Agenda

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C. 30

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	November 15, 2016

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

County Memberships in Sustainability Organizations

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 11/15/2016

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Jody London, 925-674-7871

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: November 15, 2016
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to apply for membership and pay associated annual membership dues totaling $2,900 to the Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, as recommended by the Ad Hoc Sustainability Committee.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Annual membership dues of $2,900 will be paid with General Fund revenues approved for DCD's use for sustainability programs in the County's FY 2016-17 Budget.

BACKGROUND:

As the County expands its work on sustainability and implementing the Climate Action Plan, it is important for the County to have access to the most current information about what is working at the local level for other government entities, and be able to advise the Board of Supervisors of activities by State agencies that may impact County policies and programs.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

Urban Sustainability Directors Network. The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) brings together sustainability directors from local governments in the U.S. and Canada. USDN provides a peer-to-peer information sharing network, with emphasis on what has worked for other jurisdictions, and what has not worked. The focus is on fostering collaboration. USDN provides weekly e-news updates, and hosts 20 user groups that meet every other month by phone for an hour. Members can participate in as many user groups as they wish. USDN was initially designed for cities, so counties are included as associate members and pay reduced dues of $400/year. Membership in

USDN may increase our chances of receiving a Partners for Places grant, which is designed to foster collaboration between local governments and place-based foundations on sustainability issues. USDN has been cited by local government sustainability coordinators as one of the best resources for their jobs.

Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition. The Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC) is a statewide group for local governments, with a focus on advocacy before State energy regulators and peer-to-peer networking. The LGSEC is the only statewide group representing local governments at the point where implementation decisions are made about State energy programs. Two key energy efficiency programs for Contra Costa County funded by PG&E, the East Bay Energy Watch and the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, can trace their origins to advocacy by the LGSEC before the California Public Utilities Commission. The LGSEC hosts quarterly networking meetings that are always informative and allow us to learn what our peers are doing in other parts of the State. The LGSEC also puts out a newsletter every 5-8 weeks. Annual dues are $2,500 for a basic membership. The organization historically has covered funding for one person from a member entity to travel to the quarterly meetings if they are in a part of the State that requires air travel (i.e., they would reimburse us for one of our staff to travel to a meeting in LA or San Diego). The Board's Ad Hoc Sustainability Committee approved this recommendation on October 24, 2016. Supervisor Glover was not in attendance.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the memberships are not authorized, staff will be less prepared to perform their duties related to sustainability and implementation of the Climate Action Plan, and the County will be less well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities in these issue areas.