INCORPORATED 1896
1333 Park Avenue. Emeryville, CA 94608-3517
t (510) 596-4300 | f (510) 596-4389
December 10, 2024
California Ocean Protection Council (OPC)
Attention: SB 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program 715 P Street, 20th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear OPC SB 1 Grant Review Committee:
I am writing on behalf of the City Council of the City of Emeryville to express our commitment to the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) application for a SB 1 California Sea Level Rise Mitigation and Adaptation Act of 2021 grant for East Bay Crescent Community Engagement and Climate Adaptation. The City of Emeryville is committed as an active partner in the development of this project.
I feel confident this project will support broader sea level rise (SLR) adaptation planning across the Alameda County shoreline portion of the East Bay Crescent Operational Landscape Unit (OLU), covering portions of Oakland, Berkeley, and Albany along with the entirety of Emeryville’s shoreline. In addition to these cities, the project will function in close collaboration with Caltrans, Bay Area Toll Authority/Metropolitan Transportation Commission, East Bay Regional Parks District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District.
This dynamic area of the shoreline includes a range of land uses, including residential, industrial and business, wetlands and natural shorelines, recreational areas and a major transportation corridor - the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Major project outputs include a Community Education and Engagement Plan, a Working Group and Equity Committee, and outreach and engagement activities. As part of BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP) process, this project will also include an Exposure Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment, and a Planning Pathways Assessment. The City of Emeryville is committed as an active partner in the development of the vulnerability assessment update that will comply with OPC’s SB 1 SLR Adaptation Criteria and will be used to inform Emeryville’s planning processes.
With sea level rise already causing changes in the San Francisco Bay and the Emeryville Crescent, solutions for retaining estuary function, protecting critical infrastructure, cultural assets, and vulnerable populations are urgently needed. To date, no comprehensive plan for this subregion exists that considers future climate change conditions and adaptation strategies, including green and grey solutions along the shoreline.
The SFEP’s “East Bay Crescent Community Engagement and Climate Adaptation” project will work in close collaboration with the cities involved along with Caltrans, Bay Area Toll Authority/Metropolitan Transportation Commission, East Bay Regional Parks District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District. This process will seek to understand diverse perspectives of vested partners, including community-based organizations
EXHIBIT A
Emeryville Letter of Commitment to SFEP Crescent Project
serving marginalized communities, Tribes, arts organizations and recreation, environmental, and open space groups, particularly focused on the Emeryville/Oakland area of the shoreline. SFEP is uniquely situated to engage these many agencies and other community stakeholders in a coordinated effort
The City of Emeryville is directly impacted by the health and functioning of the Crescent, including the critical wetlands, as sea level rise has already begun to affect the coastline and the groundwater tables within the city. We understand that this work, if funded, will culminate in studies supporting one or more potential strategies for adaptation to and/or mitigation of the impacts of sea level rise in this area, and may provide information that will be transferable to other shoreline areas facing similar challenges.
The City of Emeryville will be working with the Estuary Partnership/Association of Bay Area Governments as a close project partner and Working Group member. City of Emeryville staff will support community and Tribal consultation, and coordinate review of all project deliverables. The cost to Emeryville to complete this work represents a total of approximately $100,000 in staff time for the project. The City expects to receive this amount of funding as a subaward, to support the City’s efforts to ensure outputs are in line with the goals of Emeryville, OPC, and BCDC.
The City of Emeryville is committed to and excited about opportunities to participate in the East Bay Crescent Engagement Visioning and Climate Adaptation project, and fully endorses the San Francisco Estuary Partnership as the lead agency for this effort. I am confident that with the necessary backing from OPC, it will achieve great success. Please feel free to reach out to Amber Evans, Community and Economic Development Coordinator, at 510-596-4382 or [email protected] if you require any further information or would like to discuss this in more detail.
Sincerely,
_____________________, Mayor