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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.2 Resilient SLO Community Priorities SurveyAppendix B Resilient SLO Community Priorities Survey Prepared by: Local Government Commission 980 9th St #1700 Sacramento, CA 95814 Authors Catherine Foster and Amber McGarvey Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-1 1 RESILIENT SLO COMMUNITY PRIORITY SURVEY: RESULTS SUMMARY 1.1 PURPOSE Resilient SLO, an initiative of the City of San Luis Obispo, will result in an update to the City’s General Plan to include strategies for building community resilience to the impacts of climate change. The project team consists of the Local Government Commission as the project managers and Ascent Environmental, Inc. as the lead technical consultant. Resilient SLO is designed to be a comprehensive, innovative, and inclusive planning process – one that elevates community voice in decision-making, utilizes best-available science and practices, and focuses on the real challenges that individuals face in the city of San Luis Obispo: climate change, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and economic uncertainty. The Community Priority Survey is one means of the inclusive planning process. This survey sought to gather broad input on overall community priorities, concerns related to climate change impacts, experience with past hazards and response efforts, and priorities for local action. Results will be utilized in the short-term to inform the vulnerability assessment and future community engagement and education activities. Long- term outcomes from the larger Resilient SLO project include educational activities to ensure San Luis Obispo residents and businesses are equipped with the information and strategies to prepare and build resilience to climate change risks and hazards, a comprehensive vulnerability assessment of the city’s physical assets, and infrastructure, an updated Safety Element of the General Plan with identified adaptation strategies across key sectors, an implementation guide that translates strategies into detailed work plans and model policies to catalyze action, trainings for City staff and supporting organizations to build collective capacity to respond to climate change hazards and disasters, and an Implementation Guide with work plans and model policies to catalyze action. 1.2 METHODOLOGY This survey was the first opportunity for community members to give feedback on their concerns related to climate impacts, hazards, and vulnerabilities to be addressed in the larger Resilient SLO initiative. To inform the updates to the hazard mitigation plan and Safety Component of the General Plan, the project team was interested in hearing from community members on their climate impact experiences and their priorities, in order to incorporate effective planning measures. The climate impacts mentioned in the core questions came from impacts identified for the region in California’s 4th Climate Change Assessment. Other priority areas were sourced from current events and stressors, such as COVID-19. The project team began drafting the survey in July 2020. Team leads on the project from the City, the Local Government Commission, and Ascent Environmental, Inc. met bi-weekly on project deliverables. 1.3 QUESTIONS The survey consisted of 19 questions, including 13 multiple-choice and 6 open-ended. The survey included 4 demographic questions to evaluate whether respondents reflected the diversity of the local community. Respondents were also asked the zip code of both their residence and employment to gauge whether they lived or worked in the City. The remaining questions evaluated community priorities, concerns over climate hazards and impacts, experiences with hazards, evaluation of the City’s response to past hazards, and interest in further information on resilience and adaptation topics. The survey opened on August 31st, 2020. Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-2 The scale and categories for each core multiple-choice question are noted below: Question Scale Categories Which of the following issues are you currently concerned about? Level of Concern: Not at all Somewhat Very Access to Healthy Food Affordable Housing Air Pollution COVID-19 Earthquakes Job Security and Economic Vitality Social Equity and Justice Transportation affordability and accessibility Tree health and maintenance Water Pollution/ Stream health Which of the following climate change impacts are you concerned about? Level of Concern: Not at all Somewhat Very Drought and Decreased Water Supply Flooding and Storm Damage Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves Sea Level Rise Wildfires Wildfire Smoke How concerned are you that climate change will impact any of the following areas? Level of Concern Not at all Somewhat Very Access to Beaches and Open Space Community Culture Employment and Job Security Evacuations Property Value Public Health and Safety Transportation Disruptions Utility Disruptions and Power Outages Which of these hazards have you been personally affected by in the past 1-3 years in the City of San Luis Obispo? Level of Impact Not at all Somewhat Significantly Air Pollution Drought and Water Supply Erosion Extreme Rainfall Flooding Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves Tule Fog Wildfires Wildfire Smoke For each hazard that you were affected by, please rank your level of satisfaction with the City's response. Level of Satisfaction Not at all Somewhat Very Air Pollution Drought and Water Supply Erosion Extreme Rainfall Flooding Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves Tule Fog Wildfires Wildfire Smoke How would you prioritize the following actions in the city of San Luis Obispo? Rank Order (1-7) Parks Public transportation Housing Trails Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-3 Question Scale Categories Space for Businesses Land Preservation Agricultural Land Preservation 1.4 DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS The city sought to reach out to respondents that were representative of the diverse population of the City of San Luis Obispo. Respondents were given the option of providing key demographic details respondents or declining to answer. The questions included in this section are detailed below: Age] What is your age? Under 18 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 Above 65 Prefer not to say Race/Ethnicity] How would you describe yourself? Please select all that apply. American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin Middle Eastern or North African Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander White or Caucasian Other (please specify) Prefer not to say Household Income] What was your total household income before taxes in 2019? Less than $30,000 30,000- $39,999 40,000 - $59,999 60,000 - $79,999 80,000 - $99,999 100,000 or more Prefer not to say Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-4 1.5 OUTREACH Original plans for survey outreach included in-person events and in-person survey opportunities to complement online and phone surveys. Due to COVID-19 and quarantine restrictions, these forms of outreach could not take place; outreach had to be fully remote. The primary form included an online survey on the city’s OpenGov web portal which also regularly hosts surveys for other city initiatives outside this project and for regularly scheduled city meetings that are broadcast on the website. In an effort to bridge the digital divide, the project team worked with the city to establish a phone line for respondents to call in their responses. However, no respondents utilized the phone line to respond. In-person events would have reached more respondents who do not have internet access but the inability to hold in-person events affected the ability to fulfill that form of engagement. To promote the phone-line and online survey, the project team reached out over e-mail or social media to organizations, businesses and agencies that serve populations who live, work, or go to school in San Luis Obispo. These promotional partners were asked to share the survey with their audiences and were given a promotional toolkit with sample email language and social media posts. A wide variety of organizations were contacted (approximately 126), in the hopes of reaching the diverse composition of the local community. Organizations contacted included local educational institutions, non-profits, coalitions, professional associations, cultural organizations, and businesses. Most outreach was conducted by email; 115 organizations were contacted via email. Highly trafficked social media accounts were also contacted. 11 organizations and/or individuals were contacted via social media. Promotional partners received a promotional kit, which included sample e-mail language, sample social media posts plus photo postcards, and a high level overview of key details, to share with their constituents. The survey deadline, originally the end of September, was extended to October 11th to give more time for responses. Once the deadline was extended, organizations were notified of the extension. In addition to outreach through promotional partners, the survey was also shared on 1-2 times per week on City’s social media accounts. On September 17th, a Spanish version of the survey was created on Survey Monkey. On September 29th, the entire promotional kit was translated to Spanish to conduct more outreach to the Spanish speaking community and shared with promotional contacts. Promotional asks to Latino, Hispanic, and Spanish-speaking cultural groups primarily went through Cal Poly students. Despite reaching out to organizations, the Spanish language survey posted on Survey Monkey did not receive any responses. 1.6 PROCESS OF ANALYSIS 1.6.1 Core Questions Responses for each multiple-choice core question were analyzed to reveal the following: a. Areas of Highest Concern/Impact/Satisfaction (for all Respondents) b. Areas of Highest Concern/Impact/Satisfaction (for key Demographic Groups) In evaluating the areas of highest concern/impact/satisfaction for all Respondents, we included all relevant measures for the specific category (ex. “Not at all”, “Somewhat”, “Very/ Significantly”). Responses are shown as absolute numbers (total counts) unless otherwise indicated. In evaluating the Highest Concern/Impact/Satisfaction for select demographic groups, we chose to only focus on “ Very” or “Significant” responses. Although a “somewhat” response indicates some level of concern/impact/satisfaction (as compared to a “not at all”), it was decided that a “Very” or “Significant” response was more indicative of a respondent’s paramount concern. Thus, all responses for select Demographic Groups represent the percentage or total of respondents indicating “Very or “Significant” for the specific category. Additionally, further grouping was performed on both Household Income and Race/Ethnicity for the ease of analysis and interpretability. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-5 Household Income was re-structured into the following three groups: Less than $50,000 50,000 - $100,000 100,000 + Race/Ethnicity was re-structured into the following two groups: White or Caucasian All other Races/Ethnicities 1.6.2 Open-Ended Questions The survey contained six open-ended questions. Open-ended responses were categorized by topic area and analyzed for emerging themes. A word cloud has also been created to highlight key categories. The full text of responses will be available in the Appendix. 1.7 RESULTS 1.7.1 Overview The English version of the survey was initiated on August 31st and closed on October 11th. The English version of the survey had 413 visitors and 331 responses. However, because of duplicate responses, only 328 responses were included in the analysis. Engagement with the survey generated over 16 hours of public comment. 290 of the respondents indicated that they lived or worked in a City zip code, while 41 responses came from a zip code outside of City limits. All responses, both in-City and out of City zip codes were analyzed. The Spanish Version of the survey, published two weeks after the English survey, had no respondents. The phone-in option was not utilized either. 1.7.2 Demographics Respondents were asked to answer basic demographic information including age, housing status, income and ethnicity. These questions were asked to assess how well the survey respondents reflected the actual community make-up of San Luis Obispo. Respondents were asked to identify what 10-year age block they belonged to. The highest percentage of respondents were 18-24 (26%), followed by 25-34 (16%), 35-44 (17%), above 65 (15%), 45-54 ( 13%), and 55-64 (13%). Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-6 Half of respondents were homeowners (50%), 44% were renters, and 6% selected “other”. The most common household income selected by respondents was $100,000-149,000 (58), followed by 200,000 or more (33). In contrast, 30 respondents selected the lowest income bracket (less than 10,000), and 14 selected the second lowest income bracket: $10,000-14,999. Respondents most commonly described themselves as White or Caucasian (234), followed by Asian (32), Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin (29), Black or African American (9), American Indian or Alaskan Native (8), and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (2). It is worth noting that 42 respondents chose “prefer not to say” when describing their racial identity. As a reference point, Demographic results from the survey were compared with the 2018 American Community Survey to determine if the survey respondents over or under represented the demographics of SLO residents. Details on representation are noted below. Demographic 2018 American Community Survey (%) Community Priority Survey Results (#, %) Over or Under Represented? Housing Situation Homeowner 68% 164, 49.5% Under Renter 35% 146, 44% Over Age Under 18 13.1% 0, 0% Under Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-7 Demographic 2018 American Community Survey (%) Community Priority Survey Results (#, %) Over or Under Represented? 