2020-21 Graduation Activities
Join us on July 29 to celebrate the dedication and service of our 2020-21 cohort at the 7th Annual CivicSpark Graduation Ceremony!
Click the button below to sign up for the 2020 – 2021 Graduation Ceremony!
2020-2021 CivicSpark Capstone Poster Symposium
The Local Government Commission presents the 2020 – 2021 CivicSpark Cohort Capstone Poster Symposium! Join us for 10 sessions throughout July as CivicSpark Fellows share the outcomes of their local resilience projects in communities across California. See the recordings of our sessions by clicking on the photos below.
Local climate action starts with engaging community members and stakeholders to deepen our understanding of local priorities and establish appropriate goals for emissions reductions. Learn how our 2020-21 CivicSpark Fellows supported conversations and planning around effective climate action in the wake of the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdown, and continued to push for a cleaner and more equitable future for their communities!
Maggie O’shea
Valley Water
Climate Change Action Plan: Implementation Program Development
Shivali Gowda
City of Richmond
Shannon Pressler
City of San Luis Obispo
Sustainable SLO
Paulina Mejia
City of Riverside
Sustainability and Recovery Initiatives
Michelle Geldin
County of Santa Barbara
Climate Action Plan Update and Progress Report Project
Jackson Realo
Sierra Nevada Alliance
City of South Lake Tahoe – CAP Implementation
Kelsey Berger
San Francisco Department of the Environment (SFE)
Greenhouse Gas Inventory and 2) Climate Action Plan
Helen Eldred
Reinvent South Stockton Coalition
Building Equitable Housing Infrastructure: Stockton Housing Justice Coalition and Housing Trust Fund Policy
In the face of the climate crisis, local governments are on the front lines of implementing ground-level climate change adaptation policies. Fellows will present on how large-scale issues of public health, wildfire, sea-level rise, and other climate change challenges are met with creative strategies at the local and regional level.
Thomas McNairn
City of Sacramento – Department of Public Works
Urban Heat and Resiliency Support
Annie Meritt
Delta Stewardship Council
Creating a Climate Resilient Future
Austin Powell
City of Chico
Breaking Ground: Building Resilience and Community Scale CAP Implementation in Chico
Amanda Caswell / Natalie Arreaga
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
Extreme Heat and Public Health Analysis
Laurel Bard
Clear Lake Environmental Research Center
GIS-Based Fire Resiliency Prioritization Plan for Lake County
Megan Honey
County of Mendocino
Broadband Deployment and COVID Recovery
Naomi Albert
City of San Luis Obispo
Resilient SLO
What does water resilience really look like for Californians as we enter into drought and another intense fire season? Join the fellows to hear about the different aspects of resilience and what it means in our water world to become resilient.
Marly Jeane
California Department of Water Resources
Drought Resiliency for Disadvantaged Communities
Bethany Rader-Ruelas
California Department of Water Resources
Drought Resilience for Small and Disadvantaged Communities project with California Department of Water Resources – Water Use Efficiency Implementation Branch
Nicole Cheng
ClimatePlan
Building Community Power to Advance Equitable Water and Land use in the San Francisco Bay Area
Rebecca Berg
California Department of Water Resources – Office of the Tribal Policy Advisor
Bryan Redden
Department of Water Resources
Building Capacity and Water Resiliency for Tribal Governments and Disadvantaged Communities in CA
Andrew Bake
Mendocino County Water Agency
Mendocino County Water Agency
Madeleine Travis
San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department Water Resources Division
Stormwater Capture for Groundwater Sustainability Planning Efforts in SLO County
Desiree Sausele
Valley Water
Building Capacity to Understand Reservoir Temperatures
In the wake of a global pandemic that sent single use plastic waste skyrocketing and with upcoming mandates on methane and waste reduction, there’s never been a better time to explore creative solutions for waste reduction. Fellows will cover a variety of projects dedicated to reducing what we send to landfills, and building a more waste-free future.
Claire Leone
City of Beverly Hills’ Public Works Department
Sustainability Initiatives
Brendan Norton
City of Cupertino
Climate Action Plan Outreach & Zero Waste Initatives
Dom Dashwood
City of Encinitas
CAP & Zero Waste Outreach & Reporting
Jasmine Krause
City of Encinitas
CAP Outreach and Reporting
Nasreen Sayed
City of Signal Hill
Organics Recycling and Energy Efficiency Community Engagement
Shannon Casey
RecycleMore
Trash Talk: Outreach and Education
Sarah Sherbourne
Town of Truckee
Climate Action and Waste Reduction
Kaitlin Reese
San Francisco Department of the Environment
Surplus Building Materials Study
The complex landscape of California’s water management poses many challenges for decision-makers across the state. Increasing competition for limited resources begs the question “Wat-er we going to do?” Hear from our fellows whose projects seek to address the balancing of water-related priorities.
Connie Warthen
City of Lake Port
Locating and Identifying Utility Assets and GIS Mapping
Mahima Ali
State Water Resources Control Board
Access to Sanitation for People Experiencing Homelessness
Bridget Lowry
State Water Board
Achieving the Human Right to Water
Maraid Jimenez
California State Water Resources Control Board
Advancing Equity For Tribes Through Data
Miles Johnson
Lake County Special Districts
GIS-Based Asset Management Plan
Nikol Damato
Lake County Water Resources Department
Clear Lake Shoreline Assessment & Inventory Project
Liam Healey
Lake County Water Resources Department
Kory Burt
Solano County Water Agency
Water Resource and Quality Management
As the Covid-19 pandemic has uprooted all of our daily lives, it has also highlighted the disproportionate effects on vulnerable populations and communities systematically disinvested in. Come join the Fellows that have been serving on projects that are taking transformative actions towards creating plans that are more just, resilient, and sustainable.
Michal Hanson
Butte County Department of Development Services
Butte County General Plan 2040 – Building a Resilient Future
Skyler Kriese
Butte County Department of Development Services
Butte County General Plan 2040 – Building a Resilient Future
Aron Mey
City of Garden Grove
Building & Safety – Community and Economic Development
Rebecca Leyes
County of Placer
Nick Johnston
County of Tulare Resource Management Agency
Environmental Justice Element, Adaptation and Resiliency Plan, Housing Projection Report
Amanda Cobb
County of Ventura Planning Division
Local Public Policy Development, Analysis, Implementation, and Public Engagement Assistance
McKenna Thompson
Reinvent South Stockton Coalition
South Stockton Parks Activation
Crissy Pickett
San Francisco Estuary Institute
Learn how CivicSpark Fellows are advancing low carbon mobility, infrastructure and long-term planning solutions across the state.
Karina Takemoto
City of Goleta
Sustainability Initiatives and Community Engagement
Alice Tiffany
City of Santa Monica
Decarbonizing Buildings, the Transportation Sector, and Food Systems
Ngozi Chukwueke
City of Santa Monica
Decarbonizing Buildings, the Transportation Sector, and Food Systems
Harrison Ashby
Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
Climate Planning and Equitable Clean Mobility
Liz Menchaca-Guhl
California Energy Commission
Pricila Roldan
California Energy Commission
Zero emission Vehicle Equitable Market Development
Leila Shiblak
City of Rancho Cucamonga
External and Internal EV Infrastructure Upgrades
Matthew Renfro
Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
Johnny Menhennet
City of Milpitas
Climate Action Plan
What does community resilience look like in the urban environment? Over the last year, the fragility of urban systems and the need for more robust emergency response systems were highlighted in the face of COVID, wildfires, and natural disaster events. Learn about some of the diverse projects Fellows have implemented to help build resilience in their urban environment communities.
Sy Baker
StopWaste
Adapting the Built Environment
Lexi Daoussis
City of Santa Cruz
Pathways to Carbon Neutrality: Climate Action Planning & Fleet Electrification Planning
Nancy Cheng
City of San Jose
Itzel Torres
Ventura County Sustainability Division – 3C-REN
3C-REN Training and Education and 3C-REN Outreach and Engagement
Mahogany Smith-Christopher
Gateway Cities Council of Governments
The Urban Tree Canopy Community Prioritization Project &
Building Capacity for Energy Efficiency in the Gateway Region
Jennifer Quezada
Economic Collaborative Development
Resilience and Rebuilding Film Production in the COVID Era
Nate Redinbo
City of Piedmont
Building Energy and EV adoption
Mayra Garcia
City of San Diego Sustainability Department
Smart City Open Urban Platform (SCOUP)
Emily Ng
City of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Sustainability
Racial & Environmental Justice Capacity Building
During the pandemic, California has experienced skyrocketing house prices putting further strain on the existing housing crisis. Hear from our Fellows who have served to tackle one of the state’s most pressing issues.
Lorenzo Siemann
City of Antioch
Resiliency Plan/Affordable Housing
Elizabeth Havey
City of Arvin
Catalyzing Community Resiliency through Housing, Economics, and Energy Efficiency project with City of Arvin
Carrie Simmons
Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments
Implementing Bay Area Resilience and Affordable Housing Strategies
Izzi teDuits
Placer County
Housing Element
Aman Patheja
Southern California Association of Governments
Regional Affordable Housing Initiative
Angelica Gonzalez
Southern California Association of Governments
Regional Affordable Housing Initiative
Clare Blackwell
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
Regional Affordable Housing Initiative
Erica Copeland
Gateway Cities Council of Governments
LA-Gateway COVID Recovery
Vannesa Reyes-Salazar
SCAG
Housing Supportive Infrastructure
California communities have experienced record-breaking droughts, wildfires, and heatwaves over the last two decades. The changing climate is already causing disruption to everyday life. Learn how Fellows are assisting communities adapt and equitably protect people and property against the most brutal impacts of climate change.
Cailin Notch
Gold Ridge RCD & Fire Safe Sonoma
Wildfire Awareness and Emergency Outreach in Sonoma
Julian Nesbitt
California State Coastal Conservancy
Promoting Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion on the California Coast
Sarah Wickman
Humboldt County – Planning and Building Department
Regional Sea Level Rise Feasibility Project
Anne Shalamoff
Climate Resolve
Inland Southern California Climate Collaborative & Partners Advancing Climate Equity
Tory Brewster
Coachella Valley Association of Governments
Claire Kasinadhuni
Sierra Business Council
Catalyzing Local Government Action on Energy Resilience and Climate Adaptation