California Air Resources Board

This webpage contains information about CARB's community expert solicitation for shaping CARB's Racial Equity Lens.

The webpage includes:

• Background information on the Racial Equity Lens and the selection process for interested community experts

• Solicitation details, including the Scope of Work, Rating Criteria and Application Link

Help Shape the California Air Resources Board’s Approach to Advancing Racial Equity

Applications due January 30, 2025, by 11:59 PM PST via the online application portal 

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is developing a racial equity impact analysis tool, known as CARB’s Racial Equity Lens (REL), to advance the agency’s vision for racial equity— a future where all Californians equitably breathe healthy and clean air, benefit from actions to address climate change, and where race is no longer a predictor of life outcomes.

CARB is seeking 5 passionate community leaders and racial justice experts to help shape CARB’s REL and to inform staff’s approach to applying the tool.

This process of shaping CARB’s REL, also referred to as ground truthing, aims to validate data and information by comparing it with direct, real-world observations or measurements from community members the tool is intended to serve. It is an essential exercise to ensure that CARB’s REL is effective and viable, not only in theory but also in practice, and that staff’s application of the tool achieves the outcomes communities are most interested in.

Community experts will help to refine the tool and inform CARB staff’s approach to applying the tool by providing written feedback and participating in four meetings between March to June 2025. Compensation will be provided.

Why is CARB developing a racial equity lens?

On October 22, 2020, CARB adopted Resolution 20-33, establishing an explicit commitment to advance racial equity and social justice measures in all CARB actions. This directive guides much of CARB’s racial equity work. The application of a racial equity lens also supports CARB’s efforts to address Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-16-22, which requires state entities to embed racial equity strategies in their work, in part by developing or updating strategic plans to promote equity and respond to identified disparities. As described in CARB’s Racial Equity Framework and Model for Change, a crucial element of CARB’s racial equity work is operationalizing racial equity by deliberately assessing our work and better embedding considerations of race through the use of data-driven racial equity tools.

Racial equity tools — broadly defined as a set of methodologies that can be used to identify and mitigate systemic biases within policies, programs, and practices — provide practical strategies to help governments and other entities lead with race in the development and implementation of their policies, practices, and other actions. Recognizing the need for a tool tailored to the diverse needs of staff, CARB began efforts to develop CARB’s REL in 2021 by researching similar efforts from other government agencies and drawing on expert guidance from organizations like the Government Alliance on Race and Equity. Between 2022 and 2024, staff piloted CARB’s REL with select divisions, including applying CARB’s REL to a community engagement strategy and in modifying the research planning process. CARB staff are currently developing a report on these pilot exercises that will be publicly released in spring 2025.

What does CARB’s REL currently look like?

As shown in Figure 1, CARB’s REL takes the form of a series of racial equity-centered, data-driven questions that can be tailored to the needs of CARB’s many divisions, programs, and processes. This framework provides staff with a structured, yet flexible, approach to raise awareness of existing and potential disparities based on race, highlight data needed to provide a systematic method for staff to consider racial equity during decision making, and effectively ensure that racial equity is embedded into all our actions. By applying CARB’s REL, staff are encouraged to utilize alternatives analysis that embed or enhance racial equity.

Figure 1: An Overview of CARB’s current version of the Racial Equity Lens.

Why is CARB ground truthing its racial equity tool?

Prior to a full launch of CARB’s REL, both agency-wide and externally, staff are seeking to ground truth the tool with community members and external partners. This ground truthing process is necessary for several reasons. For one, it ensures that the tool is effective not only in theory but also in practice. Community input provides invaluable insights into the lived experiences of communities most impacted by harmful air pollution and impacts from climate change, helping to highlight systemic barriers and nuances that may not be apparent to CARB staff. It can also help to identify and address blind spots to ensure that the tool is practical and culturally sensitive. By refining CARB’s REL and staff’s approach to applying the tool with communities and external partners, CARB can develop a framework that not only advances the agency’s equity goals but also resonates authentically with the communities it aims to support.

In addition, genuinely collaborating with community members and external partners to validate the tool and staff’s approach for applying CARB’s REL is needed to form relationships with external partners and build trust for long-term success. CARB hopes that communities feel empowered to engage with the tool and ask CARB staff how they have used CARB’s REL to think about and embed racial equity considerations into their work.

