Flooding Ahead: Planning for Sea Level Rise Issue | Summary | Glossary | Background | Methodology | Discussion |

R1

The County, each city in the county and relevant local special agencies43 should conduct a public education effort to increase awareness of SLR and its potential effects on this county. The Grand Jury recommends identifying a single organization to undertake SLR planning:

R2

The County, each city in the county and relevant local special agencies44 should identify a single organization, such as a new joint powers authority or an expanded SMC Flood Control District, to undertake countywide SLR planning. It should be structured to ensure that: • The organization is countywide in scope • The organization is able to focus on SLR • Both the County and cities (and possibly relevant local agencies) are able to participate in the organization’s decision-making45 • The organization is sustainably funded

R3

The organization’s responsibilities should include: • Adopt consistent SLR projections for use in levee planning countywide • Conduct and/or evaluate vulnerability assessments46 • Provide a forum for inter-jurisdictional coordination and exchange of information related to SLR • Undertake grant applications for SLR-related planning and projects • Facilitate raising funds on a countywide basis for SLR-related projects, to be passed through to agencies with direct responsibility for project construction 43 San Mateo County Flood Control District and San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority. Ibid. The organization could also create a technical advisory committee with representatives of departments responsible for levee construction and management, as well as representatives of public facilities at risk, such as airports and wastewater treatment plants. A vulnerability assessment could (a) inventory areas at risk for SLR (commercial, residential, public facilities, and infrastructure), (b) determine the adequacy of existing levee protection, and (c) identify and prioritize the projects that will be needed to adapt to SLR. • Monitor actual SLR over time and any changes in SLR projections, based upon the latest federal, State, or regional government reports and scientific studies • Through the CEQA environmental review process, comment on major new developments proposed in the SLR floodplain • Advocate on behalf of the member jurisdictions with federal, State, and regional agencies regarding SLR issues • Assist the County and cities in public awareness efforts, as described in R1

R6

The County and each city should amend its General Plan, as needed, to address the risk for SLR. The Safety Element48 should include a map of any areas vulnerable to SLR, as determined by measurements in the countywide Vulnerability Assessment [R3]. Further, it should identify policies that apply to areas threatened by SLR. San Mateo County Flood Control District and San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority. As an alternative, the City of San Carlos has addressed SLR in its Climate Action Plan (CAP). The City states that the CAP was developed as a “component of the 2009 General Plan update . . . a legally defensible approach to ensuring that the Climate Action Plan is implemented” (see City of San Carlos, Climate Action Plan, 2009, p. 2). The Grand Jury recommends that local governments champion SLR issues before regional, State, and federal governments and agencies:

R7

The County, cities, and relevant local special agencies, through their representatives on regional agencies, membership in state associations, lobbyists, and elected State and federal legislators, should pursue SLR-related issues with government bodies outside SMC.

R4

The County, cities and two relevant local special agencies47 should consider expanding the role of the organization beyond SLR to include planning and coordination of efforts to address existing flooding problems along the Bay, coast, and creeks that are subject to tidal action. It may be cost-effective to integrate SLR protection with other levee-improvement programs. The County and cities may also consider expanding the role of the new organization to include potentially compatible functions such as the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), currently managed by C/CAG, and the new (2014) State requirements for local sustainable groundwater planning.

R5

The organization—its administration, staffing, and program expenses—should be funded on a sustainable basis by: • Member contributions • Contributions solicited from parties threatened by SLR, including corporations and agencies that operate public facilities such as wastewater treatment plants • Grants solicited from available potential sources such as the California Climate Resilience Account • Reducing administrative costs by contracting for services with the County or another agency The Grand Jury recommends that SLR be addressed in local land use planning: