None to the General Fund. Up to $150,000 from the Livable Communities Trust (District III portion) has previously been allocated by the Board toward the effort.  

On December 20, 2016, at the recommendation of then Supervisor Piepho, the Board of Supervisors approved the expenditure of up to $150,000 from the Livable Communities Trust (District III Portion) and authorized DCD, in consultation with the Ag Task Force and local agricultural stakeholders, to identify for future Board consideration specific actions the County could take to further promote and incentivize agricultural sustainability and economic vitality (see Attachment 1).

As the new District III Supervisor, Supervisor Burgis has heard significant community interest in this topic and is very eager to facilitate an effective public engagement effort that results in meaningful policy modifications. To initiate the discussion on policy reform needs and ideas, Supervisor Burgis worked with DCD to convene a meeting of agricultural stakeholders on November 15, 2017. Participants generated a number of ideas (see Attachment 2) for policy reforms that provide a useful starting point for future discussions.

To expeditiously generate policy reforms that reflect the needs of the community and further promote and incentive both agricultural sustainability and economic vitality, DCD needs a public engagement strategy that does not depend on the Ag Task Force. The Ag Task Force has not met in years, does not have any members with current appointments and is not anticipated to be in a position to start meeting again in the near future. Therefore, it is recommended that in lieu of relying on the Ag Task Force for input, DCD be authorized to convene a series of open, public meetings with persons and groups interested in the policy reform topic. DCD would generate a contact list of interested stakeholders based on its knowledge of the issue and in consultation with District Offices, publicize the effort on its website and continuously update the list to include anyone interested in the topic and send announcements of open, public meetings (perhaps four to eight in total) on this topic to everyone on the list inviting their participation. It is recommended that meetings be held in or near agricultural areas of the County, with a majority of the meetings being held in eastern Contra Costa County where the majority of agricultural lands are located, but with some meetings in other areas as well. Participants would be invited and encouraged to all meetings, or as many as they can, to stay engaged in the process and provide consistent input as the effort progresses. The results of these discussions and the staff work would be presented to the Board for review and direction and any modifications on General Plan policies or zoning provisions would need to be considered by the County Planning Commission and approved by the Board.

If the Department of Conservation and Development is not authorized to convene a series of stakeholder meetings in lieu of coordinating with the Ag Task Force, then the process for developing policies to improve agricultural sustainability and vitality would be delayed

The recommended action will not affect children’s programs in the County.

Speaker: Lisa Borba, Ron Nunn Farms.