Yucaipa, California

YUCA I PA , CAL I FORNI A solar power alternative energy. We have a public parking lot with carports; the police station, the Performing Arts Center, and our fire station have solar panel installations. The water and sewer services are provided by a special district, the Yucaipa Valley Water District, so part of that groundwater recharge is a result of that water district’s management. They also have invested heavily in sewage treatment plant improvements that produce recycled water that the community uses for irrigation. At some point, the recycled water will just become part of what’s being recharged into the basin and filtered down into the water table. Between the city and the district, we’re in pretty good shape for water management.” Matlock: “We also have recharge provisions to ensure we have sustainable groundwater availability for the city at build-out. Also, during climate-related issues or drought years, we do have a surplus to maintain the level of service for everyone’s needs. An additional component of those basin projects is that it has removed a lot of properties from the FEMA 100-year flood plain, so those owners have greater security that their property will not be washed out from future climate change conditions. Those are some of our key endeavors - also ensuring that new projects utilize site-design elements that can help reduce energy usage, as well. “We adopted a Climate Action Plan in 2015 that encourages trying to reduce greenhouse gases, to comply with state law, but also to do our part to ensure that new projects and policies further support or reinforce a lot of those efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Right now, we’re in the process, through our regional agencies, of working on the next 10-year vision of that Climate Action Plan and the next step of evolution.” BVM: What would you say are some of the best attributes of Yucaipa? Matlock: “Our uptown efforts have created new restaurants, a brewery, wine shops, and a lot of entertainment options available for residents and