TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director, Napa County Planning, Building, & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Ryan Melendez, Planner II, Sustainability
SUBJECT: Presentation from San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
RECOMMENDATION
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PRESENTATION: SAN FRANCISCO BAY CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (BCDC) - REGIONAL SHORELINE ADAPTATION PLAN
STAFF REQUEST: Receive a presentation by Dana Brechwald, Assistant Planning Director for Climate Adaptation, and Jessica Fain, Planning Director, on implementing SB 272, legislation requiring local governments to prepare rising sea level adaptation plans.
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND
BCDC protects and enhances the San Francisco Bay and advances the Bay’s responsible, productive, and equitable uses for this and future generations, as we face a changing climate and rising sea levels.
SB 272 requires local governments lying within a coastal zone within the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) to develop a sea level rise plan as part of either a local coastal program that is subject to approval by the California Coastal Commission, or a subregional San Francisco Bay shoreline resiliency plan that is subject to approval by the SF BCDC on or before January 1, 2023.
The bill requires local governments that receive approval for a sea level rise plan to be prioritized for funding for the implementation of sea level rise adaptation strategies and recommended projects in the local governments’ approved sea level rise plan. The bill requires, on or before December 31, 2024 the California Coastal Commission, in close coordination with the Ocean Protection Council and the California Sea Level Rise State and Regional Support Collaborative, to establish guidelines for the preparation of the sea level rise plan. The bill also requires, on or before December 31, 2024, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, in close coordination with the California Coastal Commission, the Ocean Protection Council, and the California Sea Level Rise State and Regional Support Collaborative, to establish guidelines for the preparation of the sea level rise plan.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Staff from BCDC will provide an overview of the draft Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan, a new regional plan to make the Bay shoreline resilient to rising sea levels, including guidance for local government planning as required by SB 272 (Laird, 2023). The plan sets forth a unified vision and priorities for adaptation in the Bay and guides the creation of mandated city and county adaptation plans along the Bay shoreline. The Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan is currently open for public comment, and staff will describe opportunities to engage and comment on the plan.
Dana Brechwald is the Assistant Planning Director for Climate Adaptation at the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). She works with regional stakeholders to develop innovative climate adaptation and resilience solutions for the Bay shoreline and is the Project Director for BCDC’s Bay Adapt initiative.