University of California, Santa Barbara
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

The Campus Community and Governmental Relations staff develop and maintain relationships with local elected officials, their staff, and departments to advocate for the interests of their campus, including sustainability. Many host Annual Advocacy Days in their community and work to strengthen university engagement on sustainability issues through community participation and support of community organizations.

UC State Government Relations (SGR) serves as the University’s primary representative to state elected officials and agencies, providing advocacy on legislation and public policies that provide for, extend, and enhance the University’s authority to conduct its business operations in a manner that is efficient and sustainable as well as advocating against measures that would limit this authority.

As an example, during the 2017-2018 legislative session, the University of California supported SB 237, a bill to amend Section 365.1 of the Public Utilities Code relating to electricity. The bill requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to make changes to the direct access service program authorizing direct energy transactions between electricity suppliers and customers. The changes include a requirement to increase the annual maximum allowable limit of direct access service by 4,000 gigawatt hours for non-residential customers, as well as investigate the viability of a second direct service transactions reopening schedule. Ultimately, this bill helped give the University of California more autonomy over their electricity purchases. The bill was signed by the Governor on September 20, 2018.

UC SGR also worked proactively with the authors of the proposed climate adaptation bonds in spring of 2020. While the bonds did not pass, UC staff were closely involved in their development within the California State Senate, the California State Assembly, and the Governor’s office. Had these proposals been approved, they resulting funds would have been spent primarily on building and retrofitting projects, as well as state grants to communities to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

UC Federal Government Relations is the University’s liaison to the federal government, working with Congress, the administration, federal agencies and national organizations to advocate for the University and its missions in education, research and public service. Examples include:

-- On June 2, 2017, one day after the White House announced that the U.S. would be withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, the University of California released a statement affirming its commitments to the goals of the Paris agreement and doubling down on its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. UC simultaneously launched a call to members of the UC community through the university’s UC Advocacy Network (UCAN) urging students to make pledges to support and work with California’s Governor, Congressional delegation, and state legislators to ensure that California and the UC system stay at the forefront of combating global climate change. - https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-reaffirms-commitment-carbon-neutrality-sustainability-goals-following-paris-agreement

-- Convening UC faculty and staff to host Congressional briefings. Congressional briefings that highlight the impact of the University’s sustainability efforts on campus operations and showcase UC as a model for other institutions are a part of the University’s effort to demonstrate the value of investing in UC and advocate for the federal funding that supports the University’s energy and sustainability goals.

-- Participating in DC lobby days, such as the annual Coalition for National Science Funding Day on Capitol Hill. Representatives from UC campuses attend meetings with members of Congress and their staff and contribute to the National Science Foundation (NSF) project exhibit. Campus representatives also meet with federal legislators, committee staff, and agency contacts throughout the year to discuss faculty and student efforts to address sustainability and climate issues.

-- The UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative published two additional reports in 2018: Strategic Communication to Achieve Carbon Neutrality within the University of California, and University of California Strategies for Decarbonization: Replacing Natural Gas. These reports are intended for both the UC community, and for the benefit of other institutions across the United States and around the world that are facing similar issues. The initiative also issued its 2019 Annual Report on Sustainable Practices, detailing the status of its goals and timeline, as well as a breakdown of sustainability progress at each campus and affiliated entity.

-- The UC Advocacy Network has also established an online “Climate Lab” that compiles videos, articles, and other multimedia formats to educate visitors to the site about issues ranging from global warming, to clean energy, to sustainability relating to issues like food and technology. As part of the UC’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative, these resources provide easily accessible ways for both the UC community and the greater public to see the ways in which UC research is a fundamental part of the global response to climate change.

-- UC’s MOU with Mexico
UC has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Mexican Secretariat of Energy (SENER) to promote increased collaboration between the University and Mexico on energy and sustainability efforts, including research; visits from scholars, scientists and administrators; and the development of graduate programs in the field of renewable energy. The goal is for Mexico and California work together in areas that are needed to secure a more sustainable future and a long-lasting regional economic development.

-- On February 6, 2018, the University of California announced that it had assembled an international coalition of 13 research universities across the United States, Canada and Mexico – called the University Climate Change Coalition, or UC3 – who were committing to work together to galvanize local and regional action on climate change. Member institutions represent more than 1.5 million students across North America. UC3 has since released the 2018 UC3 Progress Report and the 2019 UC3 Impact Report, both of which discuss the mission and achievements of the coalition and its cohorts. Most recently, the coalition released the 2020-2025 UC3 Strategic Plan, providing an updated vision and trajectory for the organization built on its successes and lessons learned over the past two years from cross-sector forums, internal collaborations, and partnerships with local and regional stakeholders.

-- UC has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Mexican Secretariat of Energy (SENER) to promote increased collaboration between the University and Mexico on energy and sustainability efforts, including research; visits from scholars, scientists and administrators; and the development of graduate programs in the field of renewable energy. In 2018, UC, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and Fulbright/COMEXUS initiated a 2018 short-term faculty exchange program for energy fellows. In 2019, the UC-Mexico Initiative announced a call for proposals relating to Critical Mission Studies.

Additional links:
The website for SGR is: http://www.ucop.edu/state-governmental-relations/index.html
The website for FGR is: http://www.ucop.edu/federal-governmental-relations/index.html