Community
What Community Partnerships Have We Built?
AB 617 Community Health Protection Program
We continued to work in collaboration with community members and other stakeholders to develop and implement health-protective measures in highly impacted communities as part of statewide AB 617 implementation.
WEST OAKLAND
In West Oakland, through our AB 617 project that began four years ago, we continued our partnership with West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP) with monthly meetings and implementation teams to support emissions reduction strategies. WOEIP’s Health Equity Advisory Committee focused on the public health aspects of hyperlocal emissions reductions and outreach and recruitment efforts to increase West Oakland resident engagement.
Richmond-North Richmond-San Pablo
We continued to partner with 21 steering committee members that represent Richmond, North Richmond and San Pablo working to develop and finalize the Community Emission Reduction Plan. The plan remains focused on six priority areas that include mobile, public health, marine and rail, commercial and industrial, fuel refining, and land use and urban greening. Within the last year, an additional subset of strategies has been developed that include compliance and enforcement, penalties, emissions inventory improvement and reporting.
East Oakland
In East Oakland, we collaborated with Communities for a Better Environment and a 26-member steering committee to start a Community Emissions Reduction Plan to address air quality and environmental justice issues. We developed the vision and principles, confirmed the community boundary, completed the emissions inventory, and compiled community knowledge on pollution sources and community assets into a community mapping project of the area.
Bayview Hunters Point/Southeast San Francisco
In Bayview Hunters Point/Southeast San Francisco, we worked with community co-leads from the Marie Harrison Community Foundation and Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates to recruit members to the Community Steering Committee (BVHP CSC) to develop a Community Emissions Reduction Plan. We have held two gatherings with the BVHP CSC members to introduce them to the project and began holding monthly meetings in September.
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at a glance
22
James Cary Smith Community Grant awardees continued on to a second year of capacity-building projects
594
home air filtration units and replacement filters were distributed through the Home and School Air Filtration Program
17
community leaders serve on the Community Advisory Council, helping to direct our environmental justice policies
James Cary Smith Community Grant Program
The grant program funded 33 nonprofits to engage community members in decisions that impact their air quality and health, focusing on neighborhoods most impacted by air pollution. Twenty-two eligible awardees continued on to a second year of capacity-building projects, including bilingual environmental justice academies and interactive youth advocacy campaigns.
HOME AND SCHOOL AIR FILTRATION PROGRAM
The program engaged with six partners in the Asthma Mitigation Program, five local health centers, two community-based organizations, and six James Cary Smith Community grantees to distribute 594 home air filtration units and replacement filters to vulnerable populations and communities impacted by air pollution. We installed high-performance air filtration systems in four West Contra Costa Unified District Schools: King Elementary School, Washington Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School, and Dover Elementary School.
Community Advisory Council
The Community Advisory Council (CAC), consisting of 17 members from across the Bay Area, was created in 2021 to advise our leadership on community-related matters, advance an equity-forward policy agenda, and provide input on key policies and programs. In 2023, the CAC recommended, and our Board approved, the CAC’s foundational documents: the Community Advisory Council Charter and the Community Advisory Council Compensation Policy and Procedures. The Board also approved the Resolution Establishing a Governance Structure for the Community Advisory Council. The CAC ad hoc committees developed an annual work plan and environmental justice policy goals for integration into our strategic plan. In September, the CAC held its inaugural retreat, an event focused on environmental justice and community action.
Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative
In January 2023, we launched this initiative to improve health outcomes and climate resilience in overburdened communities in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The program brings asthma services and home retrofits to address health triggers, improve energy efficiency, and keep outdoor pollution out of the home through a unique partnership between our agency, the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, county health departments, and a local nonprofit. By the end of 2023, the program had enrolled 71 residents in both multifamily and single-family homes.
US EPA Regional Climate Planning Grant
We secured a $1 million grant from the US EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program to lead the development of a regional climate action plan that incorporates input from and reflects the priorities of the region’s local governments and communities. The plan will highlight priority greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures that benefit frontline communities — communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Measures included in the plan will be eligible for nationally competitive $4.6 billion in implementation funding. We are leading this effort in collaboration with a regional advisory work group, consisting of staff from Bay Area regional agencies and local governments.
$1M
in funding was secured through the US EPA's Climate Protection Grant Program
71
residents enrolled in the Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative
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priority greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures that benefit frontline communities.