BERKELEY 1900 Addison Street, Suite 200, Berkeley, CA 94704 510.666.1010
LOS ANGELES 448 South Hill Street, Suite 512, Los Angeles, CA 90013 213.599.7670
Community Engagement Plan
San José CARP | 8/7/24
Contents
Community Engagement Plan ...................................................................................................................................1 Goal and Objectives .......................................................................................................................................................1 Roles and Responsibilities ...........................................................................................................................................2 R+A..................................................................................................................................................................................2 SPUR................................................................................................................................................................................2 City ...................................................................................................................................................................................2 San José Community Snapshot .................................................................................................................................2 San José Sampling Plan ................................................................................................................................................4 Measures of Success......................................................................................................................................................5 Considerations for Community Engagement Timing........................................................................................6 Community Engagement Activities..........................................................................................................................7 Community Engagement Plan
This Community Engagement Plan (CEP) details the proposed community engagement and outreach efforts to support the San José Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP). Public input, community engagement, and local capacity building are essential to the effective update and implementation of the CARP. The community engagement activities proposed in this CEP provide opportunities for all residents and stakeholders to actively participate in the process and develop a path to climate resilience. The meetings and workshops selected have been designed to empower a wide variety of residents, city staff, and decision-makers, including those who are not typically involved in civic projects or planning processes. This plan includes a snapshot of the San José community and a sampling plan of subpopulations that may require targeted outreach.
Goal and Objectives
The goal of community engagement is garnering ground-truthed information about the impacts of climate change on their lives and how the CARP strategies can best serve their needs.
Additional objectives of engagement include:
• Provide an inclusive, equitable, and transparent process. • Build a constituency that supports the adoption and implementation of the CARP. • Develop and disseminate accessible, well-branded materials that support effective outreach and project understanding.
• Engage and empower a broad cross-section of San José residents, community groups, business owners, stakeholders, and decision makers.
Attachment A
July 2024 2 SJ CARP Community Engagement Plan
• Gather input at strategic points in the planning process to inform the CARP. • Build capacity so the community can guide and support implementation of the CARP. • Achieve broad demographic and geographic representation from stakeholders including participants who are typically not engaged in planning processes using virtual engagement methods, traditional and social media.
• Educate the community about the importance and urgency of climate adaptation and resilience.
• Gather meaningful input and feedback from the community about the CARP.
Roles and Responsibilities
R+A
• Lead engagement activities
• Produce engagement materials (presentations, agendas, meeting collateral) • Take notes for in-person and online events
• Produce Community Engagement Summary
SPUR
• Review draft engagement materials
• Facilitation support
• Provide staff for in-person and online events as requested by R+A • Recommend and provide contact information for stakeholders • Promote CARP outreach and engagement through SPUR communications channels City
• Review draft engagement materials
• Provide staff for in-person and online events
• Coordinate in-person event logistics (i.e. securing venue) • Use City communication channels (email listserv, social media, website) to publicize engagement activities
• Coordinate City Council meetings and briefings
• Commissions and Advisory Bodies
• Attend bi-monthly Climate Ready Working Group meetings San José Community Snapshot
The following graphic provides summary demographics for the City of San José.
July 2024 3 SJ CARP Community Engagement Plan
July 2024 4 SJ CARP Community Engagement Plan
San José Sampling Plan
This sampling plan identifies populations in San José that are traditionally less civically engaged and should be targeted with specific engagement strategies to ensure that their opinions are heard and reflected in the CARP. These populations are also the most vulnerable communities to climate hazards, making it important that they understand how the CARP may affect them.
Table 1. Engaging Target Communities
Target Group
% of San
José
Population
Potential Challenges Engagement
Activities Organizations
Youth (5-18) 16%
• Not as interested in
civic activities
• Busy with friends
and activities
• Focus/Small
Group
• Online
engagement
and social media
• Community
organizations
• Schools
Latinx
Population 31%
• Language barriers
• May not engage
with the City’s
communication
channels
• Translated
online and inperson
engagement
• Community
organizations
• Service providers
• Faith groups
Vietnamese
Population ~18%
• Language barriers
• May not engage
with the City’s
communication
channels
• Translated
online and inperson
engagement
• Community
organizations
• Service providers
• Faith groups
Native
American
Population
<1%
• Historically underrepresented
• Lack of trust in
institutions
• Meetings with
community
leaders
• Stakeholder
meetings
• Muwekma
Ohlone Tribe
• Tamien Nation
• Indian Health
Center of Santa
Clara
Older Adults
(65+) 20%
• Actually tend to be
overrepresented in
engagement
• Online
engagement
• Stakeholder
meetings
• Senior Services
• Community
organizations
Renters 45%
• May not be as
invested in the
process because
tend to be more
transient or don’t
have control of
• Online
engagement
• Tenant advocacy
groups
• Neighborhood
Associations in
majority renter
areas
July 2024 5 SJ CARP Community Engagement Plan
home
modifications
Low-income
Population1 ~41%
• May work multiple
jobs and at times
that conflict with
engagement
activities
• Disenfranchisement
• One-on-one
meetings
• Meetings at
various times,
hybrid meetings,
providing
childcare
• Community
organizations
East San José
• Language barriers
• May not engage
with the City’s
communication
channels
• May work multiple
jobs and at times
that conflict with
engagement
activities
• Focus/Small
Group
• Online
engagement
• Community
organizations
• Neighborhood
Association
Foothill Areas •
• Focus/Small
Group
• Neighborhood
Association
Measures of Success
To ensure this community engagement process meets the expectations of our team, we’ve identified these measures of success:
• Diversity of people reached
o Participation of Latinx community members, including residents of the Eastside o Participation of Vietnamese community members
• Sectors. Our target for this effort is to reach members of the sectors accounted for in the City’s vulnerability assessment: private building owners, City departments, partner agencies (transportation, waste, water), emergency and public health providers, local CERT, and populations vulnerable to climate hazards (e.g. elderly, low income, non-English speaking, renters).
