You can find the CRC Impact Report and other CRC resources here. Resources from the 2021 Members' Forum are also available and you can find a recording of the majority of the forum, and presentation slides here.

WalkSacramento has recently undergone a rebrand and is now operating under the name CivicThread! CivicThread has been working with Valley Vision, Breathe California, and GreenTech on Sacramento Neighborhoods Activating on Air Quality (SNAAQ), which focuses on identifying sources of air pollution and opportunities for improvements in North Sac and Oak Park.

The board of the County recently declared a Climate Emergency and set a goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. Ann Edwards has been appointed as County Executive. Anne created and appointed a permanent, dedicated sustainability manager who will be reporting to the County Executive. The County also released a Draft Climate Action Plan.

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The HSP Demonstration Projects aim to improve soil health, sequester carbon and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs) funding on-farm demonstration projects that collect data and/or showcase conservation management practices that mitigate GHG emissions and increase soil health, and creating a platform promoting widespread adoption of conservation management practices throughout the state. Applications are due December 31, 2022. Link.

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund applied research and development and technology demonstration and deployment projects that support the 2021 Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Interim Investment Plan initiative 7 titled “Vehicle to Building Technologies for Resilient Backup Power.” California’s simultaneous transitions to zero emission transportation and decarbonized electricity systems will create opportunities to use growing deployments of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) for electric services. Systems that enable the use of energy stored in PEV batteries to power loads inside residential, commercial, or public buildings—referred to as vehicle-to-building (V2B) technologies—can provide resilience and reliability benefits that help mitigate the impacts of power outages driven by extreme heat events, wildfires, and public safety power shutoffs. PEVs contain large batteries that could potentially provide the same backup power services as behind the meter stationary storage at a lower cost than purchasing a dedicated storage system and without the emissions associated with diesel backup generators. Applications are due January 7, 2022. Link.

The Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) grant program is designed to facilitate technical assistance to agricultural operations for on-farm water and energy use efficiency and nutrient management. Through a competitive grant application process, applicants may request up to $500,000 to provide technical assistance to California farmers and ranchers regarding irrigation system water and energy efficiency and nutrient management. Applications are due January 19, 2022. Link.

Regional Park Program (RPP) competitive grants will create, expand, and improve Regional Parks. RPP projects will create at least one New Recreation Feature that attracts visitors from at least a 20-mile radius or county-wide population to a Regional Park. The New Recreation Feature(s) will offer nature appreciation, or athletic activities, historical or cultural enrichment, or other recreational activities in an open space area. Applications are due January 20, 2022. Link.

For more funding and grant opportunities please visit fundingresource.org/

The Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) Leadership team – consisting of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) – is conducting a listening-style webinar to solicit feedback on the CERF Planning Phase. The webinar will feature facilitated discussions on phase one of the CERF Program. Link.

Last year Smart Growth America (SGA) hosted our first-ever Equity Summit to bring a discussion of racial equity to the smart growth movement and make the case that smart growth without a focus on equity isn’t smart growth at all. Speakers discussed how to promote equity in housing and land use, why strong Black and brown businesses are key to neighborhood vitality, and how to right the wrongs of past damaging transportation decisions and promote restorative justice. Link.

The California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC) hosts monthly Local Energy Resources Network (LERN) meetings every second Tuesday from 11am – 12pm to exchange knowledge, resources, input, and opportunities to help California local governments pursue their energy and climate goals. California local governments and those who work with them on energy and climate goals are welcome to participate in these interactive, 1-hour meetings. Meetings will feature roundtable peer announcements, a review of timely assistance opportunities, featured speakers who will share information and solicit feedback on relevant funding and other assistance opportunities. Moderated by the Statewide Best Practices Coordinator, this event will also conclude with a 10 minute “ask the BPC” to submit requests for help identifying energy or climate information or support that can help you pursue your goals. Link.

In September 2021, 23 scholars and practitioners with a diversity of water and fire expertise came together to answer a critical question: How can California proactively protect its water supply from fires? Their findings, combined with the insights of the author team, form the basis of a new scoping report, released by the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ California Institute for Water Resources and the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. Link.

State officials warn some of the state’s most powerful and largest agricultural districts that their plans fail to address how over-pumping could harm local communities’ drinking water supplies. Link.

The narrative is becoming all too familiar: A severe heat wave builds and, days later, people die. Now, legislators, scientists and a think tank are convening to better adapt to the most lethal weather phenomenon — by categorizing and naming it in major U.S. cities. Link.

Los Angeles has become the third local government to have carved out a role to deal specifically with heat. Miami-Dade County in Florida and Phoenix filled similar positions this year. The jobs are designed to put the risks of heat — hidden, underestimated and intensifying with climate change — at the center as local governments prepare for a fast-warming world. Link.

The Biden administration announced in early December that it aims to buy its way to a cleaner, cooler planet, spending billions to create a federal fleet of electric vehicles, upgrade federal buildings and change how the government buys electricity. Link.

Big rig trucks and lawn equipment face stricter pollution requirements under a suite of landmark rules approved today by California’s clean air regulators. Manufacture of new, polluting models of lawn and garden equipment will be phased out in 2024 under the rule unanimously adopted by the California Air Resources Board, despite opposition from gardeners and landscapers. In a separate rule, big rigs will have to undergo periodic smog checks, just like cars, except most trucks will undergo the tests remotely through onboard diagnostics. Link.

Weaker Efficiency Standards for Manufactured housing could 'threaten grid reliability,' says California agency

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is considering strengthening energy efficiency standards for new manufactured housing, and comments on the proposal show a range of stakeholders — including some focused on utilities — have taken opposing positions on a key issue. Link.

The current draft of the California Climate Adaptation Strategy fails to mention power outages and doesn’t suggest distributed energy resources (DER) and microgrids as resilience measures, say several stakeholders. The draft aims to accelerate climate adaptation movement in the state and identify how state agency measures can fit together to meet climate priorities. It also aims to build on the successes and lessons learned since the first strategy was released in 2009, but stakeholders say it is missing key ingredients for addressing climate change. Link.

The Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative is a membership based collaborative network designed to promote greater climate change resilience planning coordination in the six-county Sacramento Region. The purpose of this collaborative network is to create a forum where leaders from government, academia, environmental and community groups, the business community, and labor can come together to exchange information, identify vulnerabilities and data gaps, leverage resources, and advance comprehensive solutions in an effort to create stronger, sustainable, and economically viable communities in the Capital Region.

CRC is a program of the Local Government Commission.