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HomeMy WebLinkAbout101-Options for Addressing Climate Change.pdf SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: June 20, 2007 AGENDA ITEM: _____________ ORIGINATING DEPT: City Manager’s Office CITY MANAGER: Dave Anderson PREPARED BY: Barbara Powell DEPT HEAD: Dave Anderson Assistant City Manager __________________________________________________________________________________ SUBJECT: Options for Addressing Climate Change RECOMMENDED ACTION: Review report and direct staff accordingly. REPORT SUMMARY: Background Climate Change is increasingly highlighted in the media, and is fast becoming a high priority issue for residents, private industry and local government. There are a broad range of initiatives under discussion as well as currently being planned and implemented. As a small sample: Vice Mayor Waltonsmith, together with the Vice Mayors of Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, have been meeting as the “West Valley GREEN LEAF Committee”, with a mission “to enlist citizens of our communities as possible in participating in greenhouse gas emission reductions, green business, building, and living practices, and environmental sustainability through education, promotion, and demonstration. This will have many positive effects including helping our cities achieve or beat the State/Governor’s greenhouse gas emission- cutting goals”. The draft Vision, Mission and Initial Action Items of the Green Leaf Committee are provided as Attachment “A”. The Santa Clara County Cities Association’s Joint Policy Collaborative Committee has also been meeting and is recommending a number of steps to pursue in support of mitigating the effects of climate change. These recommendations are highlighted in the June 7, 2007 Meeting Summaries provided as Attachment “B”. th Staff will be attending a “Green Building Policy Workshop” on June 27, hosted by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Working with the City’s Planning Commission, staff will also be creating a webpage highlighting priority Green Building options residents can undertake during remodel and new construction. The webpage will provide links to resources such as the San Mateo Countywide “Sustainable Buildings Guide”. Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network has established a “Climate Protection Task Force” with a charter statement “to develop effective, collaborative, solutions for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from public agency operations by providing a neutral forum for city and county government agencies and special districts to learn from each other and from others about climate protection programs. Staff will be attending the next task force th meeting scheduled for July 12. More information on the task force can be found at http://www.jointventure.org/programs-initiatives/climateprotection/climateprotection.html. Among neighboring municipalities, the City of Palo Alto has established a “Green Ribbon Task Force on Climate Protection”, whose mission is “to recommend an achievable and measurable set of policies and actions to meet or beat the Governor’s greenhouse gas emission-cutting goals (2000 levels by 2010, 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050)”. More information on the Task Force is available at http://www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/greenribbon/documents/GRTF.pdf City staff has focused efforts to date on energy efficiency, including updating all Civic Center buildings to energy efficient lighting and LED exit signs. Cool roof systems have also been installed where practical. The City uses some alternative fuel (natural gas) vehicles in its fleet. Discussion Vice Mayor Waltonsmith has requested this item be placed on the Council agenda so that Council members may discuss: The draft Vision, Mission and Initial Action Items proposed by the West Valley GREEN LEAF Committee (Attachment “A”); Recommendations formulated by the Santa Clara County Cities Association’s Joint Policy Collaborative Committee (Attachment “B”); and Other options the City may undertake in order to support residents’ initiatives to mitigate the efforts of climate change. FISCAL IMPACTS: Depending upon Council direction, there may be some fiscal impacts associated with pursuit of specific options for addressing the effects of climate change. CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED ACTION (S): N/A ALTERNATIVE ACTION (S): Council may choose to discuss one or more of the proposed items listed above under “Discussion”. FOLLOW UP ACTION(S): Implement Council direction. ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT: Posting of the agenda according to the Brown Act. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment “A”: Draft Mission, Vision and Initial Action Items for West Valley GREEN LEAF Committee Attachment “B”: Joint Policy Collaborative Committee July 7, 2007 Meeting Summaries Attachment “A” DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT Suggestion from the three Vice-mayors, Garner, Spector, Waltonsmith West ValleyGREEN LEAF Committee Vision: The GREEN LEAF (League of Environmental Action Families) Committee is a league of volunteers supported by the Town of Los Gatos, the City of Saratoga, and the City of Monte Sereno to encourage individuals, families, and businesses to work on important environmental issues at the grass roots level, including problems of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, green business, building, and living practices, to effectively promote and educate the wider community regarding those practices, and to recommend actions that might be taken by community stakeholder groups, including the Cities, to reduce global warming and encourage sustainable environmental practices. West ValleyGREEN LEAF Committee Mission: To enlist as many citizens of our communities as possible in participating in greenhouse gas emission reductions, green business, building, and living practices, and environmental sustainability through education, promotion, and demonstration. This will have many positive effects including helping our cities achieve or beat the State/Governor’s greenhouse gas emission-cutting goals. West ValleyGREEN LEAF Committee Initial (suggested) Action Items: 1.Enlist membership/participation through Kickoff Events 2.Develop initial action items, milestones, and responsibilities 3.Host monthly meetings 4.Host Environmental Sustainability Speaker Series 5.Enlist our youth, local non-profit groups, churches and Schools 6.Publish quarterly Green Leaflets 7.Promote personal action at a local level 8.Have fun as we do good 9.Other DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT Attachment “B” JUNE 7, 2007 MEETING SUMMARIES JOINT POLICY COLLABORATIVE COMMITTEE: Received information regarding Greenhouse Gases and AB32 (Presentations are posted at www.sccca.gov(see“Presentation Downloads”) ; Inventory Processes; Reduction Strategies and Goals; and Overviews of local Organizations involved in Climate Protection – including Sustainable Silicon Valley (http://www.sustainablesiliconvalley.org), Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network (http://www.jointventure.org/programs- initiatives/climateprotection/climateprotection.html), Silicon Valley Leadership Group (http://www.svmg.org/campaigns/cleanandgreen), Institute for Local Government (http://www.cacities.org/index.jsp?zone=ilsg), ABAG’s Energy Watch Program (http://www.abag.ca.gov/abagenergywatch), and PG&E’s Climate Smart Program (http://www.pge.com/about_us/environment/features/climatesmart_ how_it_works.html). Distributed a matrix of city responses to how they have begun to address climate protection, shared best practices/lessons learned, and how to establish a Green Ribbon Task Force. Received information from Brenna Bolger, PRx Communications, regarding Green Challenge (http://www.prxinc.com/whatsnew.php) Next Steps: The JPC recommended the following Next Steps to the Board of Directors at it June 7 Meeting, which followed the JPC Meeting. The JPC will recommend the following next steps to the SCCCA Board of Directors: oRecommend that the cities attend a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory and Planning workshop to be hosted by the BAAQMD and ICLEI and supported by SSV, JVSV, SVLG, PG&E and others in early September. The workshop will help cities develop a draft baseline inventory of their GHG emissions. Recommend that cities consider participating in some of the related climate protection efforts and meetings currently underway, including programs such as ABAG’s Energy Watch, which is a joint project of PG&E and PG&E’s Climate Smart Program to help reduce emissions. Recommend that cities use the League of California Cities Institute for Local Government resources for emissions and energy reduction. oRecommend that cities work together to draft a model “Green Building” Ordinance for Santa Clara County (Like the uniform County Building Code) and partner with organizations such as SVLG is these efforts. Consider forming a joint working group to initiate a draft with interested stakeholders such as SV Climate Protection Task Force, SVLG, SSV, JVSV, and League of California Cities. oSupport taking action now. Cooperate regionally in gathering emissions data. Support cities joining SSV and using their web-based tool for reporting energy use by city-owned facilities, fleets, employee commutes. oSupport city staff joining the Silicon Valley Climate Protection Task Force which is among other things, looking at a Purchasing Pool for cities. oSupport Mayors signing the US Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Received a presentation from Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Working Partnerships, on a New Health Care Program for Small Businesses that has been developed by Working Partnerships USA. Presentation is posted atwww.sccca.gov(see“Presentation Downloads”) Received a presentation from Chris Block, Charities Housing, on the Task Force that has been created to End Homelessness and Solve the Affordable Housing Crisis. Mayor Pat Mahan represents the Cities Association on the Task Force. Received report on JPC recommendations on Climate Protection and by consensus, agreed with the recommendations as presented above in the JPC Meeting Summary. Received information that a broad coalition of homeowners, small business representatives, labor, environmental, community and ethnic organizations have introduced an Eminent Domain Reform Package in Sacramento. ACA 8 and a Companion Statutory Measure are designed to protect Homeowners and Small Businesses from Eminent Domain. The League of California Cities is supporting this constitutional amendment. The next meeting will be on Thursday, September 20 and will be a General Membership Meeting with City Managers and City st Planning Staff invited. 1 Act Silicon Valley will present how its program will bring economic vitality to all of our cities. Please mark your calendars for this event.