September 4, 2024 • 29 mins
In this episode, we feature Joan Valle, the Chief of Regulatory for the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. With over 20 years of experience in environmental planning, Joan shares her expertise in managing teams and programs related to key environmental regulations such as CEQA, NEPA, and the Clean Water Act.
Joan discusses her passion for finding win-win solutions with resource agencies and stakeholders, as well as her active role in lobbying state and federal decision-makers for policies that benefit Riverside County and beyond. She also talks about her involvement with the AEP Legislative Committee and the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies.
Join hosts Jessa and Corinne as they dive into Joan's leadership journey, her career path from environmental analyst to division chief, and her insights into the challenges and rewards of working in flood control and water conservation. Joan also shares her thoughts on the importance of effective environmental laws and policies, and her vision for the future of the environmental profession.
Listen in to learn more about Joan's experiences, her favorite projects, and what drives her dedication to protecting communities through innovative environmental solutions.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:13):
Environmental Leadership Chronicles, a podcast brought to you by the California
Association of Environmental Professionals.
In this episode, we feature Joan Valle, the Chief of Regulatory for the Riverside
County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
With 20 years of experience in environmental planning, Joan has extensive expertise
in managing teams and programs related to key environmental regulations,
(00:36):
including CEQA, NEPA, and the Clean Water Act.
Joan is passionate about finding win-win solutions with resource agencies and other stakeholders.
She also actively lobbies state and federal decision makers to advocate for
policies that benefit Riverside County and other communities.
Joan is a dedicated member of the AAP Legislative Committee,
where she discusses proposed environmental laws and policies.
(00:58):
And additionally, she serves on the National Association of Flood and Stormwater
Management Agencies, Flood Management Committee, where she collaborates with
other agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters on Federal Laws and Policies.
Joan joins us today to discuss her leadership journey in the environmental industry.
Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy.
(01:20):
Hi, I'm Jessa. My pronouns are she, her. I'm Corinne. My pronouns are she, her.
And today we're joined by Joan Bae, who's Chief of Regulatory with the Riverside
County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
Thank you so much for joining us, Joan.
(01:41):
Thank you, Jess. Thank you both. Good afternoon.
I'm honored and grateful to be here with you today. Joan, first things first,
how are you connected to AEP?
Well, you know, I've been involved in AEP for nearly 20 years,
almost from day one as an environmental analyst, thanks to Kent Norton.
(02:02):
I think you both know Kent.
He was my very first boss in the environmental industry.
And he was on the AEP. He was the AEP state president at that time.
And because I'm no dummy, he was involved, so I got involved.
And I've pretty much been involved one way or another ever since.
(02:23):
And really, AEP has been integral in my professional development.
I started out helping the Inland Empire chapter, just assisting with their monthly programs.
And that quickly earned me a position on the board as programs director.
And at that time, we were having in-person meetings nearly once a month.
(02:47):
So as you can imagine, I was pretty busy with AEP stuff.
I can remember barely getting back to the office, putting the box materials
from one program under my desk.
And then I had to kick off the planning for the next program,
you know? So it was pretty intense.
In hindsight, my utilization or my billable hours must have been terrible.
(03:13):
But I wasn't too worried about that at that time. That was Ken Steele.
But being programs director, it was such a great experience.
You know, it put me out there in front of the hot topics, in front of the general membership.
I made a lot of professional contacts with folks that were well above my pay grade.
(03:34):
You know, they were established and prominent professionals in the industry,
and they were my speakers.
So I made a lot of contacts in the industry early on in my career, thanks to AEP.
And of course, it was great for my professional development.
And then AEP has been with me every step of the way, really.
(03:55):
So I served on the board in various capacities for about eight years.
So after my first stint as programs director, I briefly served as treasurer
and then was elected to chapter president.
And after stepping down from the board in 2012, I stayed engaged with AEP as
a legislative liaison. on.
(04:16):
And although I've drifted in and out over the years, I continue to sit in with
my peers on that committee. And that's been fantastic.
We track various CEQA legislation and related laws, and we're often approached
by OPR and various state agencies and decision makers to solicit our opinion
(04:36):
on legislative proposals and other hot topics like CEQA reform.
So So participating on the ledge committee helps me stay current on CEQA,
which is great because my current responsibilities have grown into other areas.
So I probably otherwise, it would probably otherwise be tough for me to keep up with CEQA.
(04:58):
That's great. That's quite a history. Thanks for your service with AEP.
And I just love the description of the programs box because I also was a programs
director for a while and just that box and having to like haul it between my
car, my office, the event venue.
And then I don't know about you guys, but we had this like pop up projection screen that was huge.
(05:23):
And it was always making sure I had the car that could fit the projection screen
on days that we had programs.
So that brought back a lot of fond memories hearing you talk about that.
You're bringing back flashbacks.
Lots of the program directors out there doing the real work. Yeah.
Well, and the funny thing is, is now they have, after I left the board,
(05:45):
at some point they got two programs directors because it was such a demanding position.
And I'm sure it still is.
Good to know there's some help though, too. So thank you guys both for your work, too.
And continued work. And speaking of, so Joan, you are chief of regulatory with
(06:06):
Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
Can you please describe your role there?
