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California Strategic Growth Council and Institute for Local Government Announce Second Round of BOOST Program to Help Under-Resourced Communities Address Climate Change

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Download PDFs of this announcement (English / Español)

Sacramento – Today, the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) announced the recipients of the BOOST Program, a state-wide program tailored to help California cities and towns advance their climate action, resilience, and equity objectives. The program is administered through a partnership between SGC, the Institute for Local Government (ILG), Climate Resolve, California Coalition for Rural Housing, and Farallon Strategies.

This technical assistance program supports under-resourced cities and towns in building capacity, optimizing existing resources, strengthening community partnerships, and transforming their approach to address and fund climate activities. Through BOOST, SGC, ILG and the project team are partnering with seven cities and towns to provide tailored support with advancing climate action through Spring 2023. Selected jurisdictions vary in size, geography, and demographics and are selected based on their status as low-income or disadvantaged communities, limited local government staff capacity, and demonstrated desire to work on climate-related issues. The communities include the cities of Barstow, La Puente, Maywood, McFarland, Needles, Rialto, and South San Francisco.

These communities will receive capacity building support in the form of trainings, partnership development, community engagement planning and implementation support, grant application assistance, and communications assistance. Each BOOST community will work closely with SGC, ILG and the project team to create a workplan tailored to each community’s specific needs.

“The first round of BOOST supported local governments with the tools and resources necessary to advance their climate and equity goals, develop strong partnerships, and access new funding,” said Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Executive Director of the California Strategic Growth Council. “SGC is thrilled to be working with the Institute for Local Government to build on the pilot’s success and continue supporting California’s under-resourced communities through technical assistance and capacity building support.”

The 2021 BOOST Program is based on the BOOST Pilot Program which ran from 2019-2020 and helped 10 cities and two regions build capacity to advance their climate and equity goals. The 18-month pilot was designed to provide flexible and responsive technical assistance to address the varying and evolving capacity challenges of local governments, while also sharing best practices and lessons learned to help inform state programs.

The pilot connected the original BOOST Program participants to 59 grant opportunities and provided direct application assistance on 23 grants, leading to over $50 million in new funding. Funding provided included $43 million in California Climate Investments (CCI) and $6.6 million in Senate Bill 2/Local Early Action Plan (LEAP) grants to support planning, affordable housing, equitable transportation, and climate mitigation and resilience projects.

“The Institute for Local Government is excited to partner with SGC to continue the BOOST Program,” said Erica L. Manuel, CEO and Executive Director of the Institute for Local Government. “Through the initial BOOST Pilot Program, we helped under-resourced communities access nearly $50 million in state grant funding, create and update climate action and resilience plans, and authentically engage their communities on climate and equity initiatives. We are looking forward to building on what we learned to help even more communities reach their goals and build capacity.”

Find out more about the BOOST Program at www.ca-ilg.org/BOOST.

About the BOOST Participants

City of Barstow: www.ca-ilg.org/Barstow

City of La Puente: www.ca-ilg.org/LaPuente

City of Maywood: www.ca-ilg.org/Maywood

City of McFarland: www.ca-ilg.org/McFarland

City of Needles: www.ca-ilg.org/Needles

City of Rialto: www.ca-ilg.org/Rialto

City of South San Francisco: www.ca-ilg.org/SouthSanFrancisco

About the California Strategic Growth Council
The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is a cabinet-level body chaired by the Director of the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research tasked with coordinating and working collaboratively with public agencies, communities, and stakeholders to achieve sustainability, equity, economic prosperity, and quality of life for all Californians with a focus on the state’s most disadvantaged communities. SGC implements its mission through four key activities: making investments in infrastructure and conservation programs; conducting outreach and providing technical assistance to support of communities seeking to access these investments; and leading and supporting integrated policy initiatives that align with SGC’s mission. www.sgc.ca.gov.

About the Institute for Local Government

The Institute for Local Government (ILG) is the non-profit training and education affiliate of the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties, and the California Special Districts Association, which represent 1000s of local agencies across the state. ILG helps local officials and staff navigate the constantly changing landscape of their jobs by offering training, technical assistance, written resources, and facilitation services specifically designed for local agencies. From leadership to public engagement to sustainability and workforce, ILG helps local government leaders with a wide range of issues. Visit www.ca-ilg.org to find out more.

About the California Coalition for Rural Housing

Formed in 1976, the California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) is a 501c3 non-profit and is the oldest statewide low-income housing coalition in the country. The CCRH brings 40 years of affordable housing and community development technical assistance, research, and program and policy development, in addition to a rich network of partners throughout the state and across the nation.

About Climate Resolve

Climate Resolve is a Los Angeles-based 501c3 tax-deductible non-profit organization founded in 2010 that focuses on local solutions to global climate change and works to achieve outcomes that bestow multiple benefits. Climate Resolve works to make California more equitable, just, livable, prosperous, and sustainable today and for generations to come by inspiring people at home, at work, and in government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for climate impacts.

About Farallon Strategies

Farallon Strategies (FS) is a catalytic partner to communities and organizations that take bold actions to address climate change and resilience. FS collaborates with stakeholders across the United States to pilot, test, and/or scale initiatives. Their expertise is rooted in their diversity of experiences and passion for creating a better world.

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Welcome Kif Scheuer!

Kif Scheuer, PhD is a Strategy and Project Lead at Farallon Strategies, LLC. Kif is a solutions oriented environmental professional with over two decades of experience engaging local government and community stakeholders while catalyzing leadership and public service through creative program design, effective project implementation, deep relationship building, and compelling public advocacy and education. Drawing on an academic background in environmental psychology and building science, Kif has been fortunate to play an instrumental role in the launch, implementation, and growth of three national service programs, the California Adaptation Forum, and a statewide and national network of adaptation collaborators,  among other accomplishments. His depth of experience at the intersection of community and climate resilience and leadership development gives him a unique expertise in capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and strategy development. A long-time collaborator and thought partner of the Farallon Strategies team, Kif is excited for the opportunity to more directly extend the breadth and depth of the firm’s services and capacities. 

 

Prior to joining Farallon Strategies, Kif served as the Climate Action Corps Director with California Volunteers, a part of the Governor’s Office, where he led the startup of the first State funded climate service program. From 2013-2020, Kif served as a Director with the Local Government Commission where he spearheaded the launch and growth of the award-winning CivicSpark Fellowship, a Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps program. During his time at the Local Government Commission, Kif also directed the 2014, 16, and 18 California Adaptation Forums, and coordinated the Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation. Prior to the Local Government Commission, Kif worked at Strategic Energy Innovations, where he also led the launch and operation of a national service program – Climate Corps Bay Area while also directing a range of climate planning projects for local governments in California. Kif has contributed to the public dialogue on climate and resilience through conferences, publications, and advisory roles including California’s 4th climate assessment, the California Adaptation Forum, Drawdown Marin, American Planning Association California Chapter Annual Conference, New Partners for Smart Growth, and Voices for California Service.  We are so excited to have Kif on our team. Please reach out to him and connect on LinkedIn.