Forum Sessions by Track

Advancing Agricultural Resiliency, From the Ground Up

Moderator
Edward Thompson, California Director, American Farmland Trust
Speakers
Virginia Jameson, Deputy State Director, American Farmland Trust
Adam Kotin, Associate Policy Director, California Climate & Agriculture Network
Janaki Jagannath, Coordinator, San Joaquin Valley Sustainable Agriculture Collaborative

California’s farms and ranches support one of the most productive food systems in the world. However, the industry faces numerous and profound climate change impacts. For California agriculture to thrive in the 21st century, we must mobilize a combination of smart land use planning, innovative resource management, cutting-edge research, and field-level adaptation assistance. We must also ensure that critical climate justice issues, including food security and farmworker well-being, are addressed through long-term, strategic actions. This interactive session explores ways to translate state adaptation objectives into locally-relevant activities and policies to ensure a vibrant future for California’s agricultural regions.

Sea Level Rise Adaptation by Design

Speaker
Diana Sokolove, Senior Planner, City of San Francisco

Bay Area-Resilient-By-Design will bring together world class, multi-disciplinary design teams with government, civic leaders, equity and climate justice advocates, local officials, and technical experts from the SF Bay Area and beyond, to co-design innovative solutions for the Bay and its neighborhoods. It will excite the public’s imagination around shoreline planning, and change the way communities, businesses, agencies and institutions understand the interconnectedness of land, water, infrastructure, and quality of life. It may reveal limitations of current governance, and highlight how multi-stakeholder and inter-jurisdictional approach may better address emerging problems. It will develop implementable designs that have the requisite local buy-in to support their transition into actual projects. BIG QUESTION: Can a whole region come together in a vision that works and can be funded?

Rising to the Challenge: Advancing Coastal Adaptation in California

Moderator
Susanne Moser, Director and Principal Researcher, Susanne Moser Research and Consulting
Speakers
Alyssa Mann, Research, Policy & Planning Specialist, University of Southern California Sea Grant Program
Vijaylaxsmi Kesavan, Program Coordinator, Bay Area Regional Collaborative
Laura Engeman, Manager, San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

Through the 2016 California Coastal Adaptation Needs Assessment, 15 statewide partners surveyed coastal professionals to understand their climate adaptation planning technical and capacity-building needs. This survey builds on two similar surveys conducted in 2011 and 2005.

Upon entering the workshop, attendees will respond to a subset of survey questions. We will then present initial findings from the 2016 survey and compare responses to those captured in the room. Representatives from the Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego Regional Collaboratives will discuss their lessons and challenges in providing on-the-ground adaptation planning assistance in their respective communities.

We will convene small group discussions focusing on the barriers identified in the survey. These may include discussions on: meaningful climate justice-focused adaptation planning; engagement of underrepresented communities and the private sector; effective science communication and translation; financing climate adaptation. The session will close with a report of highlights from the small group discussions.

Decisions for the Decade: Serious Games for Gnarly Problems

Moderator
Dr. Robert Lempert, Director, Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition, RAND
Speaker
Dr. Juliette Finzi Hart, Director of Outreach, U.S. Geological Survey

Climate is changing in unpredictable ways and climate science is ever-evolving. Communities cannot wait for “perfect” information to begin planning. RAND and USC Sea Grant have used the Decisions for the Decade game, designed for the World Bank, to help communities incorporate adaptive management in adaptation planning. Participants will play the game, with the goal of sensitizing them to the challenges of planning under conditions of non-stationarity and deep uncertainty. Questions and discussion throughout the game will spur dialogue about how the game is impacting the players and the lessons they are learning. Gameplay will be followed by short presentations that will describe recent gaming experiences and lessons learned for adaptation planning. Dr. Lempert will discuss how the game has been played with disadvantaged populations globally; he will discuss what lessons could be transferred to climate equity and justice efforts in California.

Breaking the Hydro-Illogical Cycle in California

Speaker
Amanda Sheffield, Postdoctoral Fellow, California-Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP); National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

Planning for climate hazards is often impaired by public and stakeholder apathy during the inevitable periods when the climate relaxes to more normal “non-crisis” conditions. One example, the Hydro-Illogical Cycle, refers to society’s typical reactive rather than proactive cycle of drought management. California’s current severe drought shows signs of propelling long-term drought planning and adaptation efforts. However, California’s Hydro-Illogical Cycle is intricate. Non-uniformity in the drought’s impacts and multiple years of symptoms and messaging may generate stakeholder burnout. And while the crisis may be perceived as over, it may not be abated fully in a community/region. Has the Hydro-Illogical Cycle been broken in California? How can we further reduce apathy to achieve proactive drought planning? We’ll have an open dialogue about drought perceptions, and brainstorm creative communication and engagement strategies to create a roadmap of actions. This timely discussion is needed among those in climate science to policy and implementation.

