Cal. Educ. Code § 33325

All proposals submitted to the State Board of Education for funding pursuant to Section 33322 or 33324, or for validation pursuant to Section 33323, shall be evaluated by the State Department of Education, in consultation with school districts, county offices of education, and other appropriate public and private nonprofit educational agencies. Based on those evaluations, the department shall submit its recommendations to the board concerning the funding or, as appropriate, the validation of each proposal.