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C. 40

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Chad Godoy, Director of Agriculture/Weights & Measures
Date:	April 14, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Agricultural Commissioner, or his designee, to apply for and accept a grant from the CA Dept. of Conservation

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 04/14/2015

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

ABSENT:

Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Roxann Crosby, 925-646-5250

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: April 14, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

ADOPT Resolution No. 2015/90 to authorize the Agricultural Commissioner, or designee, to apply for and accept a grant from the California Department of Conservation in an amount not to exceed $100,000, to inventory and develop maps of agricultural lands and the supporting agriculture infrastructure within the county for the period of July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The Department of Agriculture would receive up to $100,000 of grant money to be spent over a maximum of two years (including a minimum 10% department match, where at least 5% of the of the requested grant amount must be a cash match and the balance may be-in-kind).

BACKGROUND:

The County Department of Agriculture met with the County Department of Conservation and Development, the County Local Agency Formation Commission, the Brentwood agricultural Land Trust and a member of Supervisor Piepho's staff to discuss collaborating on a grant offered through the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALCP) which supports the state's greenhouse gas emission goals by making strategic investments to protect critical agricultural land from conversion to urban or rural residential development and support a healthy agricultural economy. As an outcome of these conversations and an effort to support the Board of Supervisors resolution on the "Preservation of Agricultural Lands" passed on February 3, 2009, the County Agricultural Commissioner's office wished to spearhead an effort to gather information to develop maps that can be used to facilitate the establishment of local priorities for agricultural land conservation. The grant will be used to support this effort by creating an inventory and maps of agricultural, conserved and developed land within the county. The project will also inventory and map food system infrastructure and direct marketing channels that can facilitate local market opportunities for small and medium-sized growers in order to prevent land conversion out of agriculture and reduce food miles from farm to fork.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Inability of moving forward in submitting grant proposal

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

No impact.