CED Committee
July 11, 2023
AGENDA REPORT
T O : Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Joe DeVries
City Administrator Deputy City Administrator
SUBJECT: Informational Report Regarding
Progress to date on Implementing the
2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan
DATE: May 9, 2023
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends City Council Receive An Informational Report R egarding Progress To Date On Implementing The 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council adopted the 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP) in July 2020 through Resolution No. 88267 C.M.S. The ECAP established 40 Actions to improve Oakland’s climate resilience, advance equity, and reduce local GHG emissions on a path to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2045.
This report provides a progress update on the first two-and-a-half years of implementation (July 2020 through December 2022). It briefly summarizes progress for each of the ECAP’s 40 Actions, and then describes milestones (projects, programs, and policies) according to the ECAP’s seven themes. Finally, it describes near-term plans, along with key implementation focus areas for the coming two years.
BACKGROUND/LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The City of Oakland is a leader in ambitious and equity-driven climate action. Resolution No. 82129 C.M.S. (2009) directed staff to develop the City’s first climate strategy, the 2020 Energy and Climate Action Plan, with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets of 36 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050.
In 2016, the California Legislature enacted Senate Bill (SB) 32, which built on the 2006 California Global Warming Solutions Act by requiring Statewide GHG emissions to be reduced to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. In 2018, Oakland City Council adopted Resolution No. 87183 C.M.S., establishing a GHG emissions reduction target of 56 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. That same year, City Council adopted Resolution No. 87397 C.M.S., declaring a climate emergency and calling for regional collaboration and a “citywide just transition and Jestin Johnson (Jun 30, 2023 10:23 PDT)
Jun 30, 2023
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 2
2 urgent climate mobilization effort to reverse global warming ... as quickly as possible towards zero net emissions.”
In July 2020, through Resolution No. 88267 C.M.S., City Council adopted the 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP), a comprehensive plan responsive to the abovementioned targets.
The ECAP details 40 Actions within the City’s regulatory and legal spheres of control to improve Oakland’s climate resilience, advance equity, and reduce local GHG emissions on a path projected to exceed Council’s adopted targets. Alongside the ECAP, City Council adopted Resolution No. 88268 C.M.S., creating a 2045 full carbon neutrality target.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The 2030 ECAP was adopted early in the COVID-19 pandemic, causing delays or pivots for some Actions. Progress has nonetheless been strong because the ECAP conceives of the climate crisis as a justice issue. Its focus on collaboration, holistic programs, and the welfare of most-impacted (frontline) communities has allowed staff to coordinate many of its Actions with efforts to address the financial and social impacts of the pandemic. Continued, robust implementation of the ECAP, including the interdepartmental and City-community collaboration that are key to success, supports the Citywide priorities of housing, economic, and cultural security; vibrant, sustainable infrastructure; and responsive, trustworthy government. These priorities are evident in the ECAP’s responsiveness to the abovementioned City Resolutions and policies, and in the strong community support that accompanied the Plan’s adoption.
Partnerships have been pivotal. For example, GRID Alternatives – the nonprofit implementer of the Clean Cars for All program and the nation’s largest no-cost solar provider for low-income residents – is an important ally in linking electrification to broader climate justice strategies. The City regularly partners with GRID on public engagement, and in 2022, the City launched a partnership with GRID, Habitat for Humanity, and others to pilot more effective ways of supporting low-income homeowners with health-and-safety-focused home electrification. East Bay Community Energy’s (EBCE) administrative and financial support is critical to reducing emissions from both buildings and vehicles. More than 50 local food recovery organizations have partnered with the City to achieve the ECAP’s waste reduction and recovered food targets, resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions and millions of pounds of food reaching the most vulnerable residents in frontline communities of Oakland.
Leveraging the City’s strong existing plans and programs is also essential. For example, the ECAP’s transportation and land use goals cannot be achieved without full implementation of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, elevation of the City’s Transit First Policy, and full integration in the General Plan’s Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE).
Table 1 summarizes progress to date of all 40 ECAP Actions. As a 10-year Plan, the ECAP was set to a schedule to guide prioritization and to maximize resources, partnerships, and technological advancements. The first column lists the ECAP Action number (#), which includes Section identifiers: Transportation and Land Use (TLU), Buildings (B), Material Consumption and Waste (MCW), Adaptation (A), Carbon Removal (CR), City Leadership (CL), and Port (P).
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 3
3 Table 1: ECAP Progress Summary
# Action Name Summary of Progress
TLU-
1 Align All Planning
Policies &
Regulations with
ECAP Goals &
Priorities
In Progress
The General Plan (GP) update is underway. Sustainability and Resilience Division of the City Administrator’s Office (SRD) is partnering with the Planning Bureau to ensure all GP elements fully reflect ECAP Actions and approaches. The Planning Bureau consulted with SRD in designing the administrative and contracting structure for the GP Update. SRD staff are also engaging with the Planning Bureau on other planning policies and regulations, and with the Building Bureau on electrification requirements and options for both new and existin
g buildings.
TLU-
2 Align Permit &
Project Approvals
with ECAP
Priorities
Major Progress
In July 2021, the Oakland Planning Commission approved a revised GHG Threshold of Significance, a revised GHG Standard Condition of Approval, and a new project-level ECAP Consistency Checklist. These actions fully align new project approvals and mandatory environmental review with the requirements of the ECAP.
TLU-
3 Take Action to
Reduce and
Prevent
Displacement of
Residents &
Businesses
In Progress
The Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWD) launched the Oakland Economic Recovery Advisory Council, which published its final report and recommendations in February 2021; increased assistance for businesses along the International Boulevard corridor; and expanded the Business Assistance Center across seven locations, including the most recent in Deep East Oakland. In 2022, EWD relaunched an expanded Façade and Tenant Improvement Program, providing grants to property and small business owners. They also launched the permanent Neighborhood Business Assistance program, holding free, 30-minute, 1-on-1 appointments for entrepreneurs and business owners at six locations. The Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) also conducted a surge of anti- displacement efforts, leveraging State and Federal resources that emerged since 2020 to address the overlapping housing, homelessness, and COVID- 19 crises. Progress includes greater tenant protections, the Homekey program launch, and increased affordable housing production and preservation:
o Tenant Protections: Implementation and extension of eviction moratorium; strengthening Just Cause eviction protections through Measure V; implementation of Oakland’s first rent registry to enable rent regulation and enforcement; administration of emergency rental assistance funds, outreach, and legal services to help households avoid displacement.
o Affordable Housing Production: Over $72M in State funds awarded to Oakland affordable housing programs, including $54M in Homekey funds to provide units for people experiencing homelessness, $15M in Local Housing Trust Funds for new construction projects, and $3M in CalHOME funds for Accessory Dwelling Units.
o Acquisitions and rehabilitation: City released NOFAs in 2020, 2021, and 2022, allocating millions in funds to preserve existing affordable housing, convert market-rate housing to affordable housing, and produce new affordable housing in neighborhoods experiencing high levels of displacement. In 2021, $71M was invested in 727 affordable housing units. The Acquisition and Conversion to Affordable Housing (ACAH) Program includes a component dedicated to Community Land Trusts and Limited Equity Cooperatives; it awarded $6.35M to projects in 2020, with a 2022 allocation of $12-$22M in pro
gram funds.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 4
4 o Transformative Climate Communities: A 55-unit affordable housing development at 94th and International began construction in 2021. At the Better Neighborhoods, Same Neighbors Resource Center, the City and East Bay Permanent Real Estate Collaborative launched a Displacement Avoidance program with onsite counselors and assistance.
TLU-
4 Abundant,
Affordable, &
Accessible Public
Transit
Early Progress
This Action requires coordination with the region’s many public transit agencies. OakDOT launched two Universal Basic Mobility pilots in East and West Oakland, providing prepaid cards for public transit and shared micro- mobility to low-income residents. The Metropolitan Transit Commission and partnering agencies launched a similar two-year pilot, Clipper® BayPass, in 2022 to study the impact of providing 50,000 Bay Area residents free access to all bus, rail, and ferry services in the region. Improvements to BRT included the Lakeside Drive and Lake Merritt Blvd. Complete Streets Project, supporting active-transit connectivity to BRT, and $11.4 million in grant funding to improve safety and accessibility along International Boulevard.
The San Francisco Bay Ferry secured Federal pandemic relief funds for the Pandemic Recover
y Program, which enhanced service and lowered fares.
TLU-
5 Create a Zero
Emission Vehicle
Action Plan
Complete / Fully Underway
Council adopted the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Action Plan in November 2022, along with associated legislation. It was published in January 2023.
TLU-
6 Establish
Temporary and
Permanent Car-
Free Areas
Major Progress
Building off the 2021 Neighborhood Bike Routes Implementation Guide and public interest during COVID, the Slow Streets Network launched in 2020 and has since evolved with resident and local business input. The modular approach has supported swift implementation and flexibility, while ongoing implementation can be supported throu
gh paving and CIP funds.
TLU-
7 Rethink Curb
Space
Early Progress
OakDOT has implemented demand-responsive parking pricing in Montclair and Chinatown, with plans to expand to the rest of downtown. They have also piloted metered split-loading zones, and plan to meter all commercial loading zones in meter areas.
TLU-
8 Expand and
Strengthen
Transportation
Demand
Management
Requirements
Early Progress
OakDOT is updating the Transportation Impact Review Guidelines (TIRG).
This update will be coordinated with the update of the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) of the General Plan starting in late 2023.
Part of this update will be to review and strengthen Transportation Demand Mana
gement (TDM) and related reporting requirements.
TLU-
9 Ensure Equitable
and Clean New
Mobility
In Progress
Oakland's bike share program provides a $5 annual membership to low- income residents and requires 20% of stations to be East of Lake Merritt.
The dockless vehicle-sharing program requires a low-income membership; 10% of vehicles must be located in Fruitvale and 10% in East Oakland for any fleets over 250 vehicles. City staff are in discussions with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission on the expansion of e-bikes into Oakland as part of this pro
gram.
TLU-
10 Expand
Neighborhood
Car Sharing
Early Progress
The City's car share program includes one vendor (GIG), with 350 'free- floating' vehicles that can be rented and parked anywhere within a designated "home zone," and two more vendors (Zipcar and Getaround) that offer a few dozen "dedicated space" vehicles that must be rented and dropped off in the same location. OakDOT staff have explored non-profit run programs that provide vehicles at low cost in disadvantaged communities, but have been unable to identif
y funds for the required government subsidy.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 5
5 B-1 Eliminate Natural
Gas in New
Buildin
gs
Major Progress
Council adopted Ordinance No. 13632 C.M.S. in December 2020, mandating that all new construction be all-electric.
B-2 Plan for All
Existing Buildings
to be Efficient
and All-Electric
by 2040
In Progress
Staff is developing an Existing Building Electrification Roadmap, preparing a Major Renovations Ordinance to encourage electrification in large projects, and conducting intensive public education and engagement about resources available to support electrification projects.
B-3 Prevent
Refrigerant
Pollution
Not Begun
Refrigerant pollution is largely regulated by federal standards for appliances, vehicles, and disposal of refrigerants. Engagement with these parties is expected to occur in 2024 at the earliest.
B-4 Reduce Lifecycle
Emissions from
Building Materials
Early Progress
Early research of technologies and policy options is ongoing in partnership with stakeholders and regional agencies. Staff is coordinating with State partners and Pacific Coast Collaborative on materials targets.
B-5 Require All Major
Retrofits of City
Facilities to be
All-Electric
In Progress
Action was effective upon ECAP adoption. Staff are developing protocols to prioritize electrification opportunities, identify funding, and train relevant staff in the installation and maintenance of key technologies. Numerous facilities have been retrofitted to all-electric systems. Nine libraries in Oakland had heat pump water heaters installed to replace natural gas systems in 2023.
MCW
-1
Eliminate
Disposal of
Compostable
Organic Materials
to Landfills
In Progress
The City’s contracted, state-of-the-art organic material processing and composting facilities have been operational since 2020. City Council adopted Ordinance 13671 in 2021, incorporating requirements of California's Short- Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Act (SB 1383) into the Oakland Municipal Code. SB 1383 aims to divert all compostable and recyclable organic material from landfill and into composting and recycling facilities. In partnership with the City’s franchised collection service providers Waste Management of Alameda County and California Waste Solutions, OPW is engaging businesses and multi-family residential property owners to comply by subscribing to required compost and recycling collection services.
Increased source separation and post-collection processing have si
gnificantly reduced the amount of organic material sent to landfills.
MCW
-2
Strengthen
Infrastructure and
Partnerships for
Edible Food
Recovery
In Progress
Staff are building a network of edible food recovery hubs in compliance with SB 1383. Surveys to food recovery organizations and large food generators will launch in January-February 2023, to help match food generators to recovery organizations. Staff are identifying City facilities capable of housing food recovery and distribution organizations. More than one million pounds of potentially wasted food was recovered and distributed in Oakland in 2021 throu
gh these partnerships.
MCW
-3
Eliminate Single-
Use Plastics &
Prioritize Reuse
in Food
Preparation,
Distribution, and
Sale
Early Progress
In 2022, in partnership with Sparkl Reusables, the City helped prevent over 20,000 single-use items from the waste stream in 2 months, with 98% return rate. Staff began outreach on State law AB 1276, which requires retail food operations and delivery platforms to stop automatic distribution of single use cutlery, condiment packets, and chopsticks. Staff are promoting free technical assistance and rebates for restaurants to switch to reusables.
MCW
-4
Support Reuse,
Repair,
Recovery, and
Refurbishment
Not Begun
This Action will require extensive coordination with external agencies as well as internal departments, and is likely to require external funding. Work is expected to be
gin in 2025.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 6
6 MCW
-5
Expand Repair
Resources
Early Progress
Staff is seeking external resources to expand the City’s Tool Lending Library.
Through the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) project, the City is supporting East Oakland’s Original Scraper Bike Team on a reconstructed bike repair facility.
MCW
-6
Establish a
Deconstruction
Requirement
Early Progress
OPW staff have initiated analysis of a Deconstruction Ordinance and are expected to bring a draft for Council consideration in 2023.
A-1 Fund Creation
and Operation of
Resilience Hubs
Early Progress
The West Oakland Resilience Hub (West Oakland Library, West Oakland Senior Center, DeFremery Recreation Center) and Lincoln Square Resilience Hub (Lincoln Recreational Center) received Capital Improvement Program budget allocations. Both projects are co-led by community groups and have had programmatic analysis to support physical improvements.
Additional facilities have had resilience components added in the form of improved air filtration systems, renewable energy systems, and electrification of energy systems. These have led to more than 20 available Respite Centers (with cooling and cleaner-air capability), and less additional work required to reach full Resilience Hub status. Staff is undertaking a complete inventory of public-facing municipal buildings in 2023 to further refine efforts to establish additional resilience hubs.
A-2 Enhance
Community
Energy
Resilience
Early Progress
The City is working with EBCE on projects to reduce energy bills, increase access to electricity during blackouts, and add resilient infrastructure in frontline communities. These include Resilient Home (discounted residential solar and energy storage) and Community Solar Green Tariff Program (connects commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to low-income customer discounts). New State building code requirements that went into effect in January 2023 will also significantly increase the number of solar PV and energy storage systems in Oakland for newly constructed buildings.
A-3 Citywide
Vulnerability
Assessment &
Comprehensive
Adaptation Plan
In Progress
The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan was completed in 2021 and adopted by Council, including data analysis on climate vulnerabilities and hazards. In 2022, CAO-SRD onboarded a FUSE Fellow to advance this project, including identifying funds and external partners to develop the plan. This Assessment and Plan will be integrated into the City’s General Plan as technical appendices, with findings and policy recommendations reflected in the Safet
y, Environmental Justice, and Land Use Elements.
A-4 Wildfire Risk
Reduction
Major Progress
The City created an interdepartmental Wildfire Prevention Working Group in 2020 to elevate this priority for all departments. OFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau eliminates hazardous vegetation at approximately 100 City-owned lots in the High and Very High Fire Severity Zone (VHFSZ) every year and contracts with a goat grazer to eliminate hazards on 80 large City properties including King’s Estates and Shepherd Canyon Park. OFD Firefighters and Inspectors conduct 25,000 vegetation inspections in the Very High Fire Severity Zone annually, ending the 2022 season with 88% initial compliance.
PBD proposed and Council enacted restrictions on ADUs in the HFSZ to avoid density that would impact evacuation routes. In 2021 the City received a $950,000 CalFire grant to remove dying trees from Skyline Blvd, a major evacuation corridor, and OakDOT has implemented parking restrictions on narrow streets in the HFSZ with enhanced enforcement on Red Flag Days.
The City partnered with UC Berkeley, the City of Berkeley, and the East Bay Regional Park District to prevent wildfires along Grizzly Peak with enhanced Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 7
7 enforcement in the summer months. The City is currently involved in discussions with regional partners on a regional approach to Vegetation management. The City’s Vegetation Management Plan draft EIR will be released in Spring of 2023 with final adoption expected by winter 2023.
A-5 Identify and
Reduce Financial
Risks from
Climate Change
Not Begun
Coordination with relevant parties on this topic is expected to begin in 2024, following completion of improved risk management modeling for local governments currently underway in other cities and at the State level.
A-6 Expand and
Protect Green
Infrastructure &
Biodiversity
In Progress
OPW’s Watershed Protection Division installed bioretention facilities as part of the 7th St. Sreetscape Project in West Oakland, Estuary Park, Lakeside Drive, and Lake Merritt Blvd. Cycletrack Project.
CR-1 Develop Local
Carbon
Investment
Program
Early Progress
CAO-SRD onboarded a FUSE Fellow in fall 2022 to establish this program.
The City is pursuing a grant with UC Berkeley to launch a pilot establishing a local carbon offset system. If successful, the pilot would launch in 2024.
CR-2 Expand and
Protect Tree
Canopy
Coverage
In Progress
OPW completed the Urban Tree Inventory in 2021 and is finalizing the 50- year Urban Forest Plan, with a strategy to maintain existing trees in a changing climate while equitably expanding canopy coverage. OPW provided tree plantings in frontline communities including Columbia Gardens, DeFremery Park, and Lion Creek. CAO is coordinating tree plantings in Sobrante Park as part of Better Neighborhoods Same Neighbors.
CR-3 Rehabilitate
Riparian Areas
and Open Space
In Progress
The Courtland Creek Restoration Project, which will restore 950 linear feet of urban stream in East Oakland, launched and is on track to be completed by mid-2024. A project to restore approximately 1,045 feet of Glen Echo Creek and conduct minor park improvements is scoped but not yet funded.
CR-4 Explore Carbon
Farming
Early Progress
While no funds have been identified for this project, CAO-SRD staff are part of a working group convened by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) exploring “natural climate solutions” and strategies for planning, funding, and implementing urban carbon sequestration projects.
CR-5 Sequestration
Incubator
Not begun
This Action will have linkages to the City’s Economic Development strategy.
Work is expected to begin by 2025.
CR-6 Regional Aquatic
Sequestration
Not begun
This Action will require extensive coordination with external agencies. Staff will pursue opportunities to initiate a sequestration pilot when funding and associated resources become available.
CL-1 Evaluate and
Reduce Climate
Impacts of City
Expenditures and
Operation
Not begun
This Action will require extensive coordination with multiple departments. It is expected to begin in 2025.
CL-2 Phase Out Fossil
Fuel Dependency
in City Contracts
and
Agreements
Not begun
This Action will require extensive coordination with multiple departments. It is expected to begin in 2025.
CL-3 Accelerate City
Fleet Vehicle
Replacement
In Progress
OPW-Fleet Services powers all 534 diesel vehicles and equipment exclusively with renewable diesel. Of the remaining vehicles, 27 percent are hybrid or alternative-fueled, including 38 battery-electric vehicles. OPW and SRD staff have done assessments of alternative funding models to further Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 8
8 progress, but have not identified an approach that will work at the needed scale. Staff will continue to pursue grant funding to support this effort.
CL-4 Explore Creation
of Public or
Green Bank
Not begun
Staff are following updates on the "Green Bank" program within the Federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA allocated $27 billion to this program over the next 10 years, with $20 billion for local government institutions that offer financing services and $7 billion for low-carbon solutions for low-income and other frontline communities. Staff expect to begin this application in 2023; if successful, implementation will launch in 2024.
