Response to Grand Jury Report Report Title: The Sea Also Rises

Any SLR adaptation and mitigation regional planning group will incur ongoing costs in salaries, benefits, and overhead that will require the political entities surrounding Humboldt Bay to agree to cost sharing. Response: Agree The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors agrees with the sentiment of this finding, however the fmding requires additional context as organizing agencies at the local, state, and federal level to participate in a planning group with a singular vision is an incredibly complex process. It is premature for the county to commit to cost sharing and/or allocation of staff time for a regional planning group without first making "big picture" decisions about whether a regional planning group is the appropriate near-term focus to address Seal Level Rise (SLR). Decisions on the region's approaches to collaboration on the issue of SLR need to S5mthesize the perspectives of the different governing bodies and their objectives. A process needs to be developed which allows formation of a common vision for SLR adaptation. The Board of Supervisors is committed to this. The Board of Supervisors agrees immediate and ongoing commitment to SLR adaptation is essential to addressing the threats posed by sea level rise. The Board of Supervisors also agrees regional collaboration is essential to effective planning and implementation of SLR adaptation measures. One of the many benefits of regional planning and coordination to address SLR is the potential for cost sharing opportunities. Rather than each jurisdiction "reinventing the wheel" in developing SLR adaptation policies and measures, standardized measures could be developed for each jurisdiction's review and adoption which would be expected to be more cost effective than each jurisdiction acting independently. The burden of developing adaptation policies and measures would also not fall on just one jurisdiction - the one who happened to go first. Regional planning and coordination to address SLR would also reduce competition between agencies and entities in the region applying for the same funding sources. Funding targets could be approached in a coordinated manner by the area's jurisdictions and agencies. Applying for funding in a unified manner in combination with other agencies and stakeholder groups will likely be more attractive to funders, thus increasing the likelihood of success when competing against larger metropolitan areas for scaree funding. The county is actively participating in the development of the Humboldt Regional Climate Action Plan to leverage staff time and resources and ensure a collective, wholistic, robust response to greenhouse gas emission reduction. It is important to note that the county has conducted surveys and interviews with key stakeholders about funding options and potential opportunities for funding collaboration. The results of those surveys are presented in the Humboldt Bay Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Feasibility Study Stakeholder Catalogue available for download here. The county has identified numerous potential funding options as part of our work on the draft Humboldt Bay Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Feasibility Study which will be available in early fall.

The costs associated with SLR mitigation efforts will be significant and will require the diligent pursuit ofF ederal, State, and publicf unding sources. Response: Agree The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding. The county has been and will continue to diligently pursue flmding sources for sea level rise adaptation work. Grant funding has assisted with preparation of the 20+ detailed reports and presentations available on the Sea Level Rise section of the Planning and Building Department's Local Coastal Plan Update web page here and the Public Works Sea Level Rise web page here. As mentioned above, with funding from the Coastal Commission, the county is drafting a Humboldt Bay Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Feasibility Study which outlines specific potential long term funding options for regional regulatory and coordination efforts including; • F ederal funding sources such as the Ocean Protection Council, • S tate funding sources such as the Coastal Commission, • P rivate funding (Nonprofit, private philanthropy or investors. Corporate sustainability initiatives), • L ocal public funding - Tax increases (Property Tax Increase, General Tax Increase, Gas Tax, Special Parcel Tax) • L ocal public funding - District designation (Special Assessment District, Community Facilities District, Geologic Hazard Abatement District, Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District), • L ocal public funding - Community Rating System Insurance Credits, Climate Resilience Citizens' Initiative, Bonds( Green Bonds, Resilience Bonds), Development Impact Fees, Insurance Surcharge, Stormwater credit trading market, Stormwater in-lieu fee program, Stormwater utility rate increase. Utility rate increase, Community infrastructure resilience authority, and Memorandums of Agreement (MOA's) or Memorandums of Understanding (MOU's). The draft Humboldt Bay Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Feasibility Study lists current grant opportunities that could be sought by individual agencies/entities or jointly as part of a regional effort. Grants could ftmd individual projects or initiatives, but do not necessarily build capacity or address staffing needs. In addition to the federal and state funds listed above, potential grant providers include: Federal Agencies - Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration( NCAA),F ish & Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers. State Agencies - California State Coastal Conservancy, California Parks & Recreation, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, California Department of Water Resources, Califomia Wildhfe Conservation Board, Caltrans, CalOES, State Water Resources Control Board. Through its work on the draft Regional Planning Feasibility Study, the county is also documenting how other funding strategies may be helpful in addressing SLR including the those associated with the Regional Climate Action Plan (CAP), Humboldt County Association of Governments( HCAOG)j oint powers agreement, and Reclamation District #768 and a regional planning effort in San Mateo County known as "OneShoreline" which grew from a Flood Control District. Local Funding Preferences. The Stakeholder Catalogue identified local preferences for funding options as shown in the following figures: Professionals Survey: Support for potential funding strategies □ Sirongly oppose i Somewhat oppose a Neutral c Somewhat fevor ■ Strongly fa'/or 100 90 SO 70 60 50 40 30 r ! 20 T I II' 10 0 L; <.o ■ • ><> <} x<^-

