To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: Participation in Grant application to the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation from the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program: Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program, Round 2
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to participate as a contributor in applying for and accepting, if awarded, a grant of up to $4.5 million from the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program: Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program, Round 2 grant program administered by the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, to work with the City of Pittsburg, the lead applicant, on the Cool Delta Trail project in Pittsburg and Bay Point.
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% Grant funds. The Advanced Infrastructure Project category of the Extreme Heat, Round 2 grant has a maximum award of $4,500,000. The City of Pittsburg will apply for up to $4.5 million. These funds will be allocated between the lead applicant, the co-applicant (Civicorps), and other partners (La Clinica, The Watershed Project), and the County as described in detail below. The allocation to the County would be up to $35,000 and includes administrative costs. No County matching funds are required.
BACKGROUND:
The Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program (Extreme Heat Program) is housed within the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) at the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI). The Program provides funding for projects to protect California communities most vulnerable to the impacts of extreme heat. Contra Costa County received a Round 1 grant from the Extreme Heat Program in 2025 to develop an Urban Forest Management Plan, or Tree Plan, which is in process. Round 2 will fund infrastructure projects with funding from the 2024 Climate Bond (Proposition 4) and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
The Extreme Heat Programs supports two types of projects. Early Infrastructure Projects fund heat-related infrastructure planning and a demonstration project that tests proposed approaches. Awards range from $750,000 to $1.2 million. Advanced Infrastructure Projects fund the implementation of heat-related infrastructure projects that have been identified through prior planning efforts and determined to be feasible. Awards range from $3 million to $4.5 million.
The City of Pittsburg is pursuing an Advanced Infrastructure Project, the Cool Delta Trail. Pittsburg recently completed an Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Pittsburg is ready to begin implementing its UFMP by increasing tree canopy along the Delta de Anza Trail.
$4.5 Million Grant Proposal
The City of Pittsburg is the Lead Applicant for a grant proposal of up to $4.5 million to Round 2 of the Extreme Heat grant program to fund development of the Cool Delta Trail project. This 4-year project will plant approximately 1,600 heat-tolerant shade trees along a seven-plus-mile segment of the Delta de Anza Regional Trail, from the Pittsburg/Antioch border through Bay Point to Willow Pass Road at Evora Road. The corridor runs through disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged census tracts with critically low tree canopy (6% citywide), directly alongside Los Medanos College, elementary and secondary schools, community facilities, and the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station - closing a severe shade gap for residents who walk, bike, and wait for transit here daily.
The City of Pittsburg (Lead Applicant) and Civicorps (Co-Applicant) will deliver the infrastructure, with The Watershed Project and La Clínica contributing community engagement and multilingual outreach. The County’s Sustainability Team, housed in the Department of Conservation and Development, will support the Cool Delta Trail by participating in the advisory committee, facilitating tree planting in Bay Point, and engaging community groups and members. This project is an important next step for the County’s Tree Plan, which is under development and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2027. The Cool Delta Trail project will allow planting trees and developing a program for community involvement in planting and maintaining trees, both goals of the County’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Success in Pittsburg and Bay Point will allow the County to partner with other cities to increase green infrastructure in impacted communities affected by extreme heat.
As a contributor to this grant, the County can be included in the project proposal, workplan, and budget without detailed tasks, allowing the County’s role to be developed post-award. If awarded, the County will be required to enter into a formal Partnership Agreement with the City of Pittsburg.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board of Supervisors does not support this grant application, the County would miss an opportunity to participate in the grant proposal to implement Cool Delta Trail project, which would allow the County to begin implementing its Urban Forest Management Plan and bring much-needed tree canopy to Bay Point.