Accountability Through Action

Overview

The Air District has prepared the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan to guide our work, and more importantly to hold ourselves accountable. We have discussed with the Board of Directors, community leaders, industry, and local governments much of what is described in this plan. We have even begun to make progress, with many actions already underway. Some actions will take longer to address, as they are dependent on the completion of others. Although all the strategies and commitments in the plan cannot be implemented at the same time, they all reflect our priorities over the next five years.

The 2024-2029 Strategic Plan empowers communities, the Board of Directors, and Air District employees to clearly see and understand all our five-year priorities and commitments. It also allows us to assess whether our actions are in alignment with these commitments and the needs of the communities we serve. It enables us to track our progress in meeting commitments. This strategic plan is a mechanism to hold us accountable.

Commitments in Action

Making commitments aligned with our Board of Directors, communities, and core values is a critical step in achieving our mission, vision, and goals. Acting on those commitments is even more important. Read more about how the Air District will carry out its commitments.

Resource Alignment

As described in Strategy 4.11 Align Resources, we will ensure that we properly resource the strategies and supporting action plans in the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. We will reorient our annual budget process, including the allocation of funds, to support the plan’s implementation. Each annual budget cycle will be an opportunity to evaluate whether our commitments in the plan are adequately resourced, and to adjust if necessary.

Progress Reports

Each year, we commit to reporting progress on our efforts to implement the 2024- 2029 Strategic Plan, as described in Strategy 4.12 Report Progress. In the annual progress report, we will include a summary of all actions we have completed, along with associated performance metrics. We will describe actions not taken and why. Progress reports will be used to determine whether we need to revise our action plans to be more effective. Read more about annual progress reports.

Updating the Strategic Plan

Every five years we will perform a comprehensive strategic plan update. The five-year update will be an opportunity to reassess our priorities, considering current conditions and resources. As with the development of the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, we will consult with communities, employees, our partners, and the Board of Directors in the plan update.

Actions Underway

We are already actively working to implement the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. Below is a snapshot of some of the actions we have taken or are taking to realize the plan’s vision and goals through the implementation of specific plan strategies. Read more about actions underway.

Strategic Plan Aligns With Community Plans

As described in Chapter 1, Assembly Bill 617 requires the state to select communities to partner with local air districts to develop plans for community monitoring and for reducing pollution in communities. Since the law passed, we have worked with two communities, West Oakland and Richmond-North Richmond-San Pablo, to develop and adopt a community monitoring plan and emission reduction plans. We are now working with East Oakland and Bayview Hunters Point-Southeast San Francisco on similar plans. Read more.