Title
Accept Updated Equity Priority Analysis Approach (Action Item)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
BACKGROUND
The City uses social vulnerability mapping, which is now known as equity priority mapping, to implement equity goals as recently approved by City Council in the General Plan (November 2021), as well as the Vision Zero Action Plan (2021) and the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP, 2019).
The City currently uses the vulnerability assessment developed as part of the CARP. The CARP vulnerability assessment builds on the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) approach as first shown in the Adapting to Rising Tides program. BCDC continues to update its community vulnerability mapping as shown here: <https://www.bcdc.ca.gov/data/community.html>. The BCDC assessment and other vulnerability assessments have been developed using various indicators as described in Exhibits 1 and 2.
DISCUSSION
After considering various approaches to updating the City of Alameda community vulnerability mapping, staff recommends using the BCDC community vulnerability mapping to support equity prioritization. This BCDC method provides a continuity of approach, detailed geographic information using Census blocks, many indicators and is updated consistently. While Census blocks offer the highest level of detail available in the Census data, some areas still are not detailed adequately as previously discussed at Transportation Commission meetings such as the area around Bayport (Figure 1). City staff takes into account the limitations of the vulnerability assessment data when prioritizing projects throughout the City.
Figure 1: Census Block Boundaries used in BCDC Vulnerability Assessment
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Acceptance of the equity priority analysis approach will have no impact on the General Fund. The recommended equity priority analysis is designed to be accomplished within existing (or anticipated) approved budgets and with existing (or anticipated) funding sources, where the City is the lead agency. Final budget decisions on specific programs and capital projects will be made by the City Council when it approves the Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Program.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The General Plan’s policies reinforce four broad themes: equity, access, environment and character. For equity, the goal is to promote a healthy, equitable and inclusive city, and states:
“General Plan 2040 policies promote equity, environmental justice, and a high quality of life for everyone irrespective of income, race, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background or ability by recognizing and changing local policies, programs, ordinances, and practices that serve to perpetuate injustices suffered by under-served and underrepresented populations and proactively engaging these populations in all City decision making.”
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Acceptance of the equity priority analysis approach is statutorily exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule that CEQA only applies to actions that have the potential to cause a significant impact on the environment.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Since vehicle miles traveled in Alameda is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda, City staff is expecting that equitable multimodal transportation improvements would have a positive climate impact.
RECOMMENDATION
Accept Updated Equity Priority Analysis Approach.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Exhibits:
1. Equity Prioritization Presentation
2. Equity Prioritization Memo