Since 2018, the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) has been working on Envision Contra Costa 2040 (ECC2040), the update to the County General Plan, Zoning Code, and Climate Action Plan (CAP). A requirement related to the General Plan update is compliance with SB 1000, the Planning for Healthy Communities Act, passed in 2016. SB 1000 requires the County General Plan to address environmental justice in Impacted Communities (formerly “disadvantaged communities;” see explanation below) in the unincorporated area of the county (i.e., North Richmond, Montalvin Manor/Tara Hills/Bayview, Rodeo, Crockett, Mountain View/Vine Hill, Pacheco, Clyde, and Bay Point).
The Sustainability Committee received a report on the draft General Plan environmental justice policies at its September 29, 2020, meeting. The Committee provided direction on a number of items, including environmental impacts, community benefits, public bank, access to fresh food, and outreach. The Committee asked that the draft environmental justice policies be brought back for further review and discussion after additional community outreach and input from the Hazardous Materials Commission. |
Since the Committee’s September 2020 meeting, the DCD has conducted extensive outreach with Impacted Community members and other stakeholders, met with the Sustainability and Hazardous Materials commissions, and continued to coordinate with staff from other County departments to refine the draft environmental justice policy guidance.
Outreach and Engagement
Between November 2020 and February 2021, the County surveyed community members to obtain feedback on the draft environmental policy guidance. The survey asked open-ended questions on eight key policy issue areas pertaining to environmental justice. For each policy issue, participants were asked to review and provide feedback on the draft strategies.
The survey was conducted in English and Spanish both online and via hard copies distributed through organizations working in Impacted Communities. The online survey was advertised via the Envision Contra Costa 2040 website and email list, as well as on social media platforms, including Facebook, NextDoor, and Instagram. The County paid to promote the Facebook and Instagram posts, resulting in 126,890 people reached and 8,658 post engagements. In addition, the Pacific Coast Association Farmers Market and the West Contra Costa County Unified School District advertised the online survey through their contact lists. The hard copy surveys were distributed via the John Swett Unified School District, Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, and Meals on Wheels. A total of 469 survey responses were received. A summary of the survey feedback is provided as Attachment A to this staff report.
During this same November-to-February timeframe, the Envision Contra Costa 2040 team also attended meetings hosted by community-based organizations in Impacted Communities and other groups to inform stakeholders about the project, promote the online survey, and encourage participation in a series of in-depth meetings on the environmental justice policy guidance that was held in February (described below). Team members attended the following meetings:
- Community Leaders Network, November 11, 2020
- Bay Point Partnership, December 12, 2020
- Richmond Our Power Coalition, December 16, 2020
- Crockett Community Foundation, January 7, 2021
- The Latina Center, January 8, 2021
- Rodeo Citizens Association, January 26, 2021
- East County/First Five and Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), January 28, 2021
- Carquinez Women’s Club, February 5, 2021
- East Bay Leadership Council, February 9, 2021
- Committee for Industrial Safety, February 11, 2021
- Crockett Lions Club, February 17, 2021
- Industrial Association of Contra Costa County, Council of Industries, and Western States Petroleum Association, February 24, 2021
In February 2021, the County hosted a three-part meeting series to provide the opportunity for a more in-depth discussion of the draft environmental justice policy guidance with affected community members. Each meeting focused on a subset of topics. The majority of each meeting was spent in breakout rooms (via Zoom) for small group discussions on the draft goals, policies, and actions. A summary of the input from this meeting series is provided in Attachment B, and the meetings, topics, and attendance are listed below.
- February 3rd, 2021, 6 pm – 8 pm
- Topics: Sustainable Economy, Homes, and Jobs
- Participants in attendance: 35
- February 10th, 2021, 6 pm – 8 pm
- Topics: Community Engagement, Transportation, and Infrastructure
- Participants in attendance: 22
- February 17th, 2021, 6 pm – 8 pm
- Topics: Food, Health Services, Recreation, Air Quality, and Hazardous Materials
- Participants in attendance: 70
Finally, County staff also attended two County commission meetings to discuss the draft environmental justice policy guidance:
- Hazardous Materials Commission, December 3, 2020. Commissioners asked questions and offered policy suggestions. Those questions and suggestions are provided in Attachment C. Subsequent to the meeting, the Hazardous Materials Commission provided additional suggested changes to the policy guidance, which are presented in Attachments D and E.
- Sustainability Commission, February 22, 2021. Commissioners were updated on the status of the policy guidance and the outreach conducted to date.
Revised Draft Environmental Justice Goals, Policies, and Actions
The revised draft environmental justice policy guidance, along with a memo providing context and background information, are provided in Attachments F and G, respectively. The policy guidance is now presented in the context of the General Plan 2040 elements. The revisions reflect the feedback from Impacted Community members and advocates, as well as additional input from County staff from various departments. The revisions also incorporate previous feedback provided at the September 29, 2020, Sustainability Committee meeting. The draft policy guidance incorporates some revisions suggested by Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) staff in their memo dated March 10, 2021 (Attachment H), and Richmond Land in their letter dated March 16, 2021 (Attachment I). Regarding those suggestions, the letter and memo identify the goals, policies, and actions using the numbering convention from the draft policy guidance dated October 2, 2020. The numbering changed entirely when the goals, policies, and actions were transferred to the General Plan element format. Attachment J is a crosswalk matching the October 2, 2020, numbering to the numbering in Attachment F.
Staff notes that the draft environmental justice policy guidance is “raw” in the sense that it incorporates the input from the sources described above, but has not been thoroughly reviewed by DCD staff through the lens of feasibility, legality, appropriateness for inclusion in a General Plan, etc. Refinement of the goals, policies, and actions will continue, and DCD staff anticipates that some of these will ultimately find homes in County policy documents other than the General Plan, such as the plan under development through the CCHS Envision Health initiative.
Staff requests feedback and direction from the Sustainability Committee on additional refinements necessary for the draft goals, policies, and actions. In particular, staff seeks Committee guidance on the following items:
- “Disadvantaged community” terminology. SB 1000 uses the term “disadvantaged communities,” defined as low-income areas that are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation. Based on community feedback, staff recommends using the term “Impacted Community” to describe disadvantaged communities under SB 1000. This term was suggested by a community member; it conveys the intended meaning clearly and succinctly, while avoiding the negativity associated with the term “disadvantaged.” “Impacted” implies that the environmental justice issues are not inherent to the community and that they can be addressed and conditions changed.
- Just Transition. The “just transition” guidance in Policy SC-P1.1 and Action SC-A1.1 in the Strong Communities Element has garnered significant attention through the outreach and engagement process, ranging from suggestions to change the zoning to prohibit refineries as a way to actively phase them out, to concerns that communities will turn into ghost towns when refineries leave. In the revised policy guidance, staff adjusted the text to more closely align with the just transition guidance in the County’s emergency climate resolution adopted in September 2020. The policy guidance aims to provide a framework for the significant work effort that will be required to plan for this transition.
- Environmental Justice Advisory Group. The previous draft policy guidance had included the following action: “Establish an ongoing environmental justice advisory group comprised of community members from disadvantaged communities to advise and assist the County in addressing disproportionate health, safety, and welfare in disadvantaged communities.” After more consultation among staff from various County departments, we recommend eliminating this action. It is anticipated that the new Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice will form an advisory body. That body, coupled with the existing Sustainability Commission, could serve a similar purpose as one focused solely on environmental justice.
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