University of Southern California
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

USC Community & Local Government Partnerships (CLGP) is the University's primary point of contact and liaison to city and county government, community stakeholders, leaders, and advocates within six neighborhoods around USC’s University Park and Health Sciences campuses. The CLGP team dedicates itself to developing a shared vision with city and county elected officials, local government agencies, and community stakeholders. Throughout this process, the department works to understand local government and community sustainability priorities and advocates for expanding partnership opportunities.

Regular examples of activities from 2020-2023 include tracking sustainability motions, reviewing city reports and priorities such as the "Green New Deal," setting up meetings for President Folt to meet with Mayor Garcetti and other city/county elected officials, working with stakeholders to identify USC sustainability experts for public testimony and remaining involved in community discussions focused on climate change, recycling, public transportation, and parks and open space.

Key priorities include:

USC Public Exchange/City of Los Angeles Urban Trees Initiative
The CLGP team worked in partnership with the USC Public Exchange, numerous USC researchers, Los Angeles City Forest Officer, City Councilmembers Kevin DeLeon, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Curren Price, and Eunisses Hernandez, County Supervisor Hilda Solis, and other organizations and city and county departments to develop the community outreach strategy for this program to help the city use scientific data for future tree planting projects in South LA, on Los Angeles’s Eastside, and in the LA County community of City Terrace.

As part of this process, the CLGP developed the outreach strategy and brought city elected officials, departments, and community leaders together. The coalition identified potential locations across these communities to bring cooling relief and establish an “urban canopy” in the city’s most vulnerable areas. The USC Urban Trees Initiative provides a science-based approach to help advance city and county sustainability and environmental priorities, including a call for increasing forest canopy in low-income heat zones by 50% by 2028. The executive summary can be found here: https://publicexchange.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Urban-Trees-Initiative-Executive-Summary.pdf

LADWP Clean Energy Adder Program Partnership
USC worked with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to agree on supporting the SpringBok 3 solar farm in the Mojave Desert. The University agreed to purchase 25% of the energy produced from the solar farm, and the University will receive about a quarter of its electricity from its new deal. This energy will be directed to the University Park and Health Sciences Campuses starting in FY23, and this deal will last 20 years.
More Information:
https://green.usc.edu/usc-ladwp-solar-and-clean-energy-adder-agreement-faqs%EF%BF%BC/#:~:text=USC%20will%20purchase%20electricity%20and,LADWP)%20Clean%20Energy%20Adder%20program

News Article: https://today.usc.edu/solar-power-usc-ladwp-agreement/

Electrification of Buses with METRO
CLGP worked with the USC Office of Sustainability, Los Angeles METRO, and other local transit agencies to be included in a plan to secure funding for bus electrification through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Rail to Rail Active Transportation Corridor Project
To improve local transportation for our surrounding community, USC submitted a letter of support for the LA Metro Rail to Rail Active Transportation Corridor Project. This project would provide a pedestrian and bicycle corridor between Southeast and South Los Angeles, further connecting communities in the city and providing more incentives for residents to use alternate, sustainable forms of transportation. The letter of support is included in the documents section below.

LABOE Valley Boulevard Rail Crossing Elimination Project Grant Application
The CLGP team also supported a grant application filed by the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering to eliminate four at-grade crossings near the Health Sciences campus. This project would reduce freight queuing and local traffic idling time, and improve community access to the surrounding area. The letter of support is included in the documents section below.

Expo Park Master Plan
USC CLGP serves as USC's appointee to the Exposition Park Master Plan Community Advisory Committee since 2018. As part of this ongoing process, our department works closely with six Expo Park Stakeholders, State, City, and County officials to develop strategies to expand sustainability practices within the park. Expo Park is one of the largest passive green spaces in the City of Los Angeles. As such, the CLGP supports efforts to expand sustainability practices, recycling, zero waste, and recreation opportunities for local youth at Expo Park.

Coliseum Zero Waste Outreach
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ranks as one of the most sustainable stadiums in the country. CLGP works with the Coliseum leadership, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the Los Angeles City Council to develop best practices and advocate for expanding the Coliseum's current sustainability footprint.

Community Clean Ups
CLGP works closely with Los Angeles City Council members to develop community clean-ups around USC’s campuses. These cleanups also include USC student, faculty, and staff volunteers.

Coordination with Mayor's Office
The CLGP team regularly connects the Los Angeles Mayor's office with key university faculty members, researchers, staff, and departments to ensure that USC research is utilized in local public policy discussions.

USC State Government Relations (SGR) is the University’s liaison to the state government and works directly with the state legislature and related agencies to advocate for sustainability efforts that support our communities.

During the reporting period (2020-2023) the USC State Government Relations team was short staffed and thus had limited abilities to track legislation.

USC Federal Government Relations (FGR) 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. USC FGR tracks hearings, legislation, executive orders, and engages with the Congressional delegation, higher education trade associations (AAU, ACE), and relevant counterparts on campus to advance various efforts including those related to sustainability.

At the federal level, the FGR team has advocated for increased funding for the TRIO Federally Funded Programs. This increased funding will provide more students with access to a college education. USC TRIO programs are in 14 LAUSD schools, providing matriculation from 9th-12th grade for low-income, first-generation, and students with disabilities. As a result of this advocacy, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43), Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan (CA-44), and Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) agreed to sign a support letter on behalf of these programs, helping TRIO move closer to its goal of serving 1 million students nationwide.

USC FGR is also tracking hearings, legislation, executive orders, and engaging with the Congressional delegation, higher education trade associations (AAU, ACE), and relevant counterparts on campus to advance the following:

Legislation:
- GREEN Act – Rep. Thompson, amend tax code to provide incentives for renewable energy (Feb. 2021)
- CLEAN Future Act – Rep. Pallone, comprehensive legislation to achieve net zero GHG pollution, combat climate change, put Americans back to work, and rebuild the economy (March 2021)
- American Jobs Plan – President Biden, modernize the nation’s infrastructure (March 2021)
- Endless Frontiers Act – Sens. Schumer and Young, strengthen US leadership in critical technologies through fundamental research (April 2021)
- Climate Smart Ports Act – Rep. Barragan, EPA to establish a grant program to eligible entities to purchase and install zero emissions port equipment and technology (Jan. 2021)

Executive Orders:
- Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis (Jan. 2021)
- Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (Jan. 2021)
- Scientific Integrity Presidential Memorandum (Jan. 2021)
- Establishing the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (Jan. 2021)

USC’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Mick Dalyrmple is a member of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics (LA28) Sustainability Advisory Working Group and participates in quarterly meetings. USC and LA28 have set an overall vision for sustainability of the games and are beginning to assess specific strategies to accomplish this vision.
https://la28.org/content/latwentyeight/en/newsroom/LA28-Collaborates-With-Local-Community-Leaders-to-Plan-For-the-2028-Olympic-and-Paralympic-Games.html
*USC’s Office of Sustainability is mentioned in the third to the last paragraph.

In partnership with the USC Office of Sustainability, USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn signed a letter that expresses USC Athletics’ commitment to participate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, via the United Nations Sports for Climate Action, an initiative that invites sports organizations and their stakeholders to support and help achieve global climate change goals.

The UNFCCC sets out to accomplish two objectives:
• Achieve a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change, through commitments and partnerships according to verified standards, including measuring, reducing, and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the well below 2 degree scenario enshrined in the Paris Agreement
• Use sports as a unifying tool to federate and create solidarity among global citizens for climate action

In order to accomplish the above 2 goals, the UNFCCC has identified five core guiding principles, and requires signatories to express the intent to incorporate and consider these broad goals into strategies, policies and procedures. These principles include:
1. Principle 1: Undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility;
2. Principle 2: Reduce overall climate impact;
3. Principle 3: Educate for climate action;
4. Principle 4: Promote sustainable and responsible consumption;
5. Principle 5: Advocate for climate action through communication.

USC Athletics re-committed to the United Nations' Sports For Climate Action Framework in July 2022. Website link: https://unfccc.int/climate-action/sectoral-engagement/sports-for-climate-action/participants-in-the-sports-for-climate-action-framework#eq-1

From January 5-9, 2021, USC participated in the National (now Global) Council for Science and the Environment annual conference and Global Drawdown – Research to Action Conference to exponentially amplify opportunities for collaboration and progress. The overarching theme of the joint conference was Research to Action: Science and Solutions for a Planet Under Pressure. The first half (January 5–7) was facilitated by NCSE and focused on the physical and social realities of climate change and the way this impacts people, ecosystems, markets, and the places people live. The latter half (January 7–9) was facilitated by Project Drawdown with an objective to share the latest knowledge on climate solutions, and their effective communication and implementation to bring research to action.

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy is committed to advancing post-partisanship, where leaders put people over political parties and work together to find the best ideas and solutions to benefit the people they serve. The Institute seeks to influence public policy and public debate in finding solutions to the serious challenges we face.

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy engages in the following policy areas:

Education
Energy & the Environment
Fiscal & Economic Policy
Health & Human Wellness
Political Reform

Data current as of 11/06/23.