To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: Community Resiliency Center Grant Application for the East County Service Center Project
Recommendation: Recommendation of the County Administrator
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT a Resolution granting authority to the County Administrator, or designee, to prepare, execute, and submit an application to the California Strategic Growth Council for funding under the Community Resilience Center Program, designating the East County Service Center as the East County Resiliency Center, and to take all necessary actions to comply with program requirements as set forth in Public Resources Code Section 75250 and the Strategic Growth Council’s adopted guidelines.
AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to execute all documents, agreements, and certifications required for the application, acceptance, and administration of the Community Resiliency Center Grant, including any subsequent amendments or modifications necessary to implement the grant, and to act as the County’s authorized representative in all matters pertaining to the grant application and award, as recommended by the County Administrator.
DIRECT the County Administrator’s Office to ensure that all statutory, administrative, and reporting obligations required by the California Strategic Growth Council’s Community Resilience Center Program Guidelines are met throughout the grant term, including but not limited to compliance with collaborative governance, long-term facility operation, and integration of required reporting systems.
These actions are recommended to enable Contra Costa County to pursue state funding for the establishment and long-term operation of a designated Community Resiliency Center in East County, in accordance with state law and programmatic requirements.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action authorizes the County to apply for up to $10,000,000 in state grant funding through the California Strategic Growth Council’s Community Resilience Center Program. The project budget includes matching and leveraged funds, which are detailed in the grant application and will be tracked in accordance with program requirements. All matching and leveraged funds are accounted for within the project budget and will be reported through the mandatory Leverage Funding Reports required by the grantor. There is no additional unbudgeted impact to the County General Fund as a result of this action.
BACKGROUND:
The Community Resilience Center Program was established by the State of California under Public Resources Code Section 75250 to provide funding for the construction or retrofitting of facilities that serve as community resilience centers. These centers are intended to function as emergency response facilities and to support long-term resilience, preparedness, and recovery operations for local communities. The program is administered by the California Strategic Growth Council in coordination with the Office of Planning and Research, and is designed to prioritize projects that benefit under-resourced and disadvantaged communities, as defined by state law. Eligible applicants include local agencies, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, and tribal governments, among others.
To qualify for funding, applicants must demonstrate collaboration with community members, involvement of community-based organizations and residents in governance and decision-making, and the formation of multistakeholder partnerships. Additionally, funded centers are required to provide year-round access to a range of services and amenities that address public health impacts of climate change and emergency situations, such as extreme heat, wildfire, poor air quality, power outages, and flooding. The program’s guidelines and selection criteria are developed through a public process to ensure transparency and stakeholder input, and grant recipients are required to maintain the provision of community resilience services for a minimum 15-year period specified by the Council.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board does not approve the recommended action, Contra Costa County will forgo the opportunity to submit an application for funding under the Community Resilience Center Program as authorized by Public Resources Code Section 75250. As a result, the County would be ineligible to compete for state resources intended to support the development or enhancement of community resilience infrastructure in East County during this grant cycle.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
and for Special Districts, Agencies and Authorities Governed by the Board
body
IN THE MATTER OF granting authority to the County Administrator to apply to the California Strategic Growth Council for a Community Resiliency Center Grant, designating the East County Service Center as the East County Resiliency Center, and ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Community Resilience Center Program as established in Public Resources Code Section 75250 and the Council’s adopted guidelines.
WHEREAS, Public Resources Code Section 75250 establishes the Community Resilience Center Program, administered by the California Strategic Growth Council in coordination with the Office of Planning and Research, to provide funding for the construction or retrofitting of facilities that serve as community resilience centers, with the intent to enhance emergency response and long-term resilience for local communities; and
WHEREAS, the Community Resilience Center Program requires that eligible projects demonstrate collaboration with community members, involvement of community-based organizations and residents in governance and decision-making, and the formation of multistakeholder partnerships to ensure that funded centers are responsive to local needs; and
WHEREAS, the Program prioritizes projects that are located in and benefit under-resourced and disadvantaged communities, and mandates that community resilience centers provide year-round access to services and amenities that address public health impacts of climate change and emergency situations, including but not limited to extreme heat, wildfire, poor air quality, power outages, and flooding; and
WHEREAS, the California Strategic Growth Council has adopted guidelines and selection criteria for the Community Resilience Center Program through a public process that ensures transparency and stakeholder input, and requires grant recipients to maintain the provision of community resilience services for a minimum period specified by the Council; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County recognizes the importance of establishing a designated Community Resiliency Center in East County to strengthen local capacity for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, and to advance equitable access to resilience resources for vulnerable populations in accordance with state law and programmatic objectives.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, The Board of Supervisors, County of Contra Costa, State of California, does hereby:
1. AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to submit an application, ACCEPT the grant award if selected by the California Strategic Growth Council, and execute the Grant Agreement, any subsequent amendments, scope modifications, or performance extensions required for the administration of the Community Resilience Center Program.
2. ACKNOWLEDGE the County’s obligation, as a condition of receiving grant funds under the Community Resilience Center Program, to maintain the designated East County Resiliency Center at 100 Technology Way as an operational community resilience center for a minimum period as specified by the California Strategic Growth Council, secured through a recorded property restriction, and to ensure the provision of year-round emergency and community services in accordance with program requirements.
3. AFFIRM the County’s commitment to implement a Collaborative Stakeholder Structure that includes local community-based organizations and residents in the governance and programming of the East County Resiliency Center, consistent with the collaborative and multistakeholder partnership requirements of the Community Resilience Center Program.
4. RECOGNIZE the County’s responsibility to fulfill all mandatory reporting, administrative, and compliance obligations throughout the grant term, including but not limited to: submission of regular progress and annual implementation reports, maintenance of equipment and funding inventories, integration with state reporting systems, and completion of a comprehensive final report at grant closeout, as required by the Strategic Growth Council’s adopted guidelines.
5. DIRECT that, should the County be awarded grant funding, all grant-funded equipment, supplies, and leveraged resources will be tracked, reported, and managed in accordance with the requirements set forth by the California Strategic Growth Council and applicable state law.