Livable Communities Newsletter

Volume 15 / Number 59 | August 2021

Your Livable Communities Newsletter

See the 3 articles below that address the following issues:

1. EQUITY - CAFWD (California Forward) pulled together a session on May 13 entitled: Building Equitable Economies that featured eight Inland Empire / Central Valley community leaders who are passionate about making sure that equity is a key component in the rebuilding of a post-pandemic economy. Dozens of key words, concepts, situations, and actions that are critical to understanding the task at hand were shared to help give leaders the material required to set goals and develop the necessary plans to reach those goals.

2. ECONOMY - The Port of Hueneme's harbor deepening project did more than enable the handling of larger vessels. The project yields significant environmental and socio-economic benefit. The increased capacity from this project allows vessels to discharge more cargo in one call, making their visits to the Port more productive, and therefore more environmentally friendly. In addition, approximately 390,000 cubic yards of sand have been reused for beach renourishment. In addition to the environmental benefits, the deepening will have positive socio-economic impacts such as the creation of 560 local jobs and $28 million in new business revenue. Local businesses will benefit as well, as it is projected that $5.8 million will be generated through local purchases and $4.6 million in state and local taxes. These positive economic impacts will help create revenue for social and economic investments in South Oxnard and Port Hueneme.

3. ENVIRONMENT - The California Natural Resources Agency is rolling out Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-82-20 which aims to accelerate climate action on California ’s lands by building resilience and climate smart land management needed to sustain livelihoods; protect food production, water security and biodiversity; and achieve carbon neutrality. The future of our agriculture, environment, and public health at large are all intrinsically intertwined, and Ventura County is ready to meet the goals developed locally over the last 30 years as it addresses this work.

Let us know what you think at Info@CivicAlliance.org

Thanks,

Stacy Roscoe

Visit Our Website

Building Equitable Economies

CA FWD (California Forward) May 13, 2021

Outline of Key Points

By Stacy Roscoe

I am sure that almost everyone who has worked with an organization has participated in an exercise that has some form of participant "wall posting" of key words, concepts, situations, and actions that are critical to understanding the organization, both now and in the future. In most cases, the exposure of these key points gives leaders the material required to set goals and develop the necessary plans to reach those goals.

I attended a CA FWD session on May 13 entitled: Building Equitable Economies that featured eight Inland Empire / Central Valley community leaders who are passionate about making sure that equity is a key component in the rebuilding of a post-pandemic economy. I was excited about what I heard, but it was difficult to capture it all in my notes until I started copying only key words, just like what I would do in the exercise I described above.

Upon review of my "key word" notes, I was amazed at the clarity these key words gave to the job of building new equitable economies, and I want to share these with you in the hope that they are as exciting and helpful to you as they were to me.

2010 - 2019 - Economic Stagnation

Jobs in Regions > Livelihood > Grow a middle class

If income is less than $30,000, unemployment is 25 - 30%

Jobs in transition: Oil and Ag

Be intentional / Use resources wisely

Plan "with," not plan "for"

Engage people most impacted...What is needed?

Commit to the long haul and reiterate as you go

Commit to getting it right, not being right

With newly introduced Federal funding, dollars are not an excuse now

Get laser focused - e.g. Child Poverty

Get real community people to engage powerful people in dialogue

Have touch points:

Monthly meetings

Resident summit

Interface with pastors and other civic leaders

Get all sides out of their silos

Get non-profits to not compete; bring more $ in by working together

Find things to work on together

Public sector jobs need to be equity based, not equity added!

Take what you have (i.e. low wage jobs, youth, 60% people of color, region growth) and maximize the potential

Question how inclusive this all is

The customer of a community should be the marginalized versus business

Radical coordination: housing, kids, students

Focus on equity for the long haul!

For issues where there is disagreement, find the 20% where agreement might exist

Each area is different, and key issues will be different

Ask how this is real on the ground

Go to the tables of other entities

Culture must come before policy

Reconcile people's feelings instead of just giving them more data

Ask what economy is right for you?

Act with urgent slowness

Engage citizens working together

With today's risk capital, the risk is failing to act!