18 - 24 34.9% 80, 25% Under 25 - 34 13.6% 51, 16% Over 35 - 44 8.3% 53, 16% Over 45 - 54 8.7% 42, 13% Over 55 - 64 8.9% 40, 12% Over Above 65 12.5% 46, 14% Over Ethnicity/Race American Indian or Alaskan Native .3% 8, 2% Over Asian 5.6% 31, 9% Over Black or African American 2.0% 5, 2% Equal Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin 18.3% 23, 7% Under Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander .1% 2, 1% Over White or Caucasian 70.7% 237, 72% Over Other .2% 3, 1% Over Household Income Less than $10,000 11.6% 30, 9% Under 10,000 - $14,999 7.3% 15, 5% Under 15,000 - $24,999 11.2% 9, 3% Under 25,000 - $34,999 6.3% 15, 5% Under 35,000 - $49,999 11.2% 17, 5% Under 50,000 - $74,999 15.2% 30, 9% Under 75,000 - $99,999 10.8% 29, 9% Under 100,000 - $149,999 12.8% 59, 18% Over 150,000 - $199,999 5.8% 32, 10% Over 200,000 or more 7.8% 33, 10% Over Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin were the most underrepresented when compared to the 2018 American Community Survey. The survey respondents were also younger than the 2018 American Community Survey results. The two youngest age groups were underrepresented, especially those under 18 whom were not represented at all. All other age groups were slightly overrepresented. 12 respondents chose “prefer not to say” on this demographic question. Otherwise, all results were within 4 percentage points of the 2018 American Community Survey showing a successful sample of SLO demographics. The demographic question that most respondents declined to answer was about total household income with 57 choosing “prefer not to say.” The highest three income brackets were overrepresented while lower income brackets were underrepresented compared to the 2018 American Community Survey results. This could be correlated with the higher percentage of survey respondents in younger age groups, who tend to make less money than older Americans later in their careers. All respondents had to choose an answer when asked about their housing situations. The options included “ Homeowner, Renter, and Other.” Homeowners were under represented by respondents while renters were over represented. 19 chose “Other” to specify their housing situation. Some of them were students living at home or in student housing. Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-8 1.7.3 Open-Ended Questions Details for each open-ended question are provided below: Of the open-ended questions, Question 5, “If there are other community issues not listed above that you are concerned about, please provide them here,” had the most responses (153). Question 16, “What climate change adaptation and community resilience topics are you interested in learning more about?” had the 2nd highest number of responses (105). Question 14 garnered the third most responses (95), and asked “Do you have suggestions for how the City of San Luis Obispo can improve response efforts (to hazards)?” Question 13 had the 4th most respondents (83) and “Do you have any comments to share regarding how you were affected by past hazards and/or city response efforts?” Question 7, “If there are other climate change impacts not listed above that you are concerned about, please provide them here,” had 77 responses. Questions 9 and 11 had the lowest number of respondents (54) and (37) respectively. Question 9 asked for additional areas impacted by climate change of concern. Finally, question 11 asked for additional hazards that respondents have been personally affected by over the past 1-3 years. Responses to key open-ended questions are discussed in detail in the results below. There were 604 total responses to open-ended questions. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-9 1.7.4 Core Questions WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ISSUES ARE YOU CURRENTLY CONCERNED ABOUT? Overall Results Respondents were most concerned about issues that are affecting their day-to-day life in 2020. As noted on the Figure above, this includes COVID-19, Air Pollution, Job Security, Social Equity and Affordable Housing. The strong concern for COVID-19 is not surprising; during the time period the survey was open, COVID-19 still had California counties in various stages of quarantine/lockdown. Additionally, the already competitive housing market in the state went through changes as some cities saw rents shift unpredictably. Furthermore, the summer saw high periods of social unrest as cases of police brutality and racial injustice were brought to the national spotlight. Beginning in August, wildfires broke out across the state following dry conditions, lighting, high-winds, and extreme heat. 2020 has also seen the largest wildfire in California’s history, and the multiple fires occurring caused poor air quality for wide swaths of the state including the central coast. Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-10 Variation by Housing Situation As noted in the graph above ], renters and homeowners shared a similar amount (+/- 1 - 4%) of concern for a variety of key issues - Water Pollution, Tree Health, COVID-19, Healthy Food, Earthquakes, and Air Pollution. The three areas of greatest misalignment were Affordable Housing (68% v. 36%); Social Equity and Justice (63% v. 44%); and Transportation Affordability and Accessibility (40% v. 28%). The variation in Affordable Housing is understandable given the status of the respondents as “renters”’; homeowners are likely to be less concerned about housing affordability due to already owning a home. The variation in Social Equity and Justice is unclear, but could be connected to the age of the respondents (i.e. a correlation between age and homeowner status) or another unifying variable. The same could be said for Transportation Affordability and Accessibility with the added caveat for income. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-11 Overall, the top three concerns for homeowners are COVID-19 (62%), Water Pollution/Stream Health (48%), and Air Pollution (47%). The top three concerns for renters are Affordable Housing (68%), COVID-19 (65%) and Social Equity and Justice (63%). Variation by Race/Ethnicity Level of climate concern between different racial and ethnic groups (in this case, Caucasian v. All other Races/Ethnicities) was fairly uniform on most key issues. The largest divergence occurred for Job Security and Economic Vitality (39% v. 53%); Air Pollution (55% v. 48%); and Transportation Affordability and Accessibility (36% v. 43%). Overall, the top three concerns for White or Caucasian respondents are COVID-19 (66%), Social Equity and Justice (61%) and Affordable Housing (56%). For participants identifying as one or more other races, their top three concerns are identical with some variation in level of concern (61%; 58%; 57% respectfully). Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-12 Variation by Income Group Responses by income group are noted in the figure above. There is great variability in the level of concern Individuals have for key climate and adaptation subjects. The one exception to this observation is a clear concern for COVID-19 across all income groups. Unsurprisingly, individuals within the lowest household income group (“Less than $50,000), expressed a much higher level of concern for Affordable Housing (68% v. 51%, 40% respectfully); Job Security and Economic Vitality (56% v. 41%, 38%); and Transportation Affordability and Accessibility (46% v. 29%, 27% respectfully). Individuals within the other two income groups ($50,000 - $100,000 and $100,000 +) were more aligned in their levels of concern; the one main exception for this is concern for Water Pollution/ Stream Health (63% v. 42%). Overall, individuals with a household income of less than $50,000 were most concerned about COVID-19 (71%); Affordable Housing (68%); and Social Equity and Justice (62%). Individuals with a household income between $50,000 100,000 were most concerned with Water Pollution/ Stream Health (63%); COVID-19 (61%); and Air Pollution (56%). Individuals with a household income of $100,000 or more were most concerned with COVID-19 (61%); Social Equity and Justice (52%); and Air Pollution (48%). Variation by Age Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-13 When evaluated on the dimension of age, individuals expressed some similar concerns. COVID-19 continues to be a trend with the majority (50% +) of individuals expressing a high level of concern. More specifically, individuals above the age of 65 were most concerned with COVID-19 (76%); individuals between the ages of 45 and 54 were the least concerned with COVID-19 (55%). Aside from COVID-19, other top concerns included Social Justice and Equity – a first or secondary concern for individuals within the following age groups: 18 - 24; 35 - 44; and 45 - 54. Individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 are also concerned about Social Justice and Equity (56%), but their paramount concern is Affordable Housing (75%). Individuals above the age of 65, on the other hand, are the least concerned about Social Equity and Justice (37%); after COVID-19, they are most concerned about Air Pollution (61%). Open-Ended Responses Question: If there are other community issues not listed above that you are concerned about, please provide them here. Respondents were also able to write in other concerns that were not addressed above. 153 respondents wrote in a concern. The most repeated write-in concern involved homelessness. Selected responses include: Homelessness and the lack of focus our city official have on dealing with the issue.” How is the community taking care of the House-less population? What are the options for those that do not have homes during the pandemic and unhealthy air conditions due to natural disasters (I.e. fires)” The growing number of homeless in our downtown open spaces and doorways. Downtown is the heart of SLO and central to its vibrancy.” Homelessness is impacting the waterways & Spot fires. Hard facts to face but true.” providing services from homeless and mentally ill persons in the county” Concerns that were repeated by multiple respondents include issues of police brutality and police funding. Select responses: Systemic racism and our bloated county Sheriff’s budget,” Racism, police brutality, republican takeover using big money for our local candidates which will diminish the focus on environmental and justice concerns,” Addressing and defunding workplaces and laws that uphold systemic racism. Defund the police in order to allocate funds towards issues like the ones listed above.” Overfunding on police--defunding is necessary.” I live by Santa Rosa Park and the homeless population is very disrespectful of our property. The creek that runs through our backyard is littered with their trash and they are constantly stealing things out of our yard. The police are not helpful with the issue whatsoever. The police are an entirely useless organization and are especially terrible here in SLO.” Police Department suppressing free speech rights by tear gassing people, over-charging protest organizer, failure to files charges against individuals who drove cars into pedestrians.” Other concerns that were repeated multiple times include cycling and transportation issues. Selected responses: Walkability” Stop wasting money on changing roads to accommodate bike lanes. Instead (sic) focus on adding busses and repairing our streets. Do not take away our street parking to make a bike lane. Infrastructure and road building” Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-14 The graphic (shown below) is a word cloud generated from responses the open-end question. As the Word Cloud illustrates, housing and homelessness were two salient topics for respondents. Which of the following climate change impacts are you concerned about? Overall Results Respondents were very concerned about most of these climate impacts. Only Flooding and Storm Damage saw more respondents choosing “Not at all” or “Somewhat”. Wildfires and Wildfire Smoke had the most concern, likely related to the volatile 2020 wildfire season in California that brought that state’s largest wildfire to date and many days of unhealthy air quality. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-15 Variation by Income Group When evaluated by income group, all groups, regardless of income, expressed strong concern about Wildfires (80%, 81%, 80% respectfully); however, it is interesting to note that individuals in the lowest income group are more concerned with Wildfire Smoke than Wildfires as a climate category (80% v. 84%). Individuals within the lowest income group are also most concerned about Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves (78%) and are significantly more concerned about Sea Level Rise than individuals in other income categories. In comparison, individuals within the highest income group are most concerned about Drought and Decreased Water Supply (76%); their tertiary concern is Wildfire Smoke. Individuals within the middle-income group share similar concerns with some variation in percentage (71% for both). Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-16 Variation by Age Group When evaluating climate concern by age, a few patterns emerge. Across the board, individuals are most concerned about Wildfires. Within that category, individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 are most concerned (88%), followed by individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 (86%). There is greater variation when evaluating individual’s secondary concerns. Wildfire smoke is the second highest concern for individuals between the ages of 18 – 24 and 25 – 34. For all other age groups, their second highest concern is Drought and Decreased Water Supply. The greatest variance in concern among age groups is with Sea Level Rise. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 have the highest level of concern (65%), with individuals above the age of 65 expressing the least amount of concern (17%). Variation by Race/Ethnicity Climate concerns between different racial and ethnic groups (in this case, Caucasian v. All other Races/Ethnicities) was fairly uniform on a majority of issues (+/- 6%) – Drought and Decreased Water Supply (78% v. 75% respectfully); Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves (75% v. 73%); Wildfires (84% v. 79%); and Wildfire Smoke (79% v. 73%). The largest divergences occurred for Flooding and Storm Damage (24% v. 36%) and Sea Level Rise (37% v. 49%). Regardless of racial or ethnic identify, all individuals noted the same top concern: Wildfires. Secondary and tertiary concern varied slightly – Wildfire Smoke (79%) and Drought and Decreased Water Supply (78%); vs. Drought and Decreased Water Supply (75%), Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves (73%), and Wildfire Smoke (73%). Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-17 Variation by Housing Situation Climate concerns among individuals in different housing situations varied slightly. The top concern for Homeowners and Renters is Wildfire (72% v. 85% respectfully). Secondary concern for these two groups deviated; renters are more concerned about Wildfire Smoke (84%); homeowners are more concerned about Drought and Decreased Water Supply (68%). Individuals identifying their housing situation as “Other” had four competing interests at 79% - Drought and Decreased Water Supply, Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves, Wildfires, and Wildfire Smoke. The greatest divergence on level of concern occurred between Homeowners and Renters on the issue of Sea Level Rise: 51% of renters expressed concern versus only 22% of homeowners. Open-Ended Responses Question: If there are other climate change impacts not listed above that you are concerned about, please provide them here. There were 77 responses to this question. Answers were categorized by topic area. The four most prevalent themes discussed by respondents were: 1) Biodiversity and Health of Inland and Marine Ecosystems 2) impacts to Agriculture & Food Systems 3) Water Supply 4) Social Inequality. Biodiversity and impacts to wildlife and their habitats were key concerns for respondents. Concerns were raised about both inland and marine ecosystems. Key concerns for marine ecosystems included plastic pollution and ocean acidification. Respondents were also concerned with the impacts of climatic changes on agriculture and how agricultural changes might impact food supply and access. Water supply was also frequently mentioned. Over half of comments related to water discussed over-building and the impacts of new development on water supply. Comments also mentioned modified agricultural practices, water conservation, use of non-potable water and desalinization as potential solutions. Social inequality was another key issue. Comments in this category mentioned social justice, systemic and environmental racism, environmental justice, issues of representation, impacts to low income communities, and wealth inequality. Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-18 Subject Area Issue Frequency of Mentions Environmental impacts Biodiversity and Health of Inland and Marine Ecosystems 22 Pests and Diseases 4 Negative Environmental Impact of Development 2 Water Water Supply 8 Agriculture Agriculture & Food Systems 11 Human Systems Social Inequality 7 Economy 4 Public Health 3 Energy & Infrastructure Energy 4 Transportation 4 Natural Disasters Extreme Weather 5 Mudslides/Mudflows 3 Wildfire or forest management 3 Temperature 2 Other Climate Change is not occurring or should not be addressed by City 6 Responses to the open-ended question were also used to generate a Word Cloud (shown below). The Word Cloud illustrates the prevalence of words such as water, agriculture, environment, native, wildfire, food, etc. The frequency of these themes indicates that topics related to environment, water and agriculture are common concerns for respondents. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-19 HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU THAT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL IMPACT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING AREAS? Overall Results Respondents chose “Very Concerned” with less frequency for this question than previous questions. There is high concern about Utility Disruptions and Power Outages which aligns with the context of this survey’s timing. Summer 2020 brought extreme heatwaves in the state and the California Independent System Operator issued multiple “flex warnings” statewide to conserve energy and blackouts occurred as demand for electricity to combat extreme heat increased. Customers in Northern San Luis Obispo county experienced outages in August 2020. Additionally, Pacific Gas & Electric has also participated in Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a wildfire prevention tool that also created utility disruptions. High concern around Employment and Job Security and Evacuations also fits trends seen in earlier questions and align with later concerns about Wildfires and Wildfire Smoke. Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-20 Variation by Income Group As noted on the graph above, regardless of income, all individuals expressed the highest level of concern for Public Health and Safety (70%, 64%, 60% respectfully). Secondary concern varied slightly. After Public Health and Safety, individuals with household incomes of less than $50,000 or more than $100,000 were most concerned with Utility Disruptions and Power Outages. In comparison, individuals in the middle-income group ($50,000 - $100,000) had a secondary concern of Evacuations. The greatest divergence in level of concern occurred between individuals with a household income of less than $50,000 and more than $100,000 on the issue of Transportation Disruptions. Individuals within the lower income group had the highest level of concern among the three groups for this category 42%. On the other end of the spectrum, the opposite was true: individuals within the highest income group had the lowest amount of concern – 14%. Variation by Age Group When viewing concern for climate change impacts by age, a few patterns emerge. Across the board, individuals are most concerned about climate’s potential impact on Public Health and Safety. Within that category, individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 are most concerned (75%), followed by individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 ( 73%). Utility Disruptions and Power Outages are also a common concern among the age groups, with at least 50% of individuals in five age groups (all except individuals between the ages of 55 and 64) expressing concern. Omitting Public Health and Safety, individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 are most concerned about climate’s potential impact on Evacuations (66%); and Utility Disruptions and Power Outages (61%). Individuals between the Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-21 ages of 25 and 34 are also concerned about the same two categories with some variation in level of concern (57% and 69% respectfully). Individuals between the ages of 35 and 44 share a similar level of concern for Utility Disruptions and Power Outages (57%); they are also concerned about Access to Beaches and Open Space (42%). Individuals between the ages of 45 and 54 are concerned about Utility Disruptions and Power Outages (50%), followed by Evacuations (29%). Individuals between the ages of 55 and 64 are also concerned about Utility Disruptions and Power Outages (48%), in addition to Evacuations (33%). Finally, individuals above the age of 65 are concerned about Utility Disruptions and Power Outages (50%) and Evacuations (37%). Variation in Race/Ethnicity Regardless of racial or ethnic identify, individuals expressed similar levels of concern for two potential climate change impacts: Public Health and Safety (69% v. 64%, respectfully) and