Be Effective, Accountable, & Customer-Oriented
Improving permitting, monitoring, and enforcement, building relationships, and enhancing communication
Overview
Under Goal 4, we will maintain an effective, accountable, and customer-oriented organization, delivering exemplary services with transparency and efficiency. We will improve our permitting, monitoring, and enforcement processes. We will improve the timeliness of permitting decisions and improve the process to be more transparent to applicants and the public. We will ensure Air District rules and associated air quality permits that we issue are clear, consistent, and enforceable to minimize air pollution.
We will improve air monitoring and associated data management systems. We will improve reliability, efficiency, data quality and accessibility, especially to support our efforts to understand local exposure to air pollution. We will also increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our inspection and investigation resources to improve compliance rates and increase the impact of our enforcement programs.
We will expand our public communication to inspire the public to support efforts to reduce air pollution and to mitigate climate change. We will strengthen our communication skills and organization-wide knowledge. We will also enhance our incident response program, in collaboration with government partners.
To make sure we keep the promises we make, we will align the Air District’s resources and annual budgets with organization and community priorities, as identified in the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, and report on our progress.
Improve Permitting, Monitoring, and Enforcement
This Objective has 5 strategies.
We will improve the timeliness of permitting decisions. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified thirteen actions that will update regulations to ensure efficient and timely completion of permit applications. Five of these actions have been completed. We have prepared recommendations to update our permit processing rules (General Permit Requirements (Rule 2-1) and New Source Review of Toxic Air Contaminants (Rule 2-5)) so that the permit review process is more streamlined, consistent, and efficient. We have also identified key regulations that contribute to permit delays, updated our best available control technology requirements for backup generators, and assessed the need for revised rules by tracking the number of late permits and the timeliness of permit processing for backup generator applications.
We are now working on the first phase of amendments to permit rules (Rule 2-1 and Rule 2-5) to reflect our recommendations, have established an internal working group to assess needs for new rules for composting facilities, and are working on updates to best available control technology requirements for composting facilities.
Over the next year, we will work on the next phases of updates to our permit rules, Rule 2-1 and Rule 2-5.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified fifteen actions that would improve permit application tracking, address bottlenecks in the permitting process, and improve internal coordination. We have completed four of these actions. To develop an internal tracking tool for permits, we have completed several tasks related to the functionality of the tool. We have also developed standardized permit status language for applicants to use in the web portal.
We are now working on a permitting dashboard that shows the flow of permit applications, including a detail that indicates processing time. We are also working on internal dashboards to better track and report on the various stages of the application process. We are also using dashboards to highlight permitting inefficiencies, so that we can begin to remove those inefficiencies. Finally, we are looking at different ways to perform permitting bottleneck analyses.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified six actions to advance this commitment, four of which are completed. To build a team for complex permits, we have completed a resource needs analysis for processing complex permits, requested new positions, and prepared Air District Board requests for new staffing. We are now forming new teams to work on permits for composting facilities and refineries.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified ten actions to address this commitment; one action is completed. We have completed a resource needs analysis for processing all permit types. We are now working on efforts to reduce the number of late permits and to align our permit resources to meet existing needs. We are using dashboards and reports to identify and prioritize permit applications and are developing a plan to reduce the number of late permits related to organic recovery operations. For risk-assessment-related permits, we are creating metrics and piloting reports to determine permit status.
We will improve our permitting process to be more transparent and accountable to applicants and the public. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified four actions to advance this commitment; one action has been completed. We have completed a policy and procedure document for responding to application status requests. We are now redesigning the layout and content of our web pages to better meet the needs of applicants and the public and are exploring the use of technology, such as artificial intelligence, to respond to applicant requests related to application status.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions to advance this commitment and completed one. We have created an easy, downloadable report on all permit applications. We are now working on completing the design of an online permit map for the public, which will be launched at the end of next year. We are also developing additional features for the permit applicant portal that allows permit applicants to view the status of their permit application in real time.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified fourteen actions to address this commitment. We are engaging with communities on permit activity, including the Richmond/San Pablo/North Richmond Community Steering Committee. We are informing communities of permit applications, how to sign up for email updates and improving the accessibility of documentation for our health risk assessment rule, Rule 11-18. We are also working on making our permit pages on our website more accessible, through better layout and design.
Up next, we will be developing guidelines for translating highly technical language into much more user friendly, readable language. We will also be engaging with the East Oakland community on permit activity and developing a presentation on the permitting process for community.
We will ensure Air District regulations and associated air quality permits issued are clear, consistent, and enforceable so that air pollution affecting communities is minimized. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified four actions to ensure our regulations are clear and enforceable, all of which have started. We are working on amendments to Regulation 11-18, Health Risk Assessment, to improve efficiency and clarity. Amended rule language is being shared with the public for review, and their comments will be incorporated into final rule language.
We are also working on potential amendments to our particulate matter regulations (Rules 6-1 and 6-6), refinery emissions tracking and monitoring regulation (Rule 12-15), and our metal shredding regulation (Rule 6-4), to improve clarity and enforceability.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified seven actions related to standard permit conditions and translating regulations into permit conditions. Of the seven actions identified, we have completed two. We have developed and implemented a training program for new staff and successfully obtained Air District Board approval to bring on an additional staff resource to work as a “consistency coordinator”. The person in this new position will be primarily responsible for ensuring clear standards for permit applications.
We are now working on hiring the new coordinator, updating our permit handbook and best available control technology guidelines, creating a review process complex or custom permit conditions, and developing a standard review process for updating standard permit conditions.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified two actions to ensure civil rights laws and regulations are followed when we issue permits. We have completed one of these identified actions. We have developed guidelines to identify permits that may raise environmental justice or civil rights considerations. These initial guidelines allow staff to review a broad range of applications to determine the types of permit applications we receive. We expect the guidelines to be a living set of criteria that we will develop over time in dialogue with interested parties.
Up next, we will analyze the universe of permit applications, consider what civil rights compliance checks may look like, and opening dialogue with community groups and other interested parties.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions related to considering cumulative impacts in our permitting process; two of these actions have been completed. Starting in the fall of 2024, we have had multiple discussions on cumulative impacts in permitting with the Air District’s Advisory Council. To support these discussions, we prepared an overview of the current literature and did a review of programs in other states. In October 2025, the Advisory Council adopted a work plan to develop recommendations to the Air District Board of Directors.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions related to doing environmental analyses of permitting decisions. We are creating a permit application screening procedure to identify when a permit needs an environmental analysis and are planning to identify best practices used at other local air districts and to establish a formal environmental review program for permitting decisions.
We will update the design and operations of the air quality monitoring network to improve reliability, efficiency, data quality, and accessibility to better meet monitoring objectives and to support efforts to understand local exposure to air pollution. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified six actions to update our air monitoring data systems, all of which have started. A comprehensive work plan guides the work needed to update our data acquisition systems for air monitoring stations. The data acquisition systems connect air monitoring instruments and our data management system. We have made purchases and have started system improvements that will make installation, maintenance, and operation of the data acquisition system more efficient and less error prone. Key steps include purchasing new data loggers and setting up a test station in a new software platform before scaling broadly to the entire regulatory network.
In addition, we are developing and implementing digital solutions to improve data handling in our laboratory. Work includes exploring new report generation concepts, identifying data import processes, and working on testing queries to sort, compile, and export analytical data.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified eleven actions to strengthen our quality control systems. We are addressing corrective actions identified from external reviews of our regulatory air monitoring program. We are working to set up an independent review of the regulatory air monitoring program organization and are addressing findings from the 2021 Technical Systems Audit and awaiting the results of the 2024 technical audit.
We slowed down the 2023–2024 fine particulate matter data review to develop improved systems and procedures to track quality control, prioritize projects, and accelerate quality assurance. We are also completing that data review with the improved processes. In addition, we are continuing to revise data validation and monitoring procedures to improve data quality and efficiency.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified two actions to advance this commitment. We have completed recommendations for modifications to our network of long-term regulatory air monitors based on thorough network assessments. We are also drafting a plan to implement these recommended changes to the regulatory air monitoring network, including outlining the order and timeline for changes.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
No actions have been identified for this commitment yet. Check back again soon.
We will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of inspection and investigation resources to improve compliance and increase the impact of our enforcement program. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified eleven actions to advance this commitment, six of which have been completed. We have drafted and presented concepts for the Targeted Inspection Program to the Air District Board of Directors, Community Equity, Health, and Justice Committee and the Community Advisory Council. We are now focusing on getting broad public input on the program and plan to finalize it by the end of the year.
We are also working to secure additional staff resources. With these additional resources, we will form an Environmental Justice Inspection Group that will prioritize inspections in AB 617 communities.
We are also developing new webpages and informational materials to help increase transparency and awareness of our inspection program, as we also explore opportunities to make compliance summaries more accessible.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
No actions have been identified for this commitment. Check back again soon.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
No actions have been identified for this commitment. Check back again soon.
Build Relationships and Enhance Communication
This Objective has 4 strategies.
We will expand our public communication to inspire the public to support efforts to reduce air pollution and to mitigate climate change. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions related to an expanded public information campaign, all of which have started. We are working to increase awareness of our amended building appliance regulations, Rule 9-4 and Rule 9-6. We are in the process of selecting a contractor to develop and implement an advertising and outreach campaign regarding the new regulations. We plan to launch the campaign early next year and the advertising campaign by late 2026.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions to address this commitment. We are working to increase youth awareness of our Spare the Air campaign via increased TikTok engagement. We have successfully increased our year-over-year TikTok followers and are making strides to increase impressions and engagement on the platform.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions to address this commitment; we have completed two of these actions. We have developed a local media outreach plan and expanded and updated our local media list. We are now working to engage with at least fifteen percent of this local media list.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified two actions to advance this commitment. We are increasing digital awareness of Air District activities across all digital platforms through increased engagement rates and impressions. We have seen an increase in impressions and engagement on both our Spare the Air and Air District social media pages, including Facebook, X, Instagram, Nextdoor, and LinkedIn.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified twelve actions to advance this commitment and have completed two of them. We have redesigned and launched an improved Air District website, with improved navigation, accessibility compliance, and a refreshed layout. We also launched a new agency name and logo as part of our rebranding to improve visibility and accessibility.
We are now working on increasing communications with Bay Area cities and counties about our activities and priorities. We are developing a process and timeline for increased communications; and are doing this work with local government input via a survey which we will launch late Fall. We are also looking at further redesign and modernization of the Air District website to further improve accessibility compliance, usability, and content alignment.
We will strengthen employees’ organization-wide knowledge and communication skills and change our organization as needed, so people experience the highest level of service from the Air District. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified fourteen actions to advance this commitment; of those actions, we have completed two. We have successfully completed three iterations of our internal “Air Waves” video, which were played at our January 2025, April 2025 and July 2025 internal “all staff” meetings. The videos cover recent Air District successes and offer program highlights to raise awareness of work across the organization. We are now working on another Air Waves video for our December “all staff” meeting.
We are also working on our first ever “What do you do?” video. This video will highlight the work of our Communications Office and will be the first in a series of videos to increase employee understanding of other divisions’ roles and to promote One Air District.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified one action to advance this commitment. We are planning to develop a communications and conflict management training course with a customer service focus. This training is intended to enhance employees’ customer service skills.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions to advance this commitment, one of which we have completed. To build our internal capacity to act as community liaisons, we are building a “Environmental Justice Navigators” program. We have beta launched the program with four dedicated employees acting as liaisons. They are working in the parts of the Bay Area where we have a history of engaging in community, as well as in areas where we have had limited engagement. We are working on hiring additional people to build out additional capacity to the Environmental Justice Navigators program.
We are working to identify an ombudsman from each division to answer questions from community members, to help build our capacity to offer improved customer service.
We will enhance our incident response program in collaboration with government partners. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified four actions to advance this commitment. Next year, we will begin exploring mechanisms to assess impacts of air pollution. This involves looking into existing air quality and health impact assessment approaches, best practices, and tools for analyzing incidents, including their limitations. We will also identify and construct case studies, as part of this effort.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified one action to advance this commitment, and that action is complete. To improve incident response, we have developed a regionwide incident notification system to alert residents of nearby significant air quality incidents. The system enables us to post urgent incident advisory notifications through email, text alerts, social media, and our website. Through the public notification tool, people can sign up for community-specific or regionwide air quality notifications.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions to advance this commitment and have completed one. We worked with the Bay Air Center to develop and release an application for a community workgroup to partner on the development of the particle fallout sampling program in the refinery corridor. The workgroup had their first meeting in September 2025.
We are now working with the community workgroup to develop procedures for community members to collect particulate samples during or after incidents. We are also working to secure sampling sites for the “core network” in communities near refineries; the first site in Benicia began collecting samples in June 2025.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified eight actions to address this commitment and have completed one. We improved our incident response website pages to be more user friendly, easier to navigate and with improved language accessibility.
We are now working on making incident-related information more accessible to the public. We are developing a social media and community outreach campaign to provide the public with information about air quality incidents. The campaign includes informational posts and paid advertisements that will run until December 2025. We are also overhauling our website to provide more comprehensive information about our incident response program, investigations, and complaint processes. Additionally, we are improving communication and coordination with our incident response external partners, with a focus on Contra Costa and Solano County public health departments. Finally, we are in the process of developing internal tools to help guide and coordinate our responses regarding air pollution incidents, so that responses are robust and timely.
We will provide tools for local governments to consider environmental justice, air quality, and climate priorities in local land use plans, policies, projects, and permitting decisions. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following strategy commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified eight actions to advance this commitment and have completed three of them. We transitioned to an “e-blast” system for sharing time-critical information with local governments. We have sent a quarterly newsletter to all local governments which showcases the services we have to support local governments. We also launched an improved Air District website subscription list for local governments.
We are now working on our winter quarterly newsletter to local governments, which should go out by the end of the year.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions for this commitment. All identified actions related to our update of Planning Healthy Places, a guidebook for local governments for addressing potential air quality issues related to land use development. In the guidebook, we focus on how to strategically use land use regulations to address and prevent incompatible land uses. This information can be used by land use planners, elected officials, developers, community groups, public health advocates, and anyone interested in integrating land use, air quality and public health. The information and recommendations in Planning Healthy Places can also be incorporated into city or county general plans, neighborhood or specific plans, land use development ordinances, or into single projects.
We are scoping out the planned update to Planning Healthy Places; a draft should be available early next year.
Be Accountable
This Objective has 3 strategies.
We will ensure we have the resources and capacity to meet both Board and community expectations and honor our commitments, thereby building trust in the Air District’s capacity to succeed. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified and completed one action to advance this commitment. To standardize strategic plan operations, we have identified over 500 actions that implement the strategic plan. A lead staff person has been identified as responsible for coordinating the implementation of each action.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified five actions to address this commitment. All identified actions focus on assessing strategic plan progress and determining whether new initiatives are needed to advance plan strategies. If new initiatives are needed, we will work to ensure detailed work plans are put into place for those initiatives.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified three actions to advance this commitment; two actions are completed. Each completed action is related to ensuring we link employees’ work to strategic plan goals. We have developed a training video on the 2024-2025 Strategic Plan and have developed a training module as a supplemental resource to help guide discussions among teams as they watch the video.
We are now working on integrating all identified actions for strategic plan implementation into individual performance reviews. We have started this effort with the development of a strategic plan dashboard, where executives can see progress in all strategic plan related work.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified one action for this commitment. Early next year, we plan to assess and improve our processes for strategic plan implementation.
We will be intentional about ensuring the Air District’s resources and annual budgets are well-aligned with organization and community priorities, as identified in the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following strategy commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified two actions to advance this commitment. We are working to ensure we assign resources to all strategic plan goals. We have started this effort by identifying all strategic plan commitments for which we have not allocated resources. This information will be shared with executive leadership for consideration in their resource allocation planning.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified two actions to advance this commitment. A new project team has been formed to develop processes and procedures for aligning the Air District budget to the goals and strategies in the 2024-2025 Strategic Plan. Team is holding regular meetings to determine the best approach for doing this alignment. We have also secured new software that allows us to allocate program funds to specific strategic plan strategies.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified one action to advance this commitment. Next year, as part of the budget process, we will analyze the Air District budget to identify resources aligned to efforts to reduce air pollution disparities.
We will transparently report on progress in meeting the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan goals and strategies to be accountable for our commitments and meeting expectations. Read more.
To achieve this strategy, we've created and will be tracking the following strategy commitments:
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified twelve actions related to tracking implementation of the 2024-2025 Strategic Plan and have completed six. To monitor strategic plan implementation, we have built a database and software application for data input. Staff working on implementation have been trained in the use of the software, and all implementation actions have been entered into the database. We have also established a process and schedule for updating implementation data. Staff from across the organization have successfully updated the status of their implementation actions for the third quarter of 2025, and have added additional actions to the database, as needed.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified seven actions to advance this commitment and have completed two. We have developed templates, a process and schedule for reporting our progress on implementing the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.
We are now working on aligning our Annual Report with an annual strategic plan progress report and are developing internal and public facing quarterly progress reports on strategic plan implementation.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified one action to advance this commitment and that action is completed. We have created and documented “objectives and key results” for all commitments in the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. Objectives and key results, or OKRs, is a goal-setting framework that uses a qualitative “objective” (what to achieve) paired with three to five measurable “key results” (how to know you've achieved it) to track progress and create alignment.
Status of actions to implement commitment, as of September 30, 2025
We have identified one action to advance this commitment. Early next year, we will complete an analysis of all strategic plan actions, identified objectives and key results, to identify opportunities for improving our efforts to implement the strategic plan, and whether additional resources are needed to accomplish each plan strategy.