View Report — Public Safety Committee - Cancelled, June 27, 2023

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

AGENDA REPORT

TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: William Gilchrist,
City Administrator Director, Planning &
Building Department

SUBJECT: Study Session on The Oakland 2045
General Plan Update: Public Review
Drafts of Safety Element and
Environmental Justice Element
DATE: June 15, 2023

City Administrator Approval

Date:

Jun 12, 2023

RECOMMENDATION

Conduct A Study Session On The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update Process As Follows: (A) Receive An Informational Presentation On The Public Review Draft Safety Element; (B) Receive An Informational Presentation On The Public Review Draft Environmental Justice Element; And (C) Provide Feedback to Staff On The Public Review Drafts Of Safety and Environmental Justice Elements

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update (GPU) process began in late 2021 and is being undertaken in two phases: Phase 1 includes updates to the City of Oakland (City) General Plan Housing Element (approved by City Council (89565 CMS ) and associated zoning code and map amendments, updates to the Safety Element, and creation of City’s first Environmental Justice (EJ) Element. Phase II of the GPU process will consider updates to the Land Use and Transportation (LUTE) Element; Estuary Policy Plan; Open Space, Conservation and Recreation (OSCAR) Element; Noise Element; and creation of a new Infrastructure and Capital Facilities Element. Phase II will also undertake a comprehensive zoning update process that will include conforming changes to all zones.

After more than a year of extensive and broad community outreach, the City GPU project team is pleased to present the public review drafts of the Safety Element and the EJ Element.

The updated public review draft Safety Element provides a game plan for addressing natural and human-caused disasters and improving our resilience to climate change impacts. The EJ Element includes draft strategies and policies that focus on reducing unique or compounded health risks, promoting civic engagement and prioritizing improvements and programs that address the needs of Oakland's most vulnerable communities. The Safety Element and the EJ

Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 2

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Element are each accompanied by a Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) , which supports the development of equitable policies that are explicit, data-driven, outcome-oriented, and problem- solving. Both the Safety and the EJ Elements are rooted in an equity framework in accordance with the General Plan’s Vision Statement and Guiding Principles. While the two Elements share several overlapping themes, they also diverge in focus. The equity lens the City is using throughout the GPU means that both of these Elements prioritize policies to reduce the risks and harmful impacts faced by Oakland’s most vulnerable and frontline communities, whether the risks are from daily exposure to pollution, climate change or from structural disasters.

The public review drafts of the Safety Element update and new EJ Element are available on the Oakland 2045 General Plan Update website at: https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/general-plan- update for a 90-day review period between March 24, 2023, to June 22, 2023. The public review drafts are available both as a static PDF document and in an interactive Konveio page.

In addition, hard copies of the public review draft Safety and EJ Elements are available at the Main Branch of the Oakland Public Library’s Circulation Desk at 125 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612.

Reports presented to the Planning Commission on May 18, 2022, and to the Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee on February 22, 2022 and May 24, 2022, provided detailed information on the City’s GPU process - including key background information provided in the Map Atlas and Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Baseline. Staff also solicited feedback from the CED Committee on issues and priorities for the Safety Element Update and the new EJ Element. Staff also presented the Draft Equity Framework to the City Council on July 26, 2022. Staff reports presented to the Planning Commission on September 21, 2022, the CED Committee on September 27, 2022, and to the Public Safety Committee (PSC) on October 11, 2022, and October 24, 2022, provided detailed information on the EJ and Safety Element requirements from the State and community feedback received. Staff also solicited feedback on key goals to address environmental justice issues, integrate climate resilience and public safety strategies, and advance equitable processes at these meetings.

This agenda report provides updates and highlights key information from the Draft Safety and EJ Elements. It summarizes the requirements from the State; outlines key environmental justice and safety issues in Oakland; lists select goals and policies included in each of these General Plan Elements; and provides updates on ongoing community engagement.

BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

All California cities and counties are required to adopt comprehensive, long-term general plans to serve as the “constitution” for future development. California Law requires specific topics, also called "Elements," to be covered in a city’s general plan. Required General Plan topics include:
• Land Use
• Circulation
• Housing
• Conservation
• Open Space
• Noise
• Safety
• Environmental Justice (or related
goals and policies integrated in other
elements).

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Safety Element Requirements

Oakland’s current Safety Element was adopted in 2004 and subsequently amended to incorporate the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2012, 2016, and 2021. Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 1035, the City is required to review and update the Safety Element, as needed, every eight years, in line with the adoption of the General Plan Housing Element. SB 1035 and SB 379 (both amending CA Gov. Code § 65302) require all cities to address climate change adaptation and resilience in their General Plan Safety Element.

On July 19, 2022, the Oakland City Council adopted Resolution No. 89345 C.M.S., recognizing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income communities in Oakland and directing the City Administrator to engage in an equitable process for integrating climate resilience and mitigation strategies and policies into the General Plan. The City Council’s direction is consistent with SB 1035 and SB 379.

In accordance with State law, the City’s Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (Assessment) conducted as part of the Safety Element Update presents findings and analysis on climate adaptation and resilience strategies and informs the Safety Element’s goals and policies. The Assessment is a technical document that synthesizes climate change projections, historical data pertaining to natural events and hazards, and socio-demographic trends to determine which climate impacts are most likely to affect Oakland, where these impacts may manifest, who will be affected, and how severely.

Review by California Geological Survey of the Department of Conservation and Board of Forestry and Fire Protection

Pursuant to Government Code Section 65302.5(a), the City is required to submit the draft Safety Element and technical studies used to develop the Element to the California Geological Survey of the Department of Conservation for a 45-day review period. In addition, pursuant to Government Code Section 65302.5(b), cities like Oakland that contain Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) are required to submit their Safety Element to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, and to local agencies that provide fire protection within their jurisdiction for review for a 90-day review period. On March 24, 2023, Staff submitted the draft Safety Element to the California Geological Survey of the Department of Conservation and Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for their 45-day (ending May 8, 2023) and 90-day (ending June 22, 2023 review.

Environmental Justice Element Requirements

Senate Bill (SB) 1000, passed in 2016, requires that cities and counties with disadvantaged communities (referred to as Environmental Justice Communities or EJ Communities in Oakland
1), adopt a standalone EJ Element or EJ policies throughout the General Plan Elements. These policies must aim to reduce health risks in EJ Communities, promote civic engagement in the public decision-making process, and prioritize programs that address the needs of disadvantaged communities. Under SB 1000, Oakland is required to adopt an EJ Element at the same time that the Housing and Safety Elements are updated. The City has opted to adopt both a standalone EJ Element and include EJ policies within the other General Plan Elements.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

SB 1000 requires that an EJ Element include goals, policies, and objectives to reduce the unique or compounded health risks in EJ Communities that include, but are not limited to the seven topic areas listed below:

1. Reduction of pollution exposure, including the improvement of air quality.

2. Promoting safe and sanitary homes.

3. Promoting food access.

4. Promoting physical activity.

5. Promotion of public facilities.

6. Promoting civic engagement in the public decision-making process.

7. Prioritizing improvements and programs that address the needs of disadvantaged communities.

ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES

The updated Safety Element and new EJ Element advances the following Citywide priorities1:

1) Holistic Community Safety: The Safety Element and new EJ Element include policies that integrate environmental justice considerations into the planning elements and address historic disenfranchisement of and disinvestment in EJ Communities, preparing for and minimizing the impacts of natural and human-made disasters and climate stressors.

