(a) The sum of seven hundred twenty-five million dollars ($725,000,000) shall be available to the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the creation and expansion of safe neighborhood parks in park-poor neighborhoods in accordance with the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Act of 2008’s competitive grant program described in Chapter 3.3 (commencing with Section 5640) of Division 5.
(b) When developing or revising criteria or guidelines for the grant program, the department may give additional consideration to projects that incorporate stormwater capture and storage or otherwise reduce stormwater pollution.
(c) The department shall perform its due diligence by conducting a rigorous prequalification process to determine the fiscal and operational capacity of a potential grant recipient to manage a project to do both of the following:
(1) Maximize the project’s public benefit.
(2) Implement the project in a timely manner.