Climate Mitigation and Adaptation News
November 5, 2019
A biweekly newsletter of the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative
We are excited to introduce our new member and first trade union: SMART Sheet Metal Workers (SMW) Local Union 104! SMW Local 104 represents over 10,000 trade workers throughout California and has joined CRC to assist in developing meaningful policies and initiatives to help curb the effects of climate change. They look forward to the opportunity to bring the voice of trade workers to the climate action table. SMW Local 104 recognizes new codes, ordinances, and policies affect not only the workers in the trades, but also how our region uses energy – which has a lasting effect on our environment and communities. If you'd like to support SMW 104 in your professional or personal capacity by hiring a local, unionized contractor, you can find the SMW 104 directory here.

We’d also like to welcome new member, the City of West Sacramento. The City of West Sacramento is committed to sustainability and resiliency. The City is currently updating its Climate Action Plan and is also a full participant in the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change and the Yolo Resiliency Collaborative, a sub-regional collaborative of CRC. In 2015, the City of West Sacramento joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, becoming one of the first cities in California to make this commitment. Check out their Age-Friendly Action Plan designed to help the community be more livable for its older residents, and in turn for all of its residents.
Follow the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative on social media!
News
Wildfires, power outages cause unprecedented healthcare disruption in California
Healthcare leaders are confronting a level of disruption to delivering care that they have never seen in their careers as a result of wildfires and PG&E’s planned blackouts. Across California, wildfires and outages have forced healthcare providers to close hospitals and medical clinics, or greatly limit services. Both Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health evacuated their hospitals in Santa Rosa last weekend for the second time in three years. Patients have to reschedule appointments, drive farther to get the service they need and, in the case of medically frail individuals, take extraordinary steps to ensure they have what they need to survive. ( Sac Bee)
California workers stay behind as thousands flee wildfires
In disasters like the wildfires scorching northern and southern California, day laborers and domestic workers have always been disproportionately affected. While Sonoma County residents evacuated from the Kincade Fire, many workers stayed behind. “For a lot of day laborers and household workers, not having a day’s work often means the difference between houselessness or not,” said Maegan Ortiz. “The stories we heard last year were workers being given hoses and being asked, ‘Hey, keep the fire away’,” she said. “Families evacuating and saying, ‘Hey can you stay and watch my dogs?’” Advocates in southern California have similarly warned that workers are left exposed as wildfires rage in and near Los Angeles. ( Guardian) Photo: Justin L Stewart/Getty Images
Resources for wildfires, smoke, and the Public Safety Power Shutdowns
The State of California has launched a resource page with information on wildfire incidents, shelter, medical needs, food, and more. The California Health and Human Services Agency has put together a resource guide covering prescription medicines, services for seniors and those with additional medical or disability needs, medical equipment, insurance documents, shelter, food, and a personal emergency plan worksheet to help those with medical needs. The California Department of Public Health has released a map identifying hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities as well as utilities and infrastructure.
Expert Q&A: Improving indoor air quality during wildfires
Many health agencies and departments suggest people stay indoors during wildfires to limit their exposure to these particles. But how healthy is the air indoors during a wildfire, and can it be improved? Brett Singer and Rengie Chan at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Indoor Environment Group have worked with California homes, schools, and offices to improve air quality by ensuring adequate ventilation during normal operation and use of high-efficiency filters to reduce particles in indoor air, both during normal air pollution and especially during wildfires. Here they provide advice about improving indoor air during wildfires. ( Berkeley Lab)
Wildfires are making California's air quality worse - and it's killing people
UC Davis’s Environmental Health Sciences Center has been conducting surveys of Californians in areas affected by wildfires. When findings from November 2018, the month of California’s Camp and Woolsey fires, were separated from the data overall, they found that over a thousand people died from air pollution-related ailments, in comparison to the previous months when the average mortality rate was a fraction of that. After eliminating all other possible factors, the researchers concluded the fires were the only variable that could explain the upturn. Officially, 88 deaths have been attributed to the Camp and Woolsey fires. But researchers found that pollution effects led to the premature deaths of up to 1,400 more people. This does not include the countless others whose preexisting conditions were intensified by the bad air. ( Mother Jones) Photo: David McNew/Getty
Protecting outdoor workers, farmers and farmworkers from wildfire smoke
Effective July 2019, regulation §5141.1 “Protection from Wildfire Smoke” uses the local air quality index for PM2.5 to determine when worker protections are needed and includes mandatory activities for employers of outdoor workers who “reasonably anticipate that employees may be exposed to wildfire smoke”. The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety at UC Davis has developed resources in English and Spanish, including an employer checklist, training poster, and discussion guide, to assist agricultural employers with meeting the requirements outlined in the newly adopted regulation and communicating the required topics to employees. ( CalCAN) Photo: Lauren Lum, CalCAN
Has the climate crisis made California too dangerous to live in?
