SR-08-26-2014-3HCity Council Meeting: August 26, 2014
Agenda Item: 3-0
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Sustainability Manager
Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Accept a Local Coastal Program Sea Level Rise Adaptation Grant from
the California Ocean Protection Council
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant awarded in the amount of $235,000
from the California Ocean Protection Council for data collection and analysis for sea
level rise planning and capacity building in the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan
Region, and to accept all grant renewals
2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
section of this report.
Executive Summary
The California Ocean Protection Council, through the Local Coastal Program Sea Level
Rise Adaptation Grant, has awarded the City of Santa Monica with a $235,000 grant to
do coastal storm and sea level rise impact analysis to inform the City's climate
preparedness and adaptation planning process. This work would build on the work
already completed in the City of Los Angeles to provide a comprehensive look at the
impacts of rising sea - levels in the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Region. The funds
would be used for the development of a shoreline change model. Information gathered
by this examination would provide valuable data to the City in the development of a
local climate preparedness and adaptation plan.
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Background
On February 26 2013, Council adopted the 15x15 Climate Action Plan to reduce
community greenhouse gas emissions 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2015. This
short -term, action - oriented plan identified fifteen measures that, when completed, will
achieve the community greenhouse gas emission reduction goal. The 15x15 Climate
Action Plan included a commitment to conduct a vulnerability assessment evaluating
potential threats to the public, environmental, and economic health of the city, and
develop a strategic adaptation plan to mitigate the potential negative effects of climate
change. The shoreline change model funded by the Local Coastal Program Sea Level
Rise Adaptation Grant would be the first step in this process.
In 2011, the University of Southern California (USC) Sea Grant Program led the
development of a sea level rise vulnerability study for the City of Los Angeles. One of
the primary findings from this study was the recognition that the beaches along the
coastline drive a $17 billion local tourism economy and serve as the first line of defense
against rising seas. Understanding how local beaches respond to accelerating sea level
rise and the associated coastal impacts from rising seas and more powerful storms is
critical for local municipalities tasked with protecting and managing resources, life,
property and economic interests along the coastline. In 2011, information on sea level
rise and coastal change impacts was unavailable and was identified by USC as a critical
knowledge gap. The coastal storm and sea level rise impact analysis funded by this
grant would address this information gap.
Discussion
The California Ocean Protection Council has a Local Coastal Program Sea Level Rise
Adaptation Grant program to make funds available to encourage local governments and
other entities responsible for planning under the California Coastal Act to develop and
adopt updated plans that conserve and protect coastal resources from future impacts
from sea - level rise and related climate change impacts such as extreme weather
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events. Staff applied for and received a $235,000 grant to fund the development of a
shoreline change model for the Los Angeles region.
The grant would be used to fund the development of the shoreline change model that
would assess the coastal impacts of sea level rise and varying degrees of coastal
storms. The high resolution, dynamic model would incorporate storms, sea level rise
and shoreline change and provide the City of Santa Monica, and other coastal
communities in the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Region, with detailed information
to inform the development of climate preparedness and adaptation planning processes.
The model would be developed by consultants already retained by the State of
California to complete coastal modeling throughout the state.
This local project would be managed by the City of Santa Monica with guidance and
close collaboration from 11 regional jurisdictions as well as support organizations,
including the USC Sea Grant Program, the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative on
Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC); the CA State Coastal Conservancy; Heal the
Bay; the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC); and the US Geological
Survey.
The project would coincide with the development of the Coastal Storm Modeling System
(CoSMoS) for Southern California, developed by the US Geological Survey and funded
by the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC), and with a Los Angeles regional capacity
building initiative also funded by SCC.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Award of a $235,000 grant from the California Ocean Protection Council requires the
following FY 2014 -15 budget changes:
1. Establish revenue budget at account 20226.410290 in the amount of $235,000.
2. Appropriate the following expenditures to reflect the receipt of the California
Ocean Protection Council grant: $235,000 at account 20226.522360.
If renewals are awarded, budget changes will be included in subsequent year budgets,
contingent on Council budget adoption.
Prepared by: Shannon Parry, Principal Sustainability Analyst
Approved:
Dean Kubani
Sustainability Manager, Office of
Sustainability and the Environment
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Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager