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SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	05/06/2019
Subject: INTERVIEW applicants for at-large appointments to the Contra Costa County Sustainability Commission.
Submitted For:	Jody London, Sustainability Coordinator
Department:	Conservation & Development
Referral No.:	N/A
Referral Name:	N/A
Presenter:	Jody London, DCD	Contact:	Jody London (925) 674-7871

Information

Referral History:

On November 15, 2016, the Board of Supervisors approved the creation of a Contra Costa County Sustainability Commission. The mission of the Sustainability Commission is to:

Provide advice to staff and the Board on successful implementation of the Climate Action Plan, including suggestions on how that work can be performed more efficiently and effectively.
Advise the Board on opportunities to realize equity and fairness across the diverse communities of Contra Costa County in sustainability programs that support the Climate Action Plan.
Provide suggestions to staff and the Board on how to better engage Contra Costa County residents and businesses on sustainability issues and implementation of the Climate Action Plan.

The Sustainability Commission has been operating since June 2017 with eleven members and five alternates. The breakdown is as follows:

Five District representatives nominated by individual members of the Board of Supervisors (representatives must be a resident of that district);
Two members representing community groups whose mission includes sustainability and/or environmental issues ("At-Large, Community");
Two members representing commercial groups or organizations whose business focuses on sustainability and/or environmental issues ("At-Large, Business");
One member representing environmental justice issues and who lives in a disadvantaged community ("At-Large, Environmental Justice"); and
Five alternate District representatives nominated by individual members of the Board of Supervisors (alternates must be a resident of that district).

The terms of each seat were staggered so that about half expire every two years. This allows for continuity on the Commission.

The Board directed the Sustainability Committee to review and interview applicants to the At-Large seats and recommend candidates for those seats as they become vacant.

Referral Update:

Three of the At-Large seats expired on March 31, 2019: At-Large, Business, Seat #1; At-Large Community, Seat #1, and At-Large Environmental Justice. The Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) advertised the opportunities to serve starting January 24, 2019, and accepted applications through February 22, 2019.

On February 25, 2019, the person in the At-Large, Business seat that expires on March 31, 2021 resigned. The Board of Supervisors declared the seat vacant on March 12, 2019. DCD advertised the vacancy and accepted applications through April 29, 2019.

9 people timely submitted applications to serve in the vacant At-Large seats described above. 3 are eligible for seats representing community groups; one is an incumbent. 5 are eligible for seats representing business; one is an incumbent. One is eligible for the seat representing environmental justice; she is the incumbent. Two additional applications were denied, one because the applicant did not meet the criteria for the At-Large seats, and one because the applicant was applying for a seat for which the application period had closed.

Attachment A shows the current members of the Sustainability Commission. Attachment B shows the applicants sorted by eligibility for at-large seats. Attachment C is a summary of the applications. Attachment D is all the eligible applications received by the Clerk of the Board, with personal contact information redacted.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

INTERVIEW applicants for the four vacant at-large seats on the Sustainability Commission.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

None.

Attachments
Sustainability Commission Applicants Sorted by Interest Group
Summary of Sustainability Commission Applicants as of April 29, 2019
Sustainability Commission Membership Roster as of April 29, 2019
Sustainability Commission Applications. Redacted