Program Overview
Who Should Order
Attorneys; land use planners; regional and local government officials; Tribal officials; real estate developers; environmental consultants; and others involved with Climate issues at the local and regional levels
Why You Should Order
As the Trump Administration turns its back on climate change policy, Governor Brown and the California Legislature are tackling the issue head-on. The most recent legislative action is AB 398, which extends the Cap and Trade program for an additional 10 years and AB 617, which enacts some of the strongest air quality protections in California history. In the administrative arena, there is CARB's 2017 Scoping Plan, which furthers implementation of SB 743, and the CARB Vibrant Communities and Landscapes 2050 vision. Judicial developments include the Supreme Court's decision in Center for Biological Diversity v. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (2015) and the Court's recent decision in Cleveland National Forest Foundation v. San Diego Association of Governments (2017).
We are fortunate to have the author of SB 743 and SB 375, former Senate President Pro Tem and Mayor Darrell Steinberg, in attendance to address how those two pieces of legislation affect local land use planning. CARB Board member and Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna will address the recently adopted CARB Scoping Plan, and the impact of the extension of the Cap and Trade program through 2030.
On the second day of the conference, speakers will discuss how these emerging laws and policies affect local land use planning, including development of local Climate Action Plans. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a very interesting and informative program.
~ Jennifer L. Hernandez, Esq. of Holland & Knight LLP and Tina A. Thomas, Esq. of Thomas Law Group, Program Co-Chairs
What You Will Learn
- ~ Federal environmental policy backdrop
- ~ AB 398, AB 617, and other California legislative developments
- ~ CARB's 2017 updates to the Scoping Plan
- ~ Cap & Trade as a foundational element for reducing carbon emissions
- ~ Implementation of new affordable housing and Environmental Justice provisions
- ~ Alternative pathways for meeting GHG emission goals
- ~ Modeling approaches for better decision making
- ~ Transportation & land use: Development of Regional Targets
- ~ Local options for getting to the Net Zero goal for new housing
- ~ SB 743 and implementation of Vehicle Miles Traveled
- ~ CEQA carbon emissions analysis after Newhall Ranch
- ~ State guidance on development of Vibrant Communities
- ~ Practical tips for developing Local Climate Action Plans
Agenda Day 1
8:00 am
Registration Opens
8:30 am
Introduction & Overview
Jennifer L. Hernandez, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair
Holland & Knight LLP / San Francisco, CA
Tina A. Thomas, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair
Thomas Law Group / Sacramento, CA
8:45 am
Federal Environmental Policy Backdrop
Impact of President Trumps Executive Orders; EPA policy announcements, budgets and personnel changes and vacancies; legislative proposals; how the politics are playing out
Sean B. Hecht, Esq.
, Co-Executive Director
Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment / Los Angeles, CA
9:30 am
California's Legislative Backdrop for Addressing Climate Change
AB 398, AB 617, the constitutional amendment relating to distribution of action proceeds, additional 2017 legislation, and how the pieces work together
Cara Martinson
, Legislative Representative/ Federal Affairs Manager
California Association of Counties / Sacramento, CA
10:00 am
Special Address: Development and Implementation of California's Climate Change Policy from a State and Local Government Perspective
Insights from work as a former legislative leader and as current Mayor of Sacramento
The Hon. Darrell Steven Steinberg
, Mayor
City of Sacramento / Sacramento, CA
10:30 am
Break
10:45 am
CARB's 2017 Updates to the Scoping Plan
Overview of the changes, how they came about, and local government perspective on what next
The Hon. Phil Serna
, Supervising Board Member
Sacramento County / Sacramento, CA
Kurt Karperos
, Deputy Executive Officer
CalEPA Air Resources Board / Sacramento, CA
11:45 am
Cap & Trade as an Existing Foundational Element for California's Approach to Carbon Emission Reduction
Update on the results of previous auctions, appellate litigation, and administrative changes; how AB 398 and related legislation will change the status quo, including distribution of auction proceeds
Eloy Z Garcia
, Principal Advisor
Garcia Government Affairs, LLC / Sacramento, CA
12:15 pm
Lunch (on your own)
1:30 pm
Implementation of Transformative Climate Communities Program and Cap and Trade Investments
A detailed look at the implementation of AB 2722 (Burke) the Transformative Climate Communities Program administered by the California Strategic Growth Council
Zachary Leary
, Legislative Director
Office of Assemblywoman Autumn R. Burke / Sacramento, CA
2:00 pm
Reducing GHG Emissions: Pathways and Modeling Approaches
Pathways: The debate over carbon taxes vs. cap & trade vs. command & control in development of the revised scoping plan and the implications of selection of a pathway on how to proceed
Shari B. Libicki, Ph.D.
