The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), working collaboratively with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR), is evaluating the climate vulnerability of a key transportation corridor, Highway 1 in north Monterey County, and developing multimodal and nature-based transportation solutions to address this vulnerability. We are currently leading the development of a robust Communications and Community Engagement Plan that underlines equitable engagement. Circlepoint will implement the plan in 2026 by planning and facilitating a series of stakeholder and public meetings that align with the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) process.

Project Owner: Transportation Agency for Monterey County
Location: Monterey County, CA
Services: Public & Stakeholder Engagement, Creative Services

The SAFER Bay Project is a multi-benefit, public-private collaboration aimed at protecting critical infrastructure, providing community resilience to tidal flooding and projected sea-level rise, and improving recreational access in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, San Mateo County. Identified by the 2020 Adapting to Rising Tides analysis as having high social vulnerability to flooding, East Palo Alto is at risk from sea-level rise, which threatens both the community and critical infrastructure.

The project proposes flood protection improvements and habitat enhancements to create approximately 18 acres of tidal marsh transition zones. These improvements will account for 100-year storm events and projected sea-level rise, resulting in resilient, high-quality habitats and long-term community benefits.

Circlepoint is working with the City of East Palo Alto, San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA), and the design engineer to provide strategic CEQA guidance, project-level environmental analysis, and coordination of technical studies to support either an Addendum or a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR), depending on project characteristics. Circlepoint is conducting a thorough review of the SFCJPA’s EIR to determine adequacy for the City’s needs, preparing an Environmental Document Strategy Report, and—if required—developing a robust SEIR that includes a full suite of technical analyses, public and agency engagement, and Final EIR documentation. Circlepoint’s deep familiarity with CEQA regulations, ability to align with FEMA’s NEPA process, and close coordination with lead agencies will ensure an efficient, defensible environmental review process tailored to the project’s evolving scope.

Project Owner: City of East Palo Alto
Location: East Palo Alto, CA
Services: Environmental Services, CEQA

The D12 PCH Climate Change Adaptation and Resiliency Plan will develop a comprehensive strategy to address reoccurring hazards and mounting climate change threats along the State Route 1 (SR 1) corridor within Orange County. The Plan will identify, prioritize, and develop conceptual alternatives for adaptive response projects along the entirety of the SR 1 corridor within D12 that can be implemented in both the short and long term. The Circlepoint team will draft a robust, equity-based Public Engagement Plan (PEP) to serve as a living, breathing playbook for all community engagement efforts over the duration of the project. Our team will prepare a Stakeholder Outreach Strategy to engage institutional stakeholders for the purpose of identifying local projects which may influence the study area, address equity issues within their respective jurisdictions, and overall improve project outcomes.

Project Owner: Caltrans District 12
Location: Orange County, CA
Services: Stakeholder Outreach Strategy, Community Engagement, Environmental Services

The City of Santa Cruz is developing accessible, community-supported Shoreline Adaptation Manage Plans (SAMPs) and accompanying accessible Blueprints for three subareas of the City’s coastline. The purpose of the SAMPs is to accelerate investment in implementing coastal resilience visions and projects to address coastal storm damage which has increased in severity over the years. This project builds upon the significant coastal climate adaptation efforts taken in recent years to address episodic storm events and impacts from sea level rise that became increasingly concerning following recent coastal storm damage in 2023. The project will be guided by technical, youth, and equity advisors to develop innovative engagement techniques that are accessible, compelling, and educate the public on the various mitigation strategies and projects to be implemented. At the conclusion of this work, the City of Santa Cruz will have a shared vision of how to address the coastline by syncing local and regional plans, further developed Local Coastal Program policies, and a catalyzed implementation process.

Engagement will be designed to educate and mobilize Santa Cruz residents to participate in Resilient Coast Santa Cruz 2.0 and SAMP development. The Equitable Engagement Plan drafted by Circlepoint will describe the framework and timeline by which engagement activities will take place and the specific audiences that will be targeted, including Tribes and other historically marginalized groups. By creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue with communities throughout the three focus areas, Circlepoint will ensure equitable adaptation strategies are created to adequately reflect the values and needs of all residents. Engagement opportunities will center around the following activities including community conversations and small focus groups in each focus area, Tribal consultation, public opinion polling, and City Council Presentations. The information collected will be used to inform the SAMPS and blueprints for three coastal subareas.

Project Owner: City of Santa Cruz
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Services: Outreach Events and Facilitation, Focus Group Coordination, Graphic Design, Strategic Outreach and Communications

Circlepoint conducted robust stakeholder and public outreach for the Alameda County Community Climate Action Plan Update and Safety Element. Circlepoint led public engagement, which included a series of informal interviews with representatives from Black and Indigenous (BIPOC) Communities, the local Resource Community Development (RCD) agency, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and other stakeholders to help inform a stakeholder analysis and the development of a comprehensive communications plan that emphasized engaging Equity Priority Communities in unincorporated areas of Alameda County. These communities spanned highly urbanized areas, as well as the rural areas of the easternmost parts of the County. Because of the diversity of these audiences, we tailored our approaches and informational materials to resonate with and reach hard-to-reach community members.

Circlepoint conducted in-person and online engagement, including in-language surveys at food pantry days, as well as through Promotores (specially trained educators in Hispanic/Latino communities) at health clinics to solicit input from the hardest-to-reach members of unincorporated communities.

Circlepoint also deployed a range of interactive online tools, such as Mural, to help make countywide virtual meetings more engaging. The development and distribution of a communications toolkit to CBOs, project partners and other stakeholders also helped to broaden the level of public outreach and participation at key intervals of the planning process.

Project Owner: County of Alameda
Location: Alameda County, CA
Services: Strategic Communications, Equitable Engagement, Public and Stakeholder Engagement

Marin City is an Equity Priority Community that had struggled with chronic flooding for more than 70 years. The Marin City Stormwater Plan aimed to collaboratively develop a public stormwater infrastructure plan to guide the potential implementation of future projects and help attract grant funding. Circlepoint supported the County of Marin with robust community outreach services for the development of the Marin City Stormwater Plan.

Circlepoint’s services included facilitating task force meetings with representatives from a broad cross-section of stakeholders, as well as planning and facilitating community meetings. For the first community meeting, Circlepoint developed a suite of public notification materials, a detailed annotated agenda, and a printed program. We also supported a community walking tour during the meeting. Circlepoint worked with a local community engagement liaison to conduct extensive outreach to community members throughout the city.

Project Owner: County of Marin
Location: Marin City, CA
Services: Equitable Engagement, Public and Stakeholder Engagement, Community Outreach

The City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning (LACP) led the preparation of a Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) that examined physical and social vulnerability to the anticipated climate changes of extreme heat, precipitation, fire, sea level rise, vectors, drought, and flooding, and also considers climate hazard adaptations. The assessment looked at primary and secondary impacts on air quality, energy, health disparities, and water; and across every dimension, assessed how climate impacts pollution-burdened areas of Los Angeles (LA), and how vulnerabilities are distributed across communities and sub-populations.

In collaboration with the City’s team, Circlepoint developed a comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy for the City, aimed at fostering robust community partnerships to address critical issues like environmental justice, climate change, and public health. The Strategy focused on empowering communities that are historically underserved and facing significant environmental and social risks.

As part of the overall strategy, Circlepoint developed a Community Partnership Program (CPP) which endeavored to partner with and compensate six carefully selected Community-Based Organizations (CBO) that served vulnerable populations in areas with high environmental burdens and climate risk. For each CBO, we developed a tailored engagement plan that drew on their unique strengths, existing programs, and capacity. By involving each CBO in shaping the messaging and materials used in their outreach, we ensured that communications were responsive to the needs of their respective communities. Our team provided ongoing support for these engagement efforts, leveraging feedback from each CBO to refine and optimize the Strategy as needed – including the development of presentation materials, facilitation guides, glossary of terms, interactive activity directions, etc.

This collaborative, community-centered approach was instrumental in building trust, fostering long-term partnerships, and ensuring the Strategy’s success in supporting vulnerable communities across the city.

Project Owner: City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Services: Equitable Engagement Strategy, Stakeholder Outreach, CBO Partnership, Education/Training, Facilitation

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), State Mitigation Planning Unit (SMP), is preparing a 2023 State Hazard Mitigation Plan (SHMP or Plan) which meets the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements for both a Standard State Mitigation Plan and an Enhanced State Mitigation Plan. Circlepoint is helping to lead stakeholder engagement efforts in support of Cal OES staff and the project team through subject matter specific working groups and other outreach activities. The 2023 SHMP will update and replace the 2018 SHMP.

Working Groups are one of the primary stakeholder engagement tools being used to develop the SHMP. Circlepoint is taking the lead on the Equity Working Group and the Climate Change Working Group. Working groups are comprised with diverse representatives from state agencies, non-profit organizations and other thought leaders who are working specifically in the equity and/or climate change field in the state. Circlepoint facilitates the bi-weekly virtual meetings of both working groups, along with preparing agendas, developing presentation materials, and documenting meeting notes.

In addition to supporting the Working Groups, Circlepoint also helped Cal OES plan an Emergency Managers Webinar to provide information about and collect input for the SHMP development. This meeting included county emergency managers from across the state, as well as Cal OES Operational Area staff. Circlepoint developed the agenda, prepared the meeting presentation, moderated the session, and drafted meeting notes for this interactive meeting.

Project Owner: California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)
Location: California Statewide
Services: Stakeholder Engagement

SR-37 is a 21-mile corridor located along San Pablo Bay and connects the North Bay counties of Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano. In 2016, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA)/ Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Caltrans District 4 and four North Bay transportation agencies formed a partnership to address SR 37’s most critical issues: traffic congestion, vulnerability to flooding and sea level rise (SLR) and environmentally sensitive areas. These agencies created and currently oversee the SR 37 Resilient Corridor Project (Resilient SR 37) to identify corridor improvements between US 101 and I-80.

The project team developed conceptual roadway design alternatives to address several challenges on the Marin/Sonoma segment of SR37, including traffic congestion, periodic flooding, and the growing vulnerability to sea-level rise. Circlepoint assisted MTC in planning and implementing outreach activities to educate a broad sector of stakeholders and members of the public about multiple short and longer-term solutions to address these chronic problems and to build a more resilient roadway for the future. Circlepoint developed a comprehensive, corridor-wide communications plan, as well as a project tagline: “One Corridor. One Team. Multiple Solutions.”

The communications plan offered messaging to help simplify complex terminology into language that is understandable to a wide array of audiences. Circlepoint worked closely with the project team to develop a comprehensive communications and public engagement plan, including a standalone chapter on Equitable Engagement in collaboration with MTC’s Equity Liaisons. Circlepoint also revised a series of project fact sheets to make them more accessible to general audiences; and developed website content and launched a detailed stakeholder questionnaire, which has garnered a significant number of responses. Circlepoint also supported the planning and implementation of an online townhall led by California State Senators McGuire and Dodd, and co-hosted by MTC, Caltrans, and North Bay transportation agencies.

Project Owner: Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
Location: North Bay including Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano Counties, CA
Services: Public Outreach

Save The Bay is the largest regional organization working to protect, restore, and celebrate San Francisco Bay. Their annual Bay Day event encourages Bay Area residents to connect, explore, and discover the San Francisco Bay Trail or other Bay Area locations. Bay Day is a month-long campaign that challenges everyone to get outdoors and experience the beautiful shoreline in a safe, flexible, and inclusive way. Residents can participate by completing and logging 30 miles on Bay Area trails or 10 activities that involve enjoyment of the outdoors, from kite flying and birdwatching to picnicking and exploring local culture.

Circlepoint supported Save The Bay by creating and implementing an advertising and earned media strategy that built off the 2022 Campaign. Circlepoint created a detailed advertising matrix to spread awareness and promote participation in the campaign. Circlepoint also worked to secure earned media coverage across print, radio and television outlets, as well as paid placements on targeted social media accounts.

The goals of the campaign were to increase awareness of and participation in the month-long event throughout the Bay Area, particularly in San Francisco and the South and East Bay regions, as well as reaching Spanish-speaking audiences. Circlepoint delivered a final campaign report with metrics and recommendations on advertising and earned media. During the campaign period, 775 people registered for Bay Day, 4,111 miles of trails were completed, 452 activities were finished, and 9.1K people visited the Bay Day website (between September 1-October 9, 2023). In total, the campaign earned +2.5M impressions and +2.5K clicks across all advertising channels.

Project Owner: Save The Bay
Location: Oakland, CA
Services: Communications Strategy, Media Relations, Digital Advertising

Save The Bay is the largest regional organization working to protect and restore San Francisco Bay for all people and wildlife. Founded in 1961 by three courageous women, Save The Bay works to ensure a clean, healthy, and sustainable Bay and Bay Area for everyone. Save The Bay engages supporters, advocates, and volunteers throughout the region to defend the Bay from pollution and climate change, restore critical shoreline habitat and inspire the next generation of Bay stewards through shoreline education programs.

For the past several years, Save The Bay was in the quiet phase of its Capacity Campaign and sought to launch the Public Phase in spring 2024. The goals of this campaign were to increase awareness of Save The Bay within the San Francisco, South and East Bay Areas, capture the attention of new, diverse audiences, and ultimately increase support for Save The Bay through both activating and engaging new volunteers and fundraising $2M to achieve the campaign goal total of $8M.
Circlepoint supported Save The Bay by developing a campaign plan for the public phase of its Capacity Campaign, as well as the messaging and creative approach for all advertising materials. The Plan identified campaign objectives, approach, timeline, roles & responsibilities, key audiences, challenges, opportunities, communications channels, and other outreach tools. Circlepoint also identified the most appropriate advertising channels based on Save The Bay’s target audiences and made recommendations for cost-effective ways to reach them.

The campaign was focused on bringing broader awareness to Save The Bay and generating new engagement with the organization through numerous facets. The campaign name and tagline, Turn the Tide, Rise to the Climate Challenge is the focus for the Public Phase to resonate with this broader audience and provide clear, actionable opportunities to engage with Save The Bay. Circlepoint developed an advertising plan that featured a variety of digital and out of home placements to reach Save The Bay’s target audiences. In total, the campaign earned 27,136,114 impressions and 2,942 clicks across all advertising channels and resulted in a significant increase in web traffic to the Save The Bay website.

Project Owner: Save The Bay
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Services: Communications Strategy, Media Relations, Digital Advertising

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) had long recognized the threat of sea level rise (SLR) and its potential economic and social impact on the region. By that time, there had been a concerted effort by these and other agencies to collaborate, engage, and plan for sea level rise.
There was a clear need to gain a consistent level of understanding about sea level rise and the risks it posed to the general public, as well as to seek public input from communities throughout the Bay Area on viable strategies, or adaptations, for addressing it.

Circlepoint was tasked with developing a comprehensive Public Engagement Plan to support MTC and partner agencies in making the very complex issue of sea level rise relevant to lay audiences, identifying appropriate communications and engagement forums for keeping the public informed and engaged, and providing a timeline for these activities that complemented the broader planning process.

The Public Engagement Plan included the following elements:

• An overall communications approach designed to complement and leverage other sustainability outreach efforts, such as MTC’s Resilient by Design project.
• Strategies for engaging target audiences, especially multi-cultural, low-income, and vulnerable communities.
• Core and tailored messaging designed to engage community members from Sebastopol to Santa Clara and from Oakland to Oakley.
• Recommendations for communications platforms to engage this diverse array of audiences, including online and more traditional platforms.
• A schedule of phased outreach activities designed to complement the planning process.
• Quantitative and qualitative metrics for measuring the effectiveness and outcomes of the public engagement process.

This project was designed to produce a range of prioritized strategies for preserving critical assets, such as major bridge touchdowns, as well as broader regional strategies designed to protect vulnerable communities.

The communications plan provided both high-level strategies and actionable methods for educating the public about sea level rise and seeking public input at key intervals of the planning process.

Project Owner: Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
Location: Bay Area, CA
Services: Public Engagement Plan, Community Meetings

The City of Oakland carries the distinction of being one of the “greenest” cities in the nation, as ranked by national magazines and institutional indices. In recent years, the mayor and City Council adopted several initiatives to establish the city as a leader in sustainable development. To this end, there have been significant efforts to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The city has an excellent record of implementing energy efficiency measures for its own facilities and operations and nearly 17 percent of its electricity usage is from renewable sources.

Although the City has worked for many years to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, this was its first effort to establish formal energy and climate goals supported by a comprehensive plan of action.

Circlepoint supported the City of Oakland with the development of recommendations for a citywide policy for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The target audience for this outreach effort was residents, businesses, and community-based organizations in the City of Oakland, representing diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and interests. Circlepoint helped the City identify key stakeholder groups and leverage communications tools for engaging, informing, and soliciting input from a broad range of constituents on target goals, strategies, and actions for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from local emissions sources, including buildings and infrastructure, transportation and land use, and waste disposal.

Circlepoint also played a key role in helping the City frame information, technical data, and discussion topics to solicit pertinent information from stakeholders. Circlepoint helped the City with the facilitation of three rounds of public workshops and the incorporation of public input into a formal recommendation for adoption and implementation by the City. The workshops were well attended by diverse audiences and elicited a high level of participation and engagement – which resulted in innovative community ideas about the economic development, community crime, and public health goals and benefits that can be achieved with an aggressive energy and climate action plan.

Project Owner: City of Oakland
Location: Oakland, CA
Services: Communications Strategies, Stakeholder Involvement & Engagement, Public Outreach & Education, Media Relations

The County of San Mateo led an effort to address the challenge of sea level rise in the Bay Area, which was among the top 10 hot spots for sea level rise impacts across the country. In San Mateo County, rising sea levels put $24 billion of infrastructure assets at risk. The County assembled a broad coalition of governments to create a proactive solution by working across jurisdictional boundaries and engaging stakeholders and organizations peninsula-wide.

Circlepoint developed a unifying brand identity for the County’s sea level rise initiatives and projects. Under the brand name Sea Change San Mateo County, Circlepoint developed and maintained a website that educated the public about the need to address sea level rise and helped position the County as a proactive leader in addressing the challenge through collaboration.

The website served as a central resource for the County’s ongoing efforts to address sea level rise, including the County sea level rise vulnerability assessment, the San Bruno/Colma Creek watershed area study, and the creation of a new countywide clean water management agency. In addition to featuring information about presentations and workshops, as well as compelling graphics and maps, the website provided a platform for the diverse audiences impacted by sea level rise to stay engaged in and informed of these important efforts.

As the project moved into the public outreach phase, Circlepoint developed a suite of branded materials to engage project stakeholders through a wide variety of channels. These materials included exhibit boards, posters, postcards, one-pagers, and more.

Project Owner: County of San Mateo Office of Sustainability
Location: San Mateo County, CA
Services: Branding, Messaging, Web Design and Development, Web Maintenance, Graphic Design

The City of Oakland designed a creek restoration project that was built in three sections of Courtland Creek Park. The Courtland Creek Restoration Project was an Oakland Measure DD Initiative that aimed to protect, enhance, and restore Courtland Creek in Courtland Creek Park. The project restored approximately 950 feet of open creek channel and provided accessible seating, gathering places, and a creek-viewing overlook. It also improved creek habitat and water quality, reduced trash accumulation and illegal dumping, repaired steep and eroding creek banks, enhanced climate change resilience and park appearance, and served the community as an educational and recreational resource.

Project partners included the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation, the Friends of Courtland Creek, and local schools. Circlepoint supported the project by leading stakeholder engagement and facilitating several meetings to keep community members informed about project progress. Circlepoint facilitated and summarized an online stakeholder meeting as well as two public outreach meetings—one in person and one virtually via a Zoom webinar.

Circlepoint also developed outreach materials, including website and social media content, a mailer inviting project neighbors to the public meeting, and fact sheets and comment cards to support project understanding and gather stakeholder feedback. Circlepoint later assisted with another public meeting in late 2021 after additional design plans had been developed.

The City recently celebrated a ribbon cutting that marked the completion of this community-driven project.

Project Owner: City of Oakland
Location: Oakland, CA
Services: Stakeholder Outreach, Public Meetings/Workshops, Event Planning, Construction Communications, Graphic Design