Utility Disruptions and Power Outages (56% v. 67% respectfully). Tertiary concerns were also the same – Evacuations (49% for both). The greatest divergence between groups occurred for Transportation Disruptions; only 24% of White or Caucasian respondents expressed concern compared with 42% of respondents of respondents identifying as all other races and ethnicities. Variation by Housing Situation Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-22 When viewed through a housing situation lens, a few patterns emerge. Despite the variability, all respondents regardless of housing situation are concerned about Public Health and Safety, with individuals in the “Other” category reporting the highest level of concern at 79%. This same group expresses the same level of concern for Evacuations. Both renters and homeowners also list Utility Disruptions and Power Outages as a secondary concern (50% and 67% respectfully). This is a tertiary concern for individuals in “Other” alongside Transportation Disruptions. In terms of priority, homeowners and renters share a similar view on their concern for Evacuations (37% v. 59% respectfully). Of all the questions so far, this answer elicited the highest level of variability in level of concern; the smallest variation among levels of concern is for Utility Disruptions and Power Outages at 4%. Open-Ended Responses Question: If there are other areas impacted by climate change not listed above that you are concerned about, please provide them here Respondents were also able to write in other concerns that were not addressed above. 54 respondents wrote in a concern. 6 of the respondents brought up concerns over how marginalized communities would feel climate impacts first. Selected responses: I am concerned about how climate change will impact low income communities and communities of color first.” Health effects upon the poor and elderly, especially during the summer.” We need a community plan to support frail elders and people with chronic illness who are reliant on electricity, and cannot be without power. Example: people w/ lung disease, who use oxygen, electric beds, breathing assist machines. The rolling blackouts that are happening in CA (due to fire and maxing out of the power grid) are devastating for this portion of our community. We need an organized, local government plan to identify and support these folks.” 8 Respondents brought up concerns about biodiversity, natural resources, and wildlife. Selected responses: Access to food and use of agricultural resources, impacts to marine life and fisheries (including for food)” Again, that we are not considering the impact on local wildlife” or preparing to create safe zones for animals inland & marine) Natural resource conservation is being impacted by the lack of regional consensus about conservation and habitat restoration goals as the climate changes. SLO has an opportunity to build on leadership and successes from within City government to emphasize natural resource conservation measures in a changing climate.” Loss of biodiversity, climate refugees, natural resources” 8 Respondents brought up concerns about agriculture and/or local food access: Weather patterns, heat waves, and quality of air and water affecting the ability to grow food.” crop yield and tourism” Remaining responses ranged from denying the city’s role in responding to climate change, concerns over utilities or utility shut offs, concerns over evacuations, from where evacuees can go to how to handle refugees coming to the SLO region. A few respondents brought up concern for “hope” in the future. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-23 Open-ended responses were used to generate a Word Cloud (shown below). The words shown were frequently used by respondents. WHICH OF THESE HAZARDS HAVE YOU BEEN PERSONALLY AFFECTED BY IN THE LAST 1-3 YEARS IN THE CITY OF SLO? Overall Results This question has more respondents reporting they have not been personally affected by about half of these impacts in the last 1-3 years. The most significantly reported impacts were of Wildfire Smoke, Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves, and Air Pollution which matches the trends in other questions and references the context of events in 2020 ( i.e. wildfire and extreme events). Even when wildfires do not occur in the city boundaries, impacts of wildfire smoke and air pollution affect many residents somewhat or significantly which explains why “Wildfire” has less significant direct impact for respondents than “Air Pollution” and “Wildfire Smoke.’ Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-24 Variation by Age Group In terms of Hazards, all age groups have been quite impacted by Wildfire Smoke and Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves. Within these two categories, individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 were most impacted (61% and 57%, respectfully). Individuals above the age of 65 indicate the lowest level of impact for these two categories (46% and 37%, respectfully). Other impactful hazards include Wildfires - with individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 reporting the highest level of impact at 29%, followed by individuals between that ages of 35 and 44 at 26% - and Air Pollution – with individuals between 25-34 and 55-64 each expressing the highest impact – at 33%. Erosion, Extreme Rainfall, Flooding, and Tule Fog were very rarely listed as a high impact for individuals across the age groups. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-25 Variation by Race/Ethnicity In terms of racial and/or ethnic identity, all groups expressed a high level of impact for Wildfire Smoke (59% and 53% respectfully) and for Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves (52% for both). A tertiary concern was Air Pollution (34% and 29%). Similar to the other analyses for this question, respondents did not express high levels of impact for Erosion, Flooding, Extreme Rainfall or Tule Fog. The greatest divergence between groups occurred for Drought and Water Supply; Caucasian or White respondents reported a higher level of impact – at 18% - than individuals of other races/ethnicities – at 10%. Variation by Income Group From an income perspective, individuals within the lower income bracket were most impacted by Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves (58%), followed by Wildfire Smoke (53%). Individuals in the other two categories expressed a similar level of impact for Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves (46% and 44% respectfully), with a higher level of impact for Wildfire Smoke (63% and 50%). In fact, individuals in the middle-income group express the highest level of impact for Wildfire Smoke. Other shared impacts include Air Pollution (35%, 27%, and 29% respectfully) and Wildfires (24%, 25% and 17%). Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-26 Variation by Housing Situation Homeowners, renters, and individuals indicating “Other” report being most impacted by Wildfire Smoke (45%, 60%, and 58%, respectfully), followed by Hotter Temperatures and Heat Waves (41%, 55%, and 47%, respectfully). Aside from these two categories, renter and homeowners report being more impacted by Air Pollution than Wildfires (26% v. 36%; 15% v. 26%); individuals indicating “Other” report the opposite (26% v. 32%). Open-Ended Responses Question: If there are other hazards that you have been personally affected by in the past 1-3 years in the City that are not listed above, please provide them here. There were 37 responses to this question. Of those responses, 10 discussed climate related hazards. The remaining 27 discussed other community issues not directly applicable to climate change. Related responses discussed the following: Mortality of trees that were weakened by drought. Tree caused damage to the home and increased cost of air conditioning due to loss of canopy. Extreme 116 degree heat Nearby wildfires and the impacts of smoke on an asthmatic Experience with Lyme Disease Landslide from extreme rainfall Air pollution that lead to the development of asthma Dust Power outages Invasive species Loss of biodiversity affecting people psychologically and economically. Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-27 Responses to question 11 were used to generate a Word Cloud (see below). FOR EACH HAZARD THAT YOU WERE AFFECTED BY, PLEASE RANK YOUR LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE CITY’S RESPONSE. Overall Results Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-28 Open-Ended Responses Question: Do you have any comments to share regarding how you were affected by past hazards and/or city response efforts? Please describe specific hazard, location, and response Write-in answers to this question demonstrate that respondents are either not clear on how much the city can do in responding to climate impacts, don’t believe the city can respond to impacts that they few as “natural” or at the state/federal scale or they do not know how the city responded and wish for more publicity about city response efforts. Because of these frequently cited opinions, multiple respondents indicated they used “Not at all satisfied” to indicate “not applicable” or they skipped responding at all. For these reasons, write-in responses are a more useful analysis than the absolute numbers. 83 respondents wrote in a short answer. Select responses that express doubt or confusion about the city’s ability to respond: Several of the above items are caused by nature and the city can’t do anything about them so they should not even have been included.” I cannot see how the city could do anything about fires, floods, fog and rain. The city can and should focus on eliminating trash and waste in our local parks and waterways. That will have a huge impact on its citizens' outlook on our government taking care of the city.” Let's act now to reduce the burnable debris around out (sic) homes and stream beds.” I don’t think the city can do anything to control or improve these items except for provide infrastructure that allows emergency responders to quickly and safely access the entire population. In that regard the city has actively made response times and access to core populations worse by converting roadways to bicycle paths and failing to add lanes to major thoroughfares. I think the city really needs to reassess its willingness to sacrifice human lives in the name of environmentalist ideals. When someone has a stroke every minute of delay in transport to the hospital costs that person brain function and treatment options. Additionally these alternative modes of transportation have no ability to help facilitate business growth or commerce, and as such provide no return on the funds the city invests in them.” I really don't see how the City can "respond" to some of these. Air pollution from what? If wildfires, not much the City can do apart from abatement and building codes already in place. Auto pollution is minimal. And City Hall cannot dictate the weather.” Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-29 I'm not aware of the City's response to any of the above listed items except to say the more growth, housing, etc. that occurs the more air pollution and lack of water supply will be factors in everyday life. As well as infrastructure that cannot support the housing growth all around the city.” I used "Not at all satisfied" to indicate more of "not applicable" Air pollution is being worked upon by the City, and awareness of the need for conservation of water was an ad campaign and a hotline, both appreciated. The effects of the others I cannot see the City's responsibility to. In my case only.” I only rated a few factors because many of these issues are not truly under local influence/control. The City has done a good job addressing our flood control system. More needs to be done about wildfire prevention but a significant challenge is the amount of overgrown vegetation on private property or land just outside the City's footprint.” In general, I feel the city hasn't really acknowledged it's general resident experiences with climate change. Too much focus on bike lanes and ignoring the less glamorous/ youth-focused, and middle/upper class side of being impacted by climate change.” I'm not sure how to respond to some of these questions where I do not have a direct experience, and as a result don't have a level of satisfaction to report. I believe the City leadership's push for climate action, sustainable transportation, affordable housing, and protection of open space are all in the right direction.” You should have had a "not applicable" column. There is little the City can do about hot temperatures or wildfire smoke drifting into the area. Drought and water supply is something the City can control. Constantly raising water rates while allowing hundreds of new homes it NOT the way to respond.” What is the city doing for any of these? If they are doing something, they sure aren't doing a good job publicizing what they are doing.” Select responses that offer more concrete feedback: Storm drain clearance especially on the north end of the city near Loomis Street is sometimes lacking and more frequent patrols by city personnel to this area would be appreciated.” Appreciate the notifications we get through Twitter and other platforms.” Address fire prevention like the Native Americans and how we used to. Prevent forest fires.” City could do more to reduce water use - encourage lawn reduction, including on City properties.” The city has used a wide brush to paint very high fire hazard and should be more specific/precise in classifying fire hazard. A city perimeter approach would be more effective and appropriate. Over-classifying can have dire effects on residents ability to obtain fire insurance. Just like keeping areas in flood zones that have been mitigated is a problem.” The potential for water shortage is ignored when the city approved extensive new housing. Otherwise these developments would have been disapproved. The city says one thing but does another with respect to this topic.” While the firefighters have indeed been heroes in this scenario, the city need to undertake extreme conservation measures, plant more trees to increase air quality, install solar throughout the town, enforce xeriscaping and the like. I do appreciate the city/county air report.” Stonewalling on the Lake Dredging project is unacceptable.” Keep beaches open for locals during heat waves.” I actually was not aware of the City's response at all to any of these issues.” Last winter when highway 5 was closed due to snow. The freeways and highways were blocked for HOURS and HOURS because we only have one or two routes to use in Southern California and the Central Coast.” Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-30 What is the city doing to capture and utilize the very little rain we get each year? How much of it are we losing to runoff in our ocean? What is the city doing to implement a carbon free grid by 2030? How can we take wisdom and advice from our local indigenous people to better understand working with the environment?” My property is located within a flood zone. Mitigations, such as creek debris clearance, have been successful (so far!). Though many residential neighborhoods back up to steep, somewhat denuded hills, there have not been any significant mudflows (so far!). There is an inadequate supply of N95 masks which are necessary when doing errands during periods of hazardous air quality.” Allowing 75 foot buildings downtown adds to the heat zone of the downtown corridor” I'm glad a notice has been put out about the air pollution hazards. We need strong messaging from our leadership to help us through challenges.” heat mitigation in low income housing is not being taken seriously.” I do not think, in a town where the majority do not have AC, we (the city) are ready for extreme heat.” It wasn't apparent to me that the homeless had options to shelter in a cool/clear air space” Hotter temperatures, but the city does not have shade structures in many areas.” Flooding. If we and our neighbors didn't go out and clean the storm drains when it rains hard, multiple yards would be underwater.” Wildfires: Reverse 911 works really well but most of my friends didn't know about it so trying to get the word out better. The Reverse 911 message also needs to be more clear including identifying the threat.” Responses to this question were used to generate a word cloud (see below). Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-31 HOW WOULD YOU PRIORITIZE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS IN THE CITY OF SLO? Respondents were asked to prioritize actions in the City of San Luis Obispo. Housing was most frequently listed as a number one priority; housing was chosen as the top priority 122 times or by 40% of respondents. Land Preservation, another priority topic, was selected as the number one priority 89 times or by 30% of respondents. Selected as the number one priority less frequently were Agricultural Land Preservation (selected 29 times or by 10% or respondents), Public Transportation (21 times or 7%), Trails (16 times or 5%), Parks (14 times or 5%), and Space for Business (9 times or 3%). Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-32 WHAT CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TOPICS ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT? There were 104 responses to this question. The most common topical areas mentioned by respondents were transportation, energy, and the environment. Water, wildfire, housing and social issues were also prevalent topics, in addition to agriculture, temperature changes, development, and emergency management. Issues related to climate change mitigation, waste and pollution and the economy were also mentioned. Multiple comments indicated interest in any topic related to climate adaptation and resilience. There were also several comments that the City should not be pursuing this topic. The table below summarized the approximate number of mentions for each topical area and topics suggested by respondents. Topical Area Topics Mentions Transportation Electric vehicles and charging Public transportation EV charging for apartment renters Active Transportation/bikeability/walkability Reducing emissions from transportation Traffic reduction Walkable neighborhoods with access to services Pro Con approach to transportation decisions 19 Energy Solar, wind and renewable energy sources Solar for residential & existing homes Require rooftop solar Microgrids, batteries, & energy reliability Affordable energy Alternate technology such as trash to energy Preventing early close of Diablo Canyon Eradication of gas burning engines 15 Environmental Protection Open Space/land preservation Wildlife conservation Air pollution Urban forestry and trees to for urban cooling and societal benefits Ecosystem-based adaptation Saving beaches Natural landscaping 15 Water Water conservation Integrated water resource management (intersections of flood management, water supply, watershed/habitat/GW protection, and water quality protection).” Drought and water supply Increasing infiltration Community outreach on water conservation 11 Wildfire City wildfire mitigation efforts Fire prevention & planning Outreach to property owners at the wildland urban interface Native land management practices and knowledge 10 Ascent Environmental Baseline Conditions Report City of San Luis Obispo B-33 Topical Area Topics Mentions Fire safe building Wildfire smoke Prescribed burns Fire response Housing Balancing housing needs with land preservation Affordable housing Tiny homes Housing for Cal Poly students Repurposing existing developed land for housing Off-grid housing How climate change will impact housing prices 9 Social Issues How can the City encourage residents to contribute more? Homelessness Mass migration into City How can the City avoid an increase in the wealth gap and unequal burden of climate change on marginalized communities? Social equity and justice Community outreach regarding personal actions such as water conservation, wildfire mitigation, carbon footprint reduction, etc. How can the government better understand community wants and needs? Covid-19 9 Agriculture Community gardens Healthy food access Local food Soil health Regenerative agriculture and permaculture 7 Temperature Changes Extreme heat leading to AC installation and impacts on grid AC for schools and senior centers Alternatives to AC 7 Development How can we accommodate growth in a less dense format? Environmentally friendly development/ how can growth contribute to resilience? Encouraging businesses and government to be environmentally conscious Analysis of environmentally damaging industries and promoting more sustainable industrial practices Resilient construction materials and landscaping 5 Emergency Management Faster warning systems for natural disasters Planning for compound hazards Pandemic and epidemic planning Disaster preparedness and planning Neighborhood resilience Resilience 5 Climate Change Action City efforts to plan for and combat climate change 4 Ascent Environmental City of San Luis Obispo Baseline Conditions Report B-34 Topical Area Topics Mentions Transitioning to a fossil fuel free society Waste & Pollution Waste in parks and open spaces Recycling and composting programs Compost use in community gardens Noise and light pollution 3 Economy Job security Diversifying employment from tourism 2 Responses to this were also used to generate a Word Cloud. As the Word Cloud highlights, water, transportation, energy, housing and land were among the frequently used words.