As with so many things, Californians are going first where the rest of us will follow. ( Guardian)
The California fires show how unprepared we are for climate change
For days now, a cloud of acrid smoke has settled over the Bay Area, blown down from the Kincade Fire in the north. More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from that fire alone, while the lingering effects of a long drought and high winds have turned the region into a tinderbox. On Sunday, a sudden fire in Vallejo stopped traffic on a bridge across the northeast side of the bay, forcing workers to abandon toll booths as the bridge was swallowed with smoke. It’s a scary moment, made scarier by the slow grind of the climate crisis in the background, getting a little bit worse each year. ( Verge)
'None of us will ever be the same': Survivors of 2017 Tubbs Fire face long-term trauma
Survivors of California’s recent, destructive wildfires are coming to terms with their own new normal: Mental landscapes troubled by the long wake of trauma. Each of California’s increasingly intense fire seasons will leave a growing population traumatized, the physical damage to their homes and workplaces mirrored by internal disarray and emotional distress. ( Sac Bee)
What would happen in an apocalyptic blackout?
In our modern world, almost everything, from our financial systems to our communication networks, are utterly reliant upon electricity. Other critical infrastructure like water supplies and our sewer systems rely upon electric powered pumps. With no power, fuel pumps at petrol stations stop working, road signs, traffic lights and train systems go dead. Transport networks grind to a halt. Our complex food supply chains quickly fall apart without computers to coordinate where produce needs to be, or the fuel to transport it or refrigeration to preserve it. Now there are organizations helping universities, schools, community groups and even families prepare themselves for an event that might lead to mass power cuts for several days at a time. ( BBC)
Becoming Arizona: What Sacramento can learn from Phoenix about extreme heat and human health
How Phoenix handles heat holds lessons for other warming cities like Sacramento. For Sacramento to adapt and thrive in a warmer future, collaboration among agencies, institutions, jurisdictions and communities is vital to ensure that solutions are interwoven through all facets of life. As unexciting as that may sound, it could save lives and create resilient communities. Nearly every person from Sacramento interviewed for this story mentioned a key group attempting to do this: the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative. ( UC Davis) Photo: Getty
Worried about wildfires, California ready to spend, vote to fight climate change
The majority of Californians believe global warming is happening now and that it’s a serious threat to the Golden State’s future, according to the results of a poll. What’s more, Californians are ready to cast their votes and spend their money to fight it. The findings from the Public Policy Institute of California suggest Californians place a high value on the environment and want the state to fight to protect it. The Institute found 78 percent of Californians think it is somewhat to very important to them for California to lead the charge to fight climate change. ( CalMatters) Photo: Peter Buschmann, via USDA Forest Service.
Tools & Resources
Protecting the Health of Vulnerable Populations with In-Home Energy Efficiency: A Survey of Methods for Demonstrating Health Outcomes
The buildings where people work and live can dramatically influence their health. A disproportionately high number of low-income households and families of color live in inadequate housing conditions and suffer from chronic diseases exacerbated by these conditions, both of which can be mitigated by in-home energy-saving programs. This study describes the methods used by 63 programs nationwide to measure and document their health impacts. It concludes by recommending strategies to better assess and communicate these benefits. ( ACEEE)
Home Health Care in the Dark
This report examines the risks associated with power outages for individuals reliant on electricity for in-home medical and mobility equipment. The need for battery storage solutions is especially critical today as more people opt to receive medical care at home. State and local governmental agencies, utilities, and even insurance providers should recognize battery storage and solar as critical to life support during a disaster and provide opportunities for medically vulnerable, electricity-dependent individuals to access resilient systems. ( Clean Energy Group)
Upcoming Opportunities
Coming soon: Transformative Climate Communities Program Implementation & Planning Grant Program (Round 3)
Two grants for $28.2 million each will be available through the Implementation Grant program and three grants for $600,000 each will be available through the Planning Grants program. Applicants for the Implementation Grant Program must fill out a request for technical assistance support to be considered for funding – look out for the technical assistance application to come. The grant is expected to be released in November 2019, with applications due in February 2020. ( SGC)
Survey: Public Safety Power Shutoff Impacts for Local Governments
The recent Public Safety Power Shut-Offs were intended to avert the risk of fire caused by electrical infrastructure but created other risks, costs, and impacts. The Local Government Commission is conducting a brief survey of local governments to learn about the impacts of the Power Shut-Offs on your community. Through LGC's coalitions, publications, and events, the survey results will be used to inform LGC advocacy to help raise broad awareness about the challenges experienced by local governments. ( LGC)
Forthcoming Funding Opportunity: The California Climate Resilience Challenge
The California Resilience Challenge is a statewide effort, led by businesses and a diverse range of partners, to build local climate resilience and support a shared vision for a resilient California in the face of increasing climate threats. The Challenge is seeking submissions for diverse and replicable climate change resilience projects from across California. An RFP will be released in the quarter of 2019; interested parties should sign up for updates. Over $2.5 million will be available for projects. ( California Resilience Challenge)
$130 million available for zero-emissions buses
The VW Mitigation Trust has $130 million to replace older, high-polluting transit, school, and shuttle buses with new electric or fuel-cell buses. Funding is open to eligible bus owners throughout California on a first-come, first-served basis. ( VW Mitigation Trust)
Job opportunity: Sacramento Tree Foundation, Community Forester and Community Forestry Associate
The Sacramento Tree Foundation is hiring for a Community Forester and Community Forestry Associate. The Community Forester is someone who likes connecting with a variety of people and wants to combat climate change one house at a time. The Community Forestry Associate is the first point of contact for the Tree Foundation and the Sacramento Shade program. ( STF)
Job opportunity: Cool Davis, Field Coordinator (Transportation)
Cool Davis is hiring for a Field Coordinator to train and direct volunteers to work with households to reduce household-based GHG emissions, focusing on transportation. The Field Coordinator will direct volunteers in delivering activities for Cool Solutions campaigns designed using community based social marketing principles and community engagement strategies. ( Apply)
Western SARE: Grants to advance innovations in sustainable agriculture
The Professional Development Program Grant focuses on training agricultural professionals to help them spread knowledge about sustainable agriculture concepts and practices. Other grants help full-time graduate students, farmers, ranchers, and producers to implement projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. Deadline: Nov 11-13. ( Western SARE)
Western SARE: Grants to advance innovations in sustainable agriculture
The Professional Development Program Grant focuses on training agricultural professionals to help them spread knowledge about sustainable agriculture concepts and practices. Other grants help full-time graduate students, farmers, ranchers, and producers to implement projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. Deadline: Nov 11-13. ( Western SARE)
First Annual E360 Young Writers Awards
Yale Environment 360 and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation are hosting the Young Writers Awards to honor the best nonfiction environmental writing by authors under the age of 35. Articles should focus on topics related to the natural world, with an emphasis on land conservation, forests and plants, or natural places. The writing can be either an essay or a reported piece, but should have a personal voice and point of view. Deadline: November 15. ( Yale 360)
American Geophysical Union: Thriving Earth Exchange
The American Geophysical Union (AGU)’s Thriving Earth Exchange is seeking several US communities interested in advancing their priorities through collaborative science. For example, communities have worked with AGU scientists to develop a drought vulnerability assessment; assess flood vulnerability of a food distribution center; and save millions in unnecessary remediation costs when creating a recreational park. Join over 98 communities that are advancing their priorities in climate resilience, pollution, natural resource management, or natural hazards! Learn more about our program here. Applications for the December cohort are considered on a rolling basis until 15 November 2019. ( Thriving Earth Exchange)
CalFire: Urban and Community Forestry Grants
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is offering three types of urban and community forestry grants through California Climate Investments: Urban Forest Expansion and Improvement; Urban Forest Management Activities; and Urban Wood and Biomass Utilization. Concept proposals due November 27. ( CalFire)
SB 2: $123 million available for Housing Planning Grants
The Department of Housing and Community Development has $123 million available under the SB2 Planning Grants Program (PGP). The PGP will help local governments prepare, adopt, and implement plans that accelerate housing production; streamline the approval of housing development affordable to owner and renter households at all income levels; facilitate housing affordability, particularly for lower- and moderate-income households; and promote development consistent with the State Planning Priorities. This a is a non-competitive, over-the-counter grant program. Applications will be accepted until November 30, 2019. ( HCD)
Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities Program
The Safe Routes Partnership is accepting applications for the 2020 Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities Program. Under this program, the Safe Routes Partnership will award $12,500 to seven communities with projects that will create walkable, bikeable parks, along with technical assistance to set the project plans in motion. Deadline: December 16 ( SRP)
2020 Leadership in Community Resilience Program
The National League of Cities 2020 Leadership in Community Resilience program is now accepting applications from cities seeking additional funding for resilience-related projects. Each city selected for the 2020 cohort will receive $10,000 in financial support, advisory services and a site visit from NLC staff, as well as an invitation to NLC’s annual resilience summit for the mayor and a staff member. Deadline: December 20. ( NLC)
National Forest Foundation Matching Awards Program
The National Forest Foundation (NFF) Matching Awards Program provides funding for results-oriented on-the-ground projects that enhance forest health and outdoor experiences on National Forests and Grasslands. Nonprofits, universities, and federally-recognized American tribes with projects aimed at enhancing outdoor experiences, improving forest and ecosystem health, and engaging communities in caring for their public lands are eligible to apply. Sign up for the informational webinar on December 13. Deadline: January 16, 2020. ( NFF)
FEMA 2019 Flood Mitigation Assistance and Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants
In Fiscal Year 2019, the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program has $70 million for two types of community flood mitigation activities: 1) Advance Assistance for flood mitigation design and development of community flood mitigation projects that will subsequently reduce flood claims; and 2) Mitigation projects that address community flood risk for the purpose of reducing NFIP flood claim payments. The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program provides Federal funds to State, Local and Tribal governments to implement and sustain cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on Federal funding from future disasters. Deadline: January 31, 2020. ( FEMA)
Upcoming Events
Upcoming CRC Quarterly Workshop: Climate Action in the Capital Region: 2019 ReCAP
Monday, December 16, 12.30-4pm
Join the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative for our upcoming quarterly meeting featuring presentations on the American River Basin Study, forest resilience bonds, and the Sacramento and West Sacramento Mayors' Commission on Climate Change. The meeting will also feature a panel discussion on maintaining resilience during Public Safety Power Shutoffs. We strongly encourage public agency staff, elected officials, nonprofit and labor organizations, community-based organizations, consulting firms, advocacy groups, students, and public members interested in learning about our Capital Region initiatives and programs to attend this engaging and informative event! ( Register)
Webinar: Gentrification and Displacement Near Los Angeles Rail Transit Stations
Wednesday, November 6, 10-11am
This webinar will summarize findings from a project aimed at addressing the question of "Is new rail transit associated with displacement of low-income residents in near-rail neighborhoods?" Researchers examined neighborhood income distributions and the pattern of residential moves by income in Los Angeles rail transit neighborhoods. ( Register)
Sacramento County Public Health: Community Health Improvement Plan
Thursday, November 7, 9am-noon
7001-A East Parkway, Sacramento
Sacramento County Public Health invites you to attend a Community Stakeholder Meeting as part of efforts to develop a Community Health Improvement Plan. The purpose of this meeting is to review preliminary findings and data about the health of our community and to receive stakeholder and community input on priorities, health concerns and needs. For more information and to RSVP please contact Alexa Bunton at BuntonA@saccounty.net    
