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Press release County of Santa Clara adopts Bay Adapt Joint Platform

County of Santa Clara starts year off with climate action; joins regional partners in adopting Bay Adapt Joint Platform

County of Santa Clara, CA - At the first meeting of 2022, the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Otto Lee’s resolution to join regional partners in adopting the Bay Adapt Joint Platform, BAJP, a call to action to address sea level rise and mitigate the impacts of climate change. 

The Bay Adapt Joint Platform sets out guiding principles, priority actions, and vital tasks that will help enable the region to adapt more quickly, effectively, and equitably to a rising San Francisco Bay. 

“The Bay Adapt Joint Platform is a roadmap for how we can adapt faster, better, and especially more equitably to a rising Bay. I am grateful to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, BCDC, and a host of community partners for developing the Joint Platform,” said Supervisor Lee.

Supervisor Lee represents District 3 on the Board of Supervisors which encompasses the southernmost shorelines, wetlands, wildlife refuge, the Alviso slough, and Coyote Creek of the San Francisco Bay, most of Santa Clara County’s areas at the highest risk of sea level rise. 

“There are more than 80,000 housing units and 20,000 acres of wetlands at risk by 2040. Starting off the year by adopting the BAJP is the necessary action we need to save families and their homes. I am grateful to my colleagues for unanimously adopting the BAJP. This is one of the many steps we need to take in 2022, but this is a big one,” added Supervisor Lee.

The Bay Area, and Santa Clara County, are home to communities that are at the greatest risk of exposure to climate threats. Santa Clara County is in a highly networked region where impacts in one area, and responses to them, have cascading effects around the Bay. A coordinated approach across the region can reduce unintended consequences and greatly enhance local efforts. Collective action can be expedited by shared goals that help communities find and enact their own solutions.

The Bay Adapt Joint Platform has been endorsed by the BCDC, California State Coastal Conservancy, Greenbelt Alliance, Bay Planning Coalition, Bay Area Council, Rise South City, San Francisco Bay Regional Coastal Hazards Adaptation Resiliency Group, and NorCal Resilience Network. For more information, please visit BayAdapt.org.

Supervisor Otto Lee represents District 3 on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. He is a former Sunnyvale Mayor and Councilmember, retired U.S. Navy Commander, intellectual property attorney and father. He lives in Sunnyvale with his wife and three daughters. He was elected to represent District 3 in November 2020. More information is available at SupervisorLee.org or contact us anytime at [email protected].

Contact: Mark Tiernan
669-309-3219 | [email protected]