The decade ofstudies that defined the areas and physical assets vulnerable to SLR around Humboldt Bay by mid-century clearly indicate there is an urgency to start developing and implementing solutions. Response: Agree: The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding. However, the surveys in the Stakeholder Catalogue identified divergent responses between stakeholders and even individuals within organizations on what levels of SLR we should be addressing (how many feet of sea level rise should we be targeting), and in what timefi-ame it should be addressed. A good starting point for developing and implementing solutions would be to develop consensus on. the height and timefi-ame of our regional adaptation efforts.

Former industrial and other contaminated sites around the Bay are susceptible to SLR. As such, SLR could push the contamination into wetlands, creeks, and even Humboldt Bay itself, making it harder to mitigate and clean up. Response: Agree The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding. Potential contaminated sites should be targeted for cleanup in a coordinated and strategic manner, first cleaning up the sites with the highest potential for offsite migration of contaminants. There are examples of efforts moving forward individually. For example, earlier in 2022, the Samoa Peninsula Wastewater Treatment Project was approved by the Board , which will address potential contamination from septic tanks serving single family residences in the Fairhaven and Finntown communities. Humboldt Coimty also secured $2.3 million from the federal Environmental Protection Agency( EPA)t o establish a revolving loan fund that has been used to help clean up lead contamination in the town of Samoa. In April 2022, the Harbor District completed a Phase 1 environmental site assessment funded by the EPA to identify toxic contaminants on a 35-acre parcel of property zoned Coastal-Dependent Industrial they are potentially acquiring from the Samoa Pacific Group in 2023. In June, Cal Poly Humboldt also held a two-day strategic planning effort focused on threats and mitigations addressing spent nuclear fuel rods being temporarily stored at the Humboldt Bay Generating Station( HBGS)i n the King Salmon area.

Research studies ofS LR impacts around Humboldt Bay indicate that if no action is taken by 2050, monthly maximum high tides will overtop bay barriers andflood existing infrastructure, wetlands and low-lying communities. Response: Agree The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding. Dike systems are aheady experiencing failures and overtopping during extremely high tides. These systems cross jurisdictional boundaries making them an ideal target for regional SLR adaptation collaboration. The research referenced by the Grand Jury identifies challenges for addressing SLR protecting infrastructure, wetlands and low-lying communities around Humboldt Bay. For example, enhancing protective bay barriers is arguably inconsistent with provisions of the Coastal Act protecting environmentally sensitive habitat areas (ESHA's) and wetlands. Also, uncertainty regardingthe continued existence and maintenance of raised raihoad beds that form a significant part of the Humboldt Bay shoreline creates a challenge. As mentioned previously, community surveys suggest diverging opinions regarding the level of threat and timeffame to address SLR. These documented challenges point to the need for a careful, stepwise approach to SLR adaptation.