Marin County Sea Level Rise Adaptation Organizational Structure and Decision Making Process

Agency:	Marin County
State:	California
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services
Posted:	Sep 29, 2023
Due:	Oct 27, 2023
Solicitation No:	RFP 320
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Category:	Professional Services
Proposal Number:	RFP 320
Issue Date:	September 29, 2023
Project Description:	The County of Marin, “the County,” is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to make recommendations to the County on its structural and governance approach to sea level rise adaptation and resilience planning and project delivery. This effort will result in a set of recommendations to help inform the answer to two key questions: 1) How can Marin County best work with its residents, cities, towns, State and Federal agencies in advancing solutions to sea level rise? 2) How can the County organize County staff and resources to effectively and efficiently prepare for sea level rise and deliver future adaptation projects?
Project Information:	Notice to Bidders [PDF]
Mandatory Walkthrough:
Question Submittal Date:	10/13/23 5:00 PM
Submission Due By:	10/27/23 5:00 PM
Contact:	Ariel Espiritu Santo
Delivery Address:	Submit Electronic proposals to Ariel Espiritu Santo

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Request for Proposals

Marin County Sea Level Rise Adaptation Organizational Structure and Decision-

Making Process

Introduction

Overview

The County of Marin, “the County,” is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to make recommendations

to the County on its structural and governance approach to sea level rise adaptation and resilience planning

and project delivery. This effort will result in a set of recommendations to help inform the answer to two key

questions: 1) How can Marin County best work with its residents, cities, towns, State and Federal agencies in

advancing solutions to sea level rise? 2) How can the County organize County staff and resources to effectively

and efficiently prepare for sea level rise and deliver future adaptation projects?

Background

Sea Level Rise Impacts and Challenges in Marin County

Marin County is one of the most vulnerable counties to sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area. The

county has over 70 miles of coastal and 40 miles of bay shoreline, much of which is low lying and subject to

direct tidal flooding as well as creek and storm flooding. Rising sea levels will deeply impact Marin communities

across many aspects of day-to-day life; recent assessments estimate that by 2100 around 7,000 acres, 9,000

parcels, 10,000 buildings and 120 miles of roads throughout Marin County will be exposed to sea level rise and

the 100-year storm. While Marin’s sea level rise vulnerabilities have been well studied and documented, there is

no formalized approach to adaptation policy and projects either within the County organization or across the

multitude of jurisdictions and responsible entities that have a role in sea level rise response. Addressing sea

level rise is challenging in Marin County; some key challenges include:

 Much of the Marin shoreline where adaptation is needed is in private ownership.

 Communities, public access, vital habitats, and major infrastructure are concentrated along vulnerable

areas.

 Complex environmental permitting and regulatory regimes were created decades ago and are ill-

equipped to address the transformative impacts of climate change; and there is a substantial difference

in coastal project requirements versus bay-side ones.

 Multiple jurisdictions, agencies, communities, and property owners have a stake in sea level response

decisions which have implications for public shoreline access that affect all Marin residents and visitors.

 There is a need to achieve shared understanding of objectives for sea level response and obtain broad-

based community input that builds support and includes interest groups.

 A lack of dedicated budget and resources for sea level rise outreach and engagement means that it is

done on a project and grant-based level, which limits its effectiveness and impact.

 Sea level rise planning is carried out separately from flood preparation and response, despite the clear

connection. In addition, social and climate vulnerability are complex and intertwined, yet spread between

different County programs and departments.

 There is a gap between identified vulnerabilities in Marin County and implemented solutions, and a

shrinking window to bridge this gap before sea level rise rapidly escalates flooding and damages.

These challenges make progress difficult to achieve resilience quickly and highlight the need for a cohesive

long-term strategic approach.

Current Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Policy/Project Implementation Efforts

The County currently has two programs focused on planning for sea level rise impacts and adaptation:

 BayWAVE program for Marin's bay shoreline, led by Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW),

with participation by waterfront cities and towns and the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM)1.

 C-SMART program for West Marin’s ocean coast, led by Marin County Community Development

Agency (CDA)2.

These two efforts bring multiple agencies together to look at the issue of sea level rise and to share information,

but do not have official standing as governing bodies. In addition to these two programs, Marin has completed

several studies/reports related to sea level rise.

In May 2016, Marin County completed an Ocean Coast Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment3 and in May

2017, Marin County completed its BayWAVE Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment (BVA)4 for the San

Francisco Bay shoreline. The BVA evaluated future impacts on unincorporated county land and the eight cities

that share the waterfront by assessing impacts to shoreline assets, including buildings, open space, agriculture,

and infrastructure. Building on that work, County staff authored an “Adaptation Land Use Planning Guidance for

Marin County Local Governments” report aimed at identifying a planning approach to accommodate stakeholder

engagement and presenting cross-jurisdictional approaches to address shared impacts. The report also

highlights regulatory/tax/market-based tools, case studies on acquisition programs, tax/impact fee programs,

and geologic hazard abatement districts; and a sample zoning overlay5. The County has also produced several

studies on the multiple benefits that nature-based adaptation strategies like wetlands and dunes could offer in

west Marin.

Marin County’s general plan, known as the Marin Countywide Plan (CWP) also addresses sea level rise. The

Safety Element (named Environmental Hazards in the CWP) contains policies that relate to sea level rise

adaptation and some direction for the County’s planning. The Biological Resources (BIO) and Environmental

Hazards (EH) sections are particularly pertinent to sea level rise. The County also has a Local Coastal Program

(LCP) for its coastal area6; while some portions of an updated LCP were recently adopted, the Environmental

Hazards policies have been in place since 1982 and do not fully reflect current policies and projects related to

sea level rise and its impacts.

Finally, a 2020 Marin Civil Grand Jury report calls out many challenges related to Sea Level Rise planning in

Marin and recommends a multi-jurisdictional structure to manage climate change adaptation in the County7.

Current Sea Level Rise Adaptation Projects

Currently, adaptation project delivery within the County is dependent on the location of the project. Within the

unincorporated County, DPW, CDA and the Parks Department all have adaptation projects or efforts in

development. Various non-County agencies, private entities, non-governmental organizations, and others are

1 https://www.marincounty.org/main/sea-level-rise/baywave

2 https://www.marincounty.org/depts/cd/divisions/planning/csmart-sea-level-rise

3 https://www.marincounty.org/-/media/files/departments/cd/planning/slr/c-

smart/2018/01_draft_title_pages_toc_va_slr_18_02_05.pdf?la=en

4 https://www.marincounty.org/-/media/files/departments/cd/planning/slr/baywave/vulnerability-assessment-

final/final_allpages_bvbconsulting_reduced.pdf?la=en

5 https://www.marincounty.org/-/media/files/departments/cd/slr/alup0228.pdf?la=en

6 https://www.marincounty.org/depts/cd/divisions/planning/local-coastal-program

7 https://www.marincounty.org/-/media/files/departments/gj/reports-responses/2019-20/climate-change--how-

will-marin-adapt.pdf?la=en

also moving forward adaptation projects in the County (view adaptation projects in Google Maps)8 . These

projects may support habitat restoration, flood protection, and/or future sea level rise resiliency. In most cases,

these projects were funded and prioritized based on available local, state, and federal grants, and based on the

project’s ability to address priority needs as identified by the delivering entity (e.g. city, town, County

department). The County recognizes that this approach will not be optimal going forward, especially within a

growing regional framework and requirements around planning such as Bay Adapt and Senate Bill 272 (Laird),

and the need to incorporate equity into climate response.

