DATE: July 8, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: County Administrative Officer, Paul Nerland
SUBJECT: Retroactive Revenue Agreement with Central Valley Community Foundation
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute retroactive revenue Agreement with Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF) for collaboration and participation in the Sierra San Joaquin Jobs (S2J2) coalition of California Jobs First, effective February 1, 2025, through January 31, 2026, total not to exceed $100,000.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost (NCC) associated with the recommended action. The State of California created the California Jobs First program (formerly “CERF”) in 2022 with the goal of building a thriving and sustainable economy across California. CVCF is leading the effort for the S2J2 coalition of California Jobs First, which is comprised of hundreds of organizations across the region’s four counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare. Approval of the recommended action will effectively commit the County of Fresno’s involvement and collaboration with CVCF and allow CVCF to reimburse the County for its staff time. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not authorize the recommended agreement, collaboration with CVCF would cease and California Jobs First may cease to continue. There would also be no revenue accepted by the County to pay back the County for its staff participation time.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The recommended Agreement is retroactive to February 1, 2025. The agreement and notification of agreement were not received from CVCF until March 27, 2025. Collaboration with other Counties, review of the agreement, and County inter-departmental conversations had to occur prior to bringing this to your Board for approval.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost (NCC) associated with the recommended action. CVCF will compensate the County of Fresno up to $100,000 for staff time, which will be deposited into Org 0120 - County Administrative Office (CAO). Sufficient Appropriations and Revenues are budgeted within Org 0120 for Fiscal Year 2024-25 and will be included in the FY 2025-26 recommended budget. The CAO’s Office will reimburse other County Departments for staff time utilized as the project progresses.
DISCUSSION:
The S2J2 coalition spent 2023 engaging the community (including over 4,000 surveys), and 2024 developing a draft Regional Investment Plan with over 300 partners. This plan focuses on nine priority areas including Clean Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Responsible Food Systems, Broadband, Water, Small Business, Community-based Health Workforce, Education and Skill Building, and Community Benefits Planning. Activating this plan is projected to have a significant economic impact ($99B+) and create numerous jobs (138,000+) over 20 years.
On March 31, 2025, the County of Fresno, through the CAO’s Office, along with the County of Madera, Couty of Tulare, and County of Kings submitted a letter addressed to Secretary Crowfoot and Secretary Ross welcoming the engagement of the Four-County Coordinating Committee (Attachment A). The letter highlights areas the region faces which is built upon agriculture but requires the Counties to navigate challenges related to water, land, air quality, habitat, and renewable energy. Despite these challenges, the Four Counties are committed to leveraging the Jobs First and S2J2 partnership, with support from the CVCF and a broad coalition, to prepare for transformative economic investment. They are eager to work with the recipient agencies to identify key actions for a thriving and resilient Central San Joaquin region that benefits the state.
The letter specifically proposed the following areas for collaboration:
• Structured Coordination: Standing monthly meetings for progress updates, troubleshooting, and alignment.
• GIS and Land Use Planning: Immediate collaboration with the Department of Conservation on mapping and modeling for land use strategies, considering economic development, groundwater recharge, conservation, and energy infrastructure.
• Energy Planning & Policy Alignment: Requesting guidance and hands-on assistance from the California Energy Commission (CEC), with an early priority being a state-local briefing on the state's regional energy production plans.
• Natural Resources Stewardship: Seeking continued help from the Department of Water Resources and exploring synergies with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, and the California Conservation Corps for land restoration, renewable energy, groundwater recharge, and sustainable agriculture, while leveraging the San Joaquin Valley Water Collaborative Action Program (CAP).
• Agricultural Support: Looking forward to working with the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to ensure agricultural producers have access to relevant programs and resources.
The letter emphasized the unique and urgent opportunity for regional-state collaboration to analyze key strategies and determine necessary investments and actions.
The recommended agreement for approval will assist and strengthen the partnership between the County and CVCF. The recommended agreement will commit County staff representatives to participate in a working group, which will examine regional energy infrastructure and capacity and explore ways to maximize economic and community development related to renewable energy generation, while considering the needs of agriculture, water, habitat, cities, and rural communities.
This work is a continuation of the Regional Investment Initiative (formerly CERF) and is funded under an agreement between CVCF and the California Employment Development Department (EDD) called the Catalyst Program. The services expected of the County staff representatives involve providing technical expertise and input on local government processes and energy needs to the working group.
The recommended agreement differs from standard County agreements, in that it has a mutual indemnification clause. However, the CAO’s Office believes the benefits of entering into the recommended agreement outweigh any risks posed by the nonstandard clause.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Retroactive Agreement with CVCF
Attachment A - Letter to Secretaries Ross and Crowfoot
CAO ANALYST:
Maria Valencia