the board, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Conservation Corps, the Office of Emergency Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to advise on methods to ensure that levee emergencies will be resolved as quickly and safely as possible.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 531. (AB 1317) Effective September 26, 2013. Operative July 1, 2013, by Sec. 543 of Ch. 352.)