Host: City of Berkeley
Region: Bay Area
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Adaptation, Climate Mitigation, Ecosystem / Habitat Conservation, Urban Planning, Water Policy
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Volunteer Management, Communication

Service Needs & Plans

The CivicSpark Fellow will serve with the City of Berkeley to maintain and expand upon GIS hubs and multiple webpages for the Adopt-a-Spot program. The City is in the process of replacing its 15 year old website and having additional staffing capacity to assist with the focus on stormwater quality and volunteerism will ensure that messaging reaches the entire community on multiple platforms.

The Fellow will expand the Citywide Adopt-a-Spot program, and overall contribute to the modernization of the City’s internal infrastructure. In addition to the above, the Fellow will be responsible for sending out volunteer recruitment blasts, getting liability forms signed (working with the City Attorney’s Office), sending safety vests and other personal protective equipment to Adopt-a-Spot volunteers, and supporting other volunteer-based aspects of compliance with the City’s stormwater discharge permit (Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit, regulated by the Regional Water Board). They will also be responsible for working with the Public Works Commission, City Council, and City social media managers regarding environmental volunteer efforts, with an emphasis in lower-income and underserved neighborhoods (which tend to be in more industrial areas).

This Fellow will hold stormwater outreach events and share environmental compliance information with residents and business owners in conjunction with the Alameda County Clean Water Program. The Public Works Department has engaged volunteers in a variety of ways over the years, but it has never been cohesive and consistent to the frustration of the community. Many individuals want to help, but do not even know where to start. As part of the City’s website overhaul, there will be a section for volunteerism and Public Works wants to have an easy and accessible process for residents. By having a CivicSpark Fellow, the Public Works Department will be able to clearly communicate to the community about the need for volunteers, the opportunities for volunteers, and the results of those volunteer activities. The adopt-a-spot for storm drains and traffic circles has been offered for over a decade and Public Works participate regularly in Citywide volunteer events, but it is not enough. The current 2021-22 Fellow has done an amazing job laying the groundwork and the City wants this project to continue to flourish.

Project Description

The City of Berkeley’s Department of Public Works supports many citywide environmental initiatives including Zero Waste and the Climate Action Plan. Public Works supports the City’s regulatory compliance with municipal stormwater regulations, one of which requires 100% trash load reduction by 2022. The Fellow will expand upon the recently and newly redeveloped Adopt-a-Spot program for the Berkeley community that creates volunteer opportunities to support green infrastructure, stormwater pollution reduction and pollinator friendly/drought tolerant traffic circles. The Fellow will provide outreach and education to Berkeley residents to coordinate volunteer opportunities. Outreach may include different formats such as mailers, virtual meetings, and participation at events. The Fellow will focus on segments of the community that have not historically been able to engage or not been recognized for existing engagement including renters, people of color, and low-income residents. The outreach efforts will be supported by current Public Works staff.

The Fellow will also be able to assist Public Works in taking full advantage of other volunteer events such as Berkeley Project Day through UC Berkeley and Coastal Clean Ups. There are many existing volunteers in the City of Berkeley, but the coordination between them and the City is disjointed. Having a single point of contact for the already existing community volunteers will ensure that their efforts are recognized, coordinated, and supported.

The Fellow will also be responsible for running the planting voucher program in conjunction with the UC Chancellors community partnership, facilitating traffic circle planting and maintenance program, coordinating volunteers who need help watering plants in circles, and coordinating with other City departments for volunteer needs and events. The UC Chancellor partnership program should be kicking off when the service year begins and the Fellow will be responsible for program promotion and webinars on related topics, hosting in-person events to increase a sense of community with volunteers, coordinating regular maintenance scheduling with contractors/volunteers/City staff for Adopt-a-Spot locations, tracking compliance of traffic circle planting, and upkeeping the GIS hubs for circles and storm drains with relation to freshly rolled out City asset management software.

Desired Skills

The ideal candidate will be passionate about community outreach regarding environmental issues and equity in a diverse community. They should have strong communication and project management skills. They should have the desire to learn more about green infrastructure and stormwater impacts and mitigation in an urban environment.

Additional interest in drought tolerant / pollinator friendly landscaping would be helpful. Additional desired skills include; second language proficiency (e.g. Spanish or Chinese languages) to ensure outreach to non-English speaking communities, graphic design, GIS, and web content management.

Organization & Community Highlights

Public Works is the largest department in the City of Berkeley with over 300 budgeted positions and is comprised of six divisions including the Office of the Director, Zero Waste, Transportation, Engineering, Operations, Fiscal and Administration. Our Department’s mission is to provide quality services to the Berkeley community with pride, courtesy, and excellence. Public Works staff are dedicated to making that mission a reality through their hard work and their ongoing efforts to improve the community.

Serving the City of Berkeley, specifically the Public Works Department would be an excellent professional development experience because the breadth of the types of projects and programs within the Department is incredible. The Department is working diligently to move to electric vehicles where feasible, increase the solar power capacity of facilities, and move the community towards the goal of Zero Waste. The Fellow participate in meetings, webinars, and other training opportunities to develop subject matter expertise and understanding of the policies, programs, to support community outreach, engagement and volunteer opportunities in all parts of the City. Additionally, the Fellow will coordinate, communicate, and engage diverse stakeholders.

Berkeley, located in the East Bay across from San Francisco, is known for its community activism and engagement. It currently has 37 commissions representing a wide array of community interests and concerns. Berkeley is often the first in the Country to pass groundbreaking legislation. The City has prioritized living wages, equal rights, and a community where everyone is truly welcome. Berkeley is home to the University of California, which was the birthplace of the 1960’s Free Speech Movement, as well as many other educational institutions. Berkeley currently struggles with a large population of unsheltered individuals and large disparities in educational attainment, wealth, transportation and housing. The community remains dedicated to improving both the social and environmental problems that are present now and in the future.

Living in or around Berkeley is amazing and expensive. There is ample public transportation public transportation (BART, bus, bike share) and access to some of the best produce in the world. The cost of living is high, but due to the pandemic, competition for housing with the large student population will likely not be as difficult as in previous years.

Remote or On-Site Placement

The City is currently in a hybrid office/field/home space, depending on what makes sense for a specific event or workday.