, Global Air Quality Practice Leader
Ramboll Environ Inc. / San Francisco, CA
Steve Branoff
, Principal
Ramboll Environ Inc. / San Francisco, CA
3:15 pm
Break
3:30 pm
Development of Regional Targets for Reducing GHG Emissions from Transportation and Land Use
Practical implementation steps for achieving new targets
Matt Maloney
, Assistant Planning Director
Bay Area Metro / San Fransisco, CA
Kome Ajise
, Director of Planning
Southern California Association of Governments / Los Angeles, CA
Tina A. Thomas, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair
Thomas Law Group / Sacramento, CA
5:00 pm
Continue the Exchange of Ideas: Reception for Faculty and Attendees
Sponsored by Holland & Knight LLP and Thomas Law Group
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
8:30 am
Local Options for Getting to the Net Zero Goal for New Housing Units
Options including distributed solar and building code revisions, and their viability
Mindy Craig
, Owner/Principal
Blue Point Planning / Oakland, CA
A local planning consultant’s perspective on the implementation progress and challenges
Donald Hubbard
, Senior Transportation Planning Manager
Parsons Brinckerhoff / Sacramento, CA
9:15 am
SB 743 and Implementation of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) for Analysis of Transportation Impacts
VMT mitigation strategies and update on research on the best approaches to VMT analysis
Lynn Peterson
Lynn Peterson Consulting / Lake Oswego, OR
10:30 am
Break
10:45 am
Carbon Emissions and Local Land Use Planning and Permitting
CEQA analysis after the Newhall Ranch decision including thresholds of significance analysis
Kenneth B. Bley, Esq.
Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP / Los Angeles, CA
Environmental perspective on the key planning and permitting issues
Kevin P. Bundy, Esq.
, Climate Legal Director & Senior Attorney
Center for Biological Diversity / Oakland, CA
12:15 pm
Lunch (on your own)
1:30 pm
Development of Vibrant Communities and Landscapes for Urban Areas and Natural and Working Lands Policies for Rural Areas
Overview of statutory provisions; state guidance; local/regional implementation strategies and challenges
Larry Greene
, Executive Director (Ret.)
SMAQMD / Sacramento, CA
2:15 pm
Putting the Pieces Together: Development of Local Climate Action Plans
Tips for scoping out what needs to be done to cover the necessary elements for a plan, identifying the legal standards to meet, working through the practical problems, and obtaining buy-in for stakeholders
Honey Walters
, Principal
Ascent Environmental Inc / Sacramento, CA
Jennifer L. Hernandez, Esq.
Holland & Knight LLP / San Francisco, CA
3:30 pm
Evaluations and Adjourn
Faculty Bios
Jennifer L. Hernandez,
Program Co-Chair, leads the West coast Land Use and Environment Practice Group at Holland & Knight LLP. Her climate change practice includes integrating climate change requirements into the environmental analyses required by CEQA. She also advises clients on climate action planning.
Tina A. Thomas,
Program Co-Chair, is the founder of the Thomas Law Group. She played an extensive role in the passage of California Senate Bill 375, which encourages smart growth and infill development.
Kome Ajise
the the Director of Planning for the Southern California Association of Governments. He formerly served as the Chief Deputy Director for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Kenneth B. Bley
is a Partner at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, where he counsels on the land use entitlement process. He advises clients on all aspects of planning, zoning, and environmental review and represents them before planning commissions, city councils, boards of supervisors, and in trial and appellate courts.
