Why Amplifying Place-based Priorities Matters

California state and local leaders are pursuing ambitious, interconnected goals for energy, climate, and land use—initiatives that fundamentally depend on effective place-based action. Encouragingly, progress in these domains continues to build momentum through complementary efforts such as locally-driven initiatives spanning building codes, construction practices, and community education, alongside state-led approaches ranging from regulatory frameworks to targeted assistance programs designed to empower local action.

State and local organizations represent natural allies in accelerating this placed-based progress, yet meaningful coordination between these entities presents significant challenges. Local jurisdictions frequently serve as innovation laboratories for groundbreaking policies and programs, often with minimal state support, while struggling to secure adequate resources or political backing to contribute their “fair share” to statewide objectives or allow development where and when state leaders may desire. Meanwhile, state initiatives can ignite new ideas and establish higher standards, but sometimes fail to address community needs effectively—or inadvertently impede local progress. Though the state actively seeks input to guide its work, the engagement process itself often overwhelms the limited capacity of both state and local staff. This situation is further complicated by widespread confusion regarding the capabilities, authorities, and positioning of various state and local organizations, creating additional barriers to effective coordination. 

As agencies across California launched increasingly well-intentioned and equitable engagement efforts in recent years, the California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC)—an organization serving local governments and their partners—identified a critical opportunity to strengthen and streamline state-local coordination. In 2022, CCEC began developing what would evolve into the State and Local Energy and Climate Coordination (SLECC) initiative. The inaugural SLECC meeting convened in June 2023 at the CCEC Forum in Santa Rosa, alongside partners from the Strategic Growth Council (SGC), California Energy Commission (CEC), and California Air Resources Board (CARB), as well as more than 80 local government representatives.

With the Strategic Growth Council serving as CCEC’s co-facilitator, SLECC has organized a total of 10 statewide gatherings, 5 regional meetings, and participated in numerous related convenings . Through these continuing efforts, SLECC has built a vital bridge that streamlines communication and idea-sharing across California to accelerate place-based progress. More than a dozen state agencies, 400 local government representatives, and hundreds of diverse regional stakeholders—including tribal governments, academic institutions, and community-based organizations—have engaged in these collaborative, action-oriented discussions with focus on co-creating operationable solutions to key barriers. Participants consistently affirm the initiative’s importance, characterizing the work as a form of “diplomacy.” SLECC facilitators recognize the constraints on organizational capacity and deeply appreciate participants’ sustained commitment to this organic, cross-agency engagement process.

The objectives of SLECC and this dashboard have taken on heightened significance against the backdrop of 2025’s challenges: diminishing federal resources, threats to state and local governance, escalating climate disasters, and an affordability crisis affecting communities throughout California. These conditions make it imperative for California to maximize the potential of all its state and local assets.