CL-5 Establish
Oakland Climate
Action Network to
Support Inclusive
Community
ECAP
Engagement
In Progress
In 2021, the City helped fund a resilience leadership training with the nonprofit NorCal Resilience Network, and distributed $90,000 in mini-grants to 12 Oakland grassroots CBOs that completed the training. In 2022, the City secured $80,000 in Justice-40 grant funding for nonprofit electrification partners Unity Council, East Oakland Collective, East Bay Permanent Real Estate Collaborative, Northern California Land Trust, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, and Mycelium Youth Network. Staff piloted Mighty Networks, an online communication and engagement tool, with mixed success. PBD and SRD staff are actively involved in AB 617 implementation (West Oakland) and planning (East Oakland), in which implementation projects are explored and vetted with community stakeholders. Staff are partnering with OUSD to enhance climate curriculum with strengthened workforce pathways. As appropriate, staff support efforts of the Greenlining Institute to build capacity among Oakland CBOs, particularly on climate and environmental justice issues, as well as on effectively working with public agencies to advance organizational goals. Better Neighborhoods Same Neighbors supports community leadership for place-based climate and economic justice. In 2022, the City identified funding for a Citywide Community Engagement Coordinator to strengthen the City’s internal infrastructure for coordinated, equitable, communit
y engagement.
P-1 Reduce
Emissions from
Port Vehicles and
Equipment
In Progress
The Port is exploring zero-carbon vehicles and equipment (battery-electric or green hydrogen). Since 2020, the seaport and airport have made progress in purchasing, installing, and/or hosting electric cargo handling equipment (CHE), electric buses, sustainable aviation fuel, and electric drayage trucks.
P-2 Reduce
Emissions from
Electricity
In Progress
The Port Utility continues sourcing more renewable energy for its operations.
The 2020 Port of Oakland GHG Emissions inventory indicated that emissions are declining from electricity consumption, including a three-month period in 2020 where the Port reached zero emissions from electricity. The Port's 2021 Power Content Label shows approximately 59 percent of the Port's ener
gy supply coming from carbon-free sources.
Of eight ECAP Actions with deliverables in this reporting period, two were completed or fully instituted (TLU-5, B-5), and an additional six saw significant progress (B-2, A-1, A-4, CR-2, CL- 5, and P-1). One (Action CL-1) has not yet begun due to staffing constraints.
Most policies, programs, and activities touch on multiple objectives simultaneously. The ECAP was written with this in mind, and with an understanding that most Actions would take iterations of activity over several years to accomplish. The following sections detail major City projects undertaken in the reporting period that address one or more ECAP Actions, arranged by the ECAP’s seven broad topic areas, to underscore the interconnections across ECAP themes.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 9
9 Transportation and Land Use:
Transportation is responsible for 64 percent of Oakland’s local GHG emissions, and a major cause of preventable respiratory and other poor health outcomes that disproportionately impact frontline communities. Transportation infrastructure and technologies, as well as land use patterns, determine how Oaklanders get around and interact with one another – whether a vehicle is needed, how safe a journey is, and how long a trip takes. Actions here address two major goals: First, help as many people and activities as possible move out of motorized vehicles, including through smarter land use, improved active transportation amenities, and improved public transportation. Second, ensure that all remaining vehicles run on clean electricity. Successes in this area have included:
1. Revised Threshold of Significance, ECAP Consistency Checklist, and revised GHG Standard Condition of Approval: Leveraging the City’s regulatory oversight role via the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), these compel new developments to follow all ECAP strategies necessary to meet the City’s GHG Emissions Reduction Targets, or pursue other means to achieve equal or greater reductions. The new requirements also include any prioritizing mitigation credits and offsets being invested in Oakland, the Bay Area, and California, consistent with CEQA and the ECAP. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-2, CR-1.
2. Universal Basic Mobility Pilot: This program provided 500 East Oaklanders with up to $300 on pre‐paid cards for transit, bike share, and scooter share. Results are promising:
40% of participants changed the way they travel and 23% reported driving less. The East Oakland program is now in its second round to use remaining program funds, providing pre-paid cards of up to $200. A second pilot for West Oakland, where 1,000 residents will each receive up to $350, is expected to launch in early 2023. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, TLU-4, TLU-9.
3. Zero Emission Vehicle Action Plan: Adopted by City Council in November 2022, the ZEV Action Plan details how Oakland will shift to 100 percent zero-emission vehicles, including passenger cars, trucks, and buses, by 2045.
ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-5, TLU-9.
4. Shared and Electric Micromobility: Oakland has a 10-year franchise agreement with Lyft to operate BayWheels, with 700 shared bicycles at 72 stations in North Oakland, West Oakland, Downtown, and Fruitvale. While bike share saw a post-pandemic drop in ridership, its longer-term franchise and regional nature provide certainty that the program will remain through 2027. The City’s e-Bike lending library will provide e-bikes for medium- and long-term rental at low or no cost via bike shops in Fruitvale, Chinatown, West Oakland, and East Oakland. Cargo bikes and adaptive bikes for persons with disabilities will be available. Community outreach began in 2022, with an anticipated launch date in late Spring 2023. The project is funded through $1.5 million in grants from the Clean Mobility Options Voucher Program, operated in partnership with Oakland- based GRID Alternatives. The Shared Dockless Vehicle program (scooter share) has three vendors – Lime, LINK and VeoRide – with about 650 vehicles overall. It was also negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Oakland was one of the first cities to require locks on e-scooters, reducing reports of sidewalk obstruction by more than 70 percent and virtually eliminating vehicles being thrown into Lake Merritt. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-7, TLU-9.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report Regarding ECAP Implementation Progress Date: May 9, 2023 Page 10
10 5. Electric Vehicle Charging Access: In 2022, the City opened an “Equal Access Charging Hub” near Lake Merritt, providing convenient, fast, public EV charging for an area with one of the highest densities of apartment buildings in the East Bay. In Oakland’s second public curbside charger installation, OakDOT, Carbon Solutions Group, PG&E, and Chargepoint are planning to install six DC Fast Chargers at Coliseum Gardens Park, adjacent to the Lion Creek Crossings (LCC) affordable housing complex.
ChargePoint will provide six low-cost leases for Nissan Leaf EVs to LCC residents for personal use, ride share, or delivery work. In serving an area with almost no current EV ownership, this project aims to remove ZEV access barriers for those who will benefit most from clean, reliable transportation. Staff is also collaborating with East Bay Community Energy to add up to 17 fast chargers at City Center West Garage, expected to start construction in 2023.
ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, TLU-5, TLU-7, TLU-9, TLU-10.
6. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): The City secured $11.4 million dollars in Clean California funds and Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant funds for the International Boulevard Pedestrian Lighting and Sidewalk Improvement Project, intended to provide safer pedestrian travel, encourage TEMPO (BRT) ridership, and improve health and environmental benefits. The project will also install solar-powered litter containers and trash capture devices at storm drains. OakDOT also received a $400,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Quick Strike program, to be combined with approximately $1.7 million from OakDOT’s violence prevention and Measure BB funding, to implement quick-build improvements that will improve safety and address dangerous driving conditions on segments of International Blvd. The project is initially focused on locations with more fatal/severe crashes, and is slated to launch with pilot treatments in Fall 2023.
ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-4.
7. East Oakland Mobility Action Plan: Finalized in January 2022, the EOMAP was produced by OakDOT in partnership with the East Oakland Collective, Just Cities, and TransForm. The Plan focuses on planning and project prioritization to prioritize transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and BRT connectivity; resident engagement and community-led decision-making; and connectivity to ensure existing residents can access jobs, education, and needed services.
ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, TLU-4, TLU-9, CL-5.
8. West Oakland Sustainable Transportation Equity Projects (STEPS): In 2022 OakDOT secured a California Air Resources Board (CARB) grant to fund projects that improve sustainable mobility and quality of life for West Oaklanders. The projects include implementing the Truck Management Plan, bicycle and pedestrian resources, urban greening, improving bus stops, and extending the Universal Basic Mobility program. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, TLU-4, TLU-9, CL-5.
Buildings
Buildings account for 27 percent of Oakland’s local GHG emissions. This section focuses on equitably and efficiently decarbonizing buildings: replacing gas appliances with energy-efficient electric alternatives, powered by a carbon-free and renewable electricity grid, to improve health, safety, and resilience. It also calls for reducing the embodied carbon in new buildings – using less carbon-intensive materials – and improving the circular economy of building materials.
Significant funding to support this work will be available in 2023 and 2024, through the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is expected to drive scaled Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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11 implementation on these items over the next three years. A key partner in this work is East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), which has committed to delivering 100% carbon-free renewable electricity by 2030. Progress has included:
1. All-electric requirements for new construction: In December 2020, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 13632 C.M.S., mandating that all new construction be all electric, effective immediately. By increasing demand for key electric systems and appliances, this Action provided strong market signals about the reliability and increasing pace of the electrification transition as well as a strong impetus for increased investment in related workforce training. These developments will ease the electrification transition for existing buildings by educating the construction workforce in all-electric construction, lowering technology costs, and educating homeowners.
ECAP Actions addressed: B-1.
2. Electrification Roadmap: Staff began technical analysis and extensive community engagement in 2020 to develop the Existing Building Electrification Roadmap. This document will provide a detailed pathway, accounting for varying building types, populations, technological readiness, and costs, to electrify all buildings by 2040. Staff anticipates bringing a draft of the Plan for Council consideration in July 2023. ECAP Actions addressed: B-2, TLU-3, A-2.
3. Electrification Workforce Discussions: To support a fair and just economic transition, decarbonization must include development of a skilled, stable, and fairly-compensated local workforce. In 2021, staff across multiple City departments partnered with Rising Sun Center for Opportunity and the Greenlining Institute to host a stakeholder engagement series addressing the needs and opportunities for workforce development in the electrification transition. The series led to a set of community-articulated priorities that informed both the ZEV Action Plan and the Building Electrification Roadmap. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, TLU-5, B-2, A-2.
4. Electrification of municipal facilities: Staff across multiple City departments, including Public Works, CAO, Library, and ESMD, are partnering to identify and pursue electrification upgrades as well as energy efficiency opportunities. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-5, B-5.
Material Consumption and Waste
Material consumption accounts for five percent of local emissions but 38 percent of the global emissions for which Oakland is responsible. The Actions in this sector focus on supporting circular economic principles that reduce both waste and extraction of virgin materials, and support the local economy. This includes everything from eliminating organic materials from the waste stream and redistributing edible food that would otherwise go to waste; to expanding the local “repair economy” so that more is reused and less is purchased.
1. Partnerships for edible food recovery: As of December 2022, the City is partnering with 59 food recovery organizations and 162 “edible food generators” to ensure that unused, edible food is redistributed to food-insecure Oaklanders. The City began work to upgrade the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center kitchen into a food hub for use by non- profits and start-ups to collect, prepare, and distribute recovered food. Staff is identifying additional facilities that can be utilized as food hubs such as DeFremery Recreation Center and the East and West Oakland Senior Centers. Staff used $15,000 in Community Development Block Grant Funds to establish a food hub at Telegraph Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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12 Community Ministries Center in District 1. The new refrigerator, oven, freezer, blast chiller, ice machine, and blender enabled the organization to recover additional food from five neighboring businesses for distribution to food-insecure residents in District 1. ECAP Actions addressed: MCW-1, MCW-2, A-1.
2. All-In Eats: Staff engaged in the All-In Eats working groups to create a Circular Food Economy in Alameda County. All-In Eats creates training opportunities for the formerly incarcerated to re-enter the workforce in positions that promote urban gardening, food recovery, and healthy communities. The program is also working to sell produce grown in Alameda County to local healthcare providers to create a Circular Food Economy. ECAP Actions addressed: MCW-1, MCW-2, A-1.
3. Compost: Staff applied over 500 cubic yards of compost and mulch on City land between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Staff are evaluating opportunities to establish compost hubs at non-profit community farms and/or City facilities to facilitate free distribution of compost to the public.
ECAP Actions addressed: MCW-1, A-1, A-6.
Adaptation
The City is working to increase community, institutional, and infrastructure resilience to the impacts of the climate crisis. Climate change is already affecting Oaklanders through increased wildfire smoke, drought, flooding, extreme heat, and more. Building resilience to climate change involves responding to disasters and emergencies as well as strengthening personal and neighborhood-level resilience during normal times, so that communities and families are better able to prepare for inevitable shocks and stressors. Success in this area includes the following:
1. Municipal Resilience Hubs: The West Oakland Resilience Hub (West Oakland Branch Library, West Oakland Senior Center, and DeFremery Recreation Center) and Lincoln Resilience Hub (Lincoln Recreational Center) received budget allocations in the Capital Improvements Program to continue planning and begin implementing upgrades to make these sites the City’s first two Municipal Resilience Hubs. Both projects are co-led by community-based organizations (West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network), and have had programmatic analysis to support physical improvements. Grant writing continues for both projects to reach full needed funding for construction. Meanwhile, the Emergency Services Management Division (ESMD), OPW, Library, and CAO-SRD have been partnering to increase staff expertise in identifying and prioritizing electrification and resilience opportunities. ECAP Actions addressed: A-1, B-5, CL-5.
2. Community Resilience Leadership Training: In 2021, Oakland partnered with the Norcal Resilience Network, Urban Sustainability Directors Network, and several Bay Area cities and counties to hold a nine-month leadership training for grassroots community leaders.
ECAP Actions addressed: A-1, CL-5.
3. Respite Centers: EMSD staff worked across City departments to identify facilities to serve as "Respite Centers" to provide cool and/or filtered air during extreme heat or heavy smoke events. The City now has more than 20 operational respite centers and 15 or more facilities that will be "cleaner air centers" once portable air filtration equipment is received from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), anticipated in Spring 2023. Staff are using mapping tools to ensure respite centers are strategically Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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13 located within or near vulnerable communities, and that these sites are prioritized for related upgrades (such as to HVAC systems). These sites fulfill the goal of “distributed resilience resources” as called for in the ECAP.
ECAP Actions addressed: A-1.