1 Used below 80% AMI to define “Low Income” in this table. In the city, 80% of household AMI is $96,000. Used “Household Income less than $100,000” from ACS 2021 5-year estimates to approximate.
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Considerations for Community Engagement Timing
The following is a list of ongoing City planning and engagement efforts, as well as other timelines to consider when planning engagement activities. Coordination will help reduce the amount of repetitive information going out to the public (engagement fatigue) and increase accessibility for segments of the community (e.g., youth).
City Planning and Engagement Activities
• EJ Element engagement
• Safety Element Update engagement
• Open Space Element Update engagement
City-Hosted Events
• Viva Calle SJ (April)
• Earth Day Celebration (April)
• National Night Out (August)
• Youth Commission Annual City-wide Youth Conference (late spring/early summer?) • City festivals (fall)
Other schedules
• School schedules (middle, high, colleges, trade schools) BERKELEY 1900 Addison Street, Suite 200, Berkeley, CA 94704 510.666.1010
LOS ANGELES 448 South Hill Street, Suite 512, Los Angeles, CA 90013 213.599.7670
Community Engagement Activities
Activity Purpose + Audience Input Informs Which
Tasks? Roles
Staff and Partner
Agency Interviews
(virtual)
Listen to City department and partner agencies’
experience with climate hazards, priority issues,
and ongoing efforts.
2.1 Plan and Policy Review
2.2 Vulnerability
Assessment
4.1 Measures
Development
R+A (lead): schedule meetings,
develop questions, conduct interviews
City: review questions, put R+A in
contact with interviewees
Small Group
Meetings / Focus
Group
(virtual)
Inform groups about what the CARP is and the
development process.
Listen to stakeholders’:
• Experience with climate hazards: what do they
currently do to cope, if anything?
• Priority issues
2.2 Vulnerability
Assessment
4.1 Measures
Development
R+A (lead): Identify and invite
participants, develop questions,
facilitate, take notes
SPUR: Provide input on participants to
be included, support invitation of
participants, support development of
questions, support facilitation as
needed.
City: Provide input on participants to be
included
Workshop 1
(virtual)
• Inform community about what the plan is
(what is adaptation)
• Inform about the plan development process
• Discuss the results of the vulnerability
assessment 4.1 Measures
Development
R+A (lead): Presentation, meeting
agenda and materials, notes
SPUR: Review meeting materials,
promote through SPUR
communications channels, presenting
support
City: Review meeting materials,
promote through City communications
channels, presenting, facilitation
support
July 2024 8 SJ CARP Community Engagement Plan
Survey
Obtain a broad understanding of community
members’:
• Experience with climate hazards (what do they
currently do to cope, if anything?)
• Priority issues
• ____
4.1 Measures
Development
R+A (lead): Develop survey questions
and platform
SPUR: Review survey questions, support
survey distribution
City: Review survey questions
Workshop 2
Keep open for
online and/or inperson (more
interactive)
Show the community our measures framework,
and overview of measures.
Solicit community input on:
• Measures to prioritize
• Equity considerations of measures
• If there is anything missing
4.1 Measures
Development
R+A (lead): Develop materials,
activities, and presentation; facilitation;
take notes
SPUR: Review meeting materials,
promote through SPUR
communications channels, presenting
support
City: Review meeting materials,
promote through City communications
channels, presenting, facilitation
support
Online Public
Comment Form
Roll out the draft plan to the public. Obtain public
comment submissions.
6.2 Prepare Plan
(specifically, 6.2c Final
Plan)
R+A (lead): Set up comment platform,
develop questions (if any)
SPUR: Promote through SPUR
communications channels
City: Promote through City
communications channels
Pop-up
(in-person)
Set up a booth at an existing community event to
encourage people to engage with the online
public comment form
Siting the pop ups:
Have staff who speak Spanish and Vietnamese
(Chinese Traditional and Simplified)
City has vendors to translate
6.2 Prepare Plan
(specifically, 6.2c Final
Plan)
R+A: Event logistics, prepare materials,
staff table
SPUR: Staff the table, review materials,
promote through SPUR
communications channels
City: Review materials, support event
logistics (i.e. help R+A secure a tabling
spot), promote through City
communications channels
July 2024 9 SJ CARP Community Engagement Plan
Consolidation
Event
(in-person or
virtual)
Event to convene the people and groups who
have been involved in engagement in the project.
• Build network/connections
• Show them how their input was incorporated
• Signal that the work is only beginning
Around the time of Plan
Adoption
SPUR: Event co-host, presenting and
facilitation, event logistics, identify
invitees, send event invitations
City: Event co-host, presenting and
facilitation, identify invitees
R+A: Contribute to presentation (if
needed), attend event
Climate Ready
Working Team
(virtual)
Update City departments on CARP progress and
solicit feedback on work products.
All
R+A (lead): Host meeting, prepare
agendas, presentation, notes
City: Provide input on agenda, attend
meeting
Council Working
Sessions
(virtual)?
Provide progress updates and solicit feedback
from City Council.
Jan: Engagement Plan, 2.1
Plan Policy Review, 2.2
Vulnerability Assessment,
3.2 Framework
TBD: 6.2 Prepare Plan
R+A (lead): Prepare presentation and
discussion questions
City: Coordinate with City Council
Talking points that resonate with non-English speaking comms Communications can review