10100.2
. (a) (1) Whenever the public interest or convenience
requires, the legislative body may use the powers of this division to
pay, or make funds available to enable the owners of lots or parcels
of real property within the district to pay, for either of the
following:
(A) Work deemed necessary to bring real property or buildings,
including privately owned real property or buildings, into compliance
with seismic safety standards or regulations. The legislative body
shall declare that public loans or funds provided to owners of
private buildings for seismic strengthening of unreinforced buildings
or other buildings, or real property, pursuant to this section
constitute a public purpose resulting in a public benefit. Only work
certified as necessary to comply with seismic safety standards or
regulations by local building officials may be financed. No project
involving the dismantling of an existing building and its replacement
by a new building or the construction of a new or substantially new
building may be financed pursuant to this section, except as
otherwise provided in subparagraph (B). Work on qualified historical
buildings or structures shall be done in accordance with the State
Historical Building Code (Part 2.7 (commencing with Section 18950) of
Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code). Any financing for
seismic strengthening of a residential structure containing units
rented by households specified in Section 50079.5 of the Health and
Safety Code before strengthening shall be subject to a regulatory
agreement that will ensure that the number of those units in the
structure will not be reduced and will remain available at affordable
rents pursuant to Section 50053 of the Health and Safety Code as
long as any assessments levied pursuant to this section on the parcel
on which the structure is located remain unpaid.
No lot, parcel, or building shall be included in the district
without the owner's consent.
(B) Within any area that has been designated by the Governor as a
disaster area or for which the Governor has proclaimed the existence
of a state of emergency because of earthquake damage, work deemed
necessary to repair any damage to real property directly or
indirectly caused by the occurrence of an earthquake cited in the
Governor's designation or proclamation, or by aftershocks associated
with that earthquake, including work to reconstruct, repair, shore
up, or replace any real property or building damaged or destroyed by
the earthquake or by its aftershocks. Work may be financed pursuant
to this subparagraph only on real property or buildings identified in
a resolution of intention to establish a district adopted within
seven years of the date that the Governor designates the area as a
disaster area or proclaims a state of emergency in the area.
(2) Any district created to finance seismic safety work on
privately owned buildings, including repair, reconstruction, or
replacement of privately owned buildings pursuant to this section,
shall consist only of lots or parcels on which the legislative body
finds that the buildings to be worked on, repaired, reconstructed, or
replaced pursuant to this section, are located or were located
before being damaged or destroyed by the earthquake that is the
subject of the Governor's designation or proclamation pursuant to
subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1), or by the aftershocks of that
earthquake.
(3) The Legislature hereby declares that the use of public funds
pursuant to this section for seismic strengthening, repair, or
reconstruction of privately owned real property or buildings
constitutes a public purpose resulting in a public benefit. The use
of funds pursuant to this section shall not be construed to be gifts
of public funds in violation of Section 6 of Article XVI of the
California Constitution.
(4) A loan or expenditure of funds made by a district pursuant to
this section and secured by a tax assessment or a lien, or both that
assessment and lien, on private property shall not, when combined
with existing liens on the property, exceed 80 percent of the current
appraised value of the property, as determined by an independent,
certified appraiser, unless existing lienholders consent in writing
to a higher loan-to-value ratio. Notice of the creation of a district
or the authorization for the loan or expenditure of funds for the
purposes set forth in this section shall be given to lienholders of
record on the property included in the district at least 30 days
prior to any vote of the governing body authorizing the creation of
the district or the loan or expenditure of funds that could create a
lien on the property.
(b) A district created to finance seismic safety or repair work
pursuant to this section may include areas of territory that are not
contiguous.
(c) At any time after the passage of the resolution provided for
in subdivision (a) of Section 10312, the legislative body may make
changes in or modify the improvements or reduce the assessment with
respect to a particular lot or parcel within an assessment district
created for the purposes of this section with the written consent of
the owner of that lot or parcel.
(d) Any changes made within an assessment district created for the
purposes of this section shall be made after notice and hearing, as
provided in this division, except that changes may be made under any
of the following circumstances:
(1) At the hearing on the report, changes that do any of the
following:
(A) Eliminate a portion of the assessment district without
increasing the amount of any assessment or substantially affecting
the distribution of benefits from the improvements.
(B) Exclude territory that will not be benefited by the remaining
improvements without increasing the amount of any assessment.
(C) Modify the improvements or the assessment with respect to a
particular lot or parcel within the assessment district with the
written consent of the owner and without increasing the assessments
on any other real property.
(2) At any time after the improvements are ordered and during the
pendency of the proceedings to establish the assessment district.
(3) At any time after the adoption of the resolution provided for
in subdivision (a) of Section 10312, to modify the improvements or
reduce the assessment with respect to a particular lot or parcel
within the assessment district with the written consent of the owner.
(e) An action to determine the validity of any assessments, bonds,
bond anticipation notes, contracts, or improvements for the purposes
of this section may be brought by the legislative body, or by any
person designated by the legislative body, pursuant to Chapter 9
(commencing with Section 860) of Title 10 of the Code of Civil
Procedure. For this purpose, an improvement shall be deemed to be in
existence upon its authorization and an assessment upon its
confirmation.
(f) It is the intent of the Legislature that the powers conferred
by this section shall be in addition and supplemental to, and not
exclusive of, the powers conferred by any other law.