Environmental Sustainability Commission

LA MESA ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION AGENDA A Regular Meeting Date: Monday, December 15, 2025, 6:00 p.m. Location: City Manager's Conference Room, 8130 Allison Avenue La Mesa, California Commissioners: Chair Amanda-Dawn Natalia Vice Chair Dasmine McFarlin Commissioner Michael Bourton Commissioner Mary Nooristani Commissioner Jack Sellinger Commissioner Barbara Shustek Commissioner Richard Williams Advisory Commissioner Joe Britton Members: Commissioner Brianna Coston Commissioner Mark Gracyk Commissioner Jen Lebron Commissioner Christina Potter Commissioner Fabian Rodriguez The public may view the meeting in-person or live using the following remote options: Teleconference Meeting Webinar https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84322400342 Telephone (Audio only) (669) 900-6833 or (253) 215-8782 Webinar ID: 843 2240 0342 Copy and paste the webinar link into your internet browser if the webinar link does not work directly from the agenda. PUBLIC COMMENTS  • In-Person comments during the meeting: Join us for the Commission meeting at the time and location specified on this agenda to make your comments. Comments will be limited to three (3) minutes. • How to submit eComments: eComments are available once an agenda is published. Locate the meeting in "upcoming meetings" and click the comment bubble icon. Click on the item you wish to comment on. eComments can be submitted when the agenda is published and until 24 hours prior to the meeting. eComments are limited to 3700 characters (approximately 500 words). eComments may be viewed by the Commission and members of the public following the close of the eComment submission period (24 hours prior to the meeting). Email your comment to HEgo@cityoflamesa.gov if you have difficulty submitting an eComment. eComments will not be read aloud as a regular meeting item; however any member of the Commission or member of the public may do so during their respective comment time. PLEASE NOTE: Public Comment will be limited to 3 minutes per item. The timer begins when the participant begins speaking. Time cannot be combined or yielded to another speaker. Citizens who wish to make an audio/visual presentation pertaining to an item on the agenda, or during Public Comments, should contact the City Manager's Office at 619.667.1105, no later than 12:00 p.m., the business day prior to the meeting day. Advance notification will ensure compatibility with City equipment and allow Commission meeting presentations to progress smoothly and in a consistent and equitable manner. Please note that all presentations/digital materials are considered part of the maximum time limit provided to speakers. Agenda reports for items on this agenda are available for public review at the City Manager's Office, 8130 Allison Avenue, during normal business hours. Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Commission after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at the City Manager's Office, 8130 Allison Avenue, during normal business hours. ACCESSIBILITY: The City of La Mesa encourages the participation of disabled individuals in the services, activities and programs provided by the City. Individuals with disabilities, who require reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the Commission meetings, should contact the Human Resources Department 48 business hours prior to the meeting at 619.667.1175, fax 619.667.1163, or BCruz-Rivera@cityoflamesa.gov. Hearing assisted devices are available for the hearing impaired. A City staff member is available to provide these devices upon entry to City Council meetings, commission/board meetings or public hearings held in the City Council Chambers. A photo ID or signature will be required to secure a device for the meeting. Page 2 of 10  Pages 1. CALL TO ORDER 1.1 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. ADDITIONS AND/OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA 3. PRESENTATION 3.1 EAST COUNTY ADVANCED WATER PURIFICATION (AWP) PROJECT PRESENTATION FROM HELIX WATER DISTRICT 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS – (TOTAL TIME – 15 MINUTES) NOTE: In accordance with state law, an item not scheduled on the agenda may be brought forward by the general public for comment; however, the Environmental Sustainability Commission will not be able to discuss or take any action on the item at this meeting. If appropriate, the item will be referred to Staff or placed on a future agenda. 5. CONFLICT DISCLOSURES 6. CURRENT BUSINESS 6.1 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER 17, 2025 4 REGULAR MEETING 6.2 DISCUSSION OF THE ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY EDUCATION AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE Alternative Transportation Safety Education ad hoc subcommittee expires February 2026 6.3 DISCUSSION OF THE CAP IMPLMENETATION WORK PLAN AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE Climate Action Plan (CAP) Implementation Work Plan ad hoc subcommittee expires January 2026 6.4 DISCUSSION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION 2026 WORK PLAN AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE Environmental Sustainability Commission 2026 Work Plan ad hoc subcommittee expires February 2026 6.5 DISCUSSION OF THE CREATION OF NEW AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEES 7. STAFF AND COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCEMENTS 8. ADJOURNMENT Page 3 of 10  La Mesa Environmental Sustainability Commission Minutes of a Regular Meeting Date: November 17, 2025, 6:00 p.m. Location: City Manager's Conference Room, 8130 Allison Avenue La Mesa, California Present: Chair Amanda-Dawn Natalia Vice Chair Dasmine McFarlin Commissioner Michael Bourton Commissioner Mary Nooristani Commissioner Richard Williams Advisory: Commissioner Mark Gracyk Staff: