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Goal C Build resilience in climate vulnerable communities through state programs

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Priority

Strengthen Protections for Climate Vulnerable Communities

All Priority Goals

Actions

  • Action 1 Prioritize actions that reduce wildfire risks to California Native American tribes and climate vulnerable communities.

    Success Metric: Carry out the remaining action items called for in the “Strengthen Protection of Communities” chapter of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan that have not yet been completed.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Forestry and Fire Protection | Governor’s Office of Emergency Services | Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Planning and Policy

    For More Details: California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan

    Success Metric: Implement the community home hardening program to retrofit, harden, and create defensible space for homes at high risk to wildfires, with a focus on high social-vulnerability communities and providing financial assistance for low- and moderate- income households.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Emergency Services | Natural Resources Agency – Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

    For More Details: California Wildfire Mitigation Program

    Success Metric: Produce a General Plan Evacuation Technical Advisory document to help cities and counties reduce risk and build resilience within their communities through General Plan updates.

    Timeframe: 2025

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Planning and Policy

    For More Details: General Plan Information; DRAFT Evacuation Planning Technical Advisory

    Success Metric: Percentage of neighborhoods with high saturation of home hardening and defensible space.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Forestry and Fire Protection | Governor’s Office of Emergency Services | University of California Fire Advisors

    For More Details: Defensible Space

    Success Metric: Percentage of community roads widened for fire safety and fire hydrants installed.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Board of Forestry

    For More Details: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Regulations

  • Action 2 Support wildfire-prone communities by increasing the capacity of local and regional partnerships to build and maintain a pipeline of forest health and fire prevention projects.

    Success Metric: Number of local, landscape-level partnerships and California Native American tribes implementing strategic portfolios of projects to advance forest health and resilience.

    Timeframe: Annual

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - Department of Conservation, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, other relevant conservancies

    For More Details: Sierra Nevada Conservancy Capacity-Building Program; Natural Resources Agency Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program; Department of Conservation Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program; Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Tribal Wildfire Resilience Grants

    Success Metric: Coordinate with state, federal, and non-profit partners, including through the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee, to control and mitigate fire-promoting invasive species.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Department of Food and Agriculture

    For More Details: Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division

    Success Metric: Number of published or updated Regional Priority Plans that include governance, assessments, and landscape portfolios of wildfire risk reduction and forest health projects.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Conservation

    For More Details: Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program

    Success Metric: Develop a long-range queue of shovel-ready projects in each of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force regions.

    Timeframe: Annual

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Conservation

    For More Details: Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program

  • Action 3 Review local government plans to meet housing needs (General Plan Housing Elements) with a focus on climate resilience, adaptation, and protection of vulnerable communities from climate impacts.

    Success Metric: Number of housing elements received, reviewed, and approved; status of compliance.

    Timeframe: 2025

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development

    For More Details: Housing Elements

    Success Metric: Percentage and number of permitted housing units located in High Quality Transit Areas and in High/Highest Opportunity Areas.

    Timeframe: Annual

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development

    For More Details: Housing Elements

  • Action 4 Strengthen protections for people who are experiencing homelessness and extremely vulnerable to climate risks through funding programs for permanent and interim housing.

    Success Metric: Permanent or interim housing units constructed, acquired, or rehabilitated, regardless of funding source, as the state encourages local, regional and federal action to support housing production and preservation.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development

    For More Details: Homekey

    Success Metric: Number of cities, counties, and Continuums of Care (regional planning bodies that coordinate housing and services funding for homeless families and individuals) siting shelters in locations that are not prone to flooding and wildfires and/or are equipped for early warning/evacuation.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Interagency Council on Homelessness

    For More Details: Disaster Ready Guide; Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grant Program

    Success Metric: Number of Continuums of Care, cities, and counties with Emergency Operations Plan specifically tailored to addressing people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, in shelter, and other supportive housing settings.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Interagency Council on Homelessness

    For More Details: Extreme Heat Action Plan; Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grant Program

  • Action 5 Invest Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds in long-term disaster recovery and resilience building that targets the unmet housing recovery needs of low and moderate-income households in a way that mitigates disaster risk and reduces future losses among vulnerable communities.

    Success Metric: Number of homes rebuilt and hardened to future hazard risk.

    Timeframe: Implemented following Presidentially Declared Disasters

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development

    For More Details: Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Program; Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Performance Reports

    Success Metric: Number of public infrastructure or facility projects that have been rebuilt or mitigated from future climate disasters or built to serve the climate resilience needs of communities.

    Timeframe: Implemented following Presidentially Declared Disasters

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development

    For More Details: Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Program; Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Performance Reports

    Success Metric: Number of persons that will benefit from public infrastructure or facility projects in climate- and disaster-impacted communities implemented to address hazard mitigation and resiliency needs.

    Timeframe: Implemented following Presidentially Declared Disasters

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development

    For More Details: Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Program; Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Performance Reports

    Success Metric: Number of persons or businesses supported through hazard mitigation planning, public service, workforce development, or economic development projects that benefit the climate- and disaster-impacted communities.

    Timeframe: Implemented following Presidentially Declared Disasters

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development

    For More Details: Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Program; Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Performance Reports

  • Action 6 Promote sustainable land use planning and transportation investments that support walkable and bikeable communities and infill development to build resilience of climate vulnerable communities.

    Success Metric: Provide technical assistance and other support to improve how developers, public agencies, and communities learn from each other and work together to address climate and housing goals.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency – Caltrans | Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Strategic Growth Council | Natural Resources Agency - Coastal Commission, Tahoe Conservancy

    For More Details: Tahoe Conservancy Tahoe Livable Communities Program; Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program; Transformative Climate Communities Program; Caltrans Strategic Management Plan

    Success Metric: Provide guidance and technical assistance on strategies that support infill development and active transportation for inclusion in local general plan updates and related implementation efforts.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Planning and Policy

    For More Details: General Plan Information

    Success Metric: Implement the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure to prioritize sustainable transportation investments that support walkable and bikeable communities and infill development.

    Timeframe: 2026

    Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency – Caltrans in partnership with other relevant agencies

    For More Details: Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure

  • Action 7 Increase food production and food access to nutritious locally and traditionally grown food and produce for all Californians, emphasizing low-income communities to build climate resilient food systems, increase agricultural economic sustainability, and improve health and resilience over the lifetime of Californians in the face of climate change.

    Success Metric: Increase participation in the Farm to School Program to provide CA-grown or produced foods for school meals and expand farm-to-school education. Facilitate relationships between jurisdictions, farms, school districts, and food banks to increase recovery of edible food and education on best practices around fresh food recovery and recycling organics for improved health over the lifetime of Californians.

    Timeframe: 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028

    Agency/Agencies: Department of Food and Agriculture | Environmental Protection Agency – Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

    For More Details: California Farm to School Program

    Success Metric: Increase local production of nutritious food in climate vulnerable communities through increased funding to and participation in the Urban Agriculture Grant Program.

    Timeframe: 2025, 2026

    Agency/Agencies: Department of Food and Agriculture

    For More Details: Office of Farm to Fork

    Success Metric: Increase investment in community composting to provide support to an additional 500 community composting sites throughout California, including tribal lands.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency – Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

    For More Details: Organics Waste Recovery; Community Composting

  • Action 8 Consider and integrate environmental justice principles of meaningful involvement and fair treatment in permit decisions and planning documents that drive on California’s climate adaptation priorities.

    Success Metric: Continue or expand programs, planning documents, and investments that address climate threats and prioritize the most climate vulnerable communities and residents.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency | Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Planning and Policy, Strategic Growth Council | Public Utilities Commission

    For More Details: Ocean Protection Council's Equity and Tribal engagement efforts; Ocean Protection Council SB1 Grant Program; Coastal Commission Environmental Justice Policy; Strategic Plan to Protect California’s Coast and Ocean 2020–2025; State Sea Level Rise Principles; Climate Adaptation Proceeding

    Success Metric: Provide guidance and technical assistance on increasing environmental justice and equity through climate adaptation planning, including guidance on meaningful community engagement, consistent with the Governor’s Office Land Use and Climate Innovation General Plan Guidelines and the California Adaptation Planning Guide.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research - Planning and Policy | Natural Resources Agency |Governor's Office of Emergency Services

    For More Details: General Plan Information

    Success Metric: Conduct early and often meaningful consultations with California Native American tribes and engage and collaborate with all stakeholders, including community members, visitors, business owners, and affordable housing developers and advocates, as well as underserved and other vulnerable communities who live, visit, and work near proposed projects to ensure equitable participation in adaptation planning processes, and equitable outcomes from decisions.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: All relevant state agencies

    For More Details: EO N-15-19

    Success Metric: Prioritize those communities underserved and overburdened by pollution from past oil and gas development in California's oil and gas inspections, and work with these communities to identify and implement their priorities, such as immediately addressing onsite/fugitive emissions, decreasing these communities' pollution burden as heat increases, and addressing compounding pollutant loads.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - Department of Conservation

    For More Details: Community Engagement and Public Transparency; State Oil and Gas Well Plug and Abandonments; Methane Task Force

    Success Metric: Support staff and local governments to better address environmental justice and equity in sea level rise planning, including robust community engagement, community capacity development, and community advisory boards to better understand needs.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Ocean Protection Council, Coastal Commission, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission

    For More Details: Strategic Plan to Protect California’s Coast and Ocean 2020–2025

    Success Metric: Manage nearly $22 million in federal Inflation Reduction Act funds to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations within the State Lands Commission’s jurisdiction, ensuring that at least 40 percent of the funds benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities.

    Timeframe: 2027

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – State Lands Commission

    For More Details: State Lands Commission emissions reduction grant; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Emissions Reduction Program; Department of Conservation Idle Well Program

  • Action 9 Promote equity, community engagement, and cultural competency in the design of emergency response programs.

    Success Metric: Sustainably fund and maintain equity efforts and considerations to meet the challenges of serving diverse, marginalized, and underserved populations when preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters.

    Timeframe: Annual

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

    For More Details: Office of Emergency Services

    Success Metric: Maintain and increase the number of community engagement and program outreach efforts, and at least maintain the number of grants awarded to assist vulnerable populations.

    Timeframe: Annual

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

    For More Details: Office of Emergency Services

  • Action 10 Prioritize climate resilience and health equity resources for people and places experiencing the most need and risks due to historical and continuing disinvestment and inequities.

    Success Metric: Revise and re-release the Climate Change and Health Equity Toolkit that outlines the steps of planning and implementing interventions to prevent and reduce health and racial inequity impacts of climate change for local government agencies and communities.

    Timeframe: 2026

    Agency/Agencies: Health and Human Services Agency – Department of Public Health

    For More Details: Climate Change and Health Equity Toolkit

    Success Metric: Number of state, regional, and local climate action plans, adaptation plans, general plans, and hazard mitigation plans in public databases that explicitly prioritize strategies to benefit health equity and address racial equity.

    Timeframe: 2025, 2026, 2027

    Agency/Agencies: Health and Human Services Agency – Department of Public Health

    For More Details: Climate Change and Health Equity; Adaptation Planning Guide; Planning for Adaptive Communities

  • Action 11 Ensure the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program advances California’s climate resilience priorities.

    Success Metric: Quantify climate resilience and sustainability components in awarded projects, as well as the number of climate resilience components realized through completed projects.

    Timeframe: Ongoing

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Strategic Growth Council | Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development | Environmental Protection Agency – Air Resources Board

    For More Details: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities

  • Action 12 Ensure projects funded through the Transformative Climate Communities Program advance California’s climate resilience priorities.

    Success Metric: Consider and incorporate future climate projections in Transformative Climate Communities-funded projects and include climate adaptation strategies for each project, including specific project metrics for climate resilience.

    Timeframe: 2025

    Agency/Agencies: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation,Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Strategic Growth Council | Natural Resources Agency - Department of Conservation

    For More Details: Transformative Climate Communities

  • Action 13 Enact policies for California High-Speed Rail that establish sustainability, climate change adaptation, and social equity goals.

    Success Metric: Report annually or periodically on the High-Speed Rail Authority sustainability policies and progress, including: the annual Sustainability Report.

    Timeframe: Annual

    Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency – High-Speed Rail Authority

    For More Details: California High-Speed Rail 2021 Climate Adaptation Plan Highlights

  • Action 14 Enact policies in the California State Rail Plan that support climate change adaptation for rail infrastructure, including climate-induced emergency repairs and maintenance.

    Success Metric: Update climate analysis and vulnerability assessments for the California Rail Network.

    Timeframe: 2028 and every four years thereafter

    Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency - Caltrans

    For More Details: California State Rail Plan

    Success Metric: Establish an ongoing source of funding for emergency repair and maintenance to improve the reliability and resiliency of the state rail network.

    Timeframe: 2028

    Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency – Caltrans

    For More Details: California State Rail Plan

    Success Metric: Identify and support climate adaptation projects in the California State Rail Plan Capital Program to address sea level rise, coastal erosion, and other climate impacts.

    Timeframe: 2028 and every four years thereafter

    Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency - Caltrans

    For More Details: California State Rail Plan

  • Action 15 Protect California’s cultural heritage from the impacts of climate change.

    Success Metric: Release California’s first-ever Cultural Resources Climate Change Plan and update every two years thereafter.

    Timeframe: 2026 and every two years thereafter

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – State Parks Office of Historic Preservation

    For More Details: Office of Historic Preservation Climate Action Plan

    Success Metric: Increased understanding of the role Traditional Knowledges and cultural heritage can play in accelerating and scaling climate adaptation action.

    Timeframe: Annual

    Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – State Parks Office of Historic Preservation

    For More Details: Office of Historic Preservation Climate Action Plan

  • Action 16 Develop a statewide extreme heat ranking system.

    Success Metric: Release recommendations of heat-related thresholds or triggers, as well as metrics to measure short-term and long-term human health impacts of extreme heat for the state to consider building into human health policy. 

    Timeframe: Thresholds and triggers: 2025; Metrics: 2026 

    Agency/Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency – Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment | Health and Human Services Agency – Department of Public Health | Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research - Planning and Policy

    For More Details: AB 2238 (Rivas, 2022); CalHeatScore

    Success Metric: Analyze the uninsured and insured economic costs of past extreme heat events across the state.

    Timeframe: 2026

    Agency/Agencies: Department of Insurance

    For More Details: AB 2238 (Rivas, 2022)

  • Action 17 Develop policy recommendations for the maximum safe indoor temperature in residential buildings.

    Success Metric: Develop policy recommendation(s) that are designed to ensure residential dwelling units can maintain the recommended maximum safe indoor air temperature, consistent with AB 209 (2022, Committee on Budget). The policy recommendation(s) will take into account public feedback, state climate goals, California’s Extreme Heat Action Plan, regional temperature differences, and various methods for reducing indoor air temperatures.

    Timeframe: 2025

    Agency/Agencies: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency – Department of Housing and Community Development | Environmental Protection Agency - Air Resources Board | Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation,Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Planning and Policy | Natural Resources Agency –Energy Commission, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection | Department of General Services – California Building Standards Commission | Health and Human Services Agency – Department of Public Health

    For More Details: Department of Housing and Community Development Reports

  • Action 18 Reduce risk of heat-related illness among indoor and outdoor workers, prioritizing those most at risk.

    Success Metric: Publish at least one educational piece in plain language and in a variety of formats and languages for priority populations to increase knowledge of extreme heat risks, relevant regulations, and resources available to employers and workers at risk of extreme heat exposure.

    Timeframe: 2025

    Agency/Agencies: Health and Human Services Agency - Department of Public Health | Labor and Workforce Development Agency – Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health

    For More Details: Occupational Health Branch

  • Action 19 Bolster correctional facilities' resilience to extreme heat events.

    Success Metric: Identify standard temperature measuring tools/devices, processes, and location of devices in State Correctional Institutions to ensure proper monitoring, including both outdoor and indoor temperature monitoring.

    Timeframe: 2026

    Agency/Agencies: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - Correctional Health Care Services

    For More Details: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

    Success Metric: Revise all State Correctional Institutions heat plans.

    Timeframe: 2025

    Agency/Agencies: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - Correctional Health Care Services

    For More Details: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

    Success Metric: Explore options for thermal insulation to maintain temperature inside buildings and minimize the heat transfer between the outside and inside of buildings during warm days.

    Timeframe: 2026

    Agency/Agencies: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

    For More Details: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation