Join the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative for our annual end-of-year members only forum to review and celebrate the climate action accomplishments of the Capital Region and connect with other CRC members. We will also create a space for members to discuss the mental health considerations that surround their day-to-day work in the climate space and to share year-in-review updates from their organizations.

The SACOG Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve the region’s Next Generation Transit Strategy. The strategy reimagines public transportation and provides a vision for the future of mobility that emphasizes moving people, not just moving buses and trains. By improving speed, inter-regional connections, technology, and the rider experience, the region can meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, reduce traffic in the region, and expand mobility for disadvantaged communities.

The City of Sacramento has declared a "Water Alert" and asked customers to reduce water use by 15 percent. Fines for wasting water have doubled and now range from $50 to $1000. Washing cars is restricted to a person’s watering day, and people must use a shut-off nozzle. The City has created a webpage with information on the drought, including how people can save water and conservation rebates.

The City of Sacramento has released an updated version of its Climate Action & Adaptation Plan. This updated plan includes a Draft Land Use Map, Proposed Roadway Changes, and 10 Key Strategies for the 2040 General Plan Update.

The Delta Adapts final Vulnerability Assessment is now available. The Vulnerability Assessment evaluates the vulnerability of the Delta and Suisun Marsh to climate impacts through the end of the century. The final Vulnerability Assessment addresses comments on the public review draft received during the 60-day public comment period that closed on March 16, 2021.

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The Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation (ARCCA) has recently updated its guiding principles to guide our efforts towards the realization of an equitable and resilient future for all Californians. These principles outline ARCCA's holistic approach to balancing social, environmental, and economic needs as we seek to mobilize and align local, regional, and State efforts to advance climate adaptation solutions.

The September 16th CRC Networking Event focused on how our region is responding to drought with perspectives from local agencies, regional organizations, and the state. Participants had the opportunity to share their own work and hear from other CRC members in breakout groups. Breakout groups were organized around topic areas relevant to drought, climate action, and other adaptation activities. A recording of the presentation and resources shared are available on CRC's website.

This funding resource will assist high-impact, neighborhood scale, natural hazard risk reduction that mitigates risk to critical infrastructure or achieves whole community risk-reduction. Where appropriate, sub-applications should describe how the project will make the community more resilient to climate change. Address and anticipate future conditions including those related to climate, demographic, population, and/or land use changes. Project details should include how future conditions were considered in the planning, design, and operation stages and how the project will help communities better respond to these conditions. Applications are due Due December 1. Find more information and apply here.

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. Find more information and apply here.

The Small Community Drought Relief Program assists communities that are not served by an urban water supplier with at least 3,000 connections or that provides more than 3,000 acre-feet of drinking water annually. The program is one of several drought funding programs available through the State. An additional $100 million in grant funding for urban drought relief projects and $200 million for multi-benefit drought relief projects is expected to be released this fall. Applications are due December 29, 2023. Find more information and apply here.

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

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing health, racial, and economic inequities in California. Many communities, government entities, and tribes have endeavored to address these inequitable impacts in their COVID-19 response and recovery. Practices such as hiring equity officers, mobilizing local mutual-aid efforts, and reserving streets for pedestrians and cyclists demonstrate that many of the strategies implemented to address COVID inequities can be applied to increase community resilience to the impacts of climate change, and incorporate equity into climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Find the meeting agenda and register for this event here.

Join the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) on the 2nd Friday of each month from September to June to learn how the science behind school buildings supports student, educator, and staff health, safety, and success. Each webinar is 45 minutes long, with 30 minutes of expert presentations followed by 15 minutes of participant Q&A. Register for this webinar series here.

Join the California Energy Commission for the virtual Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Symposium on December 14-15 to learn how California is leading the decarbonized energy transformation. At the two day event, industry experts, researchers, and policymakers will share their insight and perspectives on emerging technologies and novel approaches. The symposium also offers opportunities to connect over-anticipated projects and plant the seeds for future partnerships. Secure your complimentary ticket for this two-day event featuring dynamic expert-led sessions on emerging technologies, deep discussion on energy policy, and learn about EPIC projects and their impacts. Find more information and register for this symposium here.

With California facing a severe drought and an increased reliance on the State’s groundwater basins, today the Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the final version of California’s Groundwater – Update 2020. The report, also known as Bulletin 118, contains critical information about the condition and use of the state’s groundwater, which is especially important as California faces the real-time impacts of climate change and drought. Link.

As the drought dries up California’s wetlands, traveling birds such as ducks, geese and eagles are struggling to survive and breed. “This drought is bad. The odds are against us,” a state expert said. Link.

California could become the first state in the nation to institute a ranking system for heat waves, much the way weather authorities categorize hurricanes, or how fire and air quality officials warn of wildfire and pollution risks. Link.

Most cities are not actively planning for rising temperatures—and that’s a problem. But some places with strong local climate leadership are taking action to build resilience. A new study and accompanying Planetizen article authored by our affiliated scholar C.J. Gabbe and co-director Greg Pierce explores the environmental and political factors that support heat adaptation planning. Link.

The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds a broad range of infrastructure, including transportation, water, and broadband, over the next five years. This is the first time a bill of this magnitude has worked to comprehensively address infrastructure challenges facing the country as a whole.

Join SACOG for a special webinar on November 30 to learn how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could shape our region for decades to come. We are poring over the details and want to help public works departments, transit operators, city and county staff, and local elected officials know more about what to expect and how SACOG can help the region make the most of this funding. Link.

Every 10 years the U.S. Census Bureau is tasked with counting every resident in the country. Cities, counties, and states depend on an accurate and complete count for federal funding allocation to support community services. The count also provides insight into how people move throughout the six-county region. While all the data has yet to be released, some trends are emerging. Link.

After returning from Glasgow this month, Michael Paparian will provide us with a report on the November 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). Michael Paparian has served as Sierra Club California State Director, and as Executive Director of the California Pollution Control Financing Authority; he gave us a report after returning from the Paris Climate Accords in 2015. 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.