Dear Colleagues,

Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 246 (Wieckowski, PRC 71354) in 2015, which directs the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to form the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program (ICARP). The Program is designed to develop a cohesive and coordinated response to the impacts of climate change across the state. Through its activities, the Program will develop holistic strategies to coordinate climate activities at the state, regional and local levels, while advancing social equity.

The Program has two components: the State Adaptation Clearinghouse and the Technical Advisory Council (TAC).

The State Adaptation Clearinghouse is a centralized source of information and resources to assist decision makers at the state, regional, and local levels when planning for and implementing climate adaptation projects to promote resiliency across California.  The Clearinghouse allows you to navigate a searchable database of adaptation and resilience resources that have been organized by climate impact, topic, and region.  Importantly, this resource also provides a platform for Californians to share and access case studies and stories about how and why their communities, businesses, and organizations are responding to climate change impacts. ResilientCA.org has been developed by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research in response to Senate Bill 246. Web development and site design has been conducted by Geospatial Innovation Facility at University of California, Berkeley in partnership with the California Naturalist Program, and the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Statewide Program in Informatics and GIS.

The types of resource included in the Clearinghouse include, but are not limited to:

• Assessments, plans or strategies
• Communication or educational materials
• Planning and/or policy guidance
• Data, tools, and research
• Case studies, projects, or examples

 The Technical Advisory Council brings together local government, practitioners, scientists, and community leaders to help coordinate activities that better prepare California for the impacts of a changing climate. The advisory council support the office's goals to facilitate coordination among state, regional, and local agency efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change by:

• Developing tools and guidance
• Promoting and coordinating state agency support for local and regional efforts
• Informing state-led programs, including state planning processes, grant programs, and guideline development, to better reflect the goals, efforts and challenges faced by local and regional entities pursuing adaptation, preparedness and resilience.

Resources include databases to access climate adaptation data and tools, California legislation and policies, climate change funding opportunities, and resource guidance for planning and implementing climate resiliency projects.

Legislation and policy

• California Legislation
• Governor's Executive Orders on Climate Change
• Official California Legislative Information
• California Climate Change Portal

Funding, data, and tools to plan research projects

• Cool California (GHG Emissions Reductions/Funding Wizard)
• Cal-Adapt

Resource guides and reports

• Climate Action Team Reports
• Planning and Investing for a Resilient California: A Guidebook for State Agencies
• Safeguarding California Plan: 2018 Update
• Vulnerable Populations Guidebook (EO B-30-15)
• Defining Vulnerable Communities in the Context of Climate Adaptation
• Community Engagement Best Practices
• Resiliency Guidebook Equity Checklist

To receive climate adaptation information and updates from Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP), please register to sign-up for the program's list serve.

Thank you.

Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)