ARCCA has played a pivotal role in creating a unified voice and elevating the regional approach in climate adaptation discourse, as well as in advocating for greater coordination and integration across sectors, across jurisdictions, and through the vertical hierarchy of government. Through our work with our member regional collaboratives and key state agencies, such as the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the California Natural Resources Agency, ARCCA has become a trusted voice in the adaptation space and frequently relied upon for subject-matter expertise, policy recommendations, stakeholder engagement, and to bring attention to important considerations that have been overlooked, such as the urban-rural interface for climate impacts and adaptation.
Legislative Tracking and Resources
Although ARCCA does not directly engage in legislative advocacy, we help our members keep track of legislation in a streamlined manner. We also develop legislative update fact sheets each year as an easy way for local government staff and adaptation practitioners to stay informed:
Comment Letters
ARCCA has developed comment letters for 27 key policy documents and funding guidelines, providing over 154 pages of robust, detailed recommendations to help improve state guidance documents, policies, and programs. We employ a collaborative process for developing these comment letters, creating multiple opportunities for engagement from local and regional members who represent municipalities, regional agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, community-based organizations, foundations, consulting firms, and other supporting organizations working in various sectors. This process enables us to create a unified voice that accurately reflects local and regional interests and concerns. ARCCA provided comment letters in response to the following publications and programs:
- Wildlife Conservation Board Draft Adaptation and Resiliency Program Guidelines, March 2018
- Draft Research Investment Plan: Climate Change Research Program, December 2017
- Draft Safeguarding California Plan: 2017 Update, June 2017
- 2017 Climate Change Scoping Plan Update, April 2017
- Draft Forest Carbon Plan, March 2017
- Transformative Climate Communities Program Revised Draft Scoping Guidelines, March 2017
- State Water Resources Control Board Proposed Resolution on Climate Change, March 2017
- Transformative Climate Communities Program Draft Scoping Guidelines, January 2017
- 2030 Target Scoping Plan Discussion Draft, December 2016
- GGRF Draft Funding Guidelines Supplement for FY 2016-17 Funds, December 2016
- CEQA Guidelines Update, November 2016
- SB379 Safety Element Update of General Plan Guidelines, November 2016
- Vibrant Communities and Landscapes, September 2016
- 2030 Scoping Plan Concept Paper, July 2016
- Proposed Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy, May 2016
- Working Lands Discussion Paper, April 2016
- General Plan Guidelines, December 2015
- Safeguarding California: Implementation Action Plans, December 2015
- Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second Investment Plan Draft Concepts, September 2015
- Auction Proceeds Funding Guidelines, June 2015
- Executive Order B-30-15, April 2015
- Phase I Application for the National Disaster Resilience Competition, March 2015
- Senate Environmental Quality Committee, February 2015
- Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, October 2014
- Climate Change Research Plan for California, September 2014
- Governor’s Environmental Goals and Policy Report, May 2014
- State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, April 2014
High-level recommendations echoed in multiple comment letters include:
- Adopting a regional approach to climate adaptation, recognizing that climate impacts will vary in severity and nature between regions, as well each region’s ability to cope and approach to adapting, making regional efforts more likely have a more holistic impact that addresses the region’s specific needs and shared goals;
- Prioritizing strategies that produce co-benefits to enable the state to achieve multiple goals with limited resources, particularly by employing landscape- or watershed-scale analyses and including greenhouse gas reduction strategies;
- Prioritizing investments to support rural areas that steward important resources that the state relies upon, such as clean water, clean air, carbon storage, and recreation; and
- Fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and integration to properly address the interdisciplinary nature of adaptation planning.
ARCCA’s presence in these dialogues directly resulted in the inclusion of ARCCA as an example or resource in several state policies and guidance documents including:
- OPR’s Statewide General Plan Guidelines
- Safeguarding California Plan: 2017 Update
- Safeguarding California: Implementation Action Plans
- Executive Order B-30-15
- Climate Change Research Plan for California