October 2016
Welcome Aboard 2016-17 Fellows!
On October 9th, CivicSpark's newest group of fellows came together for a week-long retreat-style orientation at Redwood Glen in Loma Mar, CA. This year's CivicSpark cohort will be the biggest yet, with 48 Climate fellows and 20 Water fellows for a total of 68 CivicSpark fellows. Throughout the week, the 57 fellows in attendance had the opportunity to hear from notable speakers such as Michael McCormick from the Office of Planning and Research about Federal Responses to Climate Change, Reverend Amanda Ford and Nahal Ghoghaie from the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water on Connecting Service to Environmental Justice and Climate Change, and from Regional Coordinators and CivicSpark staff on various professional development topics. Mitchelle de Leon, one of our former 2015-16 fellows, presented on volunteer engagement, and had the whole cohort up and dancing to re-energize!




Aside from long training days and learning more about climate and water issues, fellows were also able to spend valuable time getting to know their cohort. In their free time, fellows surfed Pescadero Beach, did morning yoga, played basketball and frisbee, and shared their multitude of talents at Open Mic Night. We hope our fellows left orientation inspired and ready to tackle their projects and CivicSpark year at full force!






CIVICSPARK HAS 5 POSITIONS LEFT! Two positions are in the Bay Area, one with the cities of Fremont and Union City working on climate action planning, another in San Jose with the High Speed Rail Authority. Two other positions are in the Sierras, one with the Sierra Business Council and one with the South Yuba River Citizens League. In the Central Valley, there is a position with the Local Government Commission on the Energize Fresno program.  Learn more by going to our website and apply today!

Regional Spotlights
CCA Preparation in Humboldt County
This year, fellow Aisha Cissna will be helping the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) prepare for the roll-out of Humboldt County's Community Choice Aggregate (CCA) program by assisting with community outreach efforts and technical analysis. In May 2017, a CCA will be arriving to Humboldt County! CCAs are entities forming across the state which give communities autonomy over the source of their electricity. Marin, Sonoma, Lancaster, and San Francisco are a few localities already employing AB117 (CCA-enabling legislation) to increase the percentage of renewable energy in their supply mix, decrease the rates their citizens pay for power, and recharge their local economies with new jobs. Currently, PG&E is responsible for the power generation and distribution in HumCo. In May, this Investor Owned Utility (IOU) will still distribute the electricity with their grid and power lines, but the Humboldt-picked energy mix itself will result in GHG emissions that are 5% lower than PG&E's supply. 

Drought Resilience in the Inland Empire
Fellows Steven Kerns and Ana Patricia Lopez will be working within the planning department at the Inland Empire Utility Agency (IEUA) to implement the second phase of their Integrated Water Resources Plan (IRP), create a strategic drought resilience plan, and create a Stormwater Low Impact Development (LID) program. This all falls within the backdrop of creating capacity through strengthening project understanding and communication between the departments of the IEUA as well as all the member agencies for which we serve. The stakes are high, but working with a forward thinking water agency such as the IEUA allows the fellows to set precedents for not only themselves, but for others who are looking for guidance in the fight against water scarcity and climate change.

Fellow Spotlights
Question of the Month: "After attending Orientation, what is the one thing you look forward to as a CivicSpark fellow?"
Skylar Johnson, Sacramento Region
A: "I am eager to be inspired by the work of local governments and to truly understand, appreciate, and participate in the vital work that is being done to address climate change. I hope to improve my communication and networking skills, bolster my confidence and build on my experience in waste diversion tactics. I look forward to practicing and improving my community engagement skills to be of best service to the Sacramento community. I'm also working on learning how to rollerblade (with immense speed!) so I can blade over the Yolo Causeway on my way to work and lower my GHG emissions!"

Skylar is from Ventura, California and recently graduated from the University of California, Davis where she received her Bachelor of Science in Anthropology. In college, she found her passion for sustainability by working for Campus Center for the Environment and Project Compost on sustainability projects. She is particularly motivated by finding ways to rethink the concept of waste. Sky is excited to engage in local politics and hopes to learn more about how to institute changes on a governmental level that will make vital strides in achieving climate change solutions.

Helek Rutten, Central Coast Region
A: "As a new CivicSpark fellow, I am interested in learning more about the role of local government and the people it serves. I am excited to meet the major water arena stakeholders of Monterey County and what they are doing to help integrate the sustainable supply and demand of water within the region. I look forward to gaining new and improved communication skills from my service and from witnessing the success and shortcomings of negotiations from various stakeholders in my projects."

Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Helek graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Economics. While attending university, Helek worked for the campus transportation department as a spatial data manager for campus maps. Helek also worked for an agricultural laboratory which studied organic alternatives to fumigants. Helek is passionate about sustainable agriculture and addressing California's water issues with local responses to help preserve and perpetuate a healthy and happy California. Helek would like to continue studying policies that encourage sustainable economic growth. During his free time, you can expect to see Helek in the ocean, on any mountaintop (snow is preferred), or traveling around the world with a large backpack.

Elena Guevara, Southern California Region
A: "During my 11 month service, I hope to further strengthen my leadership and project management skills within the context of climate change mitigation and overall explore the intersection of sustainability and the public sector. I am also looking forward to learning and interacting with all the AMAZING fellows in the cohort!"

Originally from Orange County, California, Elena attended the University of California, Los Angeles where she majored in Economics and Global Studies and minored in Environmental Systems and Society. Elena currently serves as a Sustainability Associate and Spanish Business Liaison for the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce and is excited to join the Southern California CivicSpark Climate team to help in the fight against climate change in her local community. She hopes that this experience will help her further develop as a sustainability professional and connect her with other individuals passionate about protecting the planet.

Upcoming Events
The 2017 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference is coming to St. Louis, Missouri! The conference will take place February 2-4, 2017 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel.

About CivicSpark
CivicSpark is a statewide Governor's initiative AmeriCorps program implemented by the Local Government Commission in partnership with the Governor's Office of Planning and Research. Regional hubs host 68 fellows across California, building capacity for local government agencies to address climate change and water resource management. The 2016-17 service year starts on Oct. 9th, 2016 and will go through Sept. 2017.
Local Government Commission-Energy Related Emails, 980 9th Street, Suite 1700, Sacramento, CA 95814
Sent by [email protected] powered by
Constant Contact
Try email marketing for free today!