Who should apply to ground truth CARB’s REL?

Community experts should be subject matter experts within their community, community-based group, neighborhood, and or field. They may have lived, professional, and/or leadership experiences uncommon in government bodies and industry. Ideally, community experts will have specific experience as actively engaged members of their communities, particularly work related to racial equity and environmental justice.

For example, community experts may be (but are not limited to): non-profit leaders, community organizers, service-based volunteers, staff experts, consultants, academics, organizational or board representatives, and engaged community residents. Individuals with personal or lived experience as proponents of racial equity and/or environmental justice is encouraged to apply.

CARB is seeking 5 community experts to externally ground truth CARB’s REL.

Eligibility Requirements

Community experts applying to ground truth CARB’s REL should:

• Be a resident of California and/or a member of a California Tribal Government. Geographic representation is preferred to gain a wide-ranged understanding of how CARB’s work is presently advancing racial equity and environmental justice across the state. Applicants may reside in or work in one of the following regions (priority will be given to those from or representing a disadvantaged, low-income community and/or disadvantaged tribal land):
  • Northern California Region
  • Sacramento Valley Region
  • Bay Area Region
  • Los Angeles Region
  • San Diego Region
  • Central Coast Region
  • Southern California Region
  • San Joaquin Valley Region
• Represent themselves as a California/regional resident or be affiliated with a Community Based Organization (CBO) or a Community Board.
• Have experience interacting with CARB or other government agencies.
• Have a vision for CARB to advance racial equity and be willing to share that vision.
• Be able to demonstrate a proven track record of a commitment to racial equity and environmental justice.
• Have a tax identification number (i.e., social security number or federal employer identification number) and be authorized to work in the United States.

Please note there is a limit to one individual per organization/CBO (not including coalitions, who may have members representing different groups), though there can be more than one individual from the same community; this will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The individual cannot be a part of an existing CARB advisory committee (e.g., Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, Research Screening Committee, AB 617 Consultation Group, and Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants).

What will community experts be doing to ground truth CARB’s REL?

Each community expert will:

• Commit to collaborating with CARB staff and other community experts for approximately 4 months, beginning in March 2025.
• Attend four meetings, approximately 2 hours/each meeting for a total of 8 hours.
• Review and contribute to CARB’s REL and staff’s approach to applying the tool by providing input on materials, provided by CARB staff, and share written feedback outside of meetings, approximately 4-6 hours.
• Provide unique expertise related to racial equity and environmental justice for the refinement of CARB’s REL and staff’s approach to applying the tool.
• Conduct most work remotely and consider traveling to attend one in-person meeting.
• Consider assisting CARB staff to conduct outreach or get feedback on CARB’s REL from their respective communities.

Estimated Project Schedule

Contracted community experts will be compensated on a per task basis and will receive their payment every time they complete their task. Community experts will invoice CARB after completing each task. Table 1 below provides a detailed breakdown of the compensation per task and estimated work schedule. Please note that, while travel is not explicitly included in Table 1, travel expenses for one in-person meeting will be covered (in addition to the $2,500 flat rate).

Table 1: Contract tasks, compensation, and estimated timeline.

What is the application process to ground truth CARB’s REL?

If you are interested in contracting with CARB to shape CARB’s REL, please submit your application using the online application portal by 11:59 PM PST on January 30, 2025. Applications must include:

• Applicant details (e.g., name, email address)
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Short answer responses

If you have questions, you can reach out to equity@arb.ca.gov with the subject title “Ground Truthing CARB’s REL."

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of CARB staff. The 5 most qualified candidates, based on the scoring criteria described in the following section and with consideration for factors like geographic diversity, will be contacted by the end of January to move forward in the external ground truthing process.

Application Selection and Scoring Criteria

The community expert application will be scored on the criteria below. Priority will be placed on community experts with lived experience, specifically those who live and/or work in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Please note that community experts will also be selected with consideration for various factors to ensure a regional balance, expertise, and experiences.

Additional details about scoring are offered below.

Question 1: Please describe your experience and/or expertise advancing racial equity and environmental justice.