Steve Branoff
has 20 years of experience in the field of air quality, with special emphasis on air permitting, air compliance and human health risk assessments. Steve has extensive experience in regulatory interpretation and negotiations, including litigation. He is certified by SJVAPCD as a Certified Air Permit Professional (CAPP) and certified in California and Washington State as a GHG Emissions Verifier. Prior to joining Ramboll Environ, Steve worked for five years in the Air Permits Office at USEPA Region 9.
Kevin P. Bundy,
Senior Attorney, serves as the Climate Legal Director for the Center for Biological Diversity and works with the Climate Law Institute. Previously, he represented public-interest and citizen groups in environmental and land-use cases with Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP.
Mindy Craig
is the Owner & Principal of Blue Point Planning. She provides policy and strategic planning, marketing, outreach and communications, and financial feasibility services to organizations throughout California and the United States.
Eloy Z. Garci
a is a registered lobbyist and attorney for Garcia Government Affairs, LLC. and is the firm's principal advisor and chief lobbyist for the petroleum industry [Western States Petroleum Association] before the California Legislature. He has specific expertise in energy and transportation fuels policies and has also led the industry's efforts, since 2006, related to the implementation of AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act.
Sean B. Hecht
is the Co-Executive Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and Evan Frankel Professor of Policy and Practice, at UCLA School of Law. His teaching includes Public Natural Resources Law and Policy, Environmental Law, and a California State Environmental Law seminar, in addition to the Environmental Law Clinic.
Donald Hubbard is a Senior Transportation Planning Manager with Parsons Brinckerhoff, with extensive experience in travel demand forecasting and land use planning. He also served as an advisor with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Kurt Karperos
was appointed Deputy Executive Officer for the CARB in November 2014. Accordingly, Mr. Karperos directs the efforts of CARB's scientists and engineers in the Air Quality Planning and Science Division and the Research Dividion. Mr. Karperos has 27 years at CARB in air quality planning and program development and implementation.
Zachary Leary is the Legislative Director for Assemblywoman Autumn R. Burke (D. Inglewood) who represents the 62nd Assembly District. Mr. Leary manages Assemblywoman Burke's legislative package and advises her on utilities and energy, electrification of the transportation sector, workforce and the green economy, career technical education, environmental policy, cap-and-trade and complimentary policies, and the Transformative Climate Communities Program
Shari B. Libicki, Ph.D.
is the Global Air Quality Practice Area Leader at Ramboll Environ Inc. She is an expert on GHG evaluations for CEQA documents, and is at the forefront of developing regulations in California, having served on the Regional Targets Advisory Council.
Matt Maloney is Assistant Planning Director for the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments. He is responsible for overseeing the development of 'Plan Bay Area,' the Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities strategy. He also managed the recently released Bay Area Core Capacity Transit Study, a 7-agency effort to address transit capacity and demand challenges facing the Transbay and SF Metro corridors.
Lynn Peterson
is the founder of Lynn Peterson Consulting. Most recently, she previously served as the Secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation. She also supported WSDOT's partnerships with cities and counties, businesses and transportation interests to cost-effectively build safe and healthy communities everywhere in Washington state.
The Hon. Phil Serna
is a Supervising Board Member to Sacramento County. He serves on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors representing residents of District 1.
The Hon. Darrell Steven Steinberg
is Mayor of the City of Sacramento, California. He was elected to be mayor on June 7, 2016. Before that, he was California Senate President pro Tempore and the leader of the majority party in the California State Senate from 2008 to 2014.
Honey Walters
is the Principal of Ascent Environmental Inc., where she leads the firm's air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG)/climate change, and noise practices. She is an expert in air quality impact analysis and compliance, GHG assessments and climate change reduction planning, and noise impact analysis and mitigation.
Continuing Education Credits
Live credits: Law Seminars International is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This program qualifies for 12.25 California MCLE credits and 12.0 AICP planner credits. Upon request, we will apply for, or help you apply for, CLE credits in other states and other types of credits.
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Regular tuition for in person or webcast attendance for this program is $895 with a group rate of $670 each for two or more registrants from the same firm. For government employees and Tribal members, we offer a special rate of $595. For students, people in their job for less than a year, and public interest NGO's, our rate is $447.50. All rates include admission to all seminar sessions, food and beverages at breaks, and all course materials. Materials will be available for download and review a few days before the seminar. Make checks payable to Law Seminars International.
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