4. Community Resilience Hub: The City supported a successful grant application from California Interfaith Power and Light and the US Green Building Council to launch a Resilience Hub at Faith Baptist Church in East Oakland. This site, which opened as Oakland’s first official Community Resilience Hub in November 2022, serves two faith communities and includes solar panels, a battery backup system with islanding capabilities, and air filtration. The congregation is planning to install EV chargers in 2023. Separately, Allen Temple Baptist Church, also in East Oakland, secured funding and installed solar and battery backup to serve as a Resilience Hub for their community. ECAP Actions addressed: A-1, CL-5, B-2.
Carbon Removal
Every major scientifically accepted model for averting climate catastrophe today includes a significant component of carbon removal or carbon sequestration: removing carbon from the atmosphere through natural and/or technological solutions. Natural carbon removal is central to ecology: approaches include boosting soil health to increase root growth, and planting and maintaining trees and other green infrastructure. These solutions have countless health, justice, and infrastructure benefits – soaking up air pollution to protect the respiratory health of those living near freeways and industry, preventing sun damage to buildings and pavement, absorbing stormwater to prevent flooding, and more. With clear multiple benefits, especially for frontline communities, progress in this area is vital. Advancements in the reporting period include:
1. Urban Forest Plan: Through a grant from CalFire, OPW’s Parks and Tree Division completed the bulk of the Urban Forest Plan, including a public tree inventory and extensive community engagement. A public survey drew 2,500 responses, adding to in- person and hands-on engagement. Data show a shrinking overall canopy and stark inequities, with canopy coverage ranging from as little as 5 percent to over 40 percent, from the flatlands to the hills. An assessment shows multiple preventive urban forest services being absent since 2008, including dedicated staff in each part of the city, preventative pruning, regular inspections, watering, and more; these services have yet to be restored. The Urban Forest Plan will identify strategies to stem canopy loss and build canopy equity across communities, as well as key resources to accomplish these goals. ECAP Actions addressed: A-5, CR-2, CL-5.
2. Creek Restoration: The City is working to restore Oakland’s many creek channels that have been buried in culverts, polluted, diverted, or closed to residents. Creek restoration not only increases access to nature for Oaklanders and protects biodiversity, but also helps to prevent flooding during storms. Work on Courtland Creek is underway. San Leandro Creek was designated as a restoration project site in the Better Neighborhoods Same Neighbors (BNSN) project in Deep East Oakland, but complex overlapping jurisdictions and decades of disinvestment have complicated the project. Staff has been working across agencies and with multiple community organizations to identify a path forward. The City’s efforts support creek groups throughout the City, such as Friends of Courtland Creek and Friends of Sausal Creek, which organize regular creek cleanups and raise awareness about the beauty and value of Oakland’s waterways. ECAP Actions addressed: A-5, A-6, CR-3, CR-4, CL-5.
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14 3. Green Infrastructure: The City completed the 7th St. Streetscape Phase II project in West Oakland, which includes several bioretention facilities, built of soil and plants, that filter stormwater pollutants before the water enters storm drains and flows to the Bay.
Two projects are underway: Estuary Park and the Lakeside Drive and Lake Merritt Blvd.
Cycletrack, will also include bioretention facilities to treat stormwater. With funding from the Oakland Trust for Clean Water and Safe Parks bond (Measure DD), passed by voters in 2002, the City is working to acquire watershed protection easements to restorable habitat, filter pollutants, and mitigate flooding. ECAP Actions addressed: A-3, A-6, CR-4.
City Leadership
Many Activities fall outside the sectors listed above or are so comprehensive that they cannot be categorized. These activities showcase the City’s climate justice leadership; many of them accelerate change by demonstrating innovative tactics. Successes in this broad category over the ECAP’s first 2.5 years include the following:
1. Establishment of Sustainability and Resilience Division: In July 2022, the City established the Sustainability and Resilience Division under the leadership of the Chief Resilience Officer in the City Administrator’s Office. The move enables improved interdepartmental and interagency collaboration, improved coordination between the Climate team and the Neighborhood Services Division, and integration of climate adaptation and mitigation principles across the City organization. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-1, B-2, B-5, MCW-2, A-1, A-3, A-5, CR-1, CL-1, CL-2, CL-4, CL-5.
2. Transformative Climate Communities (TCC): The Better Neighborhoods, Same Neighbors Initiative (BNSN) envisions an East Oakland with healthy surroundings, safe and accessible transportation, and thriving arts and culture that builds community wealth and ensures housing is a human right for existing East Oakland residents. Challenging the typical top-down approach to community development, BNSN builds on decades of activism and organizing in East Oakland, including the East Oakland Neighborhoods Initiative. The City and eight community partners were awarded a $28.2M TCC grant weeks before City Council adopted the ECAP, to implement five diverse projects: a 55- unit, 100% affordable housing development with a ground-floor community health clinic; an urban greenway along San Leandro Creek; community greening, including 2,000 new trees and paid internships; an aquaponics farm and food hub run by Planting Justice; and a bike share and youth development program supported by the Original Scraper Bike Team, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation, Higher Ground, and the Oakland Public Library. The project also includes an intensive, on-site anti-displacement clinic run by the East Bay Permanent Real Estate Collaborative, and workforce development projects led in partnership by the Cypress Mandela Training Center and the West Oakland Jobs Resource Center.
ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, B-2, MCW-2, A-1, A-6, CR-2, CR-3, CL-5.
3. Sogorea‘Te Land Rematriation: In one of the first cases of a municipality returning land to Native peoples, the City granted a cultural conservation easement at Sequoia Point, off Skyline Boulevard, in perpetuity to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust in 2022. The site is being renamed Rinihmu Pulte’irekne, in Chochenyo, the language of the Lisjan Ohlone people who inhabited the East Bay for thousands of years. Plans for the site include natural resource restoration, seasonal ceremonies and other cultural practices, Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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15 and public education. With an expansive view of the city and bay, as well as a thick grove of trees, the site remains open to the public. The Land Trust is partnering with Friends of Sausal Creek to replace invasive plant species with native ones. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, A-1, A-6, CR-3, CL-5.
4. Oaktown PROUD: To reduce the prevalence of illegal dumping across Oakland, which disproportionately harms black and brown communities, Oaktown PROUD is a campaign led by OPW to educate the community about reporting and proper disposal, eradicating dumping where it is discovered or reported, and enforcing the laws and regulations that pertain to dumping and bulky waste. The program also supports greening and beautification projects.
ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-3, A-6, CR-3.
Port of Oakland
Oakland’s seaport is one of the busiest in the country, loading and discharging more than 99 percent of the containerized goods in Northern California. The Oakland International Airport (OAK) serves more than 11 million passengers annually, ships and receives the most cargo of any airport in the region, and is a major hub for UPS and FedEx. Though a major economic engine for the region, the Port of Oakland also contributes to pollution in frontline communities through the use of fossil fuels by ships, trucks, and buildings, as well as pollution generated from industrial operations of Port tenants. The Port has made investments in recent years to reduce emissions in keeping with the Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan. The Zero- And Near-Zero-Emission Freight Facilities (ZANZEFF) program, funded by California Climate Investments (CCI), has supported much of this work. An additional $36.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation has been committed to support electrification, emissions reductions, operational efficiencies, and clean energy development.
1. Shore Power: Shore power provides high voltage electrical infrastructure in the Maritime area, allowing ships to plug in to the electric grid while docked. In 2021, 70 percent of calls (shipping vessel connections), or 591 calls, drew shore power. In the first 11 months of 2022, 62 percent of calls, or 462, drew shore power. ECAP Actions addressed: P-1.
2. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): Southwest Airlines began using SAF for a portion of their fuel in August 2022, as part of that airline’s goal of replacing 10 percent of its total jet fuel consumption with SAF by 2030. The move makes OAK the third commercial airport in the United States to have SAF incorporated into their daily operations. ECAP Actions addressed: P-1.
3. Electric Airport Shuttles: OAK received a grant to purchase five electric shuttles – the first battery-electric buses at OAK – to be utilized as parking shuttle buses. ECAP Actions addressed: TLU-5, P-1
4. Electric cargo handling equipment: Shippers Transport Express, a seaport tenant, deployed two all-electric top picks – of only a handful worldwide. These machines employ an overhead boom to load containers weighing up to 100,000 pounds onto trucks and trains, and to stack containers in terminal storage yards. ECAP Actions addressed: P-1.
5. Transportation Modernization: In December 2022, the California Transportation Commission approved $175 million for the 7th Street Grade Separation East Project to realign and reconstruct a primary trucking and access gateway into the Seaport. The Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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16 project will relieve truck and vehicle congestion, increase safety, and provide flexibility for seaport cargo operations. It will also include a bicycle/pedestrian pathway for public access to the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park.
ECAP Actions addressed: P-1.
Next Two-Year Priorities:
In 2023 and 2024, ECAP implementation will focus on the Actions identified for milestones in that period, as well as ongoing engagement and coordination on crosscutting themes. Across all sectors, a primary staff priority in 2023 is pursuing funding, through the Inflation Reduction Act, Federal Infrastructure Act, and other opportunities, to advance ECAP goals.
1. Decarbonization: Electrification refers to modifying buildings or shifting vehicle technologies to ensure that all mechanical systems and vehicles run on electricity rather than fossil fuel-based sources of energy. Decarbonization is when all-electric buildings and vehicles are powered with 100% renewable energy. By the end of 2023, SRD will complete an Existing Building Electrification Roadmap, describing a detailed policy pathway to ensure that all Oakland Buildings are 100% gas-free by 2040, per the ECAP.
To support that plan and empower Oaklanders to pursue holistic clean energy, staff is conducting intensive community engagement throughout 2023, with a major focus on frontline communities, highlighting regional, state, and Federal resources to help them electrify efficiently. Alongside the Roadmap, staff will propose specific policy changes to require electrification in buildings undergoing major renovations. Alongside these efforts, staff will be working with the City Attorney’s Office on an appropriate response to the outcome in the 9th Circuit case, California Restaurants Association v. City of Berkeley, which is a challenge to Berkeley’s all-electric ordinance for newly constructed buildings.
Staff will continue advocating at the state and Federal levels for increased resources for equitable electrification upgrades. Finally, staff will continue inter-agency coordination to ensure public resources are maximized in decarbonization, with a primary focus on health, resilience, safety, access, and affordability.
2. Sustainable Mobility: Staff will continue implementing Actions within the ZEV Action Plan, Bike Plan (Let’s Bike Oakland), and Pedestrian Master Plan. Staff will also continue working with the region’s public transit agencies to ensure that public transit is abundant, reliable, and affordable. This will include continued work on the San Pablo Corridor Project, likely the next true “BRT” style facility in the East Bay. Finally, OakDOT will continue to explore ways to expand the Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) pilot, including through fundraising and partnership development.
3. Green Infrastructure: Oakland’s first 50-year Urban Forest Plan will be completed in 2023, fulfilling the major portion of ECAP Action CR-2. Critical work will then continue in identifying resources to conduct proactive public tree maintenance in order to reverse continued overall canopy loss; increasing canopy in frontline communities; installing and maintaining greenspaces on public property to mitigate stormwater and pollution; and restoring bay-front and riparian ecosystems to better manage stormwater and rising sea levels, and to increase access to greenspace for frontline communities. OPW’s Watershed and Stormwater Protection Division (WSP) will continue evaluating plans for private new and redevelopment projects to ensure they include sufficient green stormwater infrastructure when required by the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), and that facilities are monitored and maintained after installation. The MRP requires the City to retrofit five acres of impervious surface by June 30, 2027. WSP is Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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17 evaluating potential sites for this work, prioritizing projects that provide a combination flood control benefits, treatment against pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, and trash. WSD is also developing a Storm Drainage Master Plan that will be support storm drainage improvements and additional green infrastructure investments.
4. Resilience: The SRD will continue working with community partners, EMSD, OPW, and others to advance the two identified Municipal Resilience Hubs (West Oakland and Lincoln Square) and identify an appropriate site for a third Hub in East Oakland. PBD will complete the General Plan Safety Element, and SRD and PBD will partner in creating a detailed appendix per ECAP Action A-3 (Citywide Vulnerability Assessment & Comprehensive Adaptation Plan). SRD and EMSD will continue working with community partners to identify and pursue resilience-building opportunities, and EMSD will work to identify suitable sites along the I-880 corridor for respite centers. Measure U, approved by Oakland voters in November 2022, will provide $850 million to critical infrastructure projects, including $350 million for affordable housing development and preservation over the next several years, and funding for municipal facility upgrades that will support Resilience Hubs as well as Respite Centers.
5. Circular Economy: OPW will continue leading SB 1383 compliance activities, including training and policy development in coordination with internal and community partners. In partnership with Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, Toishan Benevolent Associations, World Wildlife Fund, the Pacific Coast Collaborative, and StopWaste, OPW’s Zero Waste team will engage Chinatown merchants in 2023 to increase compost and recycle collection and compliance. The General Plan Update and comprehensive place-based projects such as BNSN will continue to create important policy and programmatic opportunities to strengthen repair and reuse economies. With the Building Electrification Roadmap complete, SRD will focus more attention on working with EWD, OUSD, and others to strengthen pathways toward robust, local, circular economies that uplift all Oaklanders.
6. Community Engagement: The City’s community engagement approach is rooted in the ECAP’s Racial Equity Impact Assessment and Implementation Guide (REIA), and builds on the collaborative process that created the ECAP as well as other related engagement efforts. In partnership with NSD, DRE, PBD, and EWDD, SRD will continue pursuing opportunities to engage and co-lead projects with the community. Staff will continue to explore the potential of online engagement tools; initiate annual or semi-annual public ECAP Townhalls to share progress, hear community needs, and brainstorm improved neighborhood engagement; launch an online ECAP Storymap to be updated annually; and, in partnership with DRE, continue seeking funding to support creation of a formal Oakland Climate Action Network (OCAN) structure. Staff will continue its partnership with OUSD, supporting career technical academies and other opportunities to better reflect the ECAP, and (with EWD) supporting related internships and career pathways.
The City will seek opportunities with partners (through the IRA and other funding opportunities) to build on the 2021 Resilience Leadership training and expand the City’s network of resilience resources at community-owned sites in frontline communities.
7. Workforce and Economic Development: The City will build on the work begun in 2021 focused on building a high-road electrification workforce. Leveraging the forthcoming Economic Development Strategy, staff in SRD and EWD will conduct detailed economic supply chain and workforce assessments to identify which sectors, specific occupations, Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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18 training institutions, and demographic groups need targeted assistance to benefit fully from climate action – especially the decarbonization and circular economy transitions.
8. Funding: Given the total public and community costs of implementing the ECAP, as well as likely additional costs of integrating this work with ongoing COVID recovery, SRD staff are working to identify and secure diverse funding for the activities outlined above.
The most important sources of external funding currently are the Federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). More than $700 billion in climate-focused funding will be available from these two sources over the next three years alone. Staff is working across City departments as well as with Townsend Public Affairs and The Climate Group (a nonprofit) to develop a wide range of funding applications to support building and transportation electrification, resilience, food recovery, community capacity building, and more.
FISCAL IMPACT
This item is for informational purposes only and has no direct fiscal impact or cost.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
Because this report discusses progress on implementing the ECAP, it is directly informed by the extensive community engagement process that took place in 2019-20 to develop the ECAP.
Staff in SRD work closely with numerous community-based organizations, including those listed above, in implementation as well as progress tracking. To continue identifying communication needs and opportunities for collaboration, staff meet on a continuous basis with community groups based on general interest (e.g. Rotary Club, Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, Greenlining Institute, Oakland Climate Action Coalition, Youth Commission, and others) as well as specific Action implementation (e.g. Asian Pacific Environmental Network, WOEIP, and Friends of Lincoln Square for Resilience Hub implementation; Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, East Bay Permanent Real Estate Collaborative (EBPREC), Unity Council, Black Cultural Zone, Mayor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities, and the Native American Health Center for building electrification; Transform, Spanish Speaking Citizen’s Foundation, and WOEIP for the ZEV Action Plan; City Slicker Farms for establishment of a pilot community compost hub; and many more).
SRD staff also coordinates closely with the Planning Bureau on public engagement strategies for the General Plan Update. As the ECAP was being developed, community members were vocal in advocating that the ECAP’s goals and approach be integrated into the City’s General Plan. Staff agree that such integration is fundamental to infusing equity and climate and environmental justice into how the City works and what it offers. Therefore a core aspect of ECAP implementation over the past two years has been the close partnership between SRD and PBD in scoping the GPU process and reviewing draft documents to ensure that the new GP fully incorporates the ECAP.
SRD and OPW-ESD publish a monthly newsletter sharing events and progress across ECAP implementation and Environmental Stewardship. That newsletter includes relevant community, residential, and business resources, as well as ways to get involved in projects. Concurrent with delivery of this report, staff is releasing a public online ECAP Storymap, which will be updated Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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19 annually at minimum to share implementation progress in an accessible format combining data and narrative, and to connect Oaklanders to ongoing projects in the community.
COORDINATION
The activities outlined in this progress report are the result of efforts led and supported by numerous City departments and work units, including OakDOT, EWD, OPW, OFD-EMSD, PBD, Citywide Communications, Oakland Public Library, and OPRYD. This report and the community engagement discussed have been led by CAO-SRD in collaboration with staff from OakDOT, DRE, EWDD, OPW, OFD-EMSD, and PBD.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: The Oakland City Council has called for a “Just [economic and social] Transition and urgent climate mobilization effort to reverse global warming.” Assessing and providing for specific needs to ensure that this transition uplifts frontline Oaklanders first and foremost is central to the City’s ECAP implementation strategy. Investing in workforce demand and training, as well as in local entrepreneurship for resilience and decarbonization, can improve economic conditions, particularly for BIPOC communities. As discussed in the Informational Report on workforce implications of building electrification (February 14, 2023), the transition to a low- carbon, resilient, and circular economy brings significant potential for high-road jobs to flow to Oaklanders, including youth, and those who are unemployed, underemployed, or with lower education. Interrelated benefits include more competitive local businesses, a more stable workforce, greater economic mobility for frontline residents, and increased regional economic growth. Oakland’s forward-thinking climate policies will increase local demand for electricians, electric appliance retailers, maintenance workers, repair professionals, those who install and maintain green infrastructure, and more.
Environmental: The ECAP is predicated on repairing and supporting the ecological and human environment. ECAP implementation has numerous environmental benefits including reduced air pollution both outside and indoors, and increased green infrastructure and biodiversity. Major activities in the reporting period and near-term implementation include transitioning from auto- use to active and public transportation, electrifying remaining vehicles, and decreasing the use of natural gas, or methane, is a Short-Lived Climate Pollutant that has 84 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. These activities are critical for stemming the climate crisis and its negative effects, which include extreme heat events, droughts, intense storms, flooding, and displacement. Importantly, the ECAP calls for placing benefits to frontline communities at the center of implementation, so that cleaner air, access to nature, and other environmental improvements can be felt first and foremost by those community members who have been most harmed by environmental degradation.
Race & Equity: The ECAP incorporates social and racial equity as the core guiding principle of climate action. It explicitly addresses disparities in health outcomes, jobs, housing security, food and service access, and more. The ECAP Racial Equity Impact Assessment and Implementation Guide guides City staff in identifying specific frontline communities for each Action, and designing the specific programs, projects, and plans for implementation in ways that reduce disparities. In the first two-and-a-half years of implementation, this has included:
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20 Ensuring that vulnerable populations are protected from the dire consequences of climate disasters through the establishment of Respite Centers and in the co-designing of Resilience Hubs;
Reducing outdoor air pollution for communities in Deep East an d West Oakland and along the 880 Corridor, through development of the ZEV Action Plan and associated partnerships that will hasten the transition for all vehicles, including trucks and heavy equipment, to zero-emission technologies;
Working to prevent housing and business displacement through t he many programs and policies described above; and
Improving indoor air quality, especially in lower-income commu nities and affordable housing, by centralizing and promoting state and Federal resources for energy efficiency and holistic building electrification.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
This action is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) (common sense exemption), since it can be seen with certainty that an informational report will have no impact on the physical environment.
ACTION REQUESTED OF CITY COUNCIL
Staff recommends City Council receive an Informational Report regarding progress to date on implementing the 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Shayna Hirshfield-Gold, Climate Program Manager, at (510) 238-6954.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe DeVries, Chief Resilience Officer
City Administrator’s Office
Daniel Hamilton
Sustainability and Resilience Director
City Administrator’s Office
Reviewed by:
Jacque Larrainzar, Program Analyst
Department of Race and Equity
Prepared by:
Shayna Hirshfield-Gold, Climate Program
Manager, City Administrator’s Office