Item No. 3 STAFF SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 19-20, 2020 3. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT Today’s Item Information ☒ Action ☐ Receive the executive director’s report, including an update on staffing, COVID-19 pandemic response, an initial discussion on equity and inclusion, legislation, and FGC-delegated actions. Summary of Previous/Future Actions (N/A) Background Staffing In response to Governor Newsom’s request for state agencies to provide at least five percent of their workforce to assist with contact tracing, FGC analyst Craig Castleton volunteered for the full-time assignment. He completed training and received his assignment to Los Angeles County through at least Dec 2020 and potentially longer. His absence represents a 10 percent reduction in FGC staff positions. Compounded with mandatory leave reduction plans for several staff and across-the-board salary reductions with associated leave days, FGC staff capacity is reduced by approximately 20 percent at this time. In partial response, FGC staff will recruit a part-time seasonal clerk in the next couple of months. Additional details on staffing and the kinds of activities in which staff is engaged are included in Exhibit 1, Staff Report on Time Allocation and Activities. COVID-19 Pandemic Response Your team of staff continues to show its adaptability and resolve in responding to the challenges of the pandemic and new ways of doing business. The majority of staff continue to work remotely, though we have two staff in the office most days to advance the essential office work and to keep our doors open during normal business hours. Following guidance from the California Department of Public Health, FGC continues to implement all recommended office safety measures. Staff is also following the guidance in the Worksite COVID-19 Prevention Plan for the Natural Resources Building. Safety measures include self-health checks for staff prior to coming into the office, use of face coverings, physical distancing, occupancy limits for individual rooms, and signage installed throughout the office. We are also installing plexi-glass barriers at our public counters. Implementing and monitoring these and other measures to keep staff and visitors safe is a top priority. In addition to the described safety measures, your staff has been divided into two groups, each capapable of handling most tasks required to keep FGC functioning. Members of one group are not allowed in the office at the same time as members of the other group; this division is intended to help ensure that if anyone becomes infected with COVID-19 and exposes others in their group, the virus is not transmitted to the alternate group and business can continue. Diversity and Inclusion in Our Next 150 Years The world is evolving in response to the social unrest and demands for greater racial equity, diversity and inclusion, and FGC is no exception as we plan the future of the organization. Author: Melissa Miller-Henson, David Thesell 1 Item No. 3 STAFF SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 19-20, 2020 Following the positive and strong calls for change from Vice President Murray and Commissioner Silva in statements made at the Jun 2020 FGC meeting (exhibits 2 and 3), executive staff has initiated weekly learning sessions to expand our understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion issues, one step in being better prepared to identify where we can and should make changes as an organization and as individuals. Staff is committed to investigating and developing a plan for approaches FGC can take to better promote diversity and inclusion. With direction from FGC today, staff will begin drafting a specific plan of action for FGC consideration. For example, alongside the leadership of DFW Director Bonham and his executive team, your staff will work with DFW to institute changes in areas like recruitment and hiring practices to address institutional bias. In recognition of the changing times, while also acknowledging the 150-year history of our organizations, President Sklar and DFW Director Bonham recently authored a column for the upcoming issue of Outdoor California. See the magazine for the full column, but here’s a tidbit to get you started: “Historically, anniversaries are celebrated as a commemoration of achieving something special. A pause button against the flow of time—a recognized point in time to stop and praise a date, to make note of longevity…As important a milestone as this is for us, a surreal feeling attaches itself to the celebration as we find ourselves in…extraordinary times...” Legislative Matters With a compromise reached on the state budget at the end of June, the California State Legislature has returned to focusing on other matters. DFW has provided a report on state bills it has identified as being of interest, including the current status of each (Exhibit 5). FGC staff has identified state legislation that may affect FGC’s resources and workload or be of interest (see below), but currently relies heavily on colleagues at DFW to monitor and track legislation. At any meeting, FGC may direct staff to