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) at the Adaptation Table

Moderator
Grieg Asher, Green Region Program Manager, Southern California Association of Governments
Speakers
Stefanie Hom, Regional Planner/Analyst, MTC
Raef Porter, Climate and Energy Program Manager, SACOG
Allison Wood, Associate Regional Climate Planner, SANDAG

California’s MPOs coordinate a variety of land use, infrastructure, transportation, funding and other major regional issues among multiple cities, counties and agencies at the regional scale. MPOs are also responsible for creating Sustainable Community Strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for each region. This panel will focus on the coordination and collaboration role that MPOs bring to the adaptation table. Many of the state’s MPOs have completed adaptation frameworks, studies, and vulnerability assessments that include broad community outreach. Each panelist will represent his or her respective MPO to discuss the adaptation planning efforts and the challenges associated with moving forward into regional implementation and measuring regional progress.

Integrating Climate Change into Hazard Mitigation Planning

Moderator
Missy Stults, Program Officer and Doctoral Candidate, The Climate Resilience Fund and University of Michigan
Speakers
Juliette Hayes, Risk Analysis Branch Chief, FEMA

As the climate continues to change, it’s imperative that communities utilize flexible planning approaches to prepare for existing as well as future changes in climate. One area where this work is critically needed is in local hazard mitigation planning. Local hazard mitigation planning presents an opportunity to simultaneously prepare for historic as well as future hazards in a way that encourages smart, resilient, and just practices. Work to achieve these goals by embedding climate considerations into hazard planning is emerging in places such as Baltimore, Santa Cruz, Waveland, and Boston.

To help shed light on how your community can model these efforts, this session will discuss practical opportunities for and examples of communities integrating climate considerations into their hazard planning. A cheat sheet will also be provided outlining specific opportunities for integrating climate change into hazard planning. In addition, a representative from FEMA will be present to answer participant questions.

Taking it to the Streets – Addressing LA Heat & Equity

Moderator
David Fink, Director of Campaigns, Climate Resolve
Speakers
Fernando Cazares, California Manager: Climate-Smart Cities, The Trust for Public Land
Lauren Faber, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles Office of the Mayor, Office of Sustainability
John Guevarra, Communications and Research Associate, Investing in Place

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Sustainability plan aims to lower urban temperatures 1.7F by 2025 and 3.0F by 2035. Enhancing streets and other public right of way infrastructure can help us reach those goals and represent an opportunity to enhance climate benefits while making the surrounding areas more livable and equitable. Several nascent efforts will aid LA’s cooling objectives while preparing and responding to extreme heat. LA recently adopted trailblazing regulations requiring cool roofs on new and rehabbed residential construction. A newly developed data based mapping tool allows decision makers to identify urban heat island (UHI) spots which can inform investments such as Green Alleys and stormwater management. LA is currently testing cool coatings and pavements which can dramatically reduce surface temperatures. While working toward cooling our streets and public spaces, we can simultaneously prioritize improved safety and equal access for pedestrians, cyclists, and our growing population.

Adaptation as Standard Practice: Integrating Adaptation in Long-Range Planning

Moderator
Jeff Henderson, Project Manager, Michael Baker International
Speakers
Richard Beck, Natural Resources and Regulatory Manager, Michael Baker International
Scot Graham, Community Development Director, City of Morro Bay
Dan Kalmick, Planning Commissioner, City of Huntington Beach

Many communities have access to data and have developed adaptation plans that address climate change impacts—but now what? In many cases, without a strong local champion, these stand-alone plans typically collect dust on a shelf. This session provides recent examples of local governments integrating climate science and adaptation concepts into their general plans, local coastal programs, and zoning codes. We will examine the legislative, regulatory, and legal obligations that local jurisdictions must grapple with and discuss how communities have addressed those obligations through long-range planning efforts. Panelists will discuss their respective planning efforts and the related implementation actions, or reasons for inaction. A clear understanding of a local government’s concerns, obligations, and capabilities will help participants to defend equitable, just, and effective long-range climate planning in their own communities. After all, even the best climate science is useless if planning practitioners don’t know how to effectively use it.

Bridging the Gap: Connecting with Community Concerns for Action

Speaker
Diana Sokolove, Senior Planner, City of San Francisco

Bay Area-Resilient-By-Design will bring together world class, multi-disciplinary design teams with government, civic leaders, equity and climate justice advocates, local officials, and technical experts from the SF Bay Area and beyond, to co-design innovative solutions for the Bay and its neighborhoods. It will excite the public’s imagination around shoreline planning, and change the way communities, businesses, agencies and institutions understand the interconnectedness of land, water, infrastructure, and quality of life. It may reveal limitations of current governance, and highlight how multi-stakeholder and inter-jurisdictional approach may better address emerging problems. It will develop implementable designs that have the requisite local buy-in to support their transition into actual projects. BIG QUESTION: Can a whole region come together in a vision that works and can be funded?