2) Responsive, Trustworthy Government: The GPU process promotes meaningful civil engagement in public decision-making processes and identify objectives and policies that address the most pressing needs in the community, particularly where social and racial inequity is most prevalent.

The following sections in this report provide an overview of (1) community engagement and outreach for the Safety and EJ Elements and topics to be addressed in the Safety and EJ Elements; (2) key elements of the Public Review Draft Safety Element; (3) key elements of the Public Review Draft EJ Element; and (4) findings from the REIA of the Safety and EJ Elements.

1. Community Engagement Process and Feedback

The 2045 GPU process includes a robust and multi-pronged strategy for community engagement, including workshops, discussion groups, pop-up outreach, cultural events, youth engagement, online engagement methods, decision-maker meetings, and more. The GPU process places particular emphasis on engaging communities historically underrepresented and excluded from traditional planning processes and often most negatively impacted by City policies. Community engagement efforts for Phase 1 of the GPU include an extensive and inclusive outreach process, and involved close coordination between the City, Community

1 FY 2021-23 Budget Priorities: https://stories.opengov.com/oaklandca/published/OV2Mbvvxu Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 5

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Consultant – Deeply Rooted in Oakland Partnership (Deeply Rooted Collaborative), and Technical Consultant – Dyett and Bhatia.

Since November 2021, the GPU team has engaged with the community through pop-ups, cultural events, townhalls, focused discussions, neighborhood workshops/meetings, online engagement, presentations to community groups and Neighborhood Councils, study sessions, public hearings, and more to solicit input and guidance for the development of the Safety and EJ Elements.

At the time of writing this report, the GPU team continues to plan for and engage with the community on the public review draft of the Safety and EJ Elements. The GPU community engagement page (https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/meetings-and-events) provides information on upcoming meetings and events as well as a recap of past events, including event and meeting summaries, workshop and townhall presentations and notes, meeting summaries and; and photos. Table 1 provides a summary of the engagement that informed the Safety and EJ Elements.

Table 1:Overview of Community Outreach for Safety and EJ Element Community Outreach for Safety and EJ Element
Focus Groups on Safety and Environmental Justice
The City conducted three focus groups on safety issues with various organizations involved in public safety, climate change, and resilience issues. The three focus group topics were on 1) general Safety Element topic requirements and background; 2) climate change and resilience; and 3) addressing perception of safety in the built environment, as well as the social determinants of creating a safe environment, such as housing, employment, and other issues that the General Plan could address. The GPU team also conducted two EJ focus groups with various EJ stakeholders.

Interviews with Community Organizations
Equity facilitators from E/J Solutions interviewed 12 environmental justice advocacy organizations for input on draft actions and the EJ Element’s topic areas of focus:
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network
(APEN)
• Communities for a Better Environment
(CBE)
• Cocina del Corazón
• The Greenlining Institute (GLI)
• New Voices Are Rising (NVR)
• Oakland Parks & Recreation Foundation
(OPRF) Oakland Climate Action Coalition
(OCAC)

• Saba Grocers Initiative
• Save the Bay (STB)
• Sugar Freedom Project (SFB)
• The Village in Oakland (The Village)
• West Oakland Environmental
Indicators Project (WOEIP)
Stakeholder Interviews
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 6

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Community Outreach for Safety and EJ Element
At eight discussion groups held in May 2022, representatives from over 50 agencies, businesses, and community groups participated in small group discussions with project staff.

At the Environmental Justice and Conservation discussion, participants emphasized youth participation and community-led climate action programs. Others described community health issues related to urban heat and stormwater runoff filtration.

Neighborhood Workshops
On April 30 and May 28, 2022, staff held General Plan open houses in East and West Oakland in partnership with Councilmember Reid and Councilmember Fife’s offices. At the East Oakland workshop, participants discussed environmental justice concerns in small groups with staff or added sticky notes to boards addressing environmental justice, safety, and housing. At the West Oakland workshop, participants marked up maps with stickers representing key environmental justice issues and discussed EJ issues in small groups with a facilitator.

Cultural Events and Pop-ups
From November 2021 to March 2023, the Deeply Rooted in Oakland Partnership (Deeply Rooted Collaborative) conducted engagement and outreach at 54+ GPU pop up events.

The community events were located in Eastmont, Fruitvale, San Antonio, Chinatown, West Oakland, and Downtown. Deeply Rooted Collaborative has reached out to 3,572+ low- income residents of color at 54+ community events. The outreach focused on historically marginalized populations including youth, older adults, unhoused folks, formerly incarcerated persons, tenants/renters, homeowners, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, low-income persons, and persons experiencing environmental injustice.

Community engagement events included porch-side chats in West Oakland, The Village Living Rooms with unhoused people in neighborhoods like San Antonio and Downtown, 510 Day celebration on Lake Merritt and large community hub events like the Lunar New Year x Black History Month Celebration of Black and Asian Solidarity event in Chinatown, Dia de los Muertos in Fruitvale and First AKOMA Grand Market and the 5th Annual Black Sunday Holiday Expo in East Oakland.

In 2022, the Deeply Rooted Collaborative heard community concerns, ideas and solutions through interviews, one-on-one conversations and they continue to engage with people through an interactive tree exercise focused on environmental justice and climate change.

All 13 partner organizations at the Deeply Rooted Collaborative have conducted and hosted community engagement events and outreach with their networks at in-person events and virtual events. For more details check City’s GPU Community Engagement Page and the Deeply Rooted Collaborative website. Along with conducting in-person interactions and virtual meetings, Deeply Rooted Collaborative has been reaching out through social media and has 3829+ views on Instagram (@deeplyrootedoakland, @justcities) and Deeply Rooted Collaborative website.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Community Outreach for Safety and EJ Element
Breakdown of Engagement by Race/Ethnicity conducted from November 2021 - October 2022 (from Interviews).
• Black/African American - 30 percent
• Asian - 20 percent
• Hispanic or Latino (non-white or Black) - 16 percent
• White/European- 11 percent
• Native American/Indigenous or Alaska Native- 3 percent • Multi-racial - 4 percent
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - 2 percent
• Caribbean Islander -2 percent
• Middle Eastern - 1 percent
• Other- 2 percent
• Decline to state - 9 percent

Youth Engagement
The GPU Community Consultant, Deeply Rooted Collaborative, has established a Deeply Rooted Youth Fellowship comprising 20 fellows between the ages of 14 to 24 who meet in person every other Thursday. The Youth Fellowship is trained in intersecting each element with how to conduct community engagement, how to read elements and convey elements to their peers, and in turn teach adults how to conduct youth outreach.

Apart from the youth engagement gathered within the greater Deeply Rooted Collaborative, under the Safety and EJ Elements, the Deeply Rooted Youth Fellowship is designing an enhanced youth-focused community engagement effort. This includes but is not limited to collaborating with the Oakland Youth Commission, Save the Bay, Mycelium Youth Network, Frontline Catalysts, and more. Deeply Rooted Collaborative Fellowship activities include interviewing and surveying young people about their visions and aspirations for the City; educating elementary, middle, and high school students about the Oakland General Plan 2045; gathering data and conducting research to identify the challenges young people face in the City and their proposed solutions; and implementing a social media campaign to increase youth awareness of the Oakland General Plan 2045 update. See https://www.deeplyrooted510.org/youthfellows for additional information.

Factsheets – Community Education Materials
The GPU team created multi-lingual community outreach materials and educational factsheets on Safety and EJ Element requirements and topic areas. The factsheets are available in English, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, and Arabic.

Videos on Safety and Environmental Justice
The GPU team created videos on Safety and EJ Element requirements and topic areas, featuring local community leaders.

EJ Hub and Online Survey
City staff created an online, interactive, educational platform (“GPU Environmental Justice Hub” or “EJ Hub”) to support community engagement and data ground-truthing process for Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 8

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Community Outreach for Safety and EJ Element
the EJ Element. The EJ Hub showcases information from the EJ and Racial Equity Baseline through an interactive and engaging platform. Using the EJ Hub, residents explored the initial draft Map of Potential Environmental Justice Communities, shared their visions for a healthy neighborhood, and documented local environmental justice issues and solutions.

The EJ Hub can be accessed here: https://arcg.is/00iuLT

Community Tours
The GPU team in coordination with Ms. Margaret Gordon, Co-founder and Co-director, and Brian Beveridge, Co-director, of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP), went on a tour of West Oakland on August 29, 2022. The tour was a special and instructive opportunity to learn from WOEIP’s extensive community knowledge of environmental justice conditions in West Oakland.

Technical Advisory Committee
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is comprised of internal City department representatives as well as other Oakland-based, neighboring, and regional governmental agency representatives. The TAC serves to advise on key strategies to address Oakland’s big issues related to housing, environmental justice, safety, and other topics; review community input collected at key points in the process; and inform, discuss, and provide technical direction on policies and actions. At the TAC meetings held on May 23, 2022, and June 27, 2022, TAC members provided feedback on the draft EJ Communities map and initial input on Environmental Justice and Safety Elements policies and programs, as well as visioning for Industrial Lands.

Equity Working Group
The City Equity Working Group (EWG) is a Resident Advisory Council of 17 community members convened by the Deeply Rooted Collaborative. The EWG is a two year-long process where community residents help inform policy priorities for the General Plan 2045 Phase 1 and Phase 2. The EWG meets 1 to 2 times a month virtually. Deeply rooted collaborative has hosted 15 meetings from May 2022 - April 2023.

Neighborhood Councils
City staff have presented at Neighborhood Councils on topics including housing, environmental justice, industrial lands and safety and natural hazards and received feedback.

Study Sessions with Decisionmakers – Planning Commission, CED, and PSC Staff have provided several informational presentations to the Planning Commission, CED and PSC Committees of the City Council and sought feedback on the Vision and Equity Framework issues and priorities for the Safety Element Update and the new EJ Element, and on key goals to address EJ issues, integrate climate resilience and public safety strategies, and advance equitable processes.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Across discussion groups, workshops, decisionmaker meetings, and other community engagement events, the following key topics as listed in Table 2 emerged that informed development of the goals, policies, and actions for the Safety and EJ Element. The Draft Safety and Environmental Justice Elements have addressed each topic accordingly.

Table
2: Key Topics to Be Addressed in Safety and EJ Element
Element Topic Area to Address
Environmental Justice • Industrial Land Use and Air Pollution • Exposure to Toxics and Hazardous Substances
• Transportation Safety and Noise
• Housing Issues
• Equitable Climate Resilience
• Gentrification and Displacement
• Cultural Spaces and Art
• Illegal Dumping and Lack of Public Works
Maintenance
• Regulating emissions from trucks and industrial
uses
• Pedestrian and Bicyclist Comfort and Safety
• Need for Health-Promoting Resources in
Neighborhoods
• Tree Canopy and Green Infrastructure
• Food Access
• Government Accountability and Community
Empowerment
Safety • Community Leadership and Planning
• Importance of Green Infrastructure
• Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design (CPTED)
• Equity in Emergency Response
• Public Safety

2. Safety Element

The Safety Element aims to protect residents, workers, and visitors from seismic and geologic hazards, fire hazards, hazardous materials, flooding, and other potential hazards that risk life and property. The Safety Element also uses an equity lens through its hazards analysis and prioritizes vulnerable communities in the development of its goals, policies, and actions. The Safety Element aims to be rooted in an equity framework in accordance with the General Plan’s Vision Statement and Guiding Principles. The Safety Element’s goals and policies prioritize “frontline communities,” or vulnerable communities that will be affected “first and worst” from Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 10

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

climate change and environmental hazard impacts. The Safety Element’s racial equity focus is based on the frameworks established by the City’s 2018 Oakland Equity Indicators Report, the 2020 Racial Equity Impact Assessment and Implementation Guide for the Oakland’s 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP), and other previous studies that have laid the foundation to ensure that the City integrates equity and social justice into its policies, practices, and actions.

The Safety Element builds on the City’s 2021-2026 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), addresses all state requirements, and serves as a central reference point for the City’s efforts to address safety and climate change issues, including earthquakes, floods, fires, toxic waste, and other hazards. The Safety Element includes overarching goals and policies to address natural hazards, fire and flood hazard management for critical facilities, non-conforming development to contemporary fire safe standards (e.g., road standards and vegetation hazards), emergency evacuation routes per SB 99, climate change adaptation, Sea Level Rise (SLR), drought, and identifies capital improvement programs to improve the City’s resilience to natural and human- caused hazards. In addition, a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment has also been drafted and is now available for public review at https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/oakland-2045- general-plan-safety-element.

Safety Element Organization

The City’s updated Safety Element contains five chapters:
• Chapter 1: Introduction, which outlines key statutory requirements, community engagement process, and the Safety Element’s relationship to other General Plan elements.
• Chapter 2: Natural Hazards, which includes geologic and seismic hazards, fire, flooding, and sea level rise.
• Chapter 3: Human-Made Hazards, which includes sites affected by hazardous materials and cleanup sites, issues related to climate change, airport hazards, and public safety. • Chapter 4: Emergency Preparedness and Response, which provides information on the City’s Emergency Preparedness and Response programs, agencies, and operations, Oakland’s emergency alert systems, an analysis of evacuation routes, and describes current capital improvement needs relevant to emergency preparedness and response. • Chapter 5: Goals, Policies, and Implementation Measures, which includes a summary of all the goals, policies, and actions.

Chapters 2-4 also provide a summary of populations vulnerable to hazards; an outline of the institutional framework, including relevant agencies, regulations, and programs; and a set of goals and policies specific to that hazard or issue.

