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AD HOC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABILITY

Meeting Date:	10/24/2016
Subject: AUTHORIZE County memberships in the local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.
Submitted For:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Department:	Conservation & Development
Referral No.:
Referral Name:
Presenter:	Jody London, DCD	Contact:	Jody London (925)674-7871

Information

Referral History:

N/A

Referral Update:

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.

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, $10,000 if one wishes to serve on the Board and have a more direct impact on the organization’s policy positions and direction. 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).

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

AUTHORIZE County memberships in the local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

Total impact is expected to be $3000. Staff has identified funds to cover these dues.

Attachments
No file(s) attached.