Call for Applications to Serve on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee

Don Edwards Refuge. Photo: JKehoe_Photos via flikr

Call for Applications to Serve on the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority’s Independent Citizens Oversight Committee

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 13, 2020

On June 7th, 2016, residents of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area voted with a 70% majority to pass Measure AA, the San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure. This measure is a parcel tax of $12 per year, raising approximately $25 million annually for twenty years to fund shoreline projects that will protect and restore the Bay.

Measure AA is expected to generate $500 million over its 20-year term. Funding from this measure will allow for the restoration of thousands of acres of natural habitat for wildlife, support our local economy, improve access to public lands, address flooding issues, and create thousands of new jobs.

The Authority’s Governing Board seeks three individuals to serve on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (“Committee”). Send your application to karen.mcdowell@sfestuary.org by November 13, 2020.

The Committee has three main roles:

  1. Annually review the Authority’s conformance with Measure AA;
  2. Review the Authority’s audits and expenditure and financial reports; and 
  3. Publish an annual report of its findings, which will be posted on the Authority’s website.

The Committee will work independently from the Advisory Committee of the Authority, providing a completely independent annual analysis of the work of the Authority, focused on the Authority’s expenditures and finances and on the Authority’s conformance with the requirements of Measure AA.

The Committee will meet three times each year: once to discuss and make initial comments on the Authority’s annual reports and any financial documents such as financial audits or reports; a second time to discuss and review draft findings; and a third time to review and adopt its findings to provide to the Authority, in the form of a written report. 

Geographic Representation: Individuals from the following counties are eligible to apply to this call for applications: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano.  Individuals will be considered for both the at-large and regional seats, as applicable, so that the strongest three applicants are selected.

This call is seeking to fill the following three seats:

  • East Bay seat (three-year term) – Seeking an individual from Contra Costa County or the portion of Alameda County that is north of the southern boundary of the City of Hayward, excluding the Delta primary zone.
  • North Bay seat (one-year term) – Seeking an individual from Marin County, Napa County, Sonoma County, or Solano County
  • At-large seat (three-year term) – Seeking an individual from a county not already represented in one of the regional seats.  For the purpose of this call for applicants, individuals from the following counties are eligible depending on who is selected for the regional seats:  Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano. 

Subject Matter Expertise:  Each member of the Committee must possess expertise in one or more of the following subject matters:

  • Water quality,
  • Pollution reduction,
  • Habitat restoration,
  • Flood protection,
  • Improvement of public access to the bay, or
  • Financing of these objectives.

Factors that Determine Ineligibility for Membership:  No person may serve on the Committee who:

  • Is an elected official or government employee;
  • Has had or could have a financial interest in a decision of the Authority; or
  • Is affiliated with an organization associated with a member of the Governing Board. 

Term:  The members will be considered for appointment at the December 4th Governing Board Meeting.  The members for the East Bay and at-large seats will be appointed to serve from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2023. The member for the North Bay seat will be appointed to serve immediately through December 31, 2021, the remainder of the term of the currently open seat.

Time CommitmentThe Committee will meet three times a year (usually in the spring and summer) for 2 to 3 hours each. All members are expected to review reports prior to meeting.  Meetings are currently being held remotely (meetings were previously held at 375 Beale Street, San Francisco, California, and may resume onsite if and when public health orders allow).

Background

The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority was formed by the California Legislature in 2008. The Authority’s mission is to raise and allocate resources for the restoration, enhancement, protection, and enjoyment of wetlands and wildlife habitat in the San Francisco Bay and along its shoreline, as well as related public recreation and flood protection projects.  The Authority is led by a Governing Board of seven members from local governments.

Key Links

Independent Citizens Oversight Committee webpage

Independent Citizens Oversight Committee Guidelines

17/18 Report

18/19 Report

Application

 

To Apply

If interested, please download and fill out the application here, and send it electronically to karen.mcdowell@sfestuary.org by November 13, 2020.

Questions? Contact Karen McDowell, Deputy Program Manager, San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, at karen.mcdowell@sfestuary.org.

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