Vulnerable Communities

Vulnerable, or frontline communities, face intersecting vulnerabilities, including racial discrimination, poverty, disability, housing insecurity, linguistic isolation, poor air quality, and Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 11

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

more, which magnify climate threats. As a result, they are often the least able to adapt, resist, or recover from climate impacts. Frontline communities can change based on the specific threat or policy being considered. For example, vulnerable communities located on coastlines will be most severely impacted by sea level rise. The term vulnerable communities is used in the Safety Element and each section in the Element identifies which groups are most vulnerable to specific hazards.

Attachment A illustrates the areas of Highest Social Vulnerability in Oakland during Natural Hazards such as Seismic Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Fire Hazards, Flood Hazards, Dam Breach Inundation, and 100-year Coastal Flood events. Using the methodology developed by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), block groups labeled “Highest social vulnerability” have eight or more social vulnerability indicators with rates in the 70th percentile, relative to the Bay Area; and/or six or more social vulnerability indicators with rates in the 90th percentile, relative to the Bay Area. See also the Vulnerability Assessment now available for public review at https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/oakland-2045-general-plan- safety-element.

Social Vulnerability indicators include:

• Renters
• Under 5 years old
• Very low income
• Non-U.S. citizens
• Without a vehicle
• People with disabilities
• Single parent families
• Communities of color
• 65 years old and older living alone
• Limited English proficiency
• Without a high school degree
• Severely housing cost burdened

Draft Safety Element Goals, Policies and Actions

The updated Safety Element includes a total of 7 goals, 48 policies, and 44 implementation measures. Under each goal are policies that support each goal statement. The implementation measures describe the proposed action and identifies the department with primary responsibility for carrying out the program, and the time frame for accomplishing the program. As stated previously, the goals and policies are outlined in Chapters 2-4 specific to a hazard or issue.

Implementing measures or actions are included in Chapter 5. Table 3 provides a sample of select draft goals, policies, and actions in the Draft Safety Element, several of which arose from public feedback, including focus group discussions, community events and feedback from the Planning Commission, CED and PSC. For the complete list of draft policies and actions in the Safety Element, please refer to Chapter 5 of the Draft Safety Element.

Table 3: Select Draft Safety Element Goals, Policies, and Actions

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Safety Goals Select Policies Select Actions
Goal SAF-1:

Minimize the risk to
life and property
caused by seismic
and geologic
hazards

SAF-1.3 Limit development in
Hazardous Areas and Minimize
Erosion. Minimize threat to
structures and humans by limiting
development in areas subject to
landslides or other geologic threat
and undertake efforts to limit
erosion from new development.

SAF-A.4: Continue to enforce
ordinances for grading, erosion,
and sedimentation; provisions
under the creek protection,
storm water management and
discharge control ordinance;
and regulations for site-design
and source control techniques
for peak stormwater runoff flow
and landslide and erosion
impacts from increase runoff
volumes.

SAF-A.5: Design fire-preventive
vegetation-management
techniques and practices for
creeksides and high-slope areas
that align with practices
designed to stabilize hillsides,
prevent erosion and
sedimentation to help prevent
landslide and erosion hazards.

Goal SAF-2:

Proactively prevent
urban fires and
exposure to wildfire
and protect
community
members and
property from fire
danger
SAF-2.7 Protect against Smoke
and Wildfire. Improve access to
better indoor air quality to protect
against smoke and wildfire
through methods such as
requiring installation of MERV
filters in new developments and
identifying additional clean air
centers and resilience spaces
within residential areas
SAF-A.10: Compile a list of
high-rise and high-occupancy
buildings which are deemed to
be particularly susceptible to fire
hazards, due to their age or
construction materials.

Determine an expeditious
timeline for the fire safety
inspection of all such structures.

Prioritize areas and financial
assistance for fire safety retrofits
based on racial equity and
vulnerability criteria, including
lower income households,
mobility-impaired residents,
families with small children, and
older adults.

SAF-A.11: Continue to conduct
periodic fire-safety inspections
of commercial, multi-family, and
institutional buildings. Prioritize
inspections among areas at high
risk and high vulnerability,
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 13

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Safety Goals Select Policies Select Actions
including lower-income
households, areas with greater
percentages of mobility-impaired
residents, families with small
children, and older adults.

Goal SAF-3: Protect
people and property
from flooding
SAF-3.5 Green Stormwater
Infrastructure. Fund and
implement a green infrastructure
program for the installation and
maintenance of projects and
existing civic resources such as
the parks system and public
spaces, to improve stormwater
management, support
biodiversity, reduce air pollution
exposure, improve water quality,
and increase access to natural
spaces, including trees. Prioritize
green stormwater infrastructure
investment in frontline
communities, particularly in
residential neighborhoods
dominated by concrete and
asphalt with limited green space
and elevated air pollution, in
Priority Conservation Areas, and
in areas where green
infrastructure, including trees and
other types of vegetated buffers,
can effectively address
stormwater management issues
and reduce air pollution exposure
among sensitive populations.

This policy is cross-listed as
Action EJ-A.13 in the
Environmental Justice Element
SAF-A.12 As part of creek
“naturalization” or restoration
efforts, undertake ecologically-
sensitive solutions that align
with integrated open
space/flooding solutions where
feasible. As staff resources are
available, explore these
solutions in partnership with
community organizations, such
as partners involved in the East
Oakland Neighborhood
Initiative, Save the Bay,
Mycelium Youth, Shoreline
Leadership Academy, and other
groups already implementing
climate-resilient solutions.

SAF-A.14 Ensure that new
construction and major
improvements to existing
structures within flood zones are
in compliance with federal
requirements and, thus, remain
a participant in the National
Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP).

Goal SAF-4:

Proactively plan for
impacts of sea level
rise on people,
property, and
essential
infrastructure

SAF-4.3 New Development and
Sea Level Rise. New
Development and Sea Level
Rise. Develop sea-level rise
standards/horizon that will guide
adaption and resiliency planning
as part of the updated Sea Level
Rise Roadmap, including
recommendations and
SAF-A.17 Work with property
owners to develop cohesive
areawide flooding prevention
strategies in the two areas most
susceptible to 100-year floods –
the shoreline near the mouth of
the Oakland Estuary, and the
Coliseum and areas north
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 14

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Safety Goals Select Policies Select Actions
regulations for a suite of shoreline
protection measures (including
ecologically-friendly adaptation
options), protective setbacks, and
other adaptation strategies, to be
incorporated into future
development projects.

SAF-4.4 Sea Level Rise
Vulnerability Assessment.

Require applicants proposing to
develop in a future inundation
area (as depicted in a SLR
scenario to be determined in
subsequent administrative
regulations or documents) to
conduct a Sea Level Rise
vulnerability assessment for the
project, prepare a Sea Level Rise
Adaptation Plan for
implementation as part of the
project designs, and submit the
assessment, adaptation plan, and
conceptual design to the City for
review and approval.

SAF-4.5 Evaluating
Bay/Watershed Flooding
Potential. In partnership with
other agencies, including the Port
of Oakland, the Bay Area Bay
Conservation and Development
Commission, and the Alameda
County Flood Control Water
Conservation District, re-evaluate
both Bay flooding and watershed
flooding potential at key
milestones in the Safety
Element’s implementation
horizon, to manage for changing
sea level rise projections.
extending through to the Flea
Market.

SAF-A.18 Study compounding
impact of sea level rise on
groundwater threats in areas
with hazardous facilities.

Comply with performance
standards pursuant to the
Alameda countywide National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System municipal stormwater
permit.

SAF-A.20 By 2025, conduct a
regional and citywide community
engagement effort to determine
planning thresholds and
appropriate sea level rise
mitigation strategies.

Goal SAF-5:

Minimize health and
safety impacts
related to the use,
SAF-5.2 Hazardous Materials.

Minimize the potential risks to
human and environmental health
and safety associated with the
SAF-A.21 As part of the LUTE,
the City of Oakland will include
policy recommendations from
the West Oakland Truck
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 15

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Safety Goals Select Policies Select Actions
storage,
manufacture, and
transport of
hazardous materials

past and present use, handling,
storage and disposal of
hazardous materials.

Management Plan. These
include: 1) traffic calming
measures to keep truck traffic
off residential streets; 2)
improved signage regarding
existing truck routes; 3)
preferred routes to use when
destinations are not located on
truck routes; and 3)
modifications to truck routes and
prohibited streets.

Goal SAF-6: Protect
Oaklanders from
airport land use
hazards

SAF-6.2 Land Use
Compatibility. Require land uses
surrounding the Oakland
International Airport to be
compatible with the operation of
the airport and restrict
development of potentially
hazardous obstructions or other
hazards to flight. Discourage
uses that may impact airport
operations or do not meet
Federal or State aviation
standards.

SAF-A.28 Incorporate land use
compatibility considerations in
LUTE as part of Phase 2.

Goal SAF-7: Foster
feelings of safety in
all Oakland
neighborhoods
SAF 7.2 Crime Prevention
Through Environmental
Design. Continue to apply Crime
Prevention through
Environmental Design principles
in the design of new development
and encourage the provision of
adequate public lighting; windows
overlooking streets or parking
lots; and paths to increase
pedestrian activity within private
development projects and public
facilities in order to enhance
public safety and reduce calls for
service.

SAF-A.29 Work with community
groups to ensure CPTED
guidelines account for unique
neighborhood and cultural
considerations. Include
representation from youth and
formerly incarcerated
individuals.

3. EJ Element

Oakland has created its first EJ Element for the Oakland 2045 GPU. The environmental justice movement arose to address our history of unjust governmental actions, find remedies to Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 16

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

disproportionate impacts, and build decision-making power among groups most affected by these harms. The EJ Element serves as the foundation for achieving equity and environmental justice when planning for future growth and development in Oakland.

The EJ Element builds upon Oakland’s current regulatory setting for equity and environmental justice, including Oakland Municipal Code Section 2.29.170, which specifies that “the City of Oakland will intentionally integrate, on a Citywide basis, the principles of ‘fair and just’ in all the City does in order to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities,” as well as City Council Resolution 89249: Declaring Racism A Public Health Crisis, which states “the City of Oakland declares racism a public health crisis and recognizes the severe impact of racism on the well-being of Oakland residents and the City overall.”

Consistent with State requirements, the EJ Element addresses community-identified environmental justice issues related to reducing pollution exposure and improving air quality; promoting safe, healthy, and affordable homes; providing equitable public facilities; expanding healthy food access; promoting physical activity; improving civic engagement; and prioritizing improvements and programs that meet the needs of EJ Communities.

EJ Element Organization

The Environmental Justice Element contains nine chapters:
• Chapter 1: Introduction, which presents the background and purpose of the EJ Element, including statutory requirements and outlines theCity’s process and community engagement efforts undertaken to develop the Element.
• Chapter 2: Environmental Racism and Health Inequities in Oakland, which provides an overview of the historical development and planning decisions of the City which have shaped current conditions of environmental disparities and defines Oakland-specific EJ Communities.
• Chapter 3: Reducing Pollution Exposure and Improving Air Quality, which analyzes the pollution burden, especially on sensitive land uses, in the City from air pollution, water contamination, hazardous materials and toxics, and illegal dumping. • Chapter 4: Safe, Healthy, and Affordable Homes, which details housing disparities in the City.
• Chapter 5: Expanding Healthy Food Access, which analyzes the City’s food network, including availability of food outlets, food availability, and food quality. • Chapter 6: Equitable Public Facilities, which details the distribution of and investment in the City’s public facilities, such as infrastructure, school facilities, parks, and transportation and emergency services.
• Chapter 7: Promoting Physical Activity, which analyzes the barriers to physical activity and health in the city, such as mobility and safety, park access maintenance, and urban forest and greening.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

• Chapter 8: Engaged Communities, which details the City’s community engagement efforts and challenges experienced, including an overview of the community engagement spectrum, linguistic isolation, internet access, and employment. • Chapter 9: Implementation Actions and Programs, which concludes with a comprehensive table of actions to achieve the goals and policies set forth in the preceding chapters.

Chapters 3-8 summarize baseline conditions within Oakland’s communities through the lens of six environmental factors and highlight EJ communities that experience the greatest disparities and/or vulnerabilities.

Identifying Environmental Justice Communities

Identifying low-income communities most impacted by environmental justice issues (EJ Communities) is a core component of SB 1000 and one of the primary objectives of an EJ Element. The GPU team first prepared an Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Baseline (EJ Baseline Report) to identify and delineate existing social, economic, and environmental disparities by race and geography. The EJ Baseline Report was an important first step in presenting a preliminary screening methodology to identify EJ Communities by evaluating 53 indicators related to the SB 1000 topic areas. Each indicator was scored using a percentile ranking process that ranks all 113 census tracts in the city from highest (1.00, representing the most burdened) to lowest (0.00, representing the least burdened). This kicked off an iterative process of modifying and refining the methodology to ensure that the final EJ Communities map is representative of the on-the-ground conditions people experience in their daily lives. In addition, the methodology has been revised using the recommendations from the REIA. The final methodology includes 53 indicators grouped under five categories and 15 topics. See Figure 1 for a breakdown of the structure of the screening indicators.

There are 48 census tracts that have been identified as EJ Communities: 29 are in the top 25th percentile by composite score; 12 additional census tracts are in the top 10th percentile of any one of the category scores; and seven additional census tracts have lower scores, but are designated by CalEPA as SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities (as of May 2022). The EJ Communities Map is presented in Attachment B.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Figure 1: Structure of EJ Communities Screening Indicators

Draft EJ Element Goals, Policies, and Actions

There are 10 Goals in the EJ Element, and each goal has associated policies and actions.