provide information to or share concerns with bill authors or regulatory agencies. Today is an opportunity for FGC to provide direction to staff concerning proposed legislation. Legislative Calendar Highlights • Aug 17-31: Floor session only • Aug 25: Last day to amend bills on the floor • Aug 27: Last day to amend bills for chaptering purposes only • Aug 31: Last day for each house to pass bills; final recess begins upon adjournment • Sep 30: Last day for Governor Newsom to sign or veto bills Bills Introduced during the 2019-2020 Session A number of state assembly bills (AB) and senate bills (SB) identified in DFW’s report may affect FGC’s resources and workload or are potentially of interest. See Exhibit 5 for details about any of the listed bills. Author: Melissa Miller-Henson, David Thesell 2 Item No. 3 STAFF SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 19-20, 2020 • AB 235 (Mayes) Endangered species: candidate species:petitions: takings (introduced 1/18/19 related to electrical corporations, but amended 6/29/20 to the current bill) • AB 1305 (Obernolte) Junior hunting licenses: eligibility: age requirement • AB 1949 (Boerner Horbath) Fisheries: California Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program • AB 2028 (Aguiar-Curry) State agencies: meetings • AB 3022 (Obernolte) Junior hunting licenses: eligibility: age requirement • AB 3030 (Kalra) Resource conservation: land and ocean conservation goals • SB 1046 (Dahle) Fish and wildlife: catastrophic wildfires: Sierra Nevada region: reports • SB 1175 (Stern) Animals: prohibitions on importation and possession of wild animals: live animal markets • SB 1208 (Monning) Wildlife: dudleya: taking and possession • SB 1231 (Monning) Endangered species: take: Santa Cruz long-toed salamander • SB 1235 (Caballero) Administrative Procedure Act: adverse economic impact FGC Delegations At its Jun 2020 meeting, FGC approved a number of delegations to its executive director (Exhibit 3). Regular reporting of significant actions under the delegations will be included in executive director reports; there are none to report through Aug 7, 2020. Significant Public Comments Concerns with AB 1175 related to a ban on importing or possessing certain African species (often referred to as trophy hunting) are shared through two recent articles from the Sacramento Bee and a series of photos taken in Tanzania showing the encroachment of development on hunting areas, loss of forest canapoy due to hardwood logging, and a poaching camp (Exhibit 6) Recommendation (N/A) Exhibits 1. Staff Report on Staff Time Allocation and Activities, dated Aug 11, 2020 2. Statement of FGC Vice President Samantha Murray on equity, diversity and inclusion, made Jun 24, 2020 3. Statement of Commissioner Peter Silva on social justice, made Jun 25, 2020 4. Approved delegations from FGC to its executive director, adopted Jun 24, 2020 5. DFW legislative report, dated Aug 10, 2020 6. Emails and attachments from Kathy Lynch, Lynch & Associates, received Jul 14, July 30 and Aug 3, 2020 Motion/Direction (N/A) Author: Melissa Miller-Henson, David Thesell 3 California Fish and Game Commission Staff Report on Staff Time Allocation and Activities August 11, 2020 Given the challenges that Commission staff is facing, we are again reminded of the importance of how staff time is allocated. The recent service-based budgeting project further emphasized the need to prioritize workload given that the Commission does not have sufficient staffing and funding to meet its mission. While all the work of the Commission is important, insufficient resourcing requires prioritizing some activities over others. This report identifies where time was allocated in general activity categories, trends in staff time allocation, and examples of the specific activities in which staff engaged during the months of June and July 2020. General Time Allocation June July Task Category Staff Time Staff Time Regulatory Program 12% 10% Non-Regulatory Program 6% 7% Commission/Committee Meetings 37% 19% Legal Matters 5% 5% External Affairs 6% 7% Special Projects 7% 10% Administration 23% 26% Leave Time 7% 18% Unfilled Positions 6% 6% Total Staff Time1 109% 107% 1 Total staff time is greater than 100% due to overtime Trends Administrative responsibilities related to the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing, resulting in the increase seen in the “administration” category. Responding to evolving guidance from various agencies, implementing safety and other protocols, and learning new technologies require additional staff time. Staff continues to adjust to the high priority demands as it identifies other important tasks that are lesser priority and can be temporarily set to the side, and works to refine processes for this virtual reality that is expected to be the norm for the foreseeable future. Though faced with these challenges, staff continues undaunted in efforts to improve job performance, which is also captured under administration. For instance, to enhance and bring more consistency to staff research, analytical and writing skills, staff has been holding short workshops together as a team to tackle specific needs.