Stronger by Nature: Solutions to Capture Carbon & Build Resilience

Moderator
Jerry Bird, Regional Foresters Representative, U.S Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Regional Office
Speakers
Nancy Scolari, Executive Director, Marin Resource Conservation District
Erik White, Air Pollution Control Officer, Placer County Air Pollution Control District
Stephen Crooks, Principal, Wetland Science and Coastal Management; Silvestrum Climate Associates, LLC

Landscape restoration and carbon sequestration projects are clear win-win solutions to the double challenge of mitigating climate change while preparing for its impacts. Our natural and working lands are critical to climate resilience, supporting healthy soils, flood protection, biodiversity, economic benefits, and – especially important as California becomes drier – water recharge and storage. Carbon sequestration projects, which can often access existing mitigation funding, can strengthen these natural safeguards. A full understanding of their adaptation co-benefits can help prioritize, design, and site projects to maximize climate resilience. Our panel will follow the flow of water in California, passing from the Sierra Nevada foothills to working rangelands to the coastal wetlands to explore how forest restoration, soil amendment, and blue carbon projects can build critical ecosystem and community resilience. Speakers will discuss quantifying adaptation benefits, funding and incentives, effective partnerships, policy and implementation challenges, and local economic benefits.

Green Career Pipelines for Climate Adaptation

Moderator
Kristen Wraith, Project Manager, Local Government Commission
Speakers
Krystal Laymon, Climate and Energy Policy Analyst, U.S. Department of Energy
Kif Scheuer, Climate Change Program Director, Local Government Commission
Grieg Asher, Green Region Program Manager, Southern California Association of Governments

California is leading the nation in climate change policy at both the state and local levels. Despite this leadership, much of the climate adaptation activity falls on local governments to implement. Unfortunately, many local governments—particularly smaller and more rural communities—lack technical or staff capacity to act.

This session will highlight several case studies with replicable models for workforce development and building capacity for climate adaptation work. In Los Angeles, a unique coalition of labor, community, and environmental groups advocated for clean energy investment tied to a training program that leads to career-path jobs for low-income communities in the utility sector. CivicSpark, a Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps program, is a cost- effective method for addressing local government capacity needs while also growing a workforce of young leaders in climate adaptation and sustainability. Participants will also hear how Federal Agencies are working to accelerate communities’ climate action and resilience goals, connect cities with Federal resources, and create replicability for communities nationwide.

Picking up the Pace: Accelerating Just and Equitable Adaptation in Mediterranean-climate Cities

Moderator
Laurel Hunt, Secretary, Mediterranean City Climate Change Consortium
Speakers
Cristina Garcia Fernandez, Professor of Applied Economics, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Bongani Mnisi, Regional Manager, Biodiversity Management, City of Cape Town
Barbara Norman, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Canberra; Director, Canberra Urban and Regional Futures; Adjunct Professor, The Australian National University

This session will be an international crash course in implementing citywide adaptation interventions with a focus on the common opportunities and challenges in the Mediterranean regions of the world: California, central Chile, the Western Cape of South Africa, southern and southwestern Australia, and the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean City Climate Change Consortium (MC-4), a global network of practitioners, business leaders, policymakers and academics from cities in the five Mediterranean regions working together on climate change solutions, will host this session. At its core, the network aims to advance its vision of healthy, safe and resilient communities through community-based and inclusive civic engagement.

The MC-4 members on the panel in this session will present their on-the-ground work demonstrating how climate change adaptation requires both social and technical solutions.

Natural Infrastructure 101: A Guide to Implementing New Policies

Moderator
Alex Leumer, Climate Change Policy Associate, The Nature Conservancy
Speakers
Carmen Ramirez, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Oxnard, CA
Andy Lipkis, Founder and President, Tree People
Ellie Cohen, Executive Director, Point Blue

This session will provide an overview of natural infrastructure and its applicability in California. The importance of Natural Infrastructure as a strategy to enhance resilience and tackle climate change comprehensively is now well enshrined in state and federal policy. In California, Executive Order B-30-15 and recent legislation all require the prioritization of these solutions in planning, actions and investments. There are a number of co-benefits that can be achieved from natural infrastructure, including GHG reduction and ongoing sequestration, which make these especially attractive to practitioners. However, it is a relatively new concept and many stakeholders require a better understanding of what “natural infrastructure” means and how they might use it to help meet their climate and other sustainability goals. Panelists will describe how they have successfully implemented these strategies in a variety of sectors, such as urban greening, water, and the coast.

Advancing Local Energy Resilience through Community Engagement

Moderator
Robert Kay, Principal, Climate Change Adaptation, ICF International
Speakers
Stella Ursua, President, Green Education Inc
David Fink, Director of Campaigns, Climate Resolve
Chris Benjamin, Director of Corporate Sustainability, PG&E
Kathleen Ave, Climate Program Manager, Energy Research and Development, SMUD

Improving energy systems is a core component of California’s adaptation strategy and has tremendous potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a strong foundation for community resilience. However, if investments are not made at the required pace, energy supply, reliability, and infrastructure will be threatened, posing serious local community impacts. The bright side is that local agencies, community organizations and utilities are already beginning to take actions to build community energy resilience. This session will present insights from a diverse set of speakers including community leadership groups and both public and private utilities. This will allow the exploration of efforts being undertaken in California that leverage strategic partnerships, utilize advanced technology, and engage community members to create robust, resilient, and sustainable energy systems for the benefit of all Californians in the face of a changing climate.

From Pilots to Big Bold Visions: Rapid Scaling of Carbon Farming

Moderator
Calla Rose Ostrander, Independent Contractor
Speakers
Sigrid Wright, CEO and Executive Director, Community Environmental Council
Aeron Arlin Genet, Air Pollution Control Officer, Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District
Anne Coates, Executive Director, Cachuma Resource Conservation District
Russell Chamberlin, Rancher and Landowner, Ted Chamberlin Ranch
Jeff Creque, Director of Rangeland and Agroecosystem Management, Carbon Cycle Institute
Torri Estrada, Managing Director and Director of Policy, Carbon Cycle Institute

Analysis shows that a worldwide goal to increase carbon in soils by less than a half percent a year could cut the existing atmospheric CO2 levels by 50%. In addition to helping meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, “carbon farming” can significantly improve the water holding capacity of soil and increase percolation – important benefits during an extended drought. Our panel will explore how a robust partnership in Santa Barbara County — including landowners, NGOs, universities, private foundations, and state and federal agencies — is navigating rapidly-developing research and policy landscapes to recruit ranchers in the fight against climate change. This project includes an NRCS-backed research pilot on one of the largest private ranches in the region, as well as an analysis of how best to capture existing organic waste and convert it to low-cost, high-quality compost. Speakers will address resource gaps, creative funding solutions, regional policy frameworks, and state policies, protocols and regulations that could help or hinder the ability to scale up.

Turning Modeling & Planning into Action: Implementing Coastal Adaptation State-Wide

Moderator
Sarah Newkirk, Senior Coastal Project Director, The Nature Conservancy
Speakers
David Lewis, Executive Director, Save the Bay
Kelly Leo, Coastal Project Director, The Nature Conservancy
Carmen Ramirez, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Oxnard

Cutting-edge local sea level rise and coastal hazard modeling has been developed throughout the state to inform local planning efforts, which are now being implemented in on-the-ground adaptation solutions. This session will bring together coastal policy and management professionals from across the state to illustrate how they are facing adaptation challenges head-on and working collaboratively to make the California’s coastline more resilient to climate change and sea level rise. Following the presentations, the audience will engage in a participatory discussion on what coastal adaptation action means for the different sectors represented in the session.

Forgotten Forests: Healing the Sierra in Times of Climate Change

Moderator
Scott Warner, Principal, Ramboll Environ
Speakers
Diana Madson, CAMP Director, Sierra Business Council and Sierra CAMP
Vance Russell, Director, California Program, National Forest Foundation
Elizabeth Betancourt, Policy Analyst, Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Rosemarie Smallcombe, Supervisor, District 1, Mariposa County

The Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade is a resource-rich region that supplies many benefits to its own communities and to urban residents downstream. It is the state’s principal watershed, supplying up to two-thirds of California’s developed water supply for urban areas. Its forests and agricultural lands store enough carbon to offset the annual CO2 emissions of 108 coal-fired power plants. These critical ecosystem services are all at risk. The Sierra continues to face drought conditions; this decrease in water supply has significant impacts on downstream users. Frequent and severe wildfires have led to many communities experiencing hazardous air quality conditions and have imposed great costs upon Californians. Record drought conditions have exacerbated bark beetle infestations, killing tens of millions of trees across the Sierra. How can we begin to address a problem on this scale? During this session, speakers will present on promising solutions that benefit the entire state.

Looking To the Future: Creating Equitable, Post-Carbon Communities

Moderator
Kate Meis, Executive Director, Local Government Commission
Speakers
Michele Martinez, Councilmember, City of Santa Ana
Jake Mackenzie, Vice Mayor, City of Rohnert Park
Pam O’Connor, Councilmember, City of Santa Monica

Communities across California are increasingly facing environmental and economic risks from extreme heat, drought, sea level rise, wildfires and flooding. In an effort to respond, local leaders are advancing ambitious and transformative solutions that not only reduce the impacts of climate change in our communities but also address the needs of our most impacted and disadvantaged communities and benefit our economies, health and quality of life. Join local elected leaders from throughout California for an engaging and candid conversation about how we can successfully work together to create equitable, post-carbon communities in the face of climate change.

“Smart” Monitoring to Help Protect Vulnerable Coastal Communities

Moderator
Michael Vasey, Director, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Speakers
Julie Thomas, Executive Director / Program Manager, Southern CA Coastal Ocean Observing System / Coastal Data Information Program
Ms. Margaret Gordon, Co-Director, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project
Stuart Siegel, Coastal Resilience Specialist, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Smart monitoring is a key component of coastal intelligence; i.e. timely, actionable information developed from reliable and authoritative science. It provides insight into present and future conditions that in turn improves coastal zone decision-making. This session will explore:

• A complex urban coastal shoreline system prone to flooding (Encinitas-Cardiff beach);
• Recent predictions of tidal wetland loss due to increased rates of sea-level rise and reduced sediment supply around the San Francisco Estuary;
• Timely assessments of tidal marsh vulnerability and their relationship to living shoreline projects;
• The communities that depend on this information to make decisions in vulnerable, at-risk areas.

Ample time will be set aside for a full discussion of the need for scientists and resource managers to engage vulnerable communities in meaningful partnerships to identify social indicators that complement scientific understanding of local cultural and landscape dynamics.

Re-defining Equity: Expanding Focus to All Disadvantaged People

Moderator
Tim Frank, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Neighborhoods
Speakers
Phoebe Seaton, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
Staci Heaton, Regulatory Affairs Advocate, Rural County Representatives of California
Betony Jones, Associate Chair, Don Vial Center on the Green Economy, UC Berkeley Labor Center
Miguel Vazquez, Healthy Communities Planner, Riverside Department of Public Health

Disadvantaged people across the state in both rural and urban settings are dealing with the impacts – often shouldering the burden – of climate change. And yet, not all disadvantaged people in the state are recognized by CalEnviroScreen, the state’s primary screening methodology used to identify California communities disproportionately burdened by pollution, while multiple metrics for identifying ‘disadvantage’ exist. Increased technical assistance and capacity building should not be limited just to those recognized by CalEnviroScreen. Instead, we must ensure that assistance is provided to low-income communities throughout the state, especially in regions that contribute substantially to GHG emission reductions, carbon sequestration and other benefits. This session aims to identify opportunities to reform CalEnviroScreen and better incorporate all disadvantaged people. Speakers will compare definitions from varying disadvantaged communities measurements, explore the efficacy of CalEnviroScreen and its impact on state funding, and review standards for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds (GGRF) relative to equity.

Vulnerability Assessments – Now What? From Knowledge to Equitable Action

Moderator
Christopher Read, Senior Planner, Michael Baker International
Speakers
Susanne Moser, Director, Susanne Moser Research and Consulting
Alyssa Newton Mann, Regional Research and Planning Specialist, USC Sea Grant
Shiva Patel, Co-founder and Worker-Owner, Energy Solidarity Cooperative
Ms. Margaret Gordon, Co-Director, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project

There is a wide range of methods that help us understand populations and areas most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change-related hazards. These methods are increasingly asked for in guidance documents and by interested planners or affected groups. Although injustice is often visible without formal analysis, detailed assessments can point to unnoticed vulnerability. But then what? This session focuses on two big questions: How are social vulnerability identification methods actually used in local and state climate adaptation planning? And, how could these approaches be used more effectively to engage communities, decrease vulnerability, and address local equity issues? This session will look to session panelists with state agency, local government, consulting, and community organizing experience, as well as to attendees who use these methods to provide suggestions on how we can utilize them most effectively to facilitate public dialogues, equitable policy development and actual on-the-ground planning decisions.

Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges in Climate Change Initiatives

Moderator
Joe Hostler, Environmental Protection Specialist, Yurok Tribe- Environmental Program
Speakers
Preston Hardison, Watershed Resource Analyst, Tulalip Tribes Office of Treaty Rights
Kenneth Holbrook, Executive Director, Maidu Summit Consortium

As Native Tribes begin developing Adaptation Plans and contribute to State and Federal Adaptation efforts; interest in Indigenous Traditional Knowledges (TKs) are increasing. This panel session will draw on the document Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges in Climate Change Initiatives. http://climatetkw.wordpress.com/. The Guidelines provide foundational information on; the role of traditional knowledges (TKs) in federal climate change initiatives, the principles of engaging with tribes on issues related to TKs, and actions for agencies and tribes to consider in order to establish processes and protocols that govern the sharing and protection of TKs. It’s meant to inspire dialogue and questions, and to foster opportunities for Tribal peoples and non-Tribal partners to braid TKs and western science in culturally-appropriate and tribally-led initiatives that respect Tribal sovereignty and intellectual property. This session will provide an overview of key elements and concepts presented in the document, and also case studies from two California Tribes.

Partnering with Communities for Equity and Problem Solving

Moderators
Margaret Gordon, Co-Director, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project
Brian Beveridge, Co-Director, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project
Speaker
Richard Grow, Environmental Justice and Permitting Workgroup Lead, US EPA Region 9

Regardless of intentions, engagements between institutions and community residents often result in conflict. That conflict often derails the goals of transparent planning and implementation. This workshop will offer participants real-world examples of conflict resolution and partnering for collaborative problem-solving from the perspective of a community based environmental justice organization working successfully with multiple government agencies. In the course of developing a formal working agreement with the USEPA in 2005, the WOEIP designed a collaborative model that supported the West Oakland Toxics Reduction Collaborative and has since been successfully applied to the Port of Oakland’s Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan development. We will explore the basis of conflict between agencies and communities and present a model to overcome the distrust inherent in these relationships. We will discuss why sharing decision-making power with impacted community members is so critical to reaching consensus on solutions and how that consensus can eventually lead to greater trust between stakeholders.

Place-Based, Equitable Climate Planning in Environmental Justice Communities

Moderator
Strela Cervas, Co-Director, California Environmental Justice Alliance
Speakers
Ernesto Arevalo, CARE Coordinator, Communities for a Better Environment
Alicia Rivera, Organizer, Communities for a Better Environment
Laura Muraida, Research Director, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education
Michele Hasson, Policy Specialist, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

Low-income communities and communities of color are being hit first and worst by climate change, but community- based organizations are working with residents to develop innovative solutions. Our three diverse panelists work with community-based organizations in some of the most climate vulnerable regions of the state: Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education in South LA; Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice in Riverside/San Bernardino; and Communities for a Better Environment in Wilmington and Richmond. Each will describe how they work directly with residents to create strategies to build healthier, more prosperous communities that increase climate resiliency, and how they are “scaling up” these solutions to a regional and statewide level. We will offer a Q/A session to discuss building place-based strategies that accomplish multiple benefits: address local environmental health and justice issues, build community leadership and capacity, increase integrated public investments, and help neighborhoods adapt to climate change.

Growing Resistance: Community Driven Land Use Decision-Making

Moderator
Tiffany Eng, Green Zones Program Manager, California Environmental Justice Alliance
Speakers
Caroline Farrell, Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment
Francisco Mendez, Resident, Fresno County CA
Abigail Ramirez, Policy Advocate, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

The economy in the San Joaquin Valley is led by three industries – agriculture, oil, and land development – that contribute to both environmental, political and economic disparities and constitute significant drivers of climate change. Low income communities of color across the region and nation are disproportionately burdened by and feeling the impacts of climate change first. Despite these challenges community leaders are building power to guide the region towards a just transition through organizing and advocacy on land use planning and public investment practices at local, regional and state levels. Community leaders are transforming challenges into opportunities to lead the region – and nation – in confronting the impacts of climate change all while leading with principles of equity and justice. San Joaquin Valley leaders will share best practices and interdisciplinary tools to ensure climate resiliency.

Wither the Water?: Community Organizing for Justice and Resilience to the Water-Related Impacts of Climate Change

Moderator
Colin Bailey, Executive Director, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Speakers
Amanda Fencl, Ph.D. Student, Geography Graduate Group, Center for Environmental Policy and Behavior, UC Davis
Angela Mooney D’Arcy, Member, Achjamen Nation, Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, Executive Director, Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples
Tameeka Bennett, Executive Director, Youth United for Community Action
Douglas Mundo, Co-Director, Shore Up Marin; Executive Director, Canal Welcome Center
Terrie Green, Co-Director, Shore Up Marin

Climate Change will exacerbate the risks from rising seas and what we now consider “extreme” water weather. Whether drought, flood, fire, or famine, frontline Native Nations and communities around the state are organizing to build resilience to the water-related impacts of Climate Change. We are utilizing the traditional environmental justice organizing and advocacy toolkit, traditional Indigenous knowledges and sustainability practices as well as advancing new strategies. We are engaging tribal, state and local government entities. We are acting as tribal leaders, planners, engineers, developers, and policy-makers in our efforts to prepare for the water-related risks that Climate Change will visit on our communities, in ways both predictable and unpredictable.

What is your community doing to build resilience to the water-related impacts of Climate Change? Join us as we discuss examples of grassroots communities taking charge of our water destiny and pushing for a more just society through its creative re-making. Justice and equity in adaptation are our societal imperative.

Covering Resiliency: Media Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation

Moderator
Jonathan Parfrey, Executive Director, Climate Resolve
Speakers
Kerry Cavenaugh, Editor, LA Times
Molly Peterson, Freelance Reporter, iSeeChange
Judith Lewis Mernit, Freelance Writer, Los Angeles Magazine
Ian James, Reporter, Desert Sun

Climate change is a vast, complex and shifting story that defies easy media representation. It lacks clear heroes or villains, it lacks a beginning or end, and it lacks a silver bullet solution. Many people working to address climate change struggle with how to engage the media on their stories – on the other side, the media struggles with how to effectively tell these stories to help the broader audience understand the issues and inspire to action.

This session brings together climate professionals and media perspectives to bridge the communication gap. A panel of environmental journalists will provide examples, strategies, and resources on how to effectively engage with media outlets (radio, news, online). They will talk about their understanding of the current issues, ask for feedback on what stories should be covered, and provide input on how to build longer term relationships with media practitioners so that stories from your communities can be conveyed more effectively.

Let’s Talk Climate: Messages to Motivate Americans

Moderator
Dan Barry, Director, Path to Positive Communities, ecoAmerica
Speakers
Kirra Krygsman, Research Manager, ecoAmerica

Americans are inherently tribal in nature, and look to community leaders, such as pastors, politicians, and others, for cues on what behaviors and attitudes to adopt. To empower community leadership on climate change, and to help leaders build support for climate solutions throughout society, ecoAmerica has created Let’s Talk Communities & Climate, a comprehensive climate communications guide for community leaders. This guide includes four parts: 1) the current state of Americans’ climate change attitudes and beliefs; 2) tested words, phrases, and messages that build motivation for climate solutions within communities; 3) talking points for leaders to make solutions personally relevant for their citizens and community leaders, and; 4) a step by step process for crafting a successful personalized message, including an effective sample message. This session provides community leaders with knowledge and resources to enhance the efficacy of their climate communications, especially in a local government and community context.

Help Us Help You: Overcoming Adaptation Barriers with Boundary Organizations

Moderator
Sam Veloz, Climate Adaptation Group Director, Point Blue Conservation Science
Speakers
Phyllis Grifman, Associate Director, Sea Grant Program, University of Southern California
Sarah Hutto, Climate Change Coordinator, Farallones Sanctuary Association
Eric Hartge, Research Development Manager, Center For Ocean Solutions
Amber Mace, Policy Fellow, UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy

Communities striving to adapt to a changing climate can often be inundated by an abundance of policy guidance and scientific information. Within this field of adaptation planning, “boundary organizations” help bridge the gap between various stakeholders by catalyzing rapid exchange of distilled, salient information. These boundary organizations can include members of academia, governmental and non-governmental organizations, all working in partnership to co-develop adaptation solutions. In this workshop, participants will engage with members of California-based boundary organizations and discuss mechanisms to best address some of the most challenging questions communities face in adaptation planning. Discussion will be focused through the lens of: identifying impacts to underserved or disadvantaged communities, distilling ecosystem services science for local or regional policy, and utilizing regional advisory groups and universities as hubs to compile and disseminate local knowledge. Be a part of the solution to bridge the gap between climate science and adaptation policy.

The Future is Now: Engaging Youth in Climate Change Adaptation

Moderator
Marina Psaros, CEO and Founder, Coravai
Speakers
Linda Chilton, Education Program Manager, USC Sea Grant
Amber Pairis, Director, Climate Science Alliance-South Coast

This session will focus on peer-to- peer learning about how the adaptation community can engage those who will be most impacted by climate change – young people. Educating young people about the world they will inherit and integrating youth voices into planning is critical to a thriving future and an empowered citizenry. Brief presentations from 3 successful projects (YESS – Youth Exploring Sea Level Rise Science, Climate Kids, and the Urban Tides Initiative) will serve as the springboard for a facilitated large-group discussion to identify emerging best practices and identify session participants’ needs regarding implementing similar education and engagement programs In their own communities. Then, participants will then move to one of three small groups (Equity and Climate Justice, Connection to Place, or Intergenerational Exchanges) for the remainder of the session for highly-focused discussions to move the field forward.

Working Outside your Comfort Zone: Inspiring Hope with Diverse Partners

Moderator
Danielle Boudreau, Coastal Management Specialist, Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
Speakers
Ana Eguiarte, Binational Liason, Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
Shasta Gaughen, Environmental Director/ Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Pala Band of Mission Indians
Amber Pairis, Director, Climate Science Alliance-South Coast

Are you frustrated with your attempts to engage the community in adaptation? Do you want to do more than host a public meeting or webinar? If the answer is yes, then you understand truly innovative adaptation only happens when all residents from a community come together and integrate unique perspectives into one common vision for the future. You are motivated to ensure that stakeholders from all walks of life, representing diverse cultural and social perspectives, are engaged in the process. But how? You’re unfamiliar with engaging non-traditional partners that haven’t signed up for your agency’s listserv. Have no fear! This session will help to decode some of the unique challenges and benefits that result from working with diverse partners. Presenters will share their experiences working with a range of partners including Tribal nations, entities in the US-Mexico border region, and partners outside your traditional professional circles, such as artists.

Integrating Climate Resilience into Projects, Asset Management, Capital Planning and Permitting

Moderator
Claire Bonham-Carter, Principal, AECOM
Speakers
David Behar, Climate Program Director, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Justin Luedy, Environmental Specialist, Planning and Environmental Affairs, Port of Long Beach
Heather Rosenberg, Director of Building Resilience Los Angeles, USGBC LA

How do we make sure that everyday asset managers, planners, designers understand the climate vulnerabilities of their current or future assets and projects and ensure that timely (and cost effective) adaptation strategies are considered? This panel will discuss some of the points of intervention in the planning and development cycle that can be leveraged, including how the City and County of San Francisco developed guidance for incorporating sea level rise into capital planning. The Port of Long Beach will discuss their draft requirement for a sea level rise vulnerability review as part of the Harbor Development Permit applications to make sure that adaptation strategies are developed for at-risk assets. Finally opportunities for incorporating resilience into buildings operations and maintenance will be explored through the USGBC Resilience Building-LA project, including how to engage with the community, improve building performance and develop social capital.

New Financial Mechanisms to Leverage Natural Infrastructure for Water Solutions

Moderator
Laurie Wayburn, Co-founder, Co-CEO and President, Pacific Forest Trust
Speakers
Mark Pisano, Professor, Price School of Public Policy, USC; Co-Chair, Economic Summit Infrastructure Action Team
Bruce Roll, Watershed Management Department Director, Clean Water Services

Existing state water policy, systems, and financing are not up to the task of meeting the state’s water needs, especially in light of the additional challenges posed by climate change. A new, whole-system approach to water can improve the water system’s resilience by managing natural infrastructure more effectively. These natural infrastructure projects have numerous co-benefits ranging from supporting climate change adaption and improving wildlife habitat to sustaining jobs in underemployed communities. However, financing policies typically do not recognize natural infrastructure solutions to our water crisis. New financial mechanisms, such as Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts and applying traditional infrastructure financing to natural infrastructure, can fund solutions to water issues. Each speaker will present a practical financial case study and discuss its relative merits and limitations, with significant time for Q&A. This session will offer participants tangible examples of successful financing mechanisms for nature-based solutions to climate adaptation issues.

Financing Adaptation: Moving from Retail to Wholesale

Moderator
Kif Scheuer, Climate Change Program Director, Local Government Commission
Speakers
John Nordgren, Director, Climate Resilience Fund
Nancy Sutley, Chief Sustainability and Economic Development Officer, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Robin Guenther, Principal, Perkins and Will
Jewel James, Vice President, Market Expansion and Policy, Renovate America

The cost of climate change impacts and the investments needed to adapt and respond to these impacts are immense – from a global scale down to local communities. More and more leaders across all sectors are recognizing the importance of developing adaptation plans and policies. However, existing approaches to financing responses are still operating on a retail – or localized and individualized – model, when we really need to embrace a much more wholesale scale and pace of funding. Regardless of any other actions we take, funding is and will be the single largest barrier to long-term planning and implementation.

This session will bring together perspectives from philanthropy, the state, and the public and private sectors to discuss financial strategies and approaches that can begin to operate at the scale and pace to meet rigorous climate policies and prioritize adaptation efforts.

Green for Green: Financing and Funding for a Resilient Future

Moderator
Jessica Grannis, Adaptation Program Manager, Georgetown Climate Center
Speakers
Josh Brock, Director of Community Development, Renovate America
Shalini Vajjhala, Founder & CEO, re:focus partners
Susanne Moser, Director, Susanne Moser Research and Consulting

Agencies and organizations across California recognize the importance of climate change adaptation and are already working to define tangible projects to build resilience in their communities. However, from planning to implementation, all projects come with a price tag. Limited funds and competing priorities have created new barriers to implementing adaptation strategies and growing frustration over the urgency to act without the proper resources to effect change. This session will explore existing funding resources and financing mechanisms that local governments can pursue and utilize to advance their resiliency initiatives. Participants will learn about best practices to obtain state and federal funding, the evolution of state programs and investments to integrate adaptation considerations, leveraging catastrophe bonds as a mechanism for resilient infrastructure project finance, and utilizing PACE financing to bridge the mitigation-adaptation gap. The session will focus on the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities and provide opportunities for robust table discussions.

Assessing the Economic Impacts of Climate Change: Perspectives from City and State Government and the Private Sector

Moderator
Aleka Seville, Director of Community Adaptation, Four Twenty Seven

Speakers
Jamesine Rogers Gibson, Western States Climate Analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists; former Project Manager, The Risky Business Project
Cody Hooven, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of San Diego
Emilie Mazzacurati, Chief Executive Officer, Four Twenty Seven

We know that climate change threatens our community assets and our economy, but what does this mean for our cities, our state and our business community? How can this information inform effective adaptation solutions, and what are the risks of not understanding these impacts? Panelists will discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in assessing the economic impacts of climate change and the need to communicate these risks at different scales to diverse audiences in the private sector and at the city and state levels to catalyze adaptation action. The panel will include time for an interactive discussion with participants about how this information can advance cross-sector collaboration by identifying common risks and mobilizing stakeholders around adaptation goals that enhance climate and economic resilience.