Current Flood Reduction Efforts

Existing flooding reduction efforts, both tidal and riverine, are actively managed through the Marin County Flood

Control and Water Conservation District (District). The District was formed in 1953 by an act of the California

State Legislature with the primary purpose of controlling flood and storm waters of streams which flow within

and into the county. The Marin County Flood Control and Conservation District Board of Supervisors sits as its

board and the District is staffed by DPW. Eight "zones" within the District have been established to address

specific issues related to flooding within individual watersheds. However, the flood zones are built around

watershed (fluvial) flooding and do not cover much of the shoreline and as such were not designed for the bay-

coastal flooding impacts of sea level rise. The District currently factors tidal variances into flood control work

because rising receiving waters creates an outlet control situation that hinders or prevents the flow of

stormwater off of the land. Current flood control projects are designed to accommodate varying amounts of

future sea level rise.

Scope of Work/ Project Goals

Responding to Sea Level Rise is among the top priorities of the Board of Supervisors. Recognizing the need

for a comprehensive strategy for effective planning and project implementation across disciplines and

jurisdictions, the Board of Supervisors allocated funding to establish governance and implementation structures

within the County organization and beyond. The County anticipates that both internal mechanisms in the form

of staffing and organizational functions, and external mechanisms in the form of a multijurisdictional entity, may

be required. This project will recommend a structural/governance approach that achieves the following

objectives:

1. Coordinated Sea Level Rise adaptation program: Create an entity that will prepare a Countywide

adaptation program which identifies specific policies and implementable strategies for adapting to

climate change and garners the support of County stakeholders including Cities/Towns, other

agencies (e.g. water, sewer, transportation, emergency response) and the community at large.

2. Build upon existing efforts: Build upon efforts that are completed or underway within the County or

at the local, regional, state or national level. Many entities are grappling with planning for the impacts

of sea level rise. This project should aim to, whenever possible, build upon existing work and avoid

duplicating effort.

3. Maximize Funding Opportunities: Position Marin to be competitive to receive regional, state and

federal funding for projects. Understand the landscape of funding sources applicable to sea level rise

flooding and climate change at regional, state, and federal levels. Discuss organizational and

program approaches to maximizing the ability of the County to obtain regional, State and Federal

grants. Pursue other funding/financing streams as appropriate.

4. Using a race equity lens, create an inclusive and transparent approach that engages all

relevant stakeholders: Effective sea level rise planning and project implementation involves

important funding and policy tradeoffs and competing considerations. Individuals and organizations

within and outside the County structure are deeply invested in current solutions. Proposals should

describe how the consultant team plans to incorporate racial equity into the recommended

8 https://mgsa-

marinmap.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c389ba718c794806811514a9a10542bb

strategies, including ensuring access to decision-making in the planning process. The diversity of

linguistic and cultural backgrounds of residents should also be incorporated into the plan.

The effort laid out in this RFP will result in a set of recommendations to help inform the answer to two key

questions: 1) How can Marin County best work with its residents, cities, towns, State and Federal agencies in

advancing solutions to sea level rise? 2) How can the County organize County staff to effectively and efficiently

respond to sea level rise and deliver future adaptation projects? Based on the outcome of this effort, staff will

make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors and identify next steps with regards to staffing and

partnerships.

Phase 1: Recommend County-wide Sea Level Rise Decision-Making Model: How can Marin County best

work with its residents, cities, towns, State and Federal agencies in advancing solutions to sea level rise?

Since 2014, Marin County has been working with local jurisdictions to assess vulnerabilities and implement

adaptation policies and projects through an unofficial leadership position, meaning that the County convenes

meetings with and among groups such as BayWAVE and C-SMART but is not using its authority as a County

Government to do so.

This phase of the project will propose a governance structure that can address County-wide sea level rise and

adequately respond to the current and near future regional, state and federal public policy landscape.

Task 1: Information Gathering – County-wide and Regional Sea Level Rise Efforts

A. Identify key stakeholders in Marin County and the region with regards to sea level rise. Gather

information from these stakeholders regarding their priorities and goals related to sea level rise planning

and project development, feedback on the pros and cons of the County’s current structure, conflicts

between stakeholder priorities, and perceived barriers to adaptation implementation.

B. Document existing organizational structures and decision-making processes for current sea level rise

adaptation planning and implementation efforts within County departments, cities, towns, and other

partner agencies (e.g. wastewater, water, transportation) within the County.

C. Identify existing best practices and highlight opportunities for improvement as it pertains to the County’s

response to sea level rise.

D. Identify relevant best practices in how the County is managing other components of climate change

such as Wildfire, Storms and Heatwaves.

E. Develop a strategy for stakeholder engagement, for the project period (determining a governance

structure). The goal is to include stakeholders that are not included in an official capacity in the

Organizational structure, such as members of the public, non-profits and other organizations (e.g. State

& Federal agency and private shoreline managers).

Deliverables:

 Memo documenting the existing organizational structures, outreach and engagement efforts, and

decision-making processes for current sea level rise adaptation planning and implementation efforts.

 Stakeholder Engagement Strategy for the Consultant Project Period

Task 2: Identify Decision-Making Process Alternatives

A. Conduct research of existing decision-making structures, focused on seal level rise adaption, in other

Counties/regions. This comparable research should not be limited to California, for example, there may

be examples worth reviewing from the east coast (e.g. North Carolina, Florida)

B. Identify a range of options/alternatives to organize sea level rise adaptation efforts and decision-making

processes for Marin County (e.g. Joint Powers Authority, Special District, Regional entity).

C. Describe each alternative, highlighting advantages and disadvantages of each with regards to the

specific needs of Marin County as identified in Task 1. Alternatives should address pros/cons related to

establishment, timeline, efficacy in adaptation project delivery, equity/inclusiveness, legal process,

financing capabilities among others.

Deliverables:

 Memo evaluating potential structures/decision-making processes alternatives

 Presentation to Marin County Board of Supervisors (BOS) to describe governance structure options

and seek BOS direction on a preferred structure or structures to study further.

Task 3: Recommendations: Marin County Sea Level Rise Adaptation Organizational Structure

and Decision-Making Process

A. Produce a final report summarizing the project effort to date and identifying preferred structure(s) based

on direction from the Board of Supervisors

B. Include next steps/roadmap required for implementing the preferred structure including stakeholder

engagement, any necessary legislation, reorganization, funding requirements, etc.

Deliverables:

 Report on final recommended alternative(s) with implementation roadmap

 Stakeholder Engagement Strategy for Implementation of chosen structure

Phase 2: Recommend County Staffing and Resources to Support Sea Level Rise Adaptation: How does

the County organize County staff to effectively and efficiently respond to sea level rise and deliver future

adaptation projects?

The work of Phase 2 is informed by the recommendations in Phase 1. This phase focuses on the question of

how the County can resource itself to address the needs of the County-wide governance structure, as laid out in

Phase 1, as well as implement sea level rise strategies for the unincorporated portions of the County.

Currently, two departments within the County government, Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW)

and Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA), perform most of the climate change adaptation

planning and policy/project implementation work for unincorporated Marin. Additionally, Parks and Open Space

manages and implements projects on its properties. The Flood Control and Water Conservation District is

housed within DPW which has engineering, biologists, road crews, equipment maintenance resources and

more. It designs and constructs projects and other efforts typically undertaken by traditional Flood Control and

Public Works organizations. CDA is responsible for the General Plan, sustainability, the Climate Action Plan

and other traditional Planning development and zoning adaptation initiatives but critically doesn’t manage any

assets, infrastructure, or land where sea level rise adaptation projects need to be implemented.

Task 4: Information Gathering – Internal County Organizational Structure

A. Conduct follow up interviews with stakeholders identified in phase 1, as needed, to gather input on the

specific role(s) County staff should play in supporting the governance structure proposed from Phase 1.

B. Interview County staff in DPW, CDA, Parks, and other departments as appropriate, to identify the work

items currently being undertaken by County staff.

C. Document existing organizational structures and roles and responsibilities of County staff in sea level

rise adaptation planning and implementation efforts.

Deliverables:

 Memo documenting the existing organizational structure, roles and responsibilities of County staff for

current sea level rise adaptation planning and implementation efforts.

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Marin County Sea Level Rise Adaptation Organizational Structure and Decision Making Process

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