Adopt resolution authorizing the Director of Community Services to enter into an agreement with Caltrans in the amount of $263,819 for the period of January 2024 through April 2026 for the development of the Yolo County Zero Emission Vehicle (“ZEV”) Action Plan. (No general fund impact) (Lindbo/Wraithwall)

Adopt resolution authorizing the Director of Community Services to enter into an agreement with Caltrans in the amount of $263,819 for the period of January 2024 through April 2026 for the development of the Yolo County Zero Emission Vehicle (“ZEV”) Action Plan.  (Att. B)

From September 2021 to January 2022, Yolo County staff sought applications from the public for short-term actions to further Yolo County's climate action initiatives and support the County’s goal of achieving net-negative emissions by 2030. The effort included development of prioritization criteria and ranking of 21 short-term action proposals. The Yolo Climate Action Commission and the Board of Supervisors both unanimously voted to approve the top seven projects as “early actions,” including the Zero-Emission Vehicle Action Plan (ZEV Action Plan).

Yolo County staff worked with the four cities, UC Davis, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Yolo Transportation District, and other community partners to develop a proposal for the Caltrans Sustainable Communities grant program.  In September 2023, Yolo County received notice that CalTrans awarded the County $263,819 to support this project.  (Att. A, Award Letter.)  Adoption of the attached resolution (Att. B) will authorize the Director of Community Services to enter into the agreement with CalTrans and take any other actions necessary for the County's receipt of the grant funding.

The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Action Plan will: 1) identify gaps in ZEV infrastructure and recommend locations for new infrastructure development; 2) assess the electrical grid’s capacity to sustain increased ZEV usage and recommend improvements; 3) assess existing mobility options and recommend strategies to improve options; 4) identify state, federal, and other funding sources for future implementation; and 5) develop a strategy to help low-income households access rebates and other forms of support for ZEV ownership. Yolo County will also work with the City of Winters, the City of Woodland, and UC Davis to develop public vehicle fleet transition plans for Yolo County and these three public entities. Yolo County will create a Yolo ZEV Task Force and implement a comprehensive public outreach strategy based on widely accepted best practices to inform the development of the ZEV Action Plan, with a focus on underserved communities, and invite representatives from different County departments each of the four incorporated cities (Davis, Winters, West Sacramento, and Woodland), Caltrans District 3, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, the Yolo Transportation District, UC Davis, air quality management districts, utilities, and community-based organizations working on ZEV policy and/or directly with underserved communities to participate.

The ZEV Action Plan will include an implementation plan with prioritized actions, as well as a funding strategy which matches actions to grants and other funding opportunities, to ensure Yolo County and its partners can quickly move implementation priorities forward. The project encompasses all of Yolo County and is therefore necessary to bring local governments and community-based organizations together to focus on increasing ZEV usage and mobility options in Yolo County and achieving local and state goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ensure underserved communities receive needed support.

Community Services Department; General Services Department; the Cities of Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, and Woodland; the University of California, Davis; the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation

Community Services will follow all procurement policies and procedures when the procurement of said projects begins.