(a) The Local Government Budget Sustainability Fund is hereby created within the Governorâs Office of Business and Economic Development. Upon appropriation, moneys in the fund shall be available for purposes of this article. (b) The purpose of the program is to provide grants on a competitive basis to local entities that meet the requirements of the article and, when possible, prioritizing those that have the ability to leverage projects that are affiliated with a federal, state, or local program. The success of each grant shall be evaluated on a project-specific basis. (c) Grants shall be awarded to eligible local entities through at least one round of grants per fiscal year. (d) The Governorâs Office of Business and Economic Development shall develop, in consultation with other state agencies and departments, criteria for the selection of grant recipients, which shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (1) Applicants shall be limited to county governments in high-unemployment and high-poverty areas. For purposes of this grant program, high-unemployment and high-poverty areas are defined as geographic areas with a poverty rate or geographic rate that is 150 percent of the California statewide poverty rate, per the most recently updated data available from the United States Census Bureauâs American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates on or after January 1, 2022. Counties within geographic areas that fall under the high-unemployment and high-poverty designation as of July 1, 2022 are eligible for the duration of the program. Counties within geographic areas that fall under either the high-unemployment or high-poverty designations as of July 1, 2022, shall be eligible for the program if moneys are available following rounds designated for applicants that are county governments in high-unemployment and high-poverty areas. (2) Applicants shall be participants in their regionâs respective Community Economic Resilience Fund planning table. (3) Applicants shall explain current challenges to local revenue sustainability for the next six years, and specifically challenges that pose a risk to the ability of applicants to continue existing government services. (4) Applicants shall explain how funding secured from this program will be used for specific staffing needs to facilitate project identification, execution, construction, and implementation. (5) Applicants shall explain how funding secured from this program will be used to support its ability to pursue projects that would advance one of the following five categories: (A) Process improvement projects, which are defined as permit streamlining, inspections and siting review streamlining, business and community resource toolkits, or technological improvement and modernization, among others. (B) Economic diversification and stability projects, such as those included in existing Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies, other regional economic development strategies, projects identified and prioritized by the regional high road transition collaboratives, which are defined as construction and nonconstruction opportunities aimed at new and emerging industry clusters that leverage workforce transition and skills generation, additional General Fund revenue sources, or construction and nonconstruction efforts to create new climate related accelerators or incubators and investment centers. Nonconstruction includes research, planning, strategic development and other predevelopment related expenses. Construction includes materials, labor, acquisition and final construction and other related activities. (C) Workforce development projects, which are defined as construction and nonconstruction opportunities for new and existing workforce programs that will provide training, upskilling, or reskilling and can provide additional support services for participants specifically tied to economic diversification and stability opportunities. (D) Existing process improvement, ec
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