LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Obama administration on Thursday listened to how communities are coping with climate change as part of an effort to determine how best to support them.

The meeting among senior administration officials, governors, mayors and tribal leaders around the country was closed to the public. The task force was created by President Barack Obama last year, and the group held its first meeting last December at the White House.

Communities are bracing for rising sea levels, extreme weather and other effects of climate change. Some are already taking steps to prepare, such as moving development away from the ocean, updating building codes and investing in infrastructure.

At a news conference after the private meeting at Los Angeles City Hall, federal officials promised to work more closely with communities and consider financing green energy projects.

“We have heard from the front lines,” said Daniel Poneman, deputy secretary of the Energy Department. “We are confident that we’re going to move this ball down the field.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the purpose of the get-together was not to discuss “abstract goals.”

“This is about burrowing down into actual solutions,” he said.

Gov. Jerry Brown said California is leading the way by investing in renewable energy and electric cars. “We’re just beginning. We’re taking baby steps,” he said.

The group will meet several more times and deliver its final recommendations to the president later this year.