South Bay Watch

SOUTH BAY Fall 2021

SOUTH BAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

WATCH

22nd SBCCOG General Assembly Back? to the Future: Reimagining the South Bay Thursday, March 24, 2022

9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (lunch included) Juanita Millender McDonald Community Center, Carson.

Join us at our 22nd annual conference, bringing together South Bay communities to address issues of mutual interest. Our program will explore public and private sector perspectives on the future of the South Bay— smart, livable, robust and vibrant. In addition to our speakers, county, state and federal legislators representing the South Bay are also invited.

A ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE What GIS is, and What it Can Do for South Bay Cities

G

eographic information systems, known as GIS, are a way to organize, analyze and display any data that has a location.

For a city, that data can be anything from the demographics of the people living around a park, to a full schematic of the city’s water system, according to Barry Waite, Lomita city council member and adjunct professor of GIS at the

IN THIS ISSUE

PAGE 3 An Abundance of Wildlife Calls Torrance Home at the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve

University of Southern California’s School of Policy Planning and Development. It can answer questions like, ‘What kind of street trees are damaging sidewalks?’

It can help planners and residents see what a proposed project will look like in the context of existing buildings.

More broadly, cities can use GIS to map environmental and infrastructure conditions that may enable assessment »

PAGE 4 Enter SBCCOG’s “Why I Love the South Bay” Photo Contest

PAGE 5 Saving Water = Saving Money with West Basin Municipal Water District Programs

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Benefactors $5,000, Port of Los Angeles Sponsors $2,500, Cox Communications, Water Replenishment District of Southern California Add your name as a sponsor now and start receiving recognition immediately.

Contact Chandler Sheilds at Chandler@ southbaycities.org to sign up for one of the following categories: Golden Circle: $10,000 • Patron: $7,500 • Benefactor: $5,000 • Sponsor: $2,500 Watch for more notices and check southbaycities.org/22nd-annual-generalassembly for more information.

PAGE 5 Community Reaps Savings from Gas Company Partnership

PAGE 6 Upgrades to State’s Power Grid Will Ensure A Resilient Clean Energy Future

2

COVER STORY of alternative solutions to issues to help them arrive at more sound policy decisions.

South Bay Watch invited Waite and Bonnie Shrewsbury, manager of GIS for the City of Manhattan Beach and also an adjunct professor of GIS at USC, to explain what this technology can do and how cities can and should tap into it to better plan for the future.

Q: Is GIS technology new? How did it evolve and why do we seem to be hearing more about it lately?

A: It is a fairly new technology, having started around 1970. It became much more powerful and easier to use in the mid-1990s.

The first time SBCCOG used GIS for a

project was in 1995 as a planning tool. If you are just now hearing about it, it’s because it has been quietly working in the background.

Now, it has worked its way to the foreground as capabilities and ease-of-use have grown, while its cost has dropped. It is a tool that can be useful in any city department. Most of our communities locally have been using GIS in their day-to-day operations for at least 20 years. With the advent of mobile GIS that facilitates capture and analysis of geospatial data and information in the field, along with the evolution of cloud computing—which facilitates easy and instantaneous data storage and sharing—you now have a recipe for rapid and widespread adoption.

SBCCOG Offers GIS Services for Member Agencies With city and county planning processes increasingly relying on GIS to provide data and products to regional agencies, as well as to make decisions regarding land use (e.g., Regional Housing Needs Assessment compliance), demand for GIS-related skills and resources is growing.

The SBCCOG can provide GIS services via its trained technical staff and resources to member agencies in the following areas:

Map making (e.g., address geocoding and hotspot analysis) Applications development and data management Data collection and coordination with other public agencies (e.g., County of Los Angeles’ Internal Services Department Enterprise GIS Group) GIS services draft Request for Proposals (RFP) (e.g., high resolution digital aerial imagery)

To learn more about this service and how cities can tap into it, visit southbaycities.org/gis or contact Chandler Sheilds at chandler@southbaycities.org /310-371-7222. Scan QR code to submit a service request.

Q: Map making is not a new thing. What can this technology do that couldn’t be done prior to its advent?

A: GIS is far more than making maps.

The strength of it is that data of all kinds is in reusable layers, such as parcels or streets, that can be mixed and matched and analyzed in relationship to each other. For example, it can help answer questions like how much do residents within a 10-minute walk of a location spend on restaurant meals? Or how many seniors live in walking distance of a particular park? You can’t do that with a paper map.

