Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution in support of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s (BCDC) Bay Adapt: Regional Strategy for a Rising Bay.

Attached to this staff report is a proposed resolution (Attachment 1) in support of BCDC’s Bay Adapt: Regional Strategy for a Rising Bay.  Also attached to this staff report is a BCDC publication regarding the program (Attachment 2).

The San Francisco Bay shoreline accounts for one-third of the California coastline; however, without adaptive measures to protect people, places, and habitat from flooding caused by rising sea levels, the Bay Area will likely experience two-thirds of the negative economic impacts. This resolution affirms the City's endorsement of the Bay Adapt Strategy for addressing resilience to future climate change and sea level rise in the Bay Area.

Bay Adapt began in 2019 as an initiative to establish regional agreement on the actions necessary to protect people and the natural and built environment from rising sea levels in the San Francisco Bay Area. The BCDC brought together federal, state, regional, and local governments, agencies, and organizations along with community members to develop a consensus-driven strategy. Acting together supports Bay Adapt because impacts of climate change in the Bay Area are not constrained by jurisdictional boundaries. The joint platform was created to include nine actions and 21 tasks supporting the achievement of equitable outcomes for people, the environment, and the economy. Implementation of Bay Adapt includes the following actions:

• Collaborate on a “one Bay” vision to adapt to rising sea levels

• Elevate communities to lead

• Broaden public understanding of climate change science and impacts

• Base plans and projects on the best science, data, and knowledge

• Align local and regional plans into a unified adaptation approach

• Figure out how to fund adaptation

• Refine and accelerate regulatory approvals processes

• Fund and facilitate faster adaptation projects

• Track and report progress to guide future actions

The Bay Adapt Leadership Advisory Group (made up of an array of Bay Area leaders from public agencies, interest groups, community-based organizations, and academia) supports the Joint Platform and many members have agreed to help implement it at its October 2021 meeting. The Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC) Governing Board endorsed it on September 17th, 2021, and BCDC adopted the Joint Platform on October 21st, 2021.

The Bay Adapt effort relies on local jurisdictions acting in coordination with regional partners  because the increasing impacts of climate change in the Bay Area are not constrained by jurisdictional boundaries or the planning and regulatory authorities of any one entity.

Implementation of the Bay Adapt plan would reduce flood risk; increase technical assistance for local governments and funding for adaptation; protect natural areas and wildlife; recognize and equitably support low-income, frontline communities; integrate adaptation into community-focused local plans; and accelerate permitting and project construction.

As this effort moves forward, there will be defined roles for participating and supporting actions across the Joint Platform. Implementation is occurring currently as partners in the region integrate Joint Platform actions into existing regional plans and practices. For example, the Association of Bay Area Governments and Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Plan Bay Area 2050, is incorporating multi-hazards, including sea level rise. Similarly, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership’s Estuary Blueprint, a map for regional actions on the health and resilience of Bay ecosystems, is also aligning with Bay Adapt actions.

As part of the Housing Element update, the City is required to prepare a Sea Level Rise Resiliency study and ensure the General Plan Safety Element includes policies related to adaptation and resiliency to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise. This study and policy guidance will inform the update to the City's Climate Action Plan, which is anticipated to begin in FY 22/23.  As these updates move forward, staff will refer to the Bay Adapt joint platform actions to inform these updates.  

There is no impact to the General Fund.

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached Resolution endorsing Bay Adapt: Regional Strategy for a Rising Bay.