Supported revisions to regulations regarding Wood-Burning Devices

• Making it illegal to use any wood-burning devices (such as fireplaces, woodstoves, or pellet stoves) when fine particulate pollution is forecast to exceed federal health standards and a Spare the Air Alert is in effect; and in 2020, the wood burning ban has been extended to include any days year round when a Spare the Air Alert is in effect due to high levels of fine particulate pollution, such as during a wildfire.

• Limiting excessive smoke when burning is allowed.

• Banning burning of garbage, plastics, and other toxic materials.

• Requiring labeling on firewood and other solid fuels sold in the Bay Area.

Supported “Spare the Air, Cool the Climate” plan which includes a wide range of control measures designed to decrease emissions of the air pollutants that are most harmful to Bay Area residents, such as particulate matter, ozone, and toxic air contaminants; to reduce emissions of methane and other “super-GHGs” that are potent climate pollutants in the near-term; and to decrease emissions of carbon dioxide by reducing fossil fuel combustion.

Supported plans and policies regarding Environmental Equity and Social Justice; jurisdictions are now required to create goals, policies, and objectives to address a minimum of seven Environmental Justice related issues:

• Pollution exposure (including air quality)

• Food access

• Public facilities

• Safe and sanitary homes

• Physical activity

• “Civil” engagement (“community engagement”)

• Prioritization of improvements and programs addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities.

Designated Measure X dollars to provide body cameras to Sheriff’s Department

Re-opened all fire stations that were closed in 2011

Supported the purchase of additional ladder truck which provides multi-operational options during fires and highway car accidents

Supported consolidation of Consolidated Fire with East County Fire providing cost savings and better service levels

Implemented the Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere (A3) program for mental health responders in crisis and the Miles Hall Crisis Call Center

Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) 2013-2022

Served as Chair of Finance Committee 2016-2022, which developed and implemented Advancing California Financing Authority (ACFA) to support local jurisdictions providing secure, low cost and convenient financing for public agencies and their partners in the Bay Area.

ACFA helps entities access low cost, tax-exempt bond financing for affordable, multi-family housing; retirement facilities; new hospitals and medical clinics; transit systems; schools; non-profit cultural institutions; water and wastewater systems; and other essential member-owned infrastructure projects serving the community.

As a member of the Planning and Legislative committees, worked across the region to update planning policies for housing in the Bay Area, including adoption of Plan Bay Area 2050+ is a limited and focused update to Plan Bay Area 2050, the region’s visionary long-range plan, adopted in October 2021. At the heart of Plan Bay Area 2050 are 35 strategies spread across the elements of transportation, housing, the economy and the environment that collectively seek to make the Bay Area more equitable for all residents and more resilient in the face of unexpected challenges.

Expanded homeless services by participating in the HomeKey project whereby homeless people are provided housing in a converted motel (best model in the Bay Area according to the East Bay Times).

Measure X dollars funded additional Coordinated Outreach Referral Engagement (CORE) teams to homeless encampments across the county to provide services and help move people into transitional housing.

Served on the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) from 2011-2022, which is the public agency formed by Contra Costa voters to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable.

• Funded the fourth bore of Caldecott Tunnel

• Funded improvements to Sand Creek intersection in Brentwood

• Funded 680/4 Interchange widening and safety improvements

CCTA oversees GoMentum, a secure, 5,000-acre test site on a portion of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, which contains 20 miles of paved, city-like roadway grids, buildings and other urban infrastructure, providing a realistic environment that helps accelerate the development of automated and connected vehicle technologies.

Awarded $500,000 to Choice in Aging toward an innovative Aging in Place campus with housing and wrap around services so seniors can age independently, at home

Directed $2 million annually for Mater Plan for Aging work

Directed $1.4 million for Accessible Transportation Strategic Planning to provide seamless transportation for vulnerable populations

Fought against any under/through Delta conveyance that would destroy the quality of water in the Bay-Delta region; to date, no tunnel has been constructed.

Represented Contra Costa County on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy (2011-2022) provided millions of grant dollars to local government and other non-profit organizations towards conservation and restoration of Delta ecosystems. To date:

• 30,000 acres have been restored

• 15,000 acres are in progress

• The plan calls for 90,000 total acres to be restored

Contra Costa County is one of five member counties constituting the Delta Counties Coalition (2011-2022) which works to:

• Enhance ecological conservation, restoration, and climate adaptation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh.

• Support economically and ecologically sustainable working lands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh.

• Support and enhance communities and economies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh.

• Enrich understanding of the ecological, cultural, and historical value of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh; the importance of resilience, diversity, and inclusivity; and the need for stewardship.

As a life-long reader (reading 83 books in 2023), Karen has always supported libraries and their purpose to provide education and other opportunities to the communities in Contra Costa County.

Her proudest achievement in this area is working with the City of Pleasant Hill on negotiating a complicated land deal and the construction and opening of the new Pleasant Hill Library in 2022. The Pleasant Hill Library is the most used among all of the libraries in Contra Costa, and was built with the environment in mind, including the newest technology in heat and air conditioning, drought-resistant plants, and irrigation.

Developed and implemented with stakeholders Measure X, the county’s half-cent sales tax generating at least $100 million annually to provide additional funding towards significant needs in our cities and the county, including health and human services, public safety, the elderly, children, and housing.

Working with the county’s health department, supported the implementation of Contra Costa Cares, a program to provide health insurance through the county’s HMO to undocumented individuals. Instead of showing up in the emergency room with severe health issues/concerns, patients were able to access early health care, keeping costs down and ensuring public health throughout the county.

Working on the Finance Committee, supported the implementation of Stand Together Contra Costa, a program providing attorneys to undocumented individuals facing deportation.

A critical trail gap between Pinole Shores and Bayfront Park was bridged by a half-mile of new trail, the Hercules Bay Trail West, this mile-long segment of the Bay Trail connects existing trail segments.