EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 18, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Melvin E. Gaines, City Manager
BY: Humza Javed, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: Agreement with Bay Area Community Resources for Climate Action Plan Update and Implementation Fellow
Recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Memorandum of Understanding with Bay Area Community Resources, in a form approved by the City Attorney, in an amount not-toexceed $28,000 in matching funds to hire a Sustainability Service Corps Fellow to assist in finalizing and implementing the East Palo Alto Climate Action Plan 2030 Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Promote Health and Public Safety
Background
On March 1, 2022, staff provided the City Council with an update on the City’s efforts to update the 2011 East Palo Alto Climate Action Plan (2011 EPA CAP) and prepare the East Palo Alto Climate Action Plan 2030 (EPA CAP 2030). The updated CAP aims to outline a framework of feasible solutions to accomplish the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions outlined by the State.
The City has taken the following actions since March 1, 2022:
· On March 3, 2022, Climate Resilient Communities reviewed the Draft EPA CAP 2030 in its entirety and provided comments.
· On March 16, 2022 the Public Works and Transportation Committee reviewed the Draft EPA CAP 2030 and provided comments.
· On April 25, 2022, the Planning Commission reviewed the Draft EPA CAP 2030 and provided comments.
· On April 19, 2023, the Public Works and Transportation Commission reviewed the updated Draft EPA CAP 2030
· On July 10, 2023, the Planning Commission provided comments and approved the updated Draft EPA CAP 2030
Staff also provided presentations on the Draft EPA CAP to several community groups and received oral comments over the course of the last year.
Staff anticipates returning to the City Council for a final review of the draft Climate Action Plan in late summer/fall 2023. Subsequent to the adoption of the document, a number of implementation items need to occur.
Since 2022, the City has worked with Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) to host a Fellow. The Sustainability Service Corps program is part of AmeriCorps, a national, federallyfunded community service program. BACR collaborates with public and nonprofit organizations across California to recruit, train, and place Sustainability Service Corps Fellows at public and nonprofit organizations, where they support greenhouse gas reduction programs or other sustainability projects such as implementing programs that save energy, water or waste; educating students in classrooms or online; developing greenhouse Gas Inventories, Climate Action Plans, and other capacity-building documents; and outreach to raise community engagement.
Over the course of the last year, the Fellow working with the City has collaborated with various City departments and community stakeholders to develop the Draft EPA CAP 2023. The City seeks to bring on a new Fellow to complete the EPA CAP 2030 and assist with certain implementation items. Fellows will ideally devote a minimum of 24 hours per week to directly working on emissions, water, waste, or energy reduction projects. The term of service starts the first week of September and ends no later than August 31, 2023.
Analysis
To partner with BACR to host a Fellow, the City needed to prepare a job description and post it prior to the end of June 2023. The application period closes in August, then the City and BACR will conduct interviews and hire a Fellow. The Fellowship will begin the first week of September 2023.
This Fellowship removes access barriers by only requiring a high school diploma/GED as an educational requirement, status as a US citizen or legal permanent resident, and residency in California. Fellowship opportunities enable community members to engage in meaningful Climate Action work for a limited duration and receive a Segal Education Award up to $6,895 in return for their service, while receiving a monthly stipend of $2,727 and additional pay of $10,000 as an end of the program award. A $28,000 match is required from the host agency to support implementation of the program.
Exposure to climate action planning and implementation will ensure the Fellow will be engaged in public outreach, education, research, and developing an understanding of the many cobenefits the community will enjoy through emissions reductions and other goals to be fully outlined through the EPA CAP 2030.
The Fellow will be exposed to public engagement efforts beyond the Climate Action Plan, including Coastal Cleanup Day, other community cleanup events, MLK Day Tree Planting, Earth Day, National Rivers Cleanup Day, and Bike to Work Day, among other public events.
This exposure will also enable the Fellow to be exposed to nonprofit partnerships, other governmental agencies, and other regional Climate Action Plan collaboratives the City engages in.
By hiring this Fellow, the City will temporarily enhance Climate Action capacity while the Fellow and Public Works team seeks funding opportunities for further capacity building, while preparing an implementation plan for the 2030 CAP upon adoption.
Fiscal Impact
A budget of $28,000, funded through the City’s General Fund, is included in the adopted FY 2023/2024 annual Public Works Budget.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice by making the agenda and report available on the City’s website and on a bulletin board located at City Hall: 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The proposed action does not constitute a “project” with the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15378(b)(4) and (5) in that it is a governmental fiscal, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Attachments
1. Resolution
2. MOU