TITLE
Recommendation to adopt resolution authorizing City Manager, or designee, to submit a grant application to the Strategic Growth Council through the Transformative Climate Communities Planning Grant Program, in an amount not to exceed $300,000, to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP) Implementation Plan; if awarded, accept an amount up to $300,000 for the completion of the CAP Implementation Plan; and, execute all documents and agreements necessary to accept the funds and implement the project. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The Strategic Growth Council administers the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Planning Grant Program in partnership with the California Department of Conservation. The purpose of the TCC Planning Grant is to further Assembly Bill (AB) 32 (Nunez, 2006) and AB 2722 (Burke, 2016), by funding climate resiliency efforts and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities. TCC Planning Grants fund planning activities to prepare disadvantaged communities to apply for future grant opportunities to implement projects.
With support from the TCC Planning Grant, the City of Long Beach (City) will develop a community-led implementation plan for climate-resilient infrastructure projects that reduce future GHG emissions and lessen climate change impacts on Long Beach residents disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental justice issues. This grant-funded community-led planning effort will align with the Long Beach CAP, which proposes an equity framework for implementation.
The TCC Planning Grant will enable the City to plan for CAP implementation by working with nonprofit, community-based and institutional partners focused on place-based climate mitigation projects that reduce GHG emissions to benefit communities in West and Central Long Beach which are the communities most impacted by climate change and environmental justice issues as indicated in the CAP.
The TCC Planning Grant proposal will engage nonprofit, community-based and institutional partners to 1) prioritize projects that maximize environmental, health, and economic co-benefits while reducing GHG emissions and local air pollution; 2) develop project cost estimates and project delivery schedules to build out a multi-year capital project schedule; and 3) identify potential funding opportunities to develop grant applications for project funding, including a future TCC Implementation Grant and similar federal, state and county grants for CAP implementation and GHG emission reductions.
The TCC Planning Grant would allow the City to further explore place-based community partnerships, potential projects, and tailored approaches to maximizing GHG reduction and adaptation benefits for areas of greatest need in Long Beach. The CAP identifies areas of Central and West Long Beach as being disproportionately vulnerable to climate change. These areas also score in the 86-100 percentile on CalEnviroScreen, a public mapping tool that depicts California communities disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution, which is part of the grant eligibility requirements.
Upon the adoption of this Resolution, the City Manager Department will coordinate the application process with contributions and collaboration from several nonprofit organizations and the Development Services, Economic Development, Health and Human Services, Parks, Recreation and Marine, and Public Works Departments.
This matter was reviewed by Principal Deputy City Attorney Richard Anthony on May 31, 2023 and by Revenue Management Officer Geraldine Alejo on May 30, 2023.
EQUITY LENS
The City has incorporated the Equity Toolkit in this recommendation, as requested by the City Council on April 21, 2020. The proposed TCC Planning Grant is aligned with the CAP Equity Strategies that call for prioritizing Central and West Long Beach neighborhoods that face a disproportionately high exposure to many sources of pollution and are more vulnerable to pollution’s effects. This geography of differentiated risk is due to the socioeconomic inequality caused by historic racial and economic injustices, such as discrimination in education, housing, employment, education, local political representation, and access to resources. Low-income communities of color were historically excluded from Long Beach neighborhoods with less environmental pollution and greater public investment, and still today are concentrated in the portions of the city with the worst air quality and environmental health metrics. These same communities not only bear the highest environmental health burdens, but they also have the highest social vulnerability to climate change due to factors such as age, race, and income. The existing health conditions in low-income neighborhoods affect the ability of individuals and low-income communities of color to prepare for, respond to, and recover from an extreme weather events or climate stressors.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on June 20, 2023, to submit the Resolution to the granting agency by the August 1, 2023, deadline.
FISCAL IMPACT
If the grant application is successful, the City will receive grant funding in an amount not to exceed $300,000 for a two-year performance period. The City will use the grant funding to develop a community-led implementation plan for climate-supporting infrastructure projects that reduce future carbon emissions and lessen climate change impacts on Long Beach residents disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental justice issues, in alignment with the CAP. There is no matching requirement if this grant is awarded to the City. If awarded, City staff will return with a request to City Council to accept and appropriate grant funding. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER