Host: County of Yolo
Region: Northern California
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Adaptation, Climate Mitigation, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy
Skills Needed: Project Management, Research, Marketing, Technical Writing, Detail – Oriented, Flexibility / Adaptability

Service Needs & Plans

The Yolo County Department of Community Service’s Sustainability Division is looking for a CivicSpark Fellow to help plan and implement critical “early action” projects as a part of our ambitious Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). These projects will focus on accelerating equitable building electrification in Yolo County and help the County achieve its goal of achieving net negative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 while ensuring a Just Transition. These early action projects—which include an Electrification Retrofit Rebate Outreach Program (ERRO), a Home Energy Labeling Program, and more—were identified as priority projects by the County’s Climate Action Commission and have been approved in concept by the County’s Board of Supervisors. The CivicSpark Fellow will work closely with the Sustainability Manager to take these projects from planning to implementation.

Project Description

• Overarching goals of the project:
  • Develop project descriptions and project plan for early action projects such as the Electrification Retrofit Rebate Outreach Program (ERRO).
    • The ERRO program is a comprehensive outreach program that will be conducted in partnership with local utilities. It will support low-income households in the
      unincorporated area in accessing $1 billion in electrification rebates in the
      state’s budget as well as other related electrification retrofit rebates for existing residential homes.
    • The Fellow will have the opportunity to work with Valley Clean Energy, the County’s local clean energy provider, to provide technical assistance to low-income households and develop outreach materials to educate County residents about electrification’s economic and environmental benefits.
  • Develop a project description and project plan for early action projects such as the Home Energy Labeling Program.
    • The Home Energy Labeling Program would require homeowners to complete a
      home energy assessment prior to listing a home for sale. The Fellow would
      conduct research and work with partners across the region and beyond to
      outline a plan for how the County would roll out this program, laying the
      foundation for a future Countywide Home Energy Labeling Ordinance.
    • The Fellow will work with the Manager of the Sustainability Division to develop
      a home energy assessment pilot program, and collaborate with partners to
      develop toolkits, checklists, information about rebates/incentives, and other
      recommendations to share with homeowners regarding options to improve
      home energy efficiency.
    • Build out a toolkit of resources that can be used to support home
      electrification in Yolo County for years to come.
  • Broader CAAP Support:
    • The Fellow will also have the opportunity to support the Sustainability Division’s
      communications work and broader CAAP goals —developing content for the Division’s monthly newsletter, social media channels, website and more—as well as the work of the County’s Climate Action Commission, helping to create a strong, consistent messaging for the County’s Climate Action and Sustainability workstreams.
• Role of the Fellow in the project:
  • Early Action Implementation Projects:
    • Research on the programs and development of project descriptions and plans in coordination with staff, consultants, and Commission.
    • Project coordination in the form of meeting coordination, notes, follow-up emails, summaries, and staff report preparation for Commission meetings.
    • Exploration of potential useful technologies and project support.
    • Outreach in the form of supporting the Communications Fellow through
      articles, social media posts, newsletter posts, webpage updates, and in person outreach events to educate on the early action projects and implementation.
    • Support broader climate goals, Commission, staff, and consultants as needed.
• Desired project outcomes in terms of resources developed (e.g., reports, plans, networks, etc.)
  • Electrification Retrofit Rebate Outreach Program (ERRO) project description, project plan, and project implementation with the support of staff, Commission, and consultants.
  • Home Energy Labeling Program project description, plan, and project implementation with the support of staff, Commission, and consultants.
  • Home Energy Labeling toolkit resources to support electrification within the County for years to come.
  • Broader support of climate action goals and social media outreach in coordination with the Communications Fellow.
  • Support in reaching our carbon-negative by 2030 goals by implementation of two projects that will reduce County greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
  • Staff reports and presentations for Commission.
• How these resources will help increase the agency’s capacity to address the resilience challenges you described in the previous section.
  • Early Action Projects:
    • Plan and implement two Early Action Projects that will lower County emissions.
    • Educate the public on residential opportunities for efficiency and renewables, which can reduce emissions.
    • Push the Yolo County 2030 CAAP goals to fruition by taking on two
      identified critical Early Action Projects.

Desired Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Proficient research skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to design and prepare County plans
• Ability to coordinate and prepare public outreach materials
• Ability to coordinate projects across internal and external partners
• Ability to time manage and prioritize among multiple competing demands
• Ability to work effectively with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Ability to work independently and part of a team
• Eagerness to learn new skills
• Passion for climate action and emissions reductions
• Proficiency with Microsoft suite

Organization & Community Highlights

In September of 2020, the County Board of Supervisors adopted a Climate Emergency Resolution (Resolution No. 20-114) that “declares climate change a crisis requiring urgent and immediate mobilization of public and private resources to develop and implement a climate and sustainability plan that identifies and integrates current and future actions needed to achieve a just economic recovery and transition to a countywide carbon negative footprint by 2030.” This new target requires the County to prepare a new Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) which must incorporate the principles of equity and justice. 

 

The Board’s resolution also called for the establishment of a broad-based advisory board which incorporates the participation of indigenous and underserved communities to guide the preparation of the CAAP. This advisory board, the Yolo County Climate Action Commission, is now up and running and ready to guide the CAAP development process with a focus on social justice and equity. 

As we move into the next stage of CAAP development, we plan on developing a series of technical advisory committees on critical topics such as agriculture, mobility, food security/sovereignty, economic opportunity, and social justice to solicit feedback that will guide the development of the various sections of our CAAP. We need the support of a CivicSpark Fellow to help guide these working groups and facilitate the heavy outreach needed to undertake a truly inclusive and comprehensive outreach process. The 22-23 CivicSpark Fellow assisted in Natural and Working Lands Working Group organization and CAAP Early Action Projects, and it is our hope that the new CivicSpark Fellow will continue to implement Early Action Projects with County Staff, the Climate Action Commission, consultants, and other public and private partners.

Remote or On-Site Placement

Remote/In-region