California State University, Long Beach
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

CSULB works with our surrounding city and county agencies to collaborate on sustainability policies like Climate Action and Resilience Plans, General Plan updates, and CEQA. For example, the City of Long Beach is in the process of developing a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) and has formed a Scientific Advisory Committee, on which several CSULB faculty serve. Sustainability, Planning, Energy and Utilities staff also work closely with City of Long Beach departments and agencies to take a collaborative approach to prioritizing local water and energy conservation policies as well as the expansion of public transportation and bicycle infrastructure in the city. For example, representatives from the Long Beach Water Department, the City's Office of Planning, and the Long Beach Sustainable City Commission serve on the university's Water Efficiency and Conservation Working Group and Resilience Working Group. These working groups collaborate to develop and implement programs and policies to advance resource conservation and climate action. Additionally, CSULB's Parking and Transportation Services and Planning Departments work in close collaboration with the local transit agencies to advocate for bus and bicycle policies and infrastructure that will benefit the campus. This close communication ensures that local policy is created with the university in mind and that key university stakeholders participate in the local policy making process.

The CSU’s Advocacy and State Relations (ASR) team monitor all sustainability legislation that impacts the CSU specifically. It also participates in state-wide advocacy on issues like climate change policy, energy efficiency, water resources and other utility issues that impact the operation and physical facilities. ASR and the Chancellor’s Office also work with the Governor’s Office Sustainability Task Force and are members of the Direct Access Customer Coalition and the Alliance for Retail Markets advocacy groups to advocate for the best interest of the CSU on energy and sustainability efforts. Examples of legislation that the CSU provided input on in 2015 include: • SB 350 (De Leon) which established targets to increase renewable electricity to 50% by 2030. CSU had a WATCH position. • SB 286 (Hertzberg) increases direct access services across the state, including the CSU. CSU has a SUPPORT position on SB 286. • AB 1150 (Levine) authorized public owned utilities to expands Energy Efficiency Partnership Programs to include the CSU and UC. The CSU had a SUPPORT position and ASR worked with UC to advocate for this expansion. The CSU also partners with the University of California and community colleges to advocate for energy efficiency programs. The CSU Chancellor’s Office collaborates with administrative law agencies like Utilities Commission, Energy Commission, Air Resources Board, Strategic Growth Council, Office of Planning and Research, Cal-Fire, etc. Much of the sustainability advocacy action happens at the agency administrative law level and the CSU Chancellor’s Office provides comment on many of their sustainability-related policies. The CSU has been the first public university system in the nation to conduct extensive research to better understand and address the housing and food security needs of college students. CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White commissioned the most recent iteration of this research.The goal of the project is to confirm the scope of food and housing security issues and identify best practices with the aim of launching campus-based intervention programs and policies to support student success and degree completion efforts across the CSU.

"In December 2016, CSULB President Jane Conoley joined University Chancellors and Presidents from more than 170 universities across the country in sending a letter to then President-Elected Trump and the incoming congressional leaders to urge them to accelerate progress towards a clean energy future. The letter made the case for the need to remain committed to the following priorities: 1. Participation in the Paris Agreement, with the resulting national carbon reduction and clean energy targets, to protect the health of our current communities and our future generations. 2. Research in our academic institutions and in federal agencies to ensure that our national climate, energy, and security policies are based on leading scientific and technical knowledge. 3. Investments in the low carbon economy as part of a resilient infrastructure to ensure the country can adapt to changing climate hazards. These investments will also help grow American jobs and businesses. Additionally, in January 2017, the CSU Chancellor and all 23 CSU Presidents issued a statement in response to President Trump's executive order banning certain refugees and other people from Muslim majority countries from entering the United States. The statement reaffirmed the CSU's commitment to being an inclusive and welcoming institution that is enhanced by the students, faculty, staff and alumni from our global community and urged President Trump to reconsider this divisive order.

In November 2015, CSULB and the entire CSU system joined over 300 other universities in signing the White House pledge ""American Campuses Act on Climate Change"" to amplify the voice of the higher education community in advance of the United Nations COP21 climate negotiations in Paris, and to inspire world leaders to commit to action on climate change. In addition to supporting the Paris conference, the CSU committed to reducing carbon emissions from energy use and transportation, increasing on-site generation of clean renewable energy, and utilizing campuses as living laboratories to educate the climate change leaders of the future. Following President Trump's announcement on June 1, 2017 of his intention to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, CSULB President Conoley added her name to an open letter to the international community from more than a thousand government, business, and higher education leaders declaring their continued support for climate action to meet the Paris Agreement. CSU Chancellor Tim White and several of the other Presidents from the 23 CSU campuses are also signatories to the letter, which can be viewed at http://wearestillin.com/

Additional information about the programs or initiatives: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/11/american-campuses-act-climate