California Air Resources Board

Draft Community Engagement Model

What is the Community Engagement Model? 

The Community Engagement Model aims to empower staff by providing them the essential knowledge, tools, and confidence needed to plan and implement a robust community engagement Plan. It helps staff set clear goals and objectives that are tailored to their work and the communities affected by it. It also offers resources to leverage existing and new community stakeholder relationships to maximize the communities’ awareness and participation.

Community Engagement Model website for updates on developing this model.

Why is CARB developing the Community Engagement Model? 

While CARB values the involvement and engagement of community stakeholders, we acknowledge that our engagement efforts have not always been consistent or robust across the agency. The Community Engagement Model provides CARB with a process, informed by communities’ expertise, to engage and build relationships that help shape our projects, programs, policies, and regulations. The Community Engagement Model bolsters an engagement process that actively provides opportunities for communities to take part in the conversation, to learn, and to work more collaboratively with agency staff beyond providing input. The ultimate goal of these collaborations is to ensure that CARBs impact increasingly leads to more equitable, especially racial, outcomes for ALL Californians. 

Why is racial equity key to effective community engagement?

Racial inequities are systemic and are a result of government actions, policies, or programs. As such, they will not disappear without concerted and deliberate action. Using a racial equity lens can ensure that CARB analyzes and addresses which communities are benefited or burdened by its actions. 

In tandem with the Community Engagement Model, CARB is developing the Racial Equity Lens, a data driven analytical tool for staff to embed a racial equity analysis in the planning and implementation of policies, programs, and actions undertaken by CARB. The Racial Equity Lens will help CARB incorporate racial equity into actions and decision making at CARB by: 

• Describing the legal, policy, and organizational frameworks at CARB for staff to consider racial equity;
• Identifying the information staff should consider in assessing the equity impacts of actions and decision making at CARB; and
• Characterizing and highlighting questions about racial equity that staff should ask and address in each step of the process. 

Ground Truthing and Community Expert Process

The Community Engagement Model will guide CARB’s community engagement practices, and it is critical that community expertise is intentionally woven into its foundation. CARB will solicit Community Experts to provide their expertise to ground truth the Community Engagement Model. 

What is a “Community Expert”? 

A "Community Expert" is someone who has life, professional, and/or leadership experiences informed by their community, neighborhood, or field. 

What will the “Community Expert” be required to do? 

Each “Community Expert” will be paid $5,000 for their expertise and will be expected to do the following: 

• Attend four meetings with the CECB Workgroup members to inform and co-create the Community Engagement Model throughout the duration of the contract. 
• Review the Community Engagement Model and provide feedback on work products created.  
• Provide expertise on community engagement and outreach. 
• Provide expertise on challenges that they have encountered at CARB around community engagement and outreach.
• Provide expertise on embedding racial equity into CARB actions.
• Provide expertise on the role community engagement plays into shaping community-driven and academic research, as well as providing tools and resources to communities.
• If feasible, may assist CECB Workgroup to conduct additional outreach or get feedback on the PIC Model from their respective communities/regions. 

What is the timing and process for becoming a “Community Expert”? 

CARB held an introductory meeting in January 2023 to provide an overview of the Community Engagement Model and to explain the ground truthing process and expectations for the “Community Experts.” It is expected that CARB will release a solicitation for the “Community Experts” in mid-late January, with a series of meetings taking place from Summer 2023 through Winter 2023-24.

What is Ground Truthing? 

Ground truthing is a process that informs the development of a project based on the lived and on-the-ground experiences from community experts. Ground truthing is an opportunity for CARB to utilize the expertise of community experts to co-develop a community engagement model that will build and preserve relationships with community members and show CARB’s commitment to improve its engagement processes as directed by Board Resolution 20-33. 

Community Input

Will CARB consider community input outside the contracted Community Experts? 

Yes.  In addition to working with “Community Experts,” CARB will have a series of community workshops, both in-person and virtual, to get input from the public. These workshops will happen in parallel to the “Community Expert” meetings. If you are not able to attend a meeting but would still like to provide feedback, please email your thoughts and suggestions to communityengagement@arb.ca.gov.  

I know community members that may be interested in participating in this process, how can they get involved?  

We welcome all voices in this process, please forward this flier about the Community Engagement Model and our process to anyone you think will be interested in participating. We will also be closely coordinating with our Office of Environmental Justice and Office of Community Air Protection to share the information with AB 617 communities and other environmental justice coalitions. For updates, sign up for our list serve here under the topic “Environmental Justice Stakeholders Group.”

What is the process and timeframe for completing the Model? 

We anticipate that the first draft of the Community Engagement Model will undergo intensive review and revisions after our first meeting with “Community Experts” and the public. The draft Community Engagement Model is anticipated to be completed by Spring 2024 but is a living document that will be continuously improved as we collect feedback from CARB staff, the public and through lessons learned when implementing the Community Engagement Model. 

Will the Community Engagement Model be translated, and will there be interpretation available at public meetings?  

The draft Community Engagement Model will be available in both English and Spanish. Translation of the draft Community Engagement Model into additional languages will be available upon request and made publicly available on the Community Engagement Model website. If there is not a version of the draft Community Engagement Model available in your desired language, please email communityengagement@arb.ca.gov to request it.  

Public meetings will be available in English, with interpretation services in Spanish. Interpretation services for public meetings (in person or online) in additional alternative languages will be available upon request.  If you require special accommodation or meeting materials in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print) or another language, please email communityengagement@arb.ca.gov or call (279) 208-7716 as soon as possible, but no later than 5 business days before the meeting.