REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 11, 2024
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Award from the California Department of Recycling Resources and Recovery for the 2022-23 Senate Bill 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Accept grant award from the California Department of Recycling Resources and Recovery for the 2022-23 (Cycle 4) Senate Bill 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program in the amount of $778,319, to assist with the implementation of regulation requirements associated with Senate Bill 1383.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of the Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The 2022-23 California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) Senate Bill 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program (Grant) funds of $778,319 will be split between the Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management (SWMD), Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Purchasing Department (Purchasing). No local match is required. DPH and SWMD will each receive $339,159.50, and Purchasing will receive $100,000, per each department’s request based on needs. Sufficient appropriation and revenue have been included in the 2023-24 budgets and will be included in future recommended budgets for each department.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On September 19, 2016, Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 1383 (Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016), establishing methane emissions reduction targets in an effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in various sectors of California’s economy. CalRecycle developed the SB 1383 regulations (approved by the Office of Administrative Law on November 3, 2020) to include prescriptive program requirements for all California jurisdictions, generators, waste haulers, and waste processors that were deemed necessary in order to meet the statewide organics reduction targets. The prescriptive regulations require San Bernardino County (County) to mandate, implement, and enforce new policies and programs.
The Grant funding from CalRecycle will aid the County in the implementation of SB 1383 requirements with expenditures to be used for equipment related to organics collection programs, education and outreach programs, record keeping, personnel costs, and indirect costs for storage of equipment related to the County’s implementation of the SB 1383 regulations. The awarded funding will be allocated amongst SWMD, DPH, and Purchasing to aid in the County’s compliance with the requirements of SB 1383.
On January 25, 2022 (Item No. 60), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved and authorized the submission of applications to CalRecycle for various grant and payment programs as administered by CalRecycle for the next five program years and adopted Resolution No. 2022-09 authorizing the Director of the Department of Public Works or the Assistant Director of the Department of Public Works to sign and submit grant and payment program applications and any non-substantive application amendments, subject to review by County Counsel, for a period of five years or until rescinded by the Board, whichever comes first.
On November 15, 2022 (Item No. 59), the Board approved the acceptance of $339,454 for the CalRecycle 2021-22 (Cycle 2) SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program funding. The Cycle 2 grant funds were divided evenly amongst SWMD, DPH, and Purchasing and have been used for collection programs, education and outreach programs, and personnel costs. Although there were three rounds of funding opportunities available for 2021-22, Cycles 1, 2 and 3, jurisdictions were eligible for only one cycle based on the date by which its SB 1383 enforcement ordinance was approved.
The 2022-23 Cycle 4 SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program application period opened on September 14, 2023. SWMD’s Grant application was submitted on November 15, 2023, with the initial request for funds of $504,591. After the application was submitted, an additional $273,278 of funding became available for a total awarded amount of $778,319. CalRecycle officially awarded Grant funds in the amount of $778,319 to the County on February 26, 2024. A budget modification to include all proposed project costs for the entire grant amount was submitted on March 22, 2024, and subsequently approved by CalRecycle on April 2, 2024. CalRecycle did not send a formal grant agreement and has stated that the application certification submitted with the grant application will act as the grant agreement. Any funds not spent by April 1, 2026, must be returned to the State. This item is being presented at this time as this is the first available date following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jolena Grider, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 3, 2024; Finance (Jessica Trillo, 387-4222, Carl Lofton, 387-5404, and Kathleen Gonzalez, 387-5412, Administrative Analysts) on May 23, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 24, 2024.