Students Guide City Planners on Addressing Environmental Justice in General Plans

In 2020, the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) published an updated general plan guidance document for local governments. General plans are policy documents that outline a city or county’s long-term plan for growth and are used to guide decisions about land use, development, and public services. This update, following the directive of Senate Bill 1000 (SB1000), included a new section on incorporating environmental justice (EJ) policies and initiatives into general plans. Following feedback on the original guidelines, LCI determined that updates were needed to streamline guidance in an approachable and digestible manner. To achieve this, LCI collaborated with a group of graduate students from the University of California, Davis, in the Environmental Policy and Management (EPM) program to implement necessary updates, resulting in a concise yet comprehensive final product.

Bridging Ecological Restoration and Environmental Justice

For the Policy Clinic, this team worked with the California Coastal Commission to examine the relationship between ecological restoration and environmental justice within the coastal zone and how the compensatory mitigation process can be used to advance environmental justice in compliance with the Commissions EJ Policy.

Adapting Agriculture for a Changing Climate: Insights from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, renowned for its rich soil and biodiversity, faces unique challenges as climate change and development threaten its agricultural landscape through increasing saltwater intrusion, sea levels, and temperatures. Our group collaborated with the Delta Stewardship Council to dig deeper into these pressing issues and explore strategies that help farmers adapt to these changes.

Prioritizing Locally Relevant Human Well-Being Indicators Linked to Marine Reserves

Oregon’s marine reserves are protected areas of the ocean that conserve key coastal areas and function as refuges for marine life. Canary rockfish, aggregating anemones, ochre sea stars, and bull kelp are just some of the species thriving in these protected environments. However, a key question arises: how do marine conservation efforts impact human well-being? This question is central to our Environmental Policy and Management Policy Clinic project, conducted in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and UC Davis partners.

Alumni Spotlight- Kassidy Heckmann

Kassidy is a proud New Yorker who graduated the EPM program in 2019. After graduation, she was hired as a policy analyst for an environmental lobbying firm where she advocated for clients on issues related to environmental health, water, and natural resources. The following year, she was hired on as a legislative aide in the California State Capitol for an elected official from the Bay Area. She was able to expand her policy knowledge to other issue areas and before the end of her first year, she was promoted to legislative director.

EPM student community celebrates achievements in year end gathering

The Environmental Policy and Management Social Committee hosted its annual spring celebration, Legacy Night. Previously, known as EProM, this end of year event evolved into something much more than a “prom”. The new name reflects a broader purpose of bringing together EPM students, faculty, alumni and friends to celebrate both accomplishments and the enduring legacy of the program.

Faculty Spotlight- Jim Sanchirico

I am a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy (DESP) at the University of California, Davis, and a University Fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) in Washington, DC. I received my PhD from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis in 1998 and was on staff at RFF from 1998 to 2007, returning to DESP in 2007.

Faculty Spotlight- Tracy Winsor

Tracy Winsor is a Senior Assistant Attorney General specializing in environmental law and a lecturer at UC Davis, mentoring students in environmental policy and law.

UC Davis Environmental Policy and Management Program Hosts Annual Open House

Each year, the Environmental Policy and Management (EPM) program at UC Davis welcomes prospective students to campus to showcase the program and campus. The Open House traditionally begins with an excursion to Sacramento, highlighting the strategic advantage of Davis's proximity to California's Capitol and the opportunities for students to get involved in cutting-edge environmental work.