Webinar: The Resilient Growth Model for Building Transformational Resilience for Climate Traumas
Thursday, November 7, noon-1pm
Many factors determine the ability of individuals, groups, and communities to successfully cope with trauma and toxic stresses and use them as transformational catalysts to learn, grow, and increase wellbeing. This webinar will describe the principles and methods of building these capacities using the Resilient Growth model. ( Register)
Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Round 5 Workshops
Tuesday, November 12, 10am-12.30pm
The Strategic Growth Council is releasing funding for Round 5 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) and will host a series of workshops around the state to discuss the application, funding guidelines, and the Benefits Calculator Tool. With roughly $550 million, Round 5 will be the AHSC program’s largest funding round to date. ( AHSC)
Webinar - Case Studies in Sierra Climate Action: Stories from the Field
Wednesday, November 13, 10-11.30am
Where are we one year after the release of California’s 4th Climate Assessment? The Sierra Nevada Regional Report contains dire predictions for our region's natural and built infrastructure, and paints a picture of a vastly different world in 50 and 100 years. Join Sierra CAMP in learning and sharing how regional agencies, local governments, tribal communities, and others are leveraging resources to mitigate and adapt in the face of our changing climate. There will be an opportunity to discuss crowd-sourced examples and questions – come ready to share! ( Register)
Webinar – Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad: A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu for Indigenous-led Climate Adaptation
Wednesday, November 13, 11am-noon
Traditional and Indigenous knowledge and perspectives have not often been recognized in planning resources for climate adaptation in natural and cultural resource management. This webinar will introduce the Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad, a new tool to assist in developing specific adaptation actions that recognize and incorporate tribal perspectives, and help integrate tribal and traditional values with climate adaptation planning. ( Register)
Webinar: Building a Culture of Transformational Resilience Within Groups and Communities for Climate Traumas
Thursday, November 14, noon-1pm
When climate-enhanced shocks severely strain or fracture social support networks, public support systems, or other factors, individuals and groups can be pushed to a boiling point causing entire neighborhoods and communities to become “trauma-organized.” This webinar will describe different approaches used by groups, towns, and cities to proactively transition from trauma-organized to trauma-informed resilience-enhancing communities. ( Register)
Webinar: Making the Case for Municipal Retrofits: The City of San Diego “ZN3” Project
Thursday, November 14, 2-3pm
California's aggressive policy goals aim to retrofit 50% of existing commercial buildings to zero net-energy (ZNE) by 2030. The Center for Sustainable Energy, SDG&E, and San Diego Building Council will their experience, tools and tactics on how to justify ZNE municipal retrofit projects, using a project to upgrade three San Diego libraries to ZNE as an example. ( Register)
California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System Partner Meeting
November 18-19, Capitol Event Center, Sacramento
The 2019 NIDIS California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System Partner Meeting will bring together federal, state, local, tribal, academic, and private sector partners to share and discuss ongoing drought activities, learn about new and innovative drought research and resources, explore emerging issues and opportunities, and identify collaborative paths forward to help the region monitor, forecast, plan for, and cope with the impacts of drought. ( DEWS)
California Adaptation Forum Equity & Inclusivity Listening Sessions
November 19, 10am, and November 21, 2pm
The Local Government Commission invites you to participate in a listening session to advise on key opportunities to prioritize equity and inclusivity at the 2020 California Adaptation Forum. The LGC is conducting two listening sessions before program planning activities launch to gather early input to inform the overall planning process. LGC hopes that you are able to share your perspectives, lived experiences, and expert guidance to help shape the program development process. ( Nov 19 and Nov 21)
APA Sacramento Valley Speaker Series: California Transportation Plan (CTP) 2050
Friday, November 22, 8.30-10.30am
West Sacramento Community Center, 1075 West Capitol Ave, West Sacramento
The purpose of the California Transportation Plan 2050 (CTP 2050) is to present innovative, sustainable, and integrated multimodal mobility solutions. These solutions will help guide the planning and implementation of a low-carbon transportation system that fosters economic vitality, protects the environment and natural resources, and promotes health and well-being equitably. In this session, we will hear from key participants in the development of CTP 2050. ( SVSAPA)
Learning Session: Centering Equity in Climate Adaptation and Resilience
Monday, November 25, 10:30-1:30am
Join this Learning Session with Asian Pacific Environmental Network and Greenlining Institute for an engaging conversation about how the climate advocacy community can support equitable climate resilience and the ability of communities to adapt and thrive in the face of climate change. If you’re curious about climate resilience, committed to social equity and climate justice (and have been wondering how to bring those values into practice) — this webinar is for you! ( Register)
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 .