Quantifying Social Equity Benefit for Capital Project Investment Prioritization

Presentation Description: When making decisions on funding Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects, more government agencies are addressing social equity and environmental justice, especially after the passing of Senate Bill No. 1000 (SB1000) in 2016. SB 1000 requires jurisdictions to prioritize projects and actions that address existing and potential social equity disparities. Defined in California Law, social equity is the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
This presentation is based on a research effort that Black & Veatch conducted for the City of West Sacramento recently to examine tools and technologies, case studies, and varying approaches for quantifying benefits that capital projects may have to address social equity disparities. This presentation will be co-presented between Black & Veatch, the City of West Sacramento, and Dr. Brinkley with the UC Davis Center for Regional Change.
The following are the main focuses of this presentation:
1. SB 1000 and the SB 1000 implementation toolkit prepared by the California Environmental Justice Alliance
2. Case studies of agencies who are using social equity to prioritize investment, including how they engaged with the local community
3. Tools to quantify social equity benefit, like the UCD Regional Opportunity Index and CalEnviroScreen
4. Funding opportunities which align with disadvantaged communities or environmental justice
5. Next steps for agencies interested in further developing a social equity or environmental justice program