| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 63.74 |
| Liaison | Lacey Raak |
| Submission Date | Feb. 18, 2023 |
California State University, Monterey Bay
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.33 / 2.00 |
Nicole
Hollingsworth Director of Governmental and External Relations Office of the President |
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
CSUMB staff advocates for sustainability on the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) and has advocated for scooter share programs to be implemented in neighboring jurisdictions (Seaside and Marina). CSUMB is a member of the TAMC Board of Directors.
CSUMB staff engages in discussions regarding the local water supply through Marina Coast Water District and the Monterey Peninsula Water District, including a local initiative to utilized reclaimed water.
CSUMB is on the Board of Directors for the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership and the President of CSUMB was Chair of the Board of Directors for the last year. CSUMB leadership engages with MBEP regarding sustainable initiatives directed at water, housing, climate change mitigation, and sustainable housing efforts.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
The CSU does engage in advocacy at the state level through our Advocacy and State Relations (ASR) team, and some of these efforts are for sustainability-related legislation.
The CSU has also supported remote work programs for the past two years, which will have a profound impact on fossil fuel reduction system-wide.
Past three years:
Every year, the CSU tracks each bill before the state assembly or senate, and chooses to take an official position on most legislation that would affect the CSU. The ASR team refers any pending bills that are deemed to likely affect the CSU’s operation to the appropriate department at the Chancellor’s Office to review and recommend a position. Any sustainability-related legislation that would directly affect us is referred to the Energy & Sustainability Unit (along with any other relevant departments), and we provide an analysis and recommendation that ASR uses to determine the CSU’s official position on the bill. The level of advocacy involved will be different for each bill, and can range from an official statement of support or opposition to meetings with legislators to testifying in subcommittee hearings as described above.
From the Chancellor's Office Jan 2023 twallace@calstate.edu and Environmental Stewardship is also called out as a key legislative priority on ASR’s website:
https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/government/Advocacy-and-State-Relations/Pages/other-legislative-issues.aspx.
CSU engaged on two (2) bills pertaining to sustainability-related with the state legislature:
SB 155: Public resources trailer bill, contains historic infusions of funding for public resource projects, including wildfire & forest resilience, water & drought, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and energy.
Press article: Governor Newsom Signs Climate Action Bills, Outlines Historic $15 Billion Package to Tackle the Climate Crisis and Protect Vulnerable Communities | California Governor
This Department of Finance memo includes charts summarizing the specific funding amounts and state departments involved: Budget Summary (ca.gov)
AB 2232: School facilities: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, requires a covered school, and request the University of California, to ensure that its HVAC system meets the minimum ventilation rates in effect at the time the building permit for installation of that HVAC system was issued. The bill would also require a covered school, and request the University of California, to install filtration that achieves specified minimum efficiency reporting values (MERV) levels, determined by the school to be feasible with the existing HVAC system, as provided. The bill would require, upon the next triennial update of the California Building Standards Code, the California Building Standards Commission and the Division of the State Architect to research, develop, and propose for adoption mandatory standards for carbon dioxide monitors in classrooms of a covered school and the University of California. By imposing new duties on local educational agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
CSUMB staff has weighed-in on several CEQA/EIR processes in the region. One example of this is officially weighing-in on the EIR for a newly proposed County Courthouse project, set to occur near campus. CSUMB raised concerns in terms of traffic/GHG, and lack of incorporation of a proposed trail/greenway project that would connect the Dunes State Park through the site to CSUMB.
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
1. Advocacy and State Relations (ASR) led by Chancellor's Office - Nathan Dietrich
2. Administrative law agencies like Utilities Commission, Energy Commission, Air Resources Board, Strategic Growth Council, Office of Planning and Research, Cal-Fire, etc. – Led by CO subject matter experts
3. Local Administrative law agencies like local Air Pollution Control District (APCD) or Sanitary/Waste districts – led by CO or regional campus leaders
4. Surrounding cities & counties (Climate Action and/or Resilience Plans, General Plan updates, CEQA, etc.) led by campus Executives and staff.
1. Advocacy and State Relations (ASR) led by Chancellor's Office - Nathan Dietrich
2. Administrative law agencies like Utilities Commission, Energy Commission, Air Resources Board, Strategic Growth Council, Office of Planning and Research, Cal-Fire, etc. – Led by CO subject matter experts
3. Local Administrative law agencies like local Air Pollution Control District (APCD) or Sanitary/Waste districts – led by CO or regional campus leaders
4. Surrounding cities & counties (Climate Action and/or Resilience Plans, General Plan updates, CEQA, etc.) led by campus Executives and staff.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.