(Carson, CA) — State, civic, and higher education leaders from throughout Southern California will come together Jan. 12 at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) for the Organizing Disadvantaged Communities for Success conference, which will focus on state programs that improve energy issues and air and water quality.
WHEN: Friday, Jan. 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: CSUDH’s Loker Student Union. The university is located at 1000 E Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747. Click here for directions and a printable campus map.
The daylong conference, co-hosted by the City of Carson and CSUDH, will bring together individuals responsible for administering local grant programs for disadvantaged communities to address environmental issues and educate city officials and managers, and business and community groups.
“The conference is another unique example of how Cal State Dominguez Hills is a catalyst for change within the underrepresented communities that the university serves, and the broader region,” said Michael Grimshaw, executive director of The Entrepreneurial Institute at CSUDH, which will be hosting a “Toro Tank “competition, featuring cities, local schools, and green entrepreneurs presenting unique sustainability projects to a panel of judges. “There will be so much for participants to learn, from grant programs available to disadvantaged communities and how to receive funding, to the right staff members at state agencies to work with to move a project forward.
Session topics and events will include:
- Programs for entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities.
- Toro Tank: cities presenting unique energy, air quality and water projects to a panel of judges.
- The Greater Los Angeles County funding area and the Santa Ana Watershed funding area.
- Cap and Trade program development for assisting underserved communities to improve air quality.
Many residents in Los Angeles County’s underrepresented communities suffer disproportionately from the impacts of industry, the twin Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and rail and truck traffic on air and water quality.
California is developing grant programs to address many of these problems through programs that enable the implementation of solar, battery, and other advanced energy technologies. To learn how to take advantage of the programs, conference attendees will participate in open discussions among local mayors, city administrators, businesses, and community members during several group sessions, each focused on a particular program. The sessions will be led by officials responsible for implementing the environmental improvement programs.
The conference will include sector-focused discussions from local organizations, including Energize California, a new initiative of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).
In a lunchtime keynote, Randall Winston, executive director of the California Strategic Growth Council, will provide remarks regarding new energy and environmental improvement grants that the state is implementing in 2018. State officials estimate that more than $800 million in “cap and trade” revenues will be available annually to help to fund energy and environmental programs.
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About California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Dominguez Hills, centrally located in the greater Los Angeles South Bay region, is a model urban university with a wide range of academic programming, providing accessible, high quality, and transformative education to students aspiring to succeed and thrive in a complex, global society. Since 1960, CSU Dominguez Hills has served a diverse community of learners and educators collaborating to change lives and communities for the better. A national model and laboratory for student success, the university offers a proven path to opportunity and social equity, advancing a college-focused culture in the communities it serves while providing vital resources of knowledge, talent, and leadership to the greater Los Angeles region and beyond.
Today, CSU Dominguez Hills boasts over 100,000 alumni – doctors, scientists, engineers, educators, entrepreneurs – who are leaders in education, health, technology, entertainment, public service, and business, making a difference in their fields, in people’s lives, and in their communities. For more information, visit www.csudh.edu.
