2009 California Government Code - Section 8879.53 :: Article 3. Port And Maritime Security Account

8879.53.  (a) Funds for the program contained in paragraph (3) of
subdivision (c) of Section 8879.23 shall be deposited in the Port and
Maritime Security Account, which is hereby created in the fund.
   (b) Funds in the account shall be available to the California
Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA), upon appropriation by the
Legislature. Funds shall be made available as grants to eligible
applicants, as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section
8879.23, for capital projects that include, but are not limited to,
those projects described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of
Section 8879.23.
   (c) Prior to allocating funds to projects from the account, agency
shall adopt guidelines to establish the criteria and process for the
distribution of funds. At least 30 days prior to adopting the
guidelines, agency shall hold a public hearing on the proposed
guidelines and shall provide opportunity for public review and
comment.
   (d) In allocating funds from the account, agency shall do the
following:
   (1) Address the state's most urgent maritime security needs.
   (2) Balance the demands of the various ports (between large and
small).
   (3) Provide reasonable geographic balance in the distribution of
funds.
   (e) The unencumbered balance of any funds appropriated to the
agency prior to June 30, 2009, for purposes of this section, shall
remain available to the agency for encumbrance pursuant to this
section until June 30, 2012.
   (f) The agency's activities to implement this section shall be
incorporated into the report to the Legislature required in paragraph
(3) of subdivision (c) of Section 8879.23.