To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: Climate Smart Communities Initiative Grant
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT Resolution authorizing the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to apply for and accept a grant in the maximum amount of $115,000 from the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), a public-private partnership, to fund the formation of the Contra Costa Climate Collaborative, countywide.
FISCAL IMPACT:
If awarded, the Climate Smart Communities Initiative funds will be allocated among proposed grant partners, the County, Farallon Strategies and The Watershed Project, to cover their costs of exploring formation of the Contra Costa Climate Collaborative. Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) staff would administer and help implement the grant and these DCD costs would be supported by grant funding if awarded. The CSCI grant program does not require a County match.
BACKGROUND:
Climate Collaboratives have been established in other jurisdictions in California, including Santa Clara and Yolo counties, to facilitate cooperation and coordination among counties, cities, special districts and non-profit partners on implementing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the impacts of climate change. These Collaboratives have often been organized at a County scale and have involved the subject County as a leader or co-leader of the effort. County staff were approached by the Watershed Project and Farallon Strategies, a key organizer in other Collaboratives, to request the County join in seeking a grant to cover parties’ cost in exploring the formation of a Collaborative in Contra Costa County.
The County approved Climate Action and Adaptation Plan recognizes the importance of strengthening coordination among local jurisdictions, community-based organizations, and regional partners to advance climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals. A Contra Costa Climate Collaborative could provide a structured, inclusive framework to facilitate coordination across County departments, cities, special districts, community-based organizations, and regional partners. The Collaborative could build on existing efforts and help to advance climate action plans by building capacity, attracting additional funding, and aligning separate but similar implementational work efforts under a shared governance and coordination structure.
The proposed Climate Smart Communities Initiative grant would fund a 12-month exploration of the feasibility of establishing the Collaborative. To do this, the CSCI grant would:
• Fund County staff and partners to participate in all aspects of framing the proposed purpose, scope, operations, and governance;
• Support outreach to and recruitment of local agencies, and community partners to the exploratory process and gauge interest in joining a Collaborative;
• Design a proposed operational governance structure that promotes inclusive, transparent, and effective collaborative actions and decision-making;
• Evaluate opportunities to integrate relevant County-led efforts, including shoreline resilience, urban forestry, and electrification initiatives, into the Collaborative through the establishment of aligned working groups;
• Identify and analyze long term funding opportunities to sustain the Collaborative;
• Evaluate whether the proposed Collaborative can improve attainment of climate goals in a cost effective, efficient, and sustainable matter.
Upon completion of the activities to be funded by the proposed CSCI grant, staff will report to the Board with recommendations on next steps, including whether or not the County should participate in forming a Collaborative.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the Board not approve the resolution, the County would not be able to receive funding awarded through the Climate Smart Communities Initiative Grant Program to explore the establishment of the Contra Costa Climate Collaborative.
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
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
AUTHORIZING PREPARATION AND SUBMITTAL OF THE CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE GRANT APPLICATION TO EXPLORE THE FORMATION OF THE CONTRA COSTA CLIMATE COLLABORATIVE
WHEREAS, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), increasing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) will cause global temperatures to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius by as early as 2030; and
WHEREAS, California's Governor Gavin Newsom in Executive Order N-19-19 has committed state agencies to immediate and bold actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, curb the impacts from climate change, and develop a Climate Investment Framework; and
WHEREAS, the State of California since 2005 has established the following climate goals and targets:
• 80% reduction in greenhouse gases below 1990 levels by 2050 (Executive Order S-03-05, 2005)
• 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels by 2020 (AB 32, 2006)
• 40% reduction in greenhouse gases below 1990 levels by 2030 (SB 32, 2016)
• Net carbon neutrality by 2045 (Executive Order B-55-18, 2018)
• Provide 100% of the State's electricity from clean energy sources by 2045 (SB 100, 2018); and
WHEREAS, the State of California has recognized the need for careful study and planning to decrease demand and supply of fossil fuels, while managing the decline in a way that is economically responsible and sustainable; and
WHEREAS, for Contra Costa County, rising global temperatures will cause sea levels to rise (up to six feet or more by year 2100 under certain scenarios), contribute to increasingly extreme weather, including intense rainfall, storms, and heat events, and heightened risk of wildfires; and
WHEREAS, the consequences of climate change pose risks to life, safety and critical infrastructure in Contra Costa County and throughout the world, and threaten physical, social, and economic well-being; and
WHEREAS, climate change impacts in Contra Costa County will be most acutely felt by children, seniors, low-income populations, communities of color, and residents with unstable economic or housing situations; and
WHEREAS, the Vulnerability Assessment developed for the Envision Contra Costa 2040 General Plan indicates that the most vulnerable County residents, including households in poverty, low-income households, and persons experiencing homelessness, are more likely to be severely impacted by a changing climate, including flooding, wildfires, extreme heat, and poor air quality; and
WHEREAS, the Vulnerability Assessment also indicates that there is severe vulnerability in the County's agriculture sector, industrial and manufacturing centers, including oil refineries, rangelands, and the Delta due to climate impacts, as well as infrastructure including major roads and highways, flood control, parks and open space, railroads and BART, and wastewater
treatment plants and infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, fossil fuels are recognized as a primary contributor to the rapidly changing climate; and
WHEREAS, seven of the ten largest industrial pollution sources in the San Francisco Bay Area are located in Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS, twenty-five census tracts in Contra Costa County are recognized by the State of California as being in the top twenty-five percent of "disadvantaged communities" or communities of concern" that are disproportionately burdened by sources of pollution; and
WHEREAS, rates of asthma, obesity, and breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer are higher in Contra Costa County than in the rest of California, and in some cases, the nation, particularly in census tracts that are located near large industrial facilities; and
WHEREAS, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors adopted the General Plan Update and 2024 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Update; and
WHEREAS, the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) Grant provides an opportunity to explore the formation of a Contra Costa Climate Collaborative inclusive of all the unincorporated land within Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS, the Contra Costa Climate Collaborative would:
1. Strengthen Cross-Jurisdictional Coordination: Provide a formal venue for County departments, cities, special districts, and community-based organizations to align climate priorities and share information.
2. Elevate Community Voice in Climate Planning: Create structured pathways for community leaders and community-based organizations to participate in climate governance and strategy development.
3. Support Integrated Climate Action: Align work across priority areas such as shoreline resilience, urban forestry, electrification, and climate equity.
4. Improve Funding Competitiveness: Position County and partner jurisdictions to pursue regional, state, and federal funding opportunities through coordinated, multi-benefit proposals.
5. Reduce Duplication and Increase Efficiency: Organize existing committees and initiatives under a unified collaborative framework.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, that the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, is authorized to apply for and accept a Climate Smart Communities Initiative planning grant, and if selected for an award, is authorized to execute funding agreements and other documents necessary for this purpose; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Board appoints the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, as agent to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents including, but not limited to, applications, agreements, and payment requests that may be necessary for completion of the aforementioned applications.
end