Sea Level Rise Preparedness

Key Advocacy Goal

To seek funding and partnerships which address sea-level rise with nature-based infrastructure and mitigation strategies regarding climate change.

A central goal for the Park District is monitoring the effects of climate change on District resources and utilize adaptive management techniques to adjust stewardship methods and priorities to preserve the natural, cultural, and scenic values of the parks and trails

Survey Identified Voter/Community Support

In a November 2021 survey, 92% of respondents identified nature-based flood and sea-level rise protection along the Bay and Delta shorelines to be extremely/very/somewhat important.
In a May 2021 survey, 63% of respondents found nature-based flood and sea-level rise protection along the Bay and Delta shorelines to be extremely / very important.
70% identified investment in improving the health of lakes in District parks to be extremely / very important.
The East Bay Regional Park District is part of the solution to climate change. Sea - level rise is threatening shoreline parks, trails, and communities, many lakes are suffering from toxic algae blooms, and the prolonged drought has had severe impacts on forests and woodlands. To ensure the East Bay’s resilience to a changing climate, nature - based solutions are required.” In a November 2021 survey, 70% of respondents found this argument for increased climate investments convincing.

2021-2022 Board Supported Legislation

The following legislative initiatives are supported by the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors and Legislative Committee:

State

AB 11 (Ward D-San Diego) Regional Climate Change Coordinating Groups
AB 1500 (Garcia D-Coachella) Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation and Workforce Development Bond Act of 2022
AB 50 (Boerner Horvath D-Encinitas) Regional Support Network for Climate Adaptation and Sea Level Rise
AB 67 (Petrie-Norris D-Laguna Beach) Sea Level Rise Adaptation Economic Analysis
SB 1 (Atkins D- San Diego) California Coastal Commission Sea Level Rise Planning (Chaptered)
SB 27 (Skinner D-Berkeley) California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry (Chaptered)
SB 45 (Allen D-Santa Monica) Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation and Workforce Development Bond Act of 2022
SB 604 (Hueso D-San Diego) Career Pathways and Climate Resiliency Grant Programs

Federal

H.R. 4235 (Pallone D-NJ) Living Shorelines Act
S. 1906 (Feinstein D-CA) and H.R. 610 (Speier D-CA) San Francisco Bay Restoration Act
H.R. 660 (Plaskett D-VI) Shovel-Ready Restoration Grants for Coastlines and Fisheries Act of 2021
S. 280 (Markey D-MA) and H.R. 744 (Clarke D-NY) FEMA Climate Change Preparedness Act