Preliminary SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities Designation 2026

CalEPA issued previous Disadvantaged Communities (DAC) designations in 2014, 2017, and 2022. The 2026 DAC designation builds on lessons learned from previous designations, utilizes the latest and best available data, and considers factors related to data unavailability. CalEPA is proposing to define communities in terms of census tracts and include the following in the 2026 DAC designation: 

• Census tracts with the highest 25 percent of CalEnviroScreen 5.0 overall scores.
• Census tracts with the highest 5 percent of CalEnviroScreen 5.0 pollution burden scores.
• Census tracts that overlap at least 25 percent with a 2022 DAC-designated census tract based on CalEnviroScreen 4.0.   
• Lands under the control of federally recognized tribes, with updated tribal boundaries data.

For more information, visit the CalEPA DAC website: https://calepa.ca.gov/programs/dac2026/