Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: 4/5ths
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Jim Eggemeyer, Director, Office of Sustainability
Subject: Accepting grant funds from the California Department of Conservation Local and Regional Planning Project Grant under the Working Lands and Riparian Corridors Grant Program
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Authorizing the Director of the Office of Sustainability or the Director’s designee to accept funds in the amount of $169,468 from the California Department of Conservation Local and Regional Planning Project grant program to develop a working lands component of the County’s Climate Action Plan; and
B) Authorizing an amendment to the agreement with the San Mateo Resource Conservation District to develop a working lands component of the County’s Community Climate Action Plan, as well as authorizing the continued support of annual operating expenses, increasing the contract by a total of $460,468 for a new not to exceed amount of $1,476,854; and
C) Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request recognizing the receipt of California Department of Conservation Local and Regional Project Grant funds for Fiscal Year 2019-20 in the amount of $169,468.
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BACKGROUND:
The County is proactively preparing for climate change in numerous ways, however, there remains an urgent need to slow the production of greenhouse gases. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, improved agricultural practices can make a significant contribution to the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at relatively low cost. Integrating working lands into climate action planning provides opportunities for slowing climate change. The Office of Sustainability was awarded a grant from the California Department of Conservation to accomplish this work in partnership with Santa Clara County, the Carbon Cycle Institute, the San Mateo Resource Conservation District, the Guadalupe Coyote Resource Conservation District, the Loma Prieta Resource Conservation District, and UC Davis.
In 2017, the County initiated a contract with the San Mateo Resource Conservation District (RCD), and a component of that contract provided for the RCD’s annual operating expenses to help ensure its long-term stability and effectiveness. Continued expenditure on this item must now be authorized by the Board.
DISCUSSION:
In October 2019, the Office of Sustainability was awarded a grant from the Department of Conservation that will allow the County to incorporate agricultural practices and forest-related mitigation activities into our efforts to control our greenhouse gas emissions. These grant funds will allow the County to integrate a working lands component to the Climate Action Plan and help the County and its communities adapt to a changing environment by identifying new partners and solutions.
The project will be among the first of its kind in the State and represents an opportunity for the County to lead in confronting climate change and involve the agricultural sector in innovative ways.
The RCD has demonstrated success and effectiveness in its program areas, in collaboration with County departments as well as State and Federal agencies. Recent strides in large-scale projects such as the Pescadero Marsh Restoration Project among others warrants continued operational expense support by the County. The County has provided operational expense support since 2017 and would benefit by continuing that support through 2021.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County cost associated with the acceptance of the grant funds. Approval of the Appropriation Transfer Request will recognize the receipt of California Department of Conservation Local and Regional Project Grant funds in the amount of $169,468 to the Office of Sustainability’s FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget.
The funds for operational support have been included in the Office’s FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget and will be included in the FY 2020-21 Recommended Budget.