2014-2015 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury Report a Slow Rising Emergency --- Sea Level Rise

Conclusions 47

• CL1 Page 19
  The cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale want to retain control of Sea Level Rise related efforts within their jurisdictions, but would like to have an organization assume responsibility for coordinating the plans and activities involved in addressing Sea Level Rise.
• CL2 Page 19
  The City of Milpitas does not have a Climate Action Plan which addresses Sea Level Rise.
• CL3 Page 19
  The City of Palo Alto’s 2014 “Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment” did not identify the effects of Sea Level Rise as one of the hazards.
• CL4 Page 19
  The Santa Clara Valley Water District, which is by law tasked with the responsibility for flood control in Santa Clara County, has not coordinated Santa Clara County’s efforts to address Sea Level Rise and all of the cities in Santa Clara County that abut the Bay.
• CL5 Page 20
  According to the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s website, since July 2012, it has held only one public meeting to share information about Sea Level Rise.
• CL6 Page 18
  The cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale want to retain control of SLR related efforts within their jurisdictions, but would like to have an organization assume responsibility for coordinating the plans and activities involved in addressing SLR.
• CL7 Page 18
  Within Santa Clara County, Milpitas has no plan to address SLR.
• CL8 Page 18
  The Water District, which is, by law, tasked with the responsibility for flood control in Santa Clara County, should take a sufficiently proactive leadership role in Santa Clara County’s efforts to address SLR. They are participating in the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study, have active projects underway, and are best prepared and qualified for the role of coordinating efforts to coordinate SLR for Santa Clara County,
• CL9 Page 18
  Since the effects of SLR are not imminent, there is a lack of urgency in addressing this pending emergency. The scientific community, however, is giving long range future projections, indicating possibly devastating consequences in Santa Clara County. Nevertheless, the Grand Jury was told those consequences are seen by some jurisdictions as so far off in the future, that they have not seen a need to address its effects on the infrastructure and economy of Santa Clara County. The cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Milpitas, as well as the Santa Clara Valley Water District should prioritize SLR at a higher level,
• CL10 Page 18
  As a consortium, the Corps of Engineers, the Coastal Conservancy, and the Water District are currently addressing SLR. The “South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study” addresses not only SLR but also the restoration of the salt ponds and the preservation of native habitat. If the EIA 11 Alviso project is completed, the county would have in place a levee and marshland that would address the effects of SLR for the next few decades, and
• CL11 Page 18
  There has been very little dissemination of information about how the four cities within the County and the Santa Clara Valley Water District are addressing the effects of SLR. The Grand Jury was told this has led to a sense of complacency.
• CL12 Page 21
  Adapting to Rising Tides (BCDC, NOAA Coastal Service Center)
• CL13 Page 21
  Alviso to Artesian—Alignment 1 (Map)
• CL14 Page 21
  Artesian to Coyote—Alignment 1 (Map)
• CL15 Page 21
  As the Seas Rise, A Slow Motion Disaster gnaws at America’s Shores (McNeill, Nelson, Wilson) (09/04/2014)
• CL16 Page 21
  Bay Area Plan: Regional Indicators (12/2011)
• CL17 Page 21
  California Adaptation Forum: Resilient Communities: Bringing Change to Life (08/19/2014)
• CL18 Page 21
  CAP Work Plan 2020 Implementation Matrix (12/04/2014)
• CL19 Page 21
  City of Milpitas: Resolution 8252: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Milpitas Adopting Negative Declaration and Climate Action Plan (05/07/2013)
• CL20 Page 21
  City of Mountain View: Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (ESAP) (October 2008) and ESAP-2 (April 2012)
• CL21 Page 21
  City of Palo Alto: Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (Prepared by Office of Emergency Services) (04/2014)
• CL22 Page 21
  City of Sunnyvale: Climate Action Plan (Prepared by PMC) (04/2014)
• CL23 Page 21
  City of Sunnyvale: Sunnyvale CAP Initial Study/Negative Declaration (Prepared by PMC for the City of Sunnyvale) (03/2014)
• CL24 Page 21
  Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report (11/01/2014)
• CL25 Page 21
  Comparison of SLC Projections: San Francisco, CA NOAA Tide Gauge
• CL26 Page 21
  County of Santa Clara Office of the County Executive: Office of Sustainability (01/10/2012)
• CL27 Page 17
  Draft South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Phase I Study, Draft Integrated Interim Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact/Report
• CL28 Page 22
  Earthquake and Hazards Program (ABAG) (08/01/2014)
• CL29 Page 22
  Emergency Preparedness and Response: 10 Ways You Can be Disaster Prepared (02/13/2013)
• CL30 Page 22
  Glacial Melting In Antarctica Makes Continent The ‘Ground Zero of Global Climate Change’ (Henao and Borenstein) (02/27/2015)
• CL31 Page 22
  New Research May Solve Puzzle in Sea Level’s Rise (01/14/2015)
• CL32 Page 22
  Obama Moves to Protect Against Flooding From Rising Sea Levels (01/30/2015)
• CL33 Page 22
  Office of the Press Secretary: The White House: Executive Order: Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input (01/30/2015)
• CL34 Page 22
  Preparing for California Climate Change: Climatologist Looks Back and Peers Forward (USGS)(03/24/2014)
• CL35 Page 22
  San Diego Union Tribune: Del Mar Council Agrees to Address Sea Level Rise, 03/11/2015)
• CL36 Page 22
  San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
• CL37 Page 22
  San Jose Mercury News: Beach Bummer; Climate Change Could Bring Bad News for Surfers as Days of Big-wave Riding May be a Thing of the Past, (02/24/2015), p. A1
• CL38 Page 22
  San Jose Mercury News: Judge Nullifies Project Report (1,000 Home Proposal (12/24/2014), p.B5
• CL39 Page 22
  Santa Clara County: Home Improvement and Performance Program: Final Report (prepared by ICF International)
• CL40 Page 22
  Shoreline Regional Park Community: Sea Level Rise Study: Feasibility Report and Capital Improvement Program (ESA, PWA with AMEC, HDR, SCI, and HT Harvey) (for the City of Mountain View (12/18/2012)
• CL41 Page 22
  County of Santa Clara Office of Sustainability - Silicon Valley 2.0 Project, January 2013 and is expected to be completed by June 2015
• CL42 Page 22
  Silicon Valley 2.0 Project Schedule
• CL43 Page 22
  Silicon Valley 2.0: A Regional Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Protection Initiative: Memorandum (08/22/2014)
• CL44 Page 22
  Silicon Valley 2.0: A Regional Effort to Minimize the Impacts of Climate Change
• CL45 Page 23
  South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: Restoring the Wild Heart of the Silicon Valley
• CL46 Page 23
  The South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study: Alviso Ponds and Santa Clara County Interim Feasibility Study (US Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal Conservancy, Santa Clara Valley Water District)
• CL47 Page 23
  Why Americans Are Flocking to Their Sinking Shores Even as the Risks Mount (Nelson, McNeill, Wilson) (09/17/2014)

Agency Responses 5

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

No Responses Found 2

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