Don't have impact...Support those who have impact

Triple Bottom Line:

Economy

Equity

Environment

Excerpt from June 28, 2021 Port of Hueneme News Release

The Port utilized a $12.3 million TIGER Grant (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) from the U.S. Department of Transportation to deepen the harbor as well as other projects including upgrading the Port’s facilities, pavement improvements, and the modernization of cargo handling facilities. The deepening project totaled $10.4M — $3.6M from the Port of Hueneme/Oxnard Harbor District and $6.8M combined from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Naval Base Ventura County.

“The Corps is excited about the completion of this important deepening project in collaboration with the Port of Hueneme/Oxnard Harbor District and the U.S. Navy,” said Col. Julie Balten, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District. “This project will enable the port to accommodate larger vessels, which support not only our nation’s economy, but also our national defense.”

The project yields significant environmental benefit. The Port’s berth areas increased from 35 to 40 feet in depth. This increased capacity will allow vessels to discharge more cargo in one call, making their visits to the Port more productive, and therefore more environmentally friendly. The efficient movement of cargo also reduced congestion. Not only that, approximately 390,000 cubic yards of sand have been reused for beach renourishment. Continuing modernization of the Port will provide long-term infrastructure enhancements that will further facilitate the efficient movement of cargo in the most environmentally responsible manner possible.

In addition to the environmental benefits the deepening will have positive socio-economic impacts such as the creation of 560 local jobs and $28 million in new business revenue. Local businesses will benefit as well as it is projected that $5.8 million will be generated through local purchases and $4.6 million in state and local taxes. These positive economic impacts will help create revenue for social and economic investments in South Oxnard and Port Hueneme.

“This is a historical day for the Port as we are finally realizing the completion of a vision by the Port, the Board and our many partners,” said Kristin Decas, CEO & Port Director. “The ongoing modernization of our Port and harbor creates ladders of opportunity for our community, creating local jobs and access to a better quality of life through global trade.”

For more information please visit: Port Of Hueneme – History in the Making! Port Celebrates Completion of Deepening Project

The Santa Clara River Parkway – A Local Vision and Collaboration for the Sustainability of Agriculture, Environment and Livelihoods

By Candice Meneghin

The California Natural Resources Agency is rolling out Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-82-20 which aims to accelerate climate action on California’s lands by building resilience and climate smart land management needed to sustain livelihoods; protect food production, water security and biodiversity; and achieve carbon neutrality. Sister agencies and stakeholders aim to deliver a natural and working lands climate smart strategy, a 30x30 Strategic Pathways Document and a State Climate Adaptation Strategy and Scoping Plan. The California State Coastal Conservancy established the Santa Clara River Parkway in 2000 after discussions with river corridor landowners and local governments. The primary goal of the Santa Clara River Parkway Project is the acquisition, conservation, and restoration of floodplain lands within the Santa Clara River corridor. Twenty years later, the Parkway Project remains a critical local strategy to support 30x30 (a science-based initiative to conserve 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030).

As currently envisioned, the Parkway project will result in the acquisition and restoration of a 25 mile-long, or 6,000-acre, corridor from the mouth of the Santa Clara River to the Ventura County line and into Los Angeles County. The Coastal Conservancy partnered with The Nature Conservancy's LA-Ventura Project to acquire, manage, and restore Parkway lands. The Parkway was established to achieve three goals: a) conserve and restore aquatic and riparian habitat for native species, and the hydrologic and geomorphic processes that create and maintain those habitats; b) provide enhanced flood protection for adjacent private land and public facilities; and c) provide public access and environmental education, including the creation of a continuous public trail system along the length of the Parkway.

Planning for Parkway management and restoration began with the Santa Clara River Parkway Floodplain Restoration Feasibility Study. The Feasibility Study was designed to assist the Coastal Conservancy and its partners with the development of restoration and management strategies for acquired Parkway lands. Parkway planning also developed a strategic plan for nonnative invasive Arundo donax (giant reed) treatment, a recreation and public access plan, and modeling of levee setback scenarios on acquired Parkway lands.

The Friends of the Santa Clara River (FSRC) has been involved in the biological and cultural protection of the river resources since 1993 and was the first entity to acquire land with State Coastal Conservancy funds to purchase the Hedrick Ranch Nature Area (HRNA) —formerly part of the Valley View Ranch— in 2001. Biodiversity, both natural and agricultural, is essential in building climate resilience and sustaining our cultural heritage: farming, fly fishing, hiking and being outdoors. For over 20 years, the Friends have stewarded the land and worked with partners such as the University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Clara River Conservancy, California Trout, and Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology to do so. More recently, the Santa Clara River Conservancy that was established in 2009 has taken on a project management role for Arundo donax and other non-native invasive plant removal along with restoration of riparian forest at HRNA. While the Friends of the Santa Clara River provides stewardship of HRNA, the Santa Clara River Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy support additional land acquisitions and stewardship on the Parkway, and all three entities aim to enhance public access and environmental education opportunities. While these entities have similar goals and collaborate, FSCR is differentiated by its advocacy role in river protection through deliberately engaging in the environmental review process and taking litigation action when appropriate. The conservancies provide long-term organizational options to establishing conservation easements along the river for those parcels that may better serve riparian habitat, functional floodplain, groundwater recharge and recreation areas. In some cases, a conservation easement may allow a parcel to stay in active agricultural production, creating a buffer zone between urbanization and critical habitat for sensitive species. This is how environmental organizations collaborate with the farming community.

The long-range vision of the Parkway is to find mutually and multi-beneficial solutions to land use and management that allow the river to continue to provide essential environmental services that underpin biodiversity, agriculture, and our livelihoods. By protecting water resources and exercising floodplain management, cooperating groups will build resilience and climate smart land management such as sustainable groundwater management, regenerative and organic agriculture, diverse climate resilient crops, carbon sinks and biodiversity protection. Twenty years ago, the Ag Futures Alliance (a county-based collaboration among farmers, ranchers, farm workers, conservationists, and civic leaders) was formed around a desire to build a vibrant, healthy, and durable food system. That food system, along with our federally endangered Southern steelhead (a flagship species) and populations of many other local Southern California fauna and flora, are all at a critical tipping point.

The future of our agriculture, environment, and public health at large are all intrinsically intertwined. Thus, our hope is that the Parkway and Ag Futures Alliance goals can be converged into a Ventura Climate Future Alliance as the County of Ventura’s Climate Emergency Council oversees implementation of the 2040 General Plan. We, therefore, invite the Civic Alliance to join with us in furthering and implementing the above vision and goals.

You can engage in the 30x30 stakeholders focused workshops at: https://www.californianature.ca.gov/

Candice Meneghin is a Board Member for watershed advocacy organization Friends of the Santa Clara River. Friends of the Santa Clara River is a member of the Santa Clara River Steelhead Coalition, Santa Clara River Environmental Groundwater Committee, and the California Non-Governmental Organizations Groundwater Collaborative, and represents environmental stakeholder interests on the Fillmore and Piru Basins Groundwater Sustainability Agency and Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency.

Candice Meneghin (805) 628-2250, contact@fscr.org

[Author’s Note: The author wishes to thank the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County for permission to use information and photographs from: http://parkway.scrwatershed.org/parkwayplanning.html]

Candice Meneghin (805) 628-2250, contact@fscr.org

Thank you for your Support!!

2019 State of the Region Report

A Special Thank You Goes to Our State of the Region Report Sponsors:

Research Sponsor -

Ventura County Community Foundation

Presenting Sponsor -

Ventura County Community College District

Domain Sponsors -

AERA

AT&T

California Lutheran University - Center for Economics of Social Issues

California State University Channel Islands

County of Ventura

Haas Automation Inc.

Limoneira

Montecito Bank & Trust

Supporting Sponsors -

Gold Coast Transit

The Port of Hueneme

United Staffing Associates

Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors

VCDSA - Ventura County Deputy Sheriff's Association

Ventura County Office of Education

Ventura County P-20 Council

Contributing Sponsors -

California Lutheran University Center for Nonprofit Leadership

SESPE Consulting Inc.

Ventura County Credit Union

Ventura County Transportation Commission

Friend Sponsors -

Dyer Sheehan Group, Inc.

David Maron

Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP

Kate McLean

Slover Memorial Fund

Stacy and Kerry Roscoe

Terri & Mark Lisigor

United Way of Ventura County

Media Sponsor -

Pacific Coast Business Times