Q: Sounds like this technology has all sorts of untapped potential. Describe what you see in the future for GIS technology as it relates to municipal and governmental uses.

A: The future is in sharing data and combining it. For example, we want to know how traffic moves between our communities. The technology brings together the data from each of those cities and the county seamlessly. To the user, it is as if it is all coming from one place.

Combining it with mobile GIS allows a police officer in the field to use a cellphone to see areas impacted by a power outage, or shows a building inspector likely locations to check after an earthquake, just using a phone. As more data is created and shared between agencies, the value of GIS grows and grows.

Q: Is there anything else you would like people to know about this burgeoning technology?

A: It doesn’t happen by itself. You need to have trained staff. It could be people already in your organization such as planners, engineers, or IT professionals with some added training. Just as importantly, you’ll want to maintain your data. While the county maintains parcels and a lot of other data, your streets and local data need to be maintained by your staff as part of their normal workflow.

Most importantly, know that GIS is a tool for collaboration both between departments within the organization and between organizations. We can do much more working together, and GIS is a great way to make that happen. •

CITY SHOWCASE

3

URBAN NATURE ZONE Foresight Leads to Preservation of Torrance Gem for Wildlife to Thrive and People to Enjoy Written by Tracy Drake, Park Services Manager, City of Torrance

T

he Madrona Marsh Preserve is thought to be the last remaining freshwater marsh in Los Angeles County. It is one of the city of Torrance’s finest achievements in the context of natural resource conservation.

The marsh is a remnant natural vernal wetland complex that includes ancient dunes, coastal prairie, vernal pools and seasonal wetlands sustained by historic drainage from the San Gabriel Mountains.

Between 10 and 20 acres of the preserve is a vernal/seasonal wetland that fills in the winter and spring and is completely dry by late summer or early fall. The drier portions form a coastal prairie habitat—the largest in the state—with vernal pools that fill with rainwater and dry completely in about one week to three months.

This seasonal regime produces a unique ecosystem. Its significance is evidenced by the diversity of life that can be seen any time of the year. Within the approximately 43 acres, more than 250 species of plants,

more than 65 families of insects, two amphibians, five reptiles and about 269 species of birds have used the preserve mostly during spring and fall migration. Also, at least three mammal species reside on the preserve yearly.

RESCUED FROM DEVELOPMENT Since oil was discovered at Madrona in the early 1920’s, the city of Torrance has been in a state of constant development. When builders wanted to develop this parcel of land during the early 1970’s, a local citizens’ group petitioned and lobbied against development, stating that the community needed to retain at least one natural area as a historical reminder of this distinctive ecosystem.

In 1971, city officials agreed to set aside 35 acres as a nature preserve, and left an adjoining large strip of land just east of the preserve as an agricultural field. In 1982, the preserve was again considered for development. Planners envisioned a series of office buildings and town homes.

Clockwise from Left: Seasonal wetlands on the Madrona Marsh fill up following the rainy season in the late spring. The wetland serves as a stop on the Pacific Flyway, which extends from Alaska to Patagonia, where migratory birds stop to rest, find sources of food and breed.

Madrona Marsh Preserve serves as inspiration for many local artists of all ages, who find their muse in its abundant foliage and wildlife.

The elegant species known as the Snowy Egret frequently dazzles visitors and wildlife photographers at the Madrona Marsh Preserve.

The Acmon Blue, a North American butterfly that lives primarily in California, can be seen at Madrona in late spring and early summer.

CITY SHOWCASE

4

The same citizens, known as the Friends of Madrona Marsh, rallied for Madrona to be permanantly set aside as a nature preserve. After careful negotiations, the city decided to allow the development, but limited to the eastern agricultural fields.

A PRESERVE FOR WILDLIFE AND THE PUBLIC The Madrona Marsh has a Nature Center in which programs and exhibits are designed to increase public awareness about the history of the preserve and promote environmental science and preservation.

There are monthly programs, such as bird walks, nature hikes for children and adults, art classes, microscope water labs, and Junior and Senior Naturalist programs.

Additionally, there are special events such as art shows, night hikes, astronomy events, guided tours for groups such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, church groups and school classes. By giving tours, visitors are introduced to the practice of restoration on the preserve and their awareness of the importance and need for volunteer community service is heightened.

The Nature Center offers volunteer positions, internships and research opportunities to adults, as well as students in high school and college. • The Madrona Marsh Nature Center and Preserve is open Tuesday though Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information please call 310-782-3989 or visit friendsofmadronamarsh.com.

Enter the SBCCOG’s “Why I Love the South Bay” Photo Contest

SBCCOG Senior Communications Project Manager Colleen Farrell recently snapped this image of the Point Vicente Light House off the Rancho Palos Verdes Coast.

The SBCCOG is in search of your best photographs that showcase what is unique and beautiful about the South Bay and where you find beauty in your community. The SBCCOG’s new quarterly photo contest kicks off January 1, 2022. This is an opportunity for the community to show off their best images. Entries must be received by 5 p.m., February 28, 2022. A winning photo will be selected each quarter by the SBCCOG staff and board of directors and featured on the SBCCOG’s website home page, its social media channels and in its quarterly newsletter South Bay Watch. The first winner will be announced and showcased at the March 24, 2022 General Assembly event. Visit southbaycities.org/photo-contest to enter and review contest rules and deadlines.

5

EVERY DROP COUNTS Fall into Money Savings with West Basin Municipal Water District Programs

W

ith the Governor’s call for a voluntary 15 percent water use reduction, West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) is ready to support and provide programs to reach water conservation goals across the community.

Creating actionable programs and rebates that can greatly reduce water usage is imperative in maintaining local precious drinking water resources. West Basin urges all qualifying residents and businesses to take full advantage of its programs, workshops and rebates to continue saving water and money this fall.

GRASS REPLACEMENT REBATE PROGRAM Reduce outdoor water use by participating in the Grass Replacement Rebate Program, starting at $3 per square foot of grass removed. West Basin offers a variety of online resources, including a step-by-

step guide to apply for the rebate, climate appropriate plant portfolios for inspiration, and landscape contractors. Residents are required to apply for the rebate before beginning their project.

West Basin Chats is a new webinar series aimed at answering Grass Replacement rebate questions.

For more information, please visit westbasin.org/grass-replacement.

FREE RAIN BARREL PROGRAM Rain barrels provide a great way to conserve water and reduce runoff. Each can collect up to 50 gallons of rain water for reuse in gardens and landscaped areas. Since 2015, West Basin has provided more than 14,000 rain barrels (free of charge) to residents located in West Basin’s 17 cities and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles

SoCalGas + SBCCOG = Working Together For A More Sustainable And Livable South Bay Since 2003, SoCalGas (The Gas Company) and SBCCOG have jointly implemented the South Bay Cities Partnership Program. Through this program, all SBCCOG member cities and South Bay K-12 schools have access to SoCalGas core programs and incentives—providing opportunities to increase energy efficiency in their facilities through energy saving actions.

Successes include: • Energy savings: In the period 2018 – 2021, public agencies have saved more than 165,000 gross therms and the Gas Company has paid them more than $225,000 in incentives.

• Benchmarking activities: In 2020 more than 400 utility accounts were connected to the Energy Star Portfolio Manager system and seven facilities completed the benchmark process.

• Community outreach: Since 2018 SBCCOG and SoCalGas hosted more than 100 community events and, adapting to COVID-19, began to pivot to virtual events, hosting 10 virtual community events, eight virtual business events, 50 virtual network meetings and 11 virtual workshops. These events provided valuable information on how businesses and residents can save energy.

For information on ways to save energy go to: southbaycities.org/energy-efficiency.

Rain barrel water can be used for watering the lawn or garden, washing the car and cleaning outdoor items.

County, saving millions of gallons of water.

West Basin is now offering up to two rain barrels per address free of charge. For a limited time, West basin will provide free home delivery, or the barrels can be picked up at two West Basin hosted drive-through distribution events at West Basin’s Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility in El Segundo on January 29, 2022, or at West Basin’s Donald L. Dear Headquarters Building in Carson on February 5, 2022.

To qualify, residents must live in West Basin’s service area, must not have participated in prior giveaway events, and must submit a photo of their installed rain barrel(s) within 30 days of receipt.

Learn more and register for either the rain barrel home delivery program or one of the two upcoming distribution events at westbasin.org/rain-barrels or by calling 310-371-4633.

CASH FOR KITCHENS PROGRAM West Basin provides a tailored program to restaurants and commercial kitchens offering increased rebates for eligible air-cooled ice machines up to $3,000, and up to $6,000 for Energy Star dishwashers.

Free water-saving, pre-rinse spray valves and flow restrictors are provided to all eligible participants to begin reducing their operating costs.

A water efficiency survey offered through this program can assist your business in identifying additional water saving opportunities. • For more information, please visit westbasin. org/c4ksurvey.

6

PERSPECTIVE

Clean Power Alliance will receive 100 megawatts of clean energy storage capacity from TerraGen’s Edwards Sanborn Solarplus-Storage facility, located in the Mojave Desert.

Published November 17, 2021 by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments A quarterly bulletin to inform local leaders of subregional progress and alert them to emerging issues Governing Board:

GOING RENEWABLE

Chair Drew Boyles, El Segundo

As California Sets Ambitious Clean Energy Goals, It’s Largest Community Energy Provider Keeps Pace to Ensure Grid’s Resiliency

1st Vice Chair John Cruikshank, Rancho Palos Verdes

C

By Ted Bardacke, Executive Director, Clean Power Alliance lean Power Alliance (CPA) is the fifth largest electricity provider in California and the single largest provider of 100% renewable energy to customers in the nation.

We take our responsibility to reliably integrate renewable energy into the grid very seriously, as we believe the future of our state, our nation, and the environmental health of our planet requires a seismic shift toward 100%.

Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs), which allow communities to choose their own electricity sources, such as Clean Power Alliance, throughout California have been adding renewable energy to the state’s power grid at a rapid pace. These additions are necessary to meet state and federal requirements, as well as prepare for the impending closure of the massive 2,200-megawatt Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, located in Avila Beach, Calif.

Here at CPA, our focus is on reliably integrating high levels of renewable energy into the electricity grid to meet the state’s demand and reduce the need for rolling blackouts during climate-induced heatwaves, while also getting closer to its goal of carbon neutrality. Our progress is most evident with three announcements in just a month’s time. On September 30, we joined Hecate Grid, a leader in developing local energy storage projects, as they marked the completion of the Johanna Energy Storage System (ESS) in Santa Ana, CA. The 20-megawatt (MW), 80-megawatt hour (MWh) Johanna ESS is a grid-connected, stand-alone source of short-term energy storage designed to reduce grid congestion.

On October 15, we announced that CPA will

begin receiving energy from the High Desert Solar-plus-Storage facility, which will provide 300,000 MWh of clean power each year to CPA customers, enough to power 46,904 Southern California homes and avoid 72,660 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

And in early November, CPA will begin receiving 100 MW of clean energy storage capacity from Terra-Gen’s Edwards Sanborn Solar-plus-Storage facility. The 15-year contract will add flexible new-build storage capacity to CPA’s already diversified energy mix which includes wind, hydropower, geothermal, solar, solar-plus-storage and standalone storage.

We will also soon announce the many member agency locations which will begin receiving clean backup power for their essential facilities, via our Power Ready program. CPA is partnering with these agencies to install solar and battery storage at an essential facility of the member agency’s choice. These solar and storage systems will provide community resilience by serving as clean backup power during natural disasters, investor-owned utility public safety power shutoff events, or other outages, while also providing benefits to CPA during normal operation in the form of load shifting and demand response.

CPA understands the importance of reliability as California balances the swift implementation of renewable energy onto its electricity grid, which remains dependent upon fossil fuels to meet the needs of its population. However, we are not alone in helping create the future of the California power grid. We enjoy watching as other CCAs throughout the state join us in creating a reliable carbon-free energy future. •

To view Clean Power Alliance’s 2020 Impact Report, visit: https://bit.ly/3GzwM4u or for complete information regarding CPA visit cleanpoweralliance.org.

2nd Vice Chair Cedric Hicks, Carson Immediate Past Chair Olivia Valentine, Hawthorne Members: Carson , County of LA, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance SBCCOG Executive Director Jacki Bacharach Legal Counsel Michael Jenkins, Best Best & Krieger LLP Treasurer Joseph Lillio Director of Finance, City of El Segundo

To subscribe to SBCCOG newsletters or view past editions, visit southbaycities.org/newsletter.

To view a schedule of SBCCOG meetings, visit southbaycities.org/calendar.

Website: southbaycities.org

Like us: facebook.com/SBCCOG facebook.com/SBESC Follow us: @SouthBayCC @SBESC