Proposition 4 – Wildfire and Forest Resilience

Wildfire and Forest Resilience [Section 91520(l)]:  may be awarded for projects that promote watershed improvement, wildfire resilience, chaparral and forest restoration, and workforce development that addresses needs related to this subdivision and is designed to create career pathways for individuals from disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations

The RMC awards grants and interagency agreements with the aim toward creating open space, habitat restoration, expanding green space in disadvantaged communities, and protecting the watersheds of the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers, Dominguez Channel, and Catalina Island.  The overall policy guidelines for the RMC are found in two primary references: the statute which created the RMC, Public Resources Code Section 32600, and Common Ground, from the Mountains to the Sea, the watershed and open space plan for the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River watersheds which was adopted by the RMC and further identifies the policies of the agency.  These and other relevant plans can be found at http://rmc.ca.gov/resources/. RMC’s area of jurisdiction includes a variety of natural resource and recreation areas, including the coast, wetlands, and forests. RMC’s jurisdiction also includes heavily urbanized areas south of the San Gabriel Mountains to the California coast. Thus, RMC encourages collaboration across jurisdictions and organizational partners to produce multi-benefit projects that address multiple regional needs, such as increasing access to open space, green workforce development, water quality improvements, flood control, and wildfire resilience.   The RMC further promotes project development that includes robust community engagement throughout the life of the project and has developed the Community Engagement Toolkit in an effort to support potential grantees in developing community based, multi-benefit climate resilient projects.  The RMC further encourages projects that leverage multiple funding sources to strengthen project goals. In addition to increasing access to natural areas, the RMC works to ensure residents have access to open space within their own communities, as evidenced by the large number of grants the RMC has awarded since 1999 for the purpose of planning, constructing, and improving parks and trails within communities and, particularly, within underserved communities that currently lack equitable access to open space.