Yeah, of course. Well, my primary responsibility is to ensure that the district
complies with applicable regulatory and environmental laws, you know,
such as CEQA, Fish and Game Code,
Sections 404 and 401 of the Clean Water Act,
(06:30):
the State and Federal Endangered Species Acts, and then various local laws and requirements.
You know, because of CEQA, my division sees nearly every discretionary action that flood takes.
And my team conducts and manages the environmental review for pretty much everything
we do. You know, our CIPs, our maintenance, our repair projects, emergency projects.
(06:54):
We have federal projects that we partner with the Corps of Engineers.
And we have a development review process that warrants a small team of devoted
professionals for the environmental compliance related to the flood control
component of developer projects.
But in general, you know, our bread and butter here in regulatory is CEQA and
(07:18):
getting the permits needed to construct and maintain our facilities.
We have a solid in-house team of CEQA experts in my division,
but we tend to use a lot of consultants, too, because we have a long list of projects.
So my division is a mix of professionals and technical experts,
(07:39):
including traditional environmental planners, aka CEQA practitioners.
We have biologists, botanists, regulatory experts, and we have one planner that's
actually a geologist by training. So that's kind of cool.
That's great. And what do you enjoy the most about working for the flood control district?
(08:00):
Almost everything. I was going to say everything, but I'm like,
okay, almost everything.
No, you know, the county is just a fantastic employer. They provide competitive
pay, good benefits, lots of paid holidays.
And I really love and appreciate our flood family. We have good people here,
(08:21):
about 250 dedicated public servants doing great things for our communities.
And I enjoy the collaboration, the creativity, the educational and professional
development support that Flood provides.
Our former general manager used to say, hire good people and get out of the way.
(08:44):
And I've always held on to that. And I think it's proved to be a successful business model.
You know, Flood Control has a great reputation in the industry for being a leader.
And the leadership here at Flood is amazing, really at every level of our organization,
(09:05):
but it comes from the top down.
We're very progressive and always happy to try new ideas and processes.
You know, better, stronger, faster.
It's all good. it. But one thing that's really cool about working here,
or I'd say doing CEQA from the lead agency perspective, is that I'm not just
(09:25):
doing CEQA and then never hearing about the project again.
Instead, you know, I get to work on or follow a project all the way from idea
through design and construction, managing the mitigation,
managing the HMMP, and then we follow the maintenance work in perpetuity.
(09:45):
So it's the full project life cycle, which is something I didn't see when I was a consultant.
And then, you know, being the chief of regulatory, what makes you proud about
working for blood control? Oh, lots.
You know, a lot of people will say something like, what on earth do you do at
flood control? You must be bored.
(10:08):
I'm like, oh, I wish I could have just one boring day.
But, you know, we hardly get any rain. So they have a point.
But when it does rain, we need to be prepared.
So we have 250 employees that work year round, making sure that when it does
rain, the water goes where we want it to.
(10:31):
And that it doesn't harm life and property.
You know, Riverside County is the fastest growing county in the state.
And we have two and a half million residents. So it's a big charge to provide flood control.
But to do this, you know, we're a machine.
(10:51):
We design, we build, and we maintain. pain. So we also work closely with our
cities, the public, stakeholders like FEMA and the Corps of Engineers, EPA.
And here in regulatory, we also work closely with the resource agencies to ensure
that we don't impact the species habitat in our waterways.
(11:16):
But ultimately, I think the reason nobody thinks about flood control is because we do our job well.
You know, I say we're silent warriors, and it's very rewarding to do the work
we do to protect our communities.
I'm sure also with the last couple years of, you know, pretty remarkable storm
events that we've had probably kept you on your toes with, you know,
(11:38):
things like 100-year storm events occurring, you know, about 10 years.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, you know, all the fires that we've had causes problems,
of course, when the rainy season comes in.
And yeah, we actually had a 200-year event out in the desert.
So it's been challenging.
Yeah, sounds like it. And, you know, you said that you like everything about
(12:01):
working for the Flight Control District, which is great.
I mean, what a joy to love your job that much and the work you do.
And so if you had to pick, though, what are your favorite types of projects to work on?
You know, all projects typically follow the same process, right?
(12:22):
But each project has unique constraints and challenges.
And my favorite projects are the complex ones with the unique challenges.
You know, whether it's an environmental constraint, like an endangered species
or tribal cultural resources being present, or a right-of-way issue,
(12:44):
conflicting interests among stakeholders, in all circumstances,
I really enjoy the stakeholder engagement, the problem-solving,
and sitting at the table with multiple parties and coming up with a solution
that works for everyone.
Yeah, it's just really cool and satisfying when you know that you are contributing to the solution.
(13:11):
And ultimately, that does good things for our communities. And I think what
you said earlier, too, like getting to see the project from inception,
the completion and maintenance and monitoring has to be so rewarding to be able
to see that whole process and to be along the life cycle of that where some
other people are just touching certain parts of it.
(13:32):
As it goes along. But that seems, yeah, very rewarding, I would imagine.
Yeah, no, that's great. And it's kind of funny, too, because,
you know, when I was a consultant preparing CEQA documents, you know,
I'd put in all kinds of mitigation measures that I thought would be helpful.
(13:53):
And then sometimes like, well, out of an abundance of caution,
let's throw this one in there.
And that was probably a little eye opening for me when I was,
when I first got to flood and had to implement the mitigation measures.
I mean, it definitely changed my perspective on the details of the measures and things like that.
Just making sure they're actually implementable, you know, when you got boots on the ground.
(14:16):
Yeah. And coming back a little bit too, so something you said earlier,
so you talked about, again, you know, loving to work for the flood control district
and that there's, you know, it's competitive pay.
And so how does the, and other things, of course, but how does the flood control
district take care of its people?
(14:36):
You know, flood really is a fantastic organization. Like I said before,
from the top down, management is very supportive of staff, staff development, continuous growth.
We address the district. We say, hi, flood family, like in the big emails and stuff.
(14:56):
And they really are progressive. When I first started at Flood 12 years ago,
there was only one planner position and there were no promotional opportunities.
And so at that time, I never could have become a division chief.
However, because of the progressive nature, we now have several upward opportunities
(15:19):
for planners, including the one that I hold.
So this is a perfect example of the progressive management team.
And I think, sorry, Corinne, just to touch on that, I follow you guys on LinkedIn
and I feel like there's always job ads and career opportunities within the environmental field.
(15:41):
And there's been some fun recruiting videos that show, I feel like,
I can't remember what it's called, but like a day in the life with flood control districts.
So I'm just going to give you guys a good plug, hopefully to go out and follow
your LinkedIn page or for anyone out there looking that you guys are pretty
active and definitely provide a lot of insight on your LinkedIn page too.
(16:02):
Yeah, no, definitely. Thank you for that, Jessa.
We started creating some promotional type videos to highlight what it's like to work here.
I have at least one of some of our planning staff out in the field and in the
office talking about what they do and what they love.
And then there's one of me. That made me squirm a bit. So I've only seen it
(16:25):
once, but it was all for the same purpose, right?
Describing, you know, what we're looking for and, you know, what the work we
do in the hopes of finding people that, you know, would come here and be happy to be here. So.
Well, in addition to your LinkedIn
video debut, what other professional accomplishments are you practice?
(16:49):
You know, one of the things I really love about my work is I get to lobby.
Like I get to do some lobbying for better policy and laws that directly affect
our business, right? Our mission.
And, and the district is very supportive of this.
(17:09):
I believe I belong to a few professional organizations that review and influence
state and federal policy, with AEP being one of them.
And I'm currently actually assembling a working group to take on a few more
areas of reform that I think are needed.
But I love to meet with various state and federal decision makers and help them,
(17:34):
or I like to help influence policy and policy changes.
That'll make things better, right, for our world as we know it,
and also make things better for agencies like ours that have to implement the laws and policies.
But I find this lobbying work extremely rewarding because my contributions go
(17:58):
beyond Riverside County, right?
And they end up helping other agencies either statewide or nationwide,
and of course, that's fantastic.
And then there's another probably more measurable contribution that I'm proud of, and that is,
so I led the effort here for the county that landed Riverside County in the
(18:25):
top 1% of the FEMA CRS program,
the communities nationwide. wide.
And that was a really cool surprise because I didn't realize that that was even
an option or we were in the running for that.
But it was a strategic effort and it gives the county residents and businesses
a 20% discount on their flood insurance premiums.
(18:49):
So that's definitely a feel good accomplishment.
Absolutely. And then, you know, one thing we chatted a little bit about in preparing
this is just, you know, what an accomplishment it is to be a woman in this industry
and be that division chief in a municipality as big as Riverside.
So I was wondering if you could speak a little bit more about what did your
(19:11):
career path look like getting to, you know, such an amazing leadership position?
Well, you know, I started out in the consulting world as an entry-level analyst.
I entered the industry at a great time in the early 2000s when development was
going crazy out here in Southern California,
(19:32):
and there was a huge need for CEQA practitioners and project managers,
and really experts in the entire development industry were in high demand.
My first job was at Michael Bramman Associates.
And I was very fortunate to move up there, move up quickly when I was there.
(19:54):
And I promoted to senior project manager.
And part of, part of, part of the, I guess the speed of how I promoted was due to the demand.
And, of course, some of it was due to my eager beaver nature.
I'm sure more than some of it. Thank you.
(20:19):
So, yeah, I left MBA and I went to Jones & Stokes, which is now ICF.
And from there I went to URS, which is now a comm.
And when I was a consultant, I worked on every type of project imaginable,
you know, everything from housing and commercial, industrial,
(20:39):
railroad, schools, infrastructure, Caltrans projects.
I worked on Riverside County projects, you know, wealthy jurisdictions, broke jurisdictions.
I even worked on one project that crossed the international border,
and it required a President Obama at the time needed to sign off on it.
(21:03):
So a lot of diversity in my work history.
And I found I find that that was very beneficial for my, you know,
my ultimately for my career growth.
However, now my focus is on flood control projects, which I think is really
cool because I took my CEQA experience and expertise and brought that to the
(21:27):
table and then learned a bunch of other pieces.
But focusing just on flood control projects, it's a niche all on its own.
But, you know, and in hindsight, I feel like my entire career set me up for the position I have now.
You know, even prior to entering the environmental field, there was a time for
(21:49):
several years, actually, where
I had a part-time job as a courier and my territory was Riverside County.
So, or parts of it, everything from like Merino Valley, Paris,
down through Elsinore, Canyon Lake, into Temecula. So I learned a good chunk,
you know, just of the geography, the spatial layout and all of that.
(22:10):
So I think it's cool the way everything feels like it led me up to my current position.
So do you still have your Thomas Brothers booklets from that job?
You know, I just got rid of a couple of those, but I did keep a few for,
you know, the apocalypse or something like that.
(22:32):
And what is your dream for the
environmental profession you know having seen the type
of ways it's evolved and changed and you know even
being able to have a big picture you know approach
to legislation and policy what you know what changes would you like to make
as a leader you know i i'd like to i'd like to to see more lobbying for better
(22:56):
laws and policy you know more coordination between the decision makers, the agencies.
You know, we see a lot of conflict in agencies at really the state and the federal
level with conflict or conflicting laws and mandates and things like that.
And so it makes it challenging for folks like us here trying to implement and
(23:19):
trying to do things, you know, with a good heart and, you know, really protecting the
environment, but if you have one law that says you have to do this and it conflicts
with another law, it makes it really tough.
So that's probably something I'd really like to work on and I might even work on.
Maybe it's like my retirement gig or something like that.
(23:41):
But at any rate, it does seem like also in some ways we've gotten away from
the intent of the environmental laws.
And so just all those kind of things that don't seem to be very congruent with
actually getting stuff done as well as protecting the environment.
I love that. As someone who's on the industry side of things,
(24:03):
especially the renewable industry,
I couldn't endorse more the request for consistency and logic and just clear
guidance for what we are supposed to do when we're taking on projects that we
think ultimately have a net benefit to the environment and wanting that clear path to do them.
(24:24):
Yeah, I think one of the things that seems to pop up are the indirect consequences.
You know, they're not always well thought out. Most of the laws,
right, they come to us with good intentions.
But implementing them, as you know, is maybe another thing.
(24:45):
That's what I feel like with you all as planners. I mean, Corinne as well,
is you see the big picture and how the dots, how everything's connected and
how everything intersects.
And so when there is a law or there's some type of compliance that is not in
alignment with the big picture, you can see where the pieces are going to fall apart.
(25:05):
And so I'm sure it's really frustrating when you have a plan.
In. I know how to get there from A to Z, but then things start to go in a different
order that won't let you get there.
I can imagine it can be a little frustrating at times.
But like you said, Joan, I think having that broad experience too just allows
you to even have more of that bird's eye view of how everything can fit together
(25:27):
and how to go from design implementation to monitoring and maintenance on these projects.
I could see that being so valuable, like you said, of your career,
all your experiences led you to this point in your career.
And I could see how it all fits, like listening to your story.
Exactly. And really cool.
(25:50):
Yeah. And I might be a little biased, but having fun.
No, I love it. I mean, you can hear the passion and enthusiasm you have.
And like you said earlier, people like, oh, that must be so boring.
No, I'm doing such a good job. it seems boring to you. That's the point.
You are supposed to think it's boring because you're not impacted.
(26:13):
Exactly. Well, I just want to thank you so much for your time.
I know in this position, Chief of Regulatory, you're a very busy individual
and you have a lot going on.
And I just want to thank you for your time to join the podcast,
to prep for the podcast, to speak with Trina and I on this.
And I'm going to just get into our wrap-up, rapid five, and let you go on managing
the regulatory for the flood control and water conservation district.
(26:37):
All right, Joan, what is your favorite daily habit?
Definitely my morning coffee. Enjoy sitting down with my coffee in the morning.
You know, if it's a weekend, it's a little more casual, but on a workday,
I use that time to kind of get grounded for my day.
Think about what's on my plate and what I need to achieve.
(26:58):
I love that. How do you take your coffee? It depends.
How I like to take it is with some half and half. But too much half and half is not good for the hips.
So I toggle back and forth.
How about balance? I like to do it half and half.
I love that. Okay, what are three things you would bring to a deserted island?
(27:24):
So a boat, a fisherman.
And probably a LifeStraw or a case of LifeStraws.
I'd like to be stranded with you. We would not be stranded for long.
What is your favorite environmental policy? You know, it has to be CEQA, right?
(27:48):
I mean, I appreciate the ability as a lead agency to implement the law.
Yet you know like we get some
discretion right but as we all know there's a substantial amount of public oversight
out there and of course the the lawsuit process challenges so it keeps us honest
(28:13):
but i definitely just love the the sequel you know what is your favorite flora or fauna,
I'd say the California poppy or really any old oak tree, any type of oak.
All right. And finish this sentence. Wouldn't it be cool if?
(28:34):
Wouldn't it be cool if cookies and ice cream were in the vegetable food group?
Cheer here.
Thank you again, Joan. We really enjoyed speaking with you and learning more
about your perspective and your background and your professional experience.
(28:55):
So thank you so much for joining us.
No, of course. Thank you so much for having me.
Really appreciate it.
Music.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to be updated
when new episodes are released and leave us a review to let us know what you think.
It also really helps us to share the podcast with others who may enjoy learning
(29:18):
about the environmental industry.
If you want to submit a shout out or any feedback, please send an email or voice
memo to podcast at califaep.org.
The email again is podcast with an S, podcast at c-a-l-i-f-a-e-p.org.
Music.
Music.
(00:13):
Environmental Leadership Chronicles, a podcast brought to you by the California
Association of Environmental Professionals.
In this episode, we feature Joan Valle, the Chief of Regulatory for the Riverside
County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
With 20 years of experience in environmental planning, Joan has extensive expertise
in managing teams and programs related to key environmental regulations,
(00:36):
including CEQA, NEPA, and the Clean Water Act.
Joan is passionate about finding win-win solutions with resource agencies and other stakeholders.
She also actively lobbies state and federal decision makers to advocate for
policies that benefit Riverside County and other communities.
Joan is a dedicated member of the AAP Legislative Committee,
where she discusses proposed environmental laws and policies.
(00:58):
And additionally, she serves on the National Association of Flood and Stormwater
Management Agencies, Flood Management Committee, where she collaborates with
other agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters on Federal Laws and Policies.
Joan joins us today to discuss her leadership journey in the environmental industry.
Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy.
(01:20):
Hi, I'm Jessa. My pronouns are she, her. I'm Corinne. My pronouns are she, her.
And today we're joined by Joan Bae, who's Chief of Regulatory with the Riverside
County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
Thank you so much for joining us, Joan.
(01:41):
Thank you, Jess. Thank you both. Good afternoon.
I'm honored and grateful to be here with you today. Joan, first things first,
how are you connected to AEP?
Well, you know, I've been involved in AEP for nearly 20 years,
almost from day one as an environmental analyst, thanks to Kent Norton.
(02:02):
I think you both know Kent.
He was my very first boss in the environmental industry.
And he was on the AEP. He was the AEP state president at that time.
And because I'm no dummy, he was involved, so I got involved.
And I've pretty much been involved one way or another ever since.
(02:23):
And really, AEP has been integral in my professional development.
I started out helping the Inland Empire chapter, just assisting with their monthly programs.
And that quickly earned me a position on the board as programs director.
And at that time, we were having in-person meetings nearly once a month.
(02:47):
So as you can imagine, I was pretty busy with AEP stuff.
I can remember barely getting back to the office, putting the box materials
from one program under my desk.
And then I had to kick off the planning for the next program,
you know? So it was pretty intense.
In hindsight, my utilization or my billable hours must have been terrible.
(03:13):
But I wasn't too worried about that at that time. That was Ken Steele.
But being programs director, it was such a great experience.
You know, it put me out there in front of the hot topics, in front of the general membership.
I made a lot of professional contacts with folks that were well above my pay grade.
(03:34):
You know, they were established and prominent professionals in the industry,
and they were my speakers.
So I made a lot of contacts in the industry early on in my career, thanks to AEP.
And of course, it was great for my professional development.
And then AEP has been with me every step of the way, really.
(03:55):
So I served on the board in various capacities for about eight years.
So after my first stint as programs director, I briefly served as treasurer
and then was elected to chapter president.
And after stepping down from the board in 2012, I stayed engaged with AEP as
a legislative liaison. on.
(04:16):
And although I've drifted in and out over the years, I continue to sit in with
my peers on that committee. And that's been fantastic.
We track various CEQA legislation and related laws, and we're often approached
by OPR and various state agencies and decision makers to solicit our opinion
(04:36):
on legislative proposals and other hot topics like CEQA reform.
So So participating on the ledge committee helps me stay current on CEQA,
which is great because my current responsibilities have grown into other areas.
So I probably otherwise, it would probably otherwise be tough for me to keep up with CEQA.
(04:58):
That's great. That's quite a history. Thanks for your service with AEP.
And I just love the description of the programs box because I also was a programs
director for a while and just that box and having to like haul it between my
car, my office, the event venue.
And then I don't know about you guys, but we had this like pop up projection screen that was huge.
(05:23):
And it was always making sure I had the car that could fit the projection screen
on days that we had programs.
So that brought back a lot of fond memories hearing you talk about that.
You're bringing back flashbacks.
Lots of the program directors out there doing the real work. Yeah.
Well, and the funny thing is, is now they have, after I left the board,
(05:45):
at some point they got two programs directors because it was such a demanding position.
And I'm sure it still is.
Good to know there's some help though, too. So thank you guys both for your work, too.
And continued work. And speaking of, so Joan, you are chief of regulatory with
(06:06):
Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
Can you please describe your role there?
Yeah, of course. Well, my primary responsibility is to ensure that the district
complies with applicable regulatory and environmental laws, you know,
such as CEQA, Fish and Game Code,
Sections 404 and 401 of the Clean Water Act,
(06:30):
the State and Federal Endangered Species Acts, and then various local laws and requirements.
You know, because of CEQA, my division sees nearly every discretionary action that flood takes.
And my team conducts and manages the environmental review for pretty much everything
we do. You know, our CIPs, our maintenance, our repair projects, emergency projects.
(06:54):
We have federal projects that we partner with the Corps of Engineers.
And we have a development review process that warrants a small team of devoted
professionals for the environmental compliance related to the flood control
component of developer projects.
But in general, you know, our bread and butter here in regulatory is CEQA and
(07:18):
getting the permits needed to construct and maintain our facilities.
We have a solid in-house team of CEQA experts in my division,
but we tend to use a lot of consultants, too, because we have a long list of projects.
So my division is a mix of professionals and technical experts,
(07:39):
including traditional environmental planners, aka CEQA practitioners.
We have biologists, botanists, regulatory experts, and we have one planner that's
actually a geologist by training. So that's kind of cool.
That's great. And what do you enjoy the most about working for the flood control district?
(08:00):
Almost everything. I was going to say everything, but I'm like,
okay, almost everything.
No, you know, the county is just a fantastic employer. They provide competitive
pay, good benefits, lots of paid holidays.
And I really love and appreciate our flood family. We have good people here,
(08:21):
about 250 dedicated public servants doing great things for our communities.
And I enjoy the collaboration, the creativity, the educational and professional
development support that Flood provides.
Our former general manager used to say, hire good people and get out of the way.
(08:44):
And I've always held on to that. And I think it's proved to be a successful business model.
You know, Flood Control has a great reputation in the industry for being a leader.
And the leadership here at Flood is amazing, really at every level of our organization,
(09:05):
but it comes from the top down.
We're very progressive and always happy to try new ideas and processes.
You know, better, stronger, faster.
It's all good. it. But one thing that's really cool about working here,
or I'd say doing CEQA from the lead agency perspective, is that I'm not just
(09:25):
doing CEQA and then never hearing about the project again.
Instead, you know, I get to work on or follow a project all the way from idea
through design and construction, managing the mitigation,
managing the HMMP, and then we follow the maintenance work in perpetuity.
(09:45):
So it's the full project life cycle, which is something I didn't see when I was a consultant.
And then, you know, being the chief of regulatory, what makes you proud about
working for blood control? Oh, lots.
You know, a lot of people will say something like, what on earth do you do at
flood control? You must be bored.
(10:08):
I'm like, oh, I wish I could have just one boring day.
But, you know, we hardly get any rain. So they have a point.
But when it does rain, we need to be prepared.
So we have 250 employees that work year round, making sure that when it does
rain, the water goes where we want it to.
(10:31):
And that it doesn't harm life and property.
You know, Riverside County is the fastest growing county in the state.
And we have two and a half million residents. So it's a big charge to provide flood control.
But to do this, you know, we're a machine.
(10:51):
We design, we build, and we maintain. pain. So we also work closely with our
cities, the public, stakeholders like FEMA and the Corps of Engineers, EPA.
And here in regulatory, we also work closely with the resource agencies to ensure
that we don't impact the species habitat in our waterways.
(11:16):
But ultimately, I think the reason nobody thinks about flood control is because we do our job well.
You know, I say we're silent warriors, and it's very rewarding to do the work
we do to protect our communities.
I'm sure also with the last couple years of, you know, pretty remarkable storm
events that we've had probably kept you on your toes with, you know,
(11:38):
things like 100-year storm events occurring, you know, about 10 years.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, you know, all the fires that we've had causes problems,
of course, when the rainy season comes in.
And yeah, we actually had a 200-year event out in the desert.
So it's been challenging.
Yeah, sounds like it. And, you know, you said that you like everything about
(12:01):
working for the Flight Control District, which is great.
I mean, what a joy to love your job that much and the work you do.
And so if you had to pick, though, what are your favorite types of projects to work on?
You know, all projects typically follow the same process, right?
(12:22):
But each project has unique constraints and challenges.
And my favorite projects are the complex ones with the unique challenges.
You know, whether it's an environmental constraint, like an endangered species
or tribal cultural resources being present, or a right-of-way issue,
(12:44):
conflicting interests among stakeholders, in all circumstances,
I really enjoy the stakeholder engagement, the problem-solving,
and sitting at the table with multiple parties and coming up with a solution
that works for everyone.
Yeah, it's just really cool and satisfying when you know that you are contributing to the solution.
(13:11):
And ultimately, that does good things for our communities. And I think what
you said earlier, too, like getting to see the project from inception,
the completion and maintenance and monitoring has to be so rewarding to be able
to see that whole process and to be along the life cycle of that where some
other people are just touching certain parts of it.
(13:32):
As it goes along. But that seems, yeah, very rewarding, I would imagine.
Yeah, no, that's great. And it's kind of funny, too, because,
you know, when I was a consultant preparing CEQA documents, you know,
I'd put in all kinds of mitigation measures that I thought would be helpful.
(13:53):
And then sometimes like, well, out of an abundance of caution,
let's throw this one in there.
And that was probably a little eye opening for me when I was,
when I first got to flood and had to implement the mitigation measures.
I mean, it definitely changed my perspective on the details of the measures and things like that.
Just making sure they're actually implementable, you know, when you got boots on the ground.
(14:16):
Yeah. And coming back a little bit too, so something you said earlier,
so you talked about, again, you know, loving to work for the flood control district
and that there's, you know, it's competitive pay.
And so how does the, and other things, of course, but how does the flood control
district take care of its people?
(14:36):
You know, flood really is a fantastic organization. Like I said before,
from the top down, management is very supportive of staff, staff development, continuous growth.
We address the district. We say, hi, flood family, like in the big emails and stuff.
(14:56):
And they really are progressive. When I first started at Flood 12 years ago,
there was only one planner position and there were no promotional opportunities.
And so at that time, I never could have become a division chief.
However, because of the progressive nature, we now have several upward opportunities
(15:19):
for planners, including the one that I hold.
So this is a perfect example of the progressive management team.
And I think, sorry, Corinne, just to touch on that, I follow you guys on LinkedIn
and I feel like there's always job ads and career opportunities within the environmental field.
(15:41):
And there's been some fun recruiting videos that show, I feel like,
I can't remember what it's called, but like a day in the life with flood control districts.
So I'm just going to give you guys a good plug, hopefully to go out and follow
your LinkedIn page or for anyone out there looking that you guys are pretty
active and definitely provide a lot of insight on your LinkedIn page too.
(16:02):
Yeah, no, definitely. Thank you for that, Jessa.
We started creating some promotional type videos to highlight what it's like to work here.
I have at least one of some of our planning staff out in the field and in the
office talking about what they do and what they love.
And then there's one of me. That made me squirm a bit. So I've only seen it
(16:25):
once, but it was all for the same purpose, right?
Describing, you know, what we're looking for and, you know, what the work we
do in the hopes of finding people that, you know, would come here and be happy to be here. So.
Well, in addition to your LinkedIn
video debut, what other professional accomplishments are you practice?
(16:49):
You know, one of the things I really love about my work is I get to lobby.
Like I get to do some lobbying for better policy and laws that directly affect
our business, right? Our mission.
And, and the district is very supportive of this.
(17:09):
I believe I belong to a few professional organizations that review and influence
state and federal policy, with AEP being one of them.
And I'm currently actually assembling a working group to take on a few more
areas of reform that I think are needed.
But I love to meet with various state and federal decision makers and help them,
(17:34):
or I like to help influence policy and policy changes.
That'll make things better, right, for our world as we know it,
and also make things better for agencies like ours that have to implement the laws and policies.
But I find this lobbying work extremely rewarding because my contributions go
(17:58):
beyond Riverside County, right?
And they end up helping other agencies either statewide or nationwide,
and of course, that's fantastic.
And then there's another probably more measurable contribution that I'm proud of, and that is,
so I led the effort here for the county that landed Riverside County in the
(18:25):
top 1% of the FEMA CRS program,
the communities nationwide. wide.
And that was a really cool surprise because I didn't realize that that was even
an option or we were in the running for that.
But it was a strategic effort and it gives the county residents and businesses
a 20% discount on their flood insurance premiums.
(18:49):
So that's definitely a feel good accomplishment.
Absolutely. And then, you know, one thing we chatted a little bit about in preparing
this is just, you know, what an accomplishment it is to be a woman in this industry
and be that division chief in a municipality as big as Riverside.
So I was wondering if you could speak a little bit more about what did your
(19:11):
career path look like getting to, you know, such an amazing leadership position?
Well, you know, I started out in the consulting world as an entry-level analyst.
I entered the industry at a great time in the early 2000s when development was
going crazy out here in Southern California,
(19:32):
and there was a huge need for CEQA practitioners and project managers,
and really experts in the entire development industry were in high demand.
My first job was at Michael Bramman Associates.
And I was very fortunate to move up there, move up quickly when I was there.
(19:54):
And I promoted to senior project manager.
And part of, part of, part of the, I guess the speed of how I promoted was due to the demand.
And, of course, some of it was due to my eager beaver nature.
I'm sure more than some of it. Thank you.
(20:19):
So, yeah, I left MBA and I went to Jones & Stokes, which is now ICF.
And from there I went to URS, which is now a comm.
And when I was a consultant, I worked on every type of project imaginable,
you know, everything from housing and commercial, industrial,
(20:39):
railroad, schools, infrastructure, Caltrans projects.
I worked on Riverside County projects, you know, wealthy jurisdictions, broke jurisdictions.
I even worked on one project that crossed the international border,
and it required a President Obama at the time needed to sign off on it.
(21:03):
So a lot of diversity in my work history.
And I found I find that that was very beneficial for my, you know,
my ultimately for my career growth.
However, now my focus is on flood control projects, which I think is really
cool because I took my CEQA experience and expertise and brought that to the
(21:27):
table and then learned a bunch of other pieces.
But focusing just on flood control projects, it's a niche all on its own.
But, you know, and in hindsight, I feel like my entire career set me up for the position I have now.
You know, even prior to entering the environmental field, there was a time for
(21:49):
several years, actually, where
I had a part-time job as a courier and my territory was Riverside County.
So, or parts of it, everything from like Merino Valley, Paris,
down through Elsinore, Canyon Lake, into Temecula. So I learned a good chunk,
you know, just of the geography, the spatial layout and all of that.
(22:10):
So I think it's cool the way everything feels like it led me up to my current position.
So do you still have your Thomas Brothers booklets from that job?
You know, I just got rid of a couple of those, but I did keep a few for,
you know, the apocalypse or something like that.
(22:32):
And what is your dream for the
environmental profession you know having seen the type
of ways it's evolved and changed and you know even
being able to have a big picture you know approach
to legislation and policy what you know what changes would you like to make
as a leader you know i i'd like to i'd like to to see more lobbying for better
(22:56):
laws and policy you know more coordination between the decision makers, the agencies.
You know, we see a lot of conflict in agencies at really the state and the federal
level with conflict or conflicting laws and mandates and things like that.
And so it makes it challenging for folks like us here trying to implement and
(23:19):
trying to do things, you know, with a good heart and, you know, really protecting the
environment, but if you have one law that says you have to do this and it conflicts
with another law, it makes it really tough.
So that's probably something I'd really like to work on and I might even work on.
Maybe it's like my retirement gig or something like that.
(23:41):
But at any rate, it does seem like also in some ways we've gotten away from
the intent of the environmental laws.
And so just all those kind of things that don't seem to be very congruent with
actually getting stuff done as well as protecting the environment.
I love that. As someone who's on the industry side of things,
(24:03):
especially the renewable industry,
I couldn't endorse more the request for consistency and logic and just clear
guidance for what we are supposed to do when we're taking on projects that we
think ultimately have a net benefit to the environment and wanting that clear path to do them.
(24:24):
Yeah, I think one of the things that seems to pop up are the indirect consequences.
You know, they're not always well thought out. Most of the laws,
right, they come to us with good intentions.
But implementing them, as you know, is maybe another thing.
(24:45):
That's what I feel like with you all as planners. I mean, Corinne as well,
is you see the big picture and how the dots, how everything's connected and
how everything intersects.
And so when there is a law or there's some type of compliance that is not in
alignment with the big picture, you can see where the pieces are going to fall apart.
(25:05):
And so I'm sure it's really frustrating when you have a plan.
In. I know how to get there from A to Z, but then things start to go in a different
order that won't let you get there.
I can imagine it can be a little frustrating at times.
But like you said, Joan, I think having that broad experience too just allows
you to even have more of that bird's eye view of how everything can fit together
(25:27):
and how to go from design implementation to monitoring and maintenance on these projects.
I could see that being so valuable, like you said, of your career,
all your experiences led you to this point in your career.
And I could see how it all fits, like listening to your story.
Exactly. And really cool.
(25:50):
Yeah. And I might be a little biased, but having fun.
No, I love it. I mean, you can hear the passion and enthusiasm you have.
And like you said earlier, people like, oh, that must be so boring.
No, I'm doing such a good job. it seems boring to you. That's the point.
You are supposed to think it's boring because you're not impacted.
(26:13):
Exactly. Well, I just want to thank you so much for your time.
I know in this position, Chief of Regulatory, you're a very busy individual
and you have a lot going on.
And I just want to thank you for your time to join the podcast,
to prep for the podcast, to speak with Trina and I on this.
And I'm going to just get into our wrap-up, rapid five, and let you go on managing
the regulatory for the flood control and water conservation district.
(26:37):
All right, Joan, what is your favorite daily habit?
Definitely my morning coffee. Enjoy sitting down with my coffee in the morning.
You know, if it's a weekend, it's a little more casual, but on a workday,
I use that time to kind of get grounded for my day.
Think about what's on my plate and what I need to achieve.
(26:58):
I love that. How do you take your coffee? It depends.
How I like to take it is with some half and half. But too much half and half is not good for the hips.
So I toggle back and forth.
How about balance? I like to do it half and half.
I love that. Okay, what are three things you would bring to a deserted island?
(27:24):
So a boat, a fisherman.
And probably a LifeStraw or a case of LifeStraws.
I'd like to be stranded with you. We would not be stranded for long.
What is your favorite environmental policy? You know, it has to be CEQA, right?
(27:48):
I mean, I appreciate the ability as a lead agency to implement the law.
Yet you know like we get some
discretion right but as we all know there's a substantial amount of public oversight
out there and of course the the lawsuit process challenges so it keeps us honest
(28:13):
but i definitely just love the the sequel you know what is your favorite flora or fauna,
I'd say the California poppy or really any old oak tree, any type of oak.
All right. And finish this sentence. Wouldn't it be cool if?
(28:34):
Wouldn't it be cool if cookies and ice cream were in the vegetable food group?
Cheer here.
Thank you again, Joan. We really enjoyed speaking with you and learning more
about your perspective and your background and your professional experience.
(28:55):
So thank you so much for joining us.
No, of course. Thank you so much for having me.
Really appreciate it.
Music.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to be updated
when new episodes are released and leave us a review to let us know what you think.
It also really helps us to share the podcast with others who may enjoy learning
(29:18):
about the environmental industry.
If you want to submit a shout out or any feedback, please send an email or voice
memo to podcast at califaep.org.
The email again is podcast with an S, podcast at c-a-l-i-f-a-e-p.org.
Music.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.