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Contra Costa receives grants, advances EV charging and urban‑forest plans in semiannual climate update
Summary
County department leads reported progress implementing the Climate Action & Adaptation Plan, including federal and state grants, a pilot resilience‑hub feasibility study, a $750,000 urban‑forest grant, employee commute data and a funded plan to expand EV charging for county fleet electrification. The board accepted the report unanimously.
Contra Costa County officials told the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 that the county is moving from planning into implementation on several parts of its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
Department directors outlined multiple grants and near‑term projects: a federal Department of Energy block grant to support converting family‑based day cares to clean energy; a $1.5 million state grant to study shoreline resilience in coordination with shoreline cities and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission; a PG&E grant to pilot a resilience‑hub feasibility study at Ambrose Community Center in Baypoint; and a $750,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to create an Urban Forest Management Plan with community engagement and workforce pathway components.
County Energy and Public Works staff also reported spending from the Measure X–established sustainability fund (an allocated pool of $2.5 million) to accelerate vehicle electrification and facility upgrades. Current operational investments include: 161 Level‑2 EV chargers in operation, 46 under construction and another 158 planned across county facilities; the first two Level‑3 (DC fast) chargers due in the next 45–60 days; and 82 electric vehicles in the fleet (about 6% of total). Public Works is preparing a zero‑emission vehicle transition plan that lays out department‑by‑department scenarios, total‑cost‑of‑ownership analyses and charging‑infrastructure needs.
The county also reported strong employee engagement on commute habits: an August employee commute survey drew more than 2,300 responses. Staff said the results are being analyzed for near‑term actions (for example, bicycle lockers at the Regional Medical Center) and to inform longer‑term commuting strategies.
Board members praised the interdepartmental coordination and stressed the importance of demonstrating lifecycle economic benefits of electrification for vehicles and facilities. Supervisors also flagged technical and supply‑chain challenges for larger electric buses and heavy‑duty vehicles; staff said those sectors remain more difficult but noted improving technology and planned pilot work on charging and fleet needs.
The board accepted the Climate Action Task Force report by unanimous roll call and directed staff to continue reporting on fleet transition plans, resilience‑hub progress and urban‑forest implementation.
