Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Steve Monowitz, Community Development Director
Subject: Multi-Jurisdictional Environmental Justice Element Project
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution authorizing a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Burlingame to join the Multi-Jurisdictional Environmental Justice Element Project for the term of June 1, 2023 through June 1, 2025 with a total obligation not to exceed $269,288.
body
BACKGROUND:
Government Code section 63502(h) requires that jurisdictions with disadvantaged communities (also called Environmental Justice or EJ communities) either include an environmental justice element in their general plan or incorporate environmental justice goals, policies, and objectives throughout other general plan elements. The requirement is triggered when a jurisdiction concurrently adopts or revises two or more general plan elements. The County has recently updated the Housing Element and the Climate Element and will be updating the Safety Element. A "disadvantaged community" or EJ community is an area so designated by the California Environmental Protection Agency, or a low-income area disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that may lead to negative health effects or environmental degradation within a jurisdiction's planning area.
State law defines environmental justice as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all races, cultures, incomes, and national origins, with respect to the development adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." At a minimum, environmental justice requires meaningful consideration of input from those most impacted by environmental harms resulting from land use decisions.
In developing environmental justice policies, jurisdictions must (1) identify the EJ communities within its planning area, (2) ide...
Click here for full text