• 11-15 points: The applicant demonstrates extensive, hands-on experience or expertise advancing racial equity and environmental justice. Includes multiple examples, such as leadership roles, specific accomplishments, or impactful projects.
• 6-10 points: The applicant shows moderate experience or expertise advancing racial equity and environmental justice. Includes some examples of contributions or impact.
• 1-5 points: The applicant showslimited experiencein racial equity and environmental justice. Focuses more on interest rather than demonstrated action.
• 0 points: The applicant shows no relevant experience or expertise.

Question 2: More specifically, please describe your experience and/or expertise working with racial equity tools or analysis. We would welcome one to two examples of how you think racial equity tools could be used to advance racial equity through CARB’s work.

Level of experience or expertise with racial equity tools and/or analysis

• 11-15 points: The applicant demonstrates substantial experience with racial equity tools or analysis. Includes examples of advanced knowledge or experience using racial equity tools and/or engaging in analysis related to racial equity.
• 6-10 points: The applicant demonstrates moderate experience with racial equity tools or analysis. Includes some knowledge or experience using racial equity tools and/or engaging in analysis related to racial equity.
• 1-5 points: The applicant demonstrates limited experience with racial equity tools or analysis. Includes few or no examples using racial equity tools and/or engaging in analysis related to racial equity.
• 0 points: The applicant has minimal or no experience with racial equity tools or analysis.

Vision for using racial equity tools at CARB

• 5 points: The applicant presents a clear, thoughtful, and practical vision for how racial equity tools can advance equity through CARB’s work that aligns with CARB’s mission.
• 3-4: The applicant presents a vision that is aligned with CARB’s mission but that lacks depth or specificity.
• 1-2: The applicant presents only a vague vision that is not strongly connected with CARB’s mission.
• 0: The applicant does not present a vision or presents a vision that is not related to CARB’s mission.

Question 3: What is your connection or expertise with disadvantaged, low-income communities? Please note if you live in or represent an SB 535 (disadvantaged designation) or AB 1550 (low-income designation) community.

Guide to using the map: 1) locate the search bar, it is on the upper left-hand side of the screen; 2) type your location [e.g., zip code, address, city, or census tract]; 3) click on your census tract, a box will appear with the designations identifying your census tract as disadvantaged and or low-income. 

Leadership in community engagement

• 7-10 points: The applicant demonstrates substantial experience or expertise with disadvantaged, low-income communities. Includes clear examples of leadership in community engagement. The applicant also lives in or represents a SB 535 or AB 1550 community.
• 4-6: The applicant demonstrates moderate experience or expertise with disadvantaged, low-income communities. Includes some examples of participation in community engagement.
• 1-3 points: The applicant demonstrates minimal experience or expertise with disadvantaged, low-income communities. Focuses more on interest rather than demonstrated action.
• 0 points: The applicant shows no experience or expertise with disadvantaged, low-income communities.

Lives in or represents SB 535 or AB 1550 community

• 5 points: The applicant lives in or represents a SB 535 or AB 1550 community.
• 1-4 points: The applicant does not live in or represent a SB 535 or AB 1550 community, but the applicant is one of a few (or the only) applicants from their region. This will help provide a regional balance of community experts.
• 0 points: The applicant does not live in or represent a SB 535 or AB 1550 community, and there are many applicants from their region.

Question 4: What experience or expertise do you have working with government organizations?

• 7-10 points: The applicant demonstrates extensive experience working with CARB or other government entities. Includes multiple examples of direct engagement.
• 4-6 points: The applicant demonstrates moderate experience working with CARB or other government entities. Includes few examples of direct or indirect engagement.
• 1-3 points: The applicant demonstrates minimal experience working with CARB or other government entities. Focuses more on interest rather than demonstrated engagement.
• 0 points: The applicant demonstrates no experience working with CARB or other government entities.

Question 5: We are planning four meetings:

• Meeting 1: Between March 10 – March 14
• Meeting 2: Between April 21 – April 25
• Meeting 3: Between May 19 – May 23
• Meeting 4: Between June 23 – June 27

Do you anticipate being able to attend each of these meetings? Please indicate if there are any meetings you do not anticipate being able to attend.

• 5 points: The applicant indicates being able to attend all meetings.
• 1-4 points: The applicant indicates being able to attend most meetings.
• 0 points: The applicant indicates being able to attend only a few or zero meetings.