Table 4 provides a sample of select draft goals, policies, and actions in the Draft EJ Element, several of which arose from public feedback on EJ topics discussed at focus group discussions and community events. For the complete list of draft policies and actions in the EJ Element, please refer to Chapter 9 of the Draft EJ Element.

Table 4: Select Draft EJ Element Goals, Policies, And Actions

EJ Goals Select Policies Select Actions
Goal EJ-1. Reduce
pollution, mitigate
the impacts of
pollution on existing
sensitive land uses,
and eliminate
associated public
health disparities.

EJ-1.2 Truck Emissions and
Pollution Exposure. Minimize air
pollution and exposure of sensitive
land uses to truck pollution,
particularly in EJ Communities and
other areas most burdened by air
pollution, while recognizing the Port
of Oakland’s role as the highest-
volume shipping port in Northern
California.

EJ-A.2 Adopt more
stringent air quality
construction and operations
requirements for
development near or within
industrially zoned land as
part of standard conditions
of approval.

Goal EJ-2. Protect
Oakland water
supplies from
contamination.

EJ-2.4 Stormwater Management.

Reduce stormwater runoff by
implementing the Green Stormwater
Infrastructure Plan to help conserve
water, protect water bodies, and
mitigate localized flood risk from
large storm events.

EJ-A.13 Continue to
participate in the Alameda
Countywide Clean Water
Program to protect creeks,
wetlands, and the San
Francisco Bay. Prioritize
creek restoration projects in

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

EJ Goals Select Policies Select Actions
Environmental Justice
Communities with the
lowest Tree Canopy and
Park Access scores.

Goal EJ-3. Prevent,
reduce, and clean up
Illegal dumping.

EJ-3.1 Design for Graffiti
Reduction. Establish guidelines
based on Crime Prevention Through
Environmental
Design (CPTED) standards and
other best practices that decrease
opportunity for graffiti.

EJ-3.3 Proactive Illegal Dumping
Cleanup. Support the
expansion of proactive cleanup
crews that target illegal dumping
“hot spot” areas in EJ Communities
EJ-A.15 In partnership with
school districts, community
college networks, local
vocational programs, labor
unions in the recycling and
waste diversion sector, and
unhoused residents who
depend on recycling for
their survival, co-create a
community reuse and repair
program to increase waste
diversion, reduce material
consumption, and create
green jobs. Target this
program for residents of
neighborhoods with the
highest unemployment
rates.

Goal EJ-4.

Coordinate
resources to
Improve housing
quality and
habitability.

EJ-4.5 Improve Indoor Air Quality
in Existing Buildings. For new
projects and significant
rehabilitations of existing buildings,
improve indoor air quality and
energy efficiency through
weatherization and strategies to
prevent buildup of mold and mildew.

EJ-A.16 As part of the
LUTE update in Phase 2,
explore incentives and
strategies to promote
health-promoting features in
housing projects that are
built in EJ Communities.

Goal EJ-5. Support a
food system that
provides nutritious,
affordable, culturally
relevant, and
affordable food to all
Oaklanders.

EJ-5.4 Urban Agriculture in New
Development. Promote rooftop
gardens, edible gardens, and other
sustainable agricultural landscaping
alternatives within multi-unit,
commercial, and industrial
developments.
• Target creation of rooftop gardens
highly visible from neighboring
properties.
• Permit indoor “vertical food farms”
in industrial areas.
• Reduce permit fees for large-scale
farming of edible products.

EJ-A.21 As part of the
LUTE update in Phase 2,
explore potential locations
and other strategies, such
as incentives, zoning
overlays, land use changes,
density or intensity
bonuses, or others, for
prioritization of new full-
service grocery stores over
a certain square footage.

Prioritize grocery store
development in EJ
Communities with the
lowest food access, and
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 20

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

EJ Goals Select Policies Select Actions
incentivize community-led,
neighborhood resident-
owned and cooperatively-
owned full-service grocery
stores.

Goal EJ-6. Support a
network of well-
maintained
community facilities
that are easily
accessible,
culturally
supportive, and
responsive to
community needs.

EJ-6.6 Public Restroom Facilities.

Access to safe, clean sanitation is
globally recognized as essential for
public health. Public toilets should
be accessible to all Oaklanders,
without social or physical barriers
preventing usage. A public toilet
facility’s design and upkeep should
offer privacy and safety, ensure
cleanliness, provide required
sanitation-related resources, and be
gender equitable.

EJ-A.25 As part of the
LUTE update in Phase 2,
explore land use changes
that are supportive of
cultural organization
operation in partnership
with community groups,
small business
associations, and the
Cultural Affairs office.

Goal EJ-7. Create
environments that
support physical
activity, recreation,
and healthy
lifestyles through
safe, comfortable
and ADA-compliant
walkable, bikeable
neighborhoods, with
access to transit,
green space, trees,
paths, and parks.

EJ-7.3 Street Design for Safe
Speeds. Work to maximize the
safety of the transportation network
by designing/ redesigning streets for
lower driving speeds and enforcing
speed limits as well as promoting
safe driving behavior. Strategies
could include implementing leading
pedestrian intervals for crosswalks
in residential neighborhoods and
providing pedestrian scale lighting.

Prioritize speed reduction efforts in
EJ Communities with the highest
concentrations of pedestrian and
bicyclist crashes. Study
enforcement patterns annually to
avoid racial profiling.

EJ-A.29 Prioritize urban
greening projects identified
in community plans, such
as EONI, WOCAP, and
others. Implement projects
in partnership with
community groups in EJ
Communities.

Goal EJ-8. Foster
meaningful civic
engagement and
support community
power- and capacity-
building.

EJ-8.8 Youth-Centered Events.

Seek out opportunities for
meaningfully and authentically
involving young people—particularly
from EJ Communities—in the
planning and implementation of
youth-centered events that develop
confidence and leadership skills.

EJ-A.31 Develop a
participatory budgeting
process for EJ Community
investments and explore
expansion into other
departments.

Goal EJ-9. Expand
economic
EJ-9.3 Business Incubators.

Encourage occupancy of existing
EJ-A.33 As part of land use
planning efforts, explore the
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 21

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

EJ Goals Select Policies Select Actions
development,
income equality, and
opportunity for all
Oaklanders.
buildings with incubators for specific
industry/trade groups and for
artisans and craftspeople, where
small startup businesses can share
existing facilities and equipment.
following strategies in
partnership with community
organizations based in EJ
Communities:
• Corridor revitalization
• Zoning opportunities to
facilitate smaller,
“microretail” spaces that are
more affordable
to new or smaller
businesses.
• Cultural Districts that
showcase, support, and
preserve existing cultural
identity of retail and
commercial services. For
example, programs that
support restoration of
historical Black business
districts in West Oakland.
• Neighborhood retail and
local business conservation
strategies to prevent
conversion
of existing neighborhood-
retail uses in neighborhoods
that would otherwise
lose easy access to nearby
shops and neighborhood
services, including through
anti-displacement
strategies.
• Anti-displacement
strategies for artists and
creative businesses
Goal EJ-10. Prioritize
improvements and
programs that meet
the needs of
environmental
justice communities.

EJ-10.2 Implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.

To increase transparency and
accountability, adopt an
implementation monitoring and
evaluation plan with achievable
milestones, periodic evaluation, and
a reporting mechanism, such as an
online portal or newsletter to track
EJ-A.34 In partnership with
community groups, develop
an implementation
monitoring and
evaluation plan framework
and reporting mechanism.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

EJ Goals Select Policies Select Actions
outcomes and keep residents
informed.

4. Racial Equity Impact Analysis of the Safety and EJ Elements

Oakland’s Municipal Code requires the City to intentionally integrate the principles of fairness and justice into “all the City does in order to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities.”2 The City’s Department of Race and Equity, established to help the City achieve this goal, has advised that racial inequities cannot be eradicated unless directly addressed.3 To directly address Oakland’s racial disparities through the GPU process, the City has adopted a racial equity framework, which calls for the development of a Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) alongside all emerging or revised plans and policies to support development of equitable policies that are concrete, data-driven, outcome-oriented, and problem-solving.

Both the Safety and EJ Elements are accompanied by a REIA to ensure that both Elements prioritize policies to reduce the risks and harmful impacts the City’s most vulnerable and frontline communities face, whether the risks are from daily exposure to pollution or from structural disasters. The REIA provides an assessment of the proposed goals and actions in the draft EJ and Safety Elements, shedding light on the communities within Oakland that experience the greatest environmental justice and safety burdens. For each group of goals and actions, the analysis begins with a statement of who the action stands to benefit, and which parties may be, or perceive themselves to be, burdened by it. Next, the REIA identifies existing challenges and equity gaps that can limit each action’s effectiveness in reducing disparities.

Finally, the REIA provides recommendations to strengthen each action or bolster implementation in ways that overcome existing barriers to achieving substantive equitable outcomes. Table 5 provides 15 recommendations to maximize racially equitable environmental health and safety outcomes in the EJ and Safety Elements.

Table 5: Recommendations to Maximize Racially Equitable Environmental Health and Safety Outcomes in the Safety and Environmental Elements
Recommendations Legend
💰💰 Dedicate resources to bridge equity gaps
🔎🔎 Create a framework for ongoing accountability
🗣🗣�Commit to co-developing solutions with impacted community members ⚖ Reduce public health, safety, and environmental disparities ♥ Preserve or strengthens local assets

💰💰🔎🔎 Focus EJ goals and policies on improving City infrastructure and public services, rather than on increasing policing, surveillance, ticketing, fines, fees, or arrests of low -income, BIPOC, EJ Community members.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Recommendations Legend
💰💰 Dedicate resources to bridge equity gaps
🔎🔎 Create a framework for ongoing accountability
🗣🗣�Commit to co-developing solutions with impacted community members ⚖ Reduce public health, safety, and environmental disparities ♥ Preserve or strengthens local assets

♥💰💰 Provide popular education about rights and resources to all community members. Educational campaigns are a too infrequently used approach for bringing Oaklanders together around shared goals across socioeconomic and racial/ethnic lines. City efforts to increase access to resources for the most vulnerable residents should utilize paid partne rships with CBOs to develop and deploy community- based campaigns. Popular education carried out through Oakland resident leadership can help the City meet residents where they are, overcome barriers to understanding, pay respect to existing community knowledge and lived experience, and ensure that everyone has the ability to participate equitably in creating and sharing knowledge.

♥ Promote leadership by members of EJ Communities and other vulnerable neighborhoods and population groups in developing solut ions that incorporate their local wisdom. Enabling deep participatory democracy will require ‘capacity investments’ in community- based organizations and small local businesses.
🔎🔎🗣🗣� Co-develop environmental justice and safety programs and carry out im plementation through meaningful engagement with previously marginalized, vulnerable community members. As the City moves to adopt environmental justice policies, the goal is to move away from marginalization (denying residents access to decision -making processes) and merely providing the community with relevant information about completed decisions. Instead, adopt a practice of gathering community input early and often in decision- making processes from program design through implementation to bolster community leadership. Fostering community ‘ownership’ of environmental justice policies and programs increases civic capacity and democratic participation in government facilitates equitable outcomes. Bringing more voices to the table removes critical blind spots regarding how policies impact the community and reveals the effective solutions to remedy equity gaps.

🔎🔎 Improve Citywide community engagement information gathering and sharing practices. Rather than having each City department collect and refer to com munity input in silos, develop and utilize a “one-stop shop” platform: a central system for community input with searchable data well-organized by topic for use by all City department staff. Improved data gathering and assessment will improve civic engagement by reducing City blind spots, redundancy, and resident planning fatigue caused by repeated requests for input.
⚖ Mitigate the impacts of existing incompatible land uses. Prioritize improvements that remedy the pollution, aesthetic, and noise burdens of heavy industrial uses near sensitive land uses. Improve the livability of low -income neighborhoods though streetscaping, increased tree canopy, vegetative blockades, bioswales, daylighting and restoration of creeks, and improving access to open space.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

Create buffers from harmful infrastructure and activity such as freeways and incinerators. Create vegetative buffers that provide both ecosystem services and aesthetic improvement. ⚖ ♥ Prioritize placemaking projects that serve residents of existing Environmental Justice and affordable housing communities, improving their health, quality of life, and economic livelihoods.

These include new or renovated community recreation centers, community resilience hubs, and green vegetation buffers and stormwa ter management. Follow community -led plans and priorities for investments, such as the East Oakland Neighborhoods Initiative (EONI) Community Plan and West Oakland Community Action Plan (WOCAP). Draw on the local community’s assets, character, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well-being.
💰💰♥ Invest in building intersectional resilience by increasing investment in public and community- oriented social infrastructure. Increase citywide use of new or existing community centers to provide community-facing services such as community kitchens, free internet access, free childcare, tutoring, and youth sports. Layer in climate resilience features such as air filtration, serving as cooling centers on hot days, providing community-owned solar micro-grids with battery backup, enabling greywater and rainwater harvesting, community gardens, and tool-lending and seed libraries. ⚖ Achieve measurable reductions in stationary and mobile sources of emissions and noise pollution.
⚖ Attract new clean industries to the city (do not increase noise levels, emit smoke or offensive odors, or cause industrial waste) and site them in locations both inside and outside of EJ Communities. ⚖Promote innovative residential design techniques and sustainable construction materials and methods to stimulate residential development that protects the environment. ⚖ Improve mobility by completing capital improvements and encouraging projects in EJ Communities that promote walkability and improve the safety and accessibility of sidewalks, trails, bicycle infrastructure, and public transit. Consider the ways that mobility solutions can improve public safety, such as through improved lighting at transit stops. Ensure that all infrastructure developments include access for the mobility impaired.
💰💰 As laid out in Housing Action Plan 3.5.1, support Community Land Trusts (CLTs) t o ensure continued production and preservation of housing affordable to extremely low -, very low-, low- and moderate-income households.
💰💰♥ Increase public funding for workforce development programs that guarantee jobs for graduates, through partnership w ith local businesses. Pipelines to guaranteed jobs can incentivize participation in unpaid training opportunities and generate more opportunities to increase economic livelihoods. Deploy public information methods guaranteed to reach residents of low -income, Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 25

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

vulnerable EJ Communities, including parolees and young people between the ages of 16 to 24. Provide easy enrollment methods and ensure ample enrollment opportunities. ♥ Secure local hire commitments that preference residents of neighborhoods with hig h unemployment rates, with the next level of preference given to residents of Oakland and neighborhoods immediately proximate to the city. (See the Construction Jobs Policy of the Oakland Army Base).

FISCAL IMPACT

There is no fiscal impact from this agenda item, as it is informational only and is intended to seek guidance from the Public Safety Committee.

PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST

See section on Community Engagement Process and Feedback for detailed information on public outreach conducted by the GPU team. This study session is another opportunity for public outreach.

This meeting was noticed in the Oakland Tribune as well as emails sent to subscribers to the GPU email listserv.

COORDINATION

The Safety Element update and development of the EJ Element was a multi-department effort with the Planning and Building Department collaborating closely with key City partners – Office of the City Administrator (Sustainability and Resilience Division), Department of Race and Equity, Office of the City Attorney, Department of Transportation , Emergency Management Services Division - Fire Department, Public Works Department, Department of Violence Prevention, Police Department, Economic & Workforce Development Department, Housing and Community Development Department, Public Library, and Parks, Recreation and Youth Development.

This report has been reviewed by the Office of the City Attorney and the Budget Bureau.

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES

Economic: By adopting an updated General Plan Safety Element, Oakland residents, businesses and the essential civic functions of the government will be better prepared following a natural or human-caused disaster, and the City’s economy could therefore recover more readily.. Concurrent adoption of a General Plan EJ Element would ensure improved access to economic opportunities by promoting safe and healthy homes and public facilities, and reduce economic burden from healthcare expenses by addressing the unique or compounded health risks due to prolonged pollution exposure and improved air quality in Oakland's most vulnerable communities.

Environmental: Adoption and implementation of an updated General Plan Safety Element would help preserve Oakland’s environmental quality by minimizing potential damage from safety hazards and disasters, including sea level rise and wildfire risks. Concurrent adoption of an EJ Element would ensure that environmental justice considerations are integrated into the planning elements and address historic disenfranchisement of and disinvestment in EJ Communities, preparing for and minimizing the impacts of natural and human-made disasters and climate stressors.

Race & Equity: The Safety and EJ Elements are accompanied by an REIA to ensure that both Elements prioritize policies to reduce the risks and harmful impacts the City’s most vulnerable and frontline communities face, whether the risks are from daily exposure to pollution or from structural disasters. See also section on Racial Equity Impact Analysis of the Safety and EJ Elements.

An Equity Working Group (EWG), composed of 20 diverse community members who advocate for solutions that advance equitable and healthy neighborhoods and convened by Deeply Rooted has been created to work with City Staff and the GPU team to make sure that the General Plan’s Housing, Safety, Environmental Justice, Land Use, Transportation, Noise, and Open Space/Conservation/Recreation Policies, and key Zoning issues align with community concerns and needs. The EWG will also support outreach efforts to ensure that geographies and populations that are most burdened by environmental justice inequities are engaged in identifying community needs and assets and providing feedback on proposed solutions.

The Deeply Rooted Youth Fellowship comprising of 20 fellows is trained in intersecting each element with how to conduct community engagement, how to read elements and convey elements to their peers, and in turn teach adults how to conduct youth outreach. In addition, the Deeply Rooted Youth Fellowship is also designing an enhanced youth-focused community engagement effort. This includes but is not limited to collaborating with the Oakland Youth Commission, Save the Bay, Mycelium Youth Network, Frontline Catalysts, and more.

The REIA builds on the work that the EWG is presently leading and provides an assessment of the proposed goals and actions in the draft EJ and Safety Elements, shedding light on the communities within Oakland that experience the greatest environmental justice and safety burdens. Informed by this assessment, the REIA provides equitable strategic direction for implementation, guiding City decision-makers and staff to prioritize implementation measures Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Study Session on The Oakland 2045 General Plan Update: Public Review Drafts of Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element
Date: May 26, 2023 Page 27

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

that maximize benefits to lower-income and BIPOC communities, reduce racial disparities, and mitigate possible additional harms to communities facing disparities.

The updated General Plan Safety Element would direct improvements to public infrastructure and critical facilities which can result in more disaster-resistant neighborhoods and prepare residents to respond to and recover more quickly from natural or human-caused events.

Concurrent adoption of the City’s first EJ Element would promote meaningful civic engagement in the public decision-making process and identify objectives, policies, improvements, and programs that address the most pressing needs in the community, particularly where social and racial inequities are most prevalent.

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)

The City has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for Phase I of the Oakland 2045 General Plan Update pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the State CEQA Guidelines to analyze potential physical environmental impacts of the proposed Planning Code, Zoning and Height Area Maps, and General Plan text and map amendments implementing its 2023-2031 Housing Element, updates to its Safety Element and its adoption of a new EJ Element.

An EIR Scoping Session was held at the April 20, 2022, Planning Commission meeting to solicit comments from the Planning Commission and the public on the types of information and analysis that should be considered in the Phase I General Plan Update DEIR.

The Phase I General Plan Update DEIR was available for a 45-day comment period between March 24, 2023, and May 9, 2023. The City Planning Commission held a public meeting to receive comments on the Draft EIR for the Project on April 19, 2023.

NEXT STEPS

At the time of writing this report, the GPU team continues to plan for and engage with the community on the public review drafts of the Safety and EJ Elements. The GPU team is planning to host several community workshops and pop-up events in April, May and June. The GPU community engagement page (https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/meetings-and-events) provides information on upcoming meetings and will be updated with new events as they are finalized. Following the end of the 90-day review period, the GPU team will begin work on revising the EJ and Safety Elements to address and incorporate community feedback. The Elements will be finalized and will be brought back to City Council for adoption hearings in the Fall of 2023.

ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Community and Economic Development Committee and Public Safety Committee June 27, 2023

For questions regarding this report, please contact Lakshmi Rajagopalan, Planner IV, at 510- 238-6751.

Respectfully submitted,

WILLIAM A. GILCHRIST
Director, Planning & Building Department

Reviewed by:

Edward Manasse, Deputy Director/City Planner
Bureau of Planning

Laura Kaminski, Strategic Planning Manager

Prepared by:

Lakshmi Rajagopalan, Planner IV
Daniel Findley, Planner III
Khalilha Haynes, Planner III
Strategic Planning Division

Attachments (1):

A. Attachment A: Areas of Highest Social Vulnerability in Oakland During Natural Hazards - Seismic Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Fire Hazards, Flood Hazards, Dam Breach Inundation, And 100-year Coastal Flood
B. Attachment B: Map of Potential Environmental Justice Communities in Oakland

Public Safety Committee - CancelledJune 27, 2023

Public Safety Committee - Cancelled
June 27, 2023