TOGETHER Bay Area’s 80 member organizations are on-the-ground implementers of projects that create climate resilient lands and communities. They are doers, but not for short term gains. They’re in it for the long haul, often working on the multigenerational timeline of an oak tree. 

Their work requires funding. A lot of it. Conserving land, stewarding land, connecting people to the land… all of it requires significant and stable funding that is not transactional but transformational. That’s why we worked for years, hand in hand with our members and partners across the state, to create and pass Proposition 4, the $10 billion climate bond that California voters passed last November. Together, we: 

• Showcased our members’ projects that are not just inspiring but are possible with funding like Prop 4. Including a picture of this fierce mountain lion.
• Met with dozens of offices in Sacramento on multiple advocacy days, and had some fun while we were at it.
• Wrote op-eds and got quoted in the media and posted stories about how Prop 4 will make a difference to all Californians.
• Enabled our member organizations to call, email, and meet with their State Senators and Assembly members about the importance of State Coastal Conservancy funding in their districts.

Now the money is starting to flow. The State Legislature and Administration recently passed SB 105 which appropriates over $3.2 billion from Proposition 4 to agencies, conservancies, and departments. They, in turn, are starting to disseminate this funding through a variety of competitive grant programs. Take a look at our Proposition 4 Resources Hub to learn more about where funds have been appropriated.

Let that sink in. $3.2 billion, the first tranche of Prop 4’s $10 billion, is on its way to projects across the state that build our resilience to the effects of the climate and biodiversity crises and meet state goals like 30×30. Again, California is leading on the climate crisis and the world is watching.  

Ready? Set? Go!

What does this mean for TOGETHER Bay Area members and on-the-ground implementers across the state? Here’s what you can do: 

• Join us in thanking the State Legislature and Administration for appropriating Prop 4 funds in this year’s budget, especially to the State Coastal Conservancy. Like, comment, and share this post and this story.
• Get in the cue for funding by introducing your projects to the funding agencies like the State Coastal Conservancy and Wildlife Conservation Board. 
• Share this blog post and the Prop 4 Resources Hub with colleagues to share where funding exists for projects
• Get creative and collaborative to form partnerships that advance equity, justice, and belonging. Think big and inclusively about what’s possible. 

Gratitude

We want to thank Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas for making sure that Proposition 4 appropriations were part of the final budget deal. We appreciate their efforts to move this funding forward to help our region address climate change. 

And, we want to enthusiastically thank the following leaders for being champions of coastal resilience and ensuring that ample Proposition 4 funding was appropriated to the State Coastal Conservancy: 

• State Senator Josh Becker
• Assemblymember Marc Berman 
• Assemblymember Diane Papan
• Assemblymember Gail Pellerin

Potential for transformational changes

Don’t get us wrong, this amount of funding is exciting. There’s a thrill to $3.2 billion for climate resilience! And, let’s remember that we’re working for transformational changes, not quick fixes. 

Our vision is a Bay Area that is home to healthy lands, people, and communities where we address the impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises through collaboration. TOGETHER Bay Area and its members work for a just and equitable society where we live in right relations with the lands that sustain us now and will sustain future generations. This is slow, patient work done in relationship with community and place. 

Let’s move with urgency and at the speed of trust. Let’s be the ancestors the future generations need us to be.