Host: County of Los Angeles
Region: Southern California
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Transportation / Mobility, Climate Mitigation, Infrastructure Development,including Broadband
Skills Needed: Research, Data collection & analysis, Critical Thinking

Service Needs & Plans

The County of Los Angeles Internal Service Department (ISD)’s Clean Transportation Program is responsible for planning and deploying clean mobility options that serve County operations, employees, and the public. This work includes installing electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) to meet the County’s Sustainability Plan goal of 60,000 publicly accessible charging stations throughout the County by 2025. The County is in the process of developing a 10-year EVCS implementation plan to help achieve this goal. The CivicSpark Fellow will be tasked with developing part of the 10-year plan and creating an optimization model to prioritize charging station implementation.

These tasks will address environmental and social equity challenges. The Fellow will identify locations for charging stations that meet the needs of our underserved and low-income communities. As more residents transition to driving an EV, we expect to see reductions in air pollution and harmful health effects associated with poor air quality.

Project Description

A key aspect of meeting the 2025 goal of 60,000 publicly accessible EVCS throughout the County is to ensure that charging stations are equitably distributed. One way the team will focus on equitable access to EV charging is to install charging stations along streets that serve local businesses and multi-family residences that would not otherwise have access to charge EVs. The Fellow will conduct research, analysis, and outreach to determine where to deploy street-side charging stations in unincorporated areas of the County. This work will be incorporated into the 10-year implementation plan and a request for proposal to carry out the work. Tasks will include:

• researching challenges and best practices for deployment strategies,
• conducting a needs and gap analysis utilizing a GIS map,
• verifying feasibility and identifying next steps through partnerships with County Regional Planning and Department of Public Works
• developing an outreach and communication strategy that creates opportunities for residents to provide input on charging locations
• incorporating all the above elements into the implementation plan, and
• assisting with drafting a Request for Proposal to identify contractors that can complete the work, consistent with the goals of the plan.

The Fellow will additionally be tasked with creating a predictive optimization model for the 10-year plan. The optimization model will be used to examine the costs and benefits of installing chargers in high priority areas and determine a schedule of where to install chargers first to create the greatest community benefits and how to do so at the lowest cost. The Fellow will work with ISD’s Clean Transportation Team and Power BI Team to develop the model.

At the end of the Fellow’s term, the County will have an implementation plan that is informed by best practices, local experts, sound data analysis, and County residents. The plan will be used to support equitable access, leading to increased adoption of EVs and eventually cleaner air for Los Angeles County.

Desired Skills

The Fellow should have an interest in supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles. Helpful skills include research and analysis, intermediate writing and communication skills, and some experience making presentation. Experience with GIS and Power BI is not necessary, as the Fellow will utilize pre-existing maps and dashboards and have access to ISD’s GIS and Power BI analysts.

Organization & Community Highlights

The Clean Transportation Team is a diverse group that provides a supportive working environment for a Fellow to thrive while learning from team members and sharing their knowledge. We have enjoyed and benefitted from having a CivicSpark Fellow on our team in 2021-22. The County and ISD are committed to maintain an inclusive and safe workspace.

In addition to interacting with team members, the Fellow will interact with professionals in a variety of fields that work in other divisions within the Internal Services Department, other County departments, and municipalities. For example, the Fellow is likely to work with engineers, electricians, GIS analysts, government planners and inspectors, and non-profits that conduct community outreach. I would also seek opportunities and encourage the fellow to participate in professional development activities. Working for and living in Los Angeles County offers a vast opportunity to create solutions for complex challenges.

Remote or On-Site Placement

County Covid-related directives will dictate teleworking frequency, social distancing and masking protocols. Under current circumstances, the Fellow can expect to spend three to four days in the office with one or two telework days. The Fellow can expect consistency in our communication and support with regular check-ins, and team meetings, which will either occur in-person or through Teams.