How should the state of California simultaneously rebuild from COVID-19 and prepare for climate change?

In this essay you will answer this question: How should the state of California simultaneously rebuild from COVID-19 and prepare for climate change?

You have already done some research on responses to COVID-19 and potential threats to public health as a result of climate change. Your next step will be to focus your thoughts to consider a specific proposal that the state of California can implement in the near future. You have learned much already, and you will learn more as you do additional research, but you will need to present only the most important points to answer the question for this essay. In other words, you will know more than enough, but you will not include everything you know because you only have a limited number of words to present your thoughts.

The proposal that you consider should be a serious proposal, one that a significant number of thoughtful people in California might support. In other words, avoid straw-man arguments and respect those who disagree with you.

Keep in mind that the state government is anticipating a budget crisis, and already there are projections that next year’s budgets for education, child care, senior care, health care, housing, and transportation will be cut. You will need to weigh the urgency of addressing the longer-term effects of climate change against the immediate needs of people in California.

Ideas and Development
Pay particular attention to audience, voice, and in-text citations:

Audience: Provide enough framing and signposting for all of your points to allow any De Anza English instructor to fully understand and follow your argument. To do this, your introduction will need to contain your thesis, your first body paragraph will need a strong topic sentence, and you will need transitions that connect your important points. You will need particularly strong framing and signposting for material from Climate Change and Health. State clearly why that source in particular is significant. Furthermore, you will need to provide background and examples in order to make your proposal understandable. Remember that some De Anza English instructors might not be very knowledgeable around environmental issues, so you will need to provide enough information so that they will understand your reasoning.
Voice: Although you are required to do research for this essay, your voice should predominate. In paragraphs where you use outside sources, observe the 70/30 rule and the 15% rule. At least 70% of the words in the paragraphs should be your own words, and no more than 15% of any paragraph should consist of direct quotations.
Provide MLA-style in-text citations that will allow a reader to quickly look up your source on the works cited page.
Organization
Pay particular attention to these points:

Chronological order (clear historical periods and breaks)
Transitions (signposting)
Topic sentences for parts and paragraphs (signposting)
Parts divided into appropriate paragraphs (paragraphs should be 1/3 to 1/2 page long)
Further guidance for organization is provided in the outline assignment description.

Introduction and Conclusion
Write your introduction and conclusion after you have written the first draft of the body of the essay. You will need to check your introduction and conclusion against each other and against the body of the essay.

Here is guidance for checking your own introduction:

Make sure that the thesis, the answer to the main question in the prompt, is at the end of the introduction.
Make sure that the introduction brings up the topic of the first body paragraph.
Here is guidance for checking your own conclusion:

Most likely, the most detailed form of your thesis will appear at the beginning of the conclusion.
Make sure that any reference to the past in your conclusion was introduced earlier in the essay before the conclusion.
Check that the conclusion logically follows from the body of the essay and the introduction.
Most of your conclusion should consist of your thoughts about the medium-term future that you envision if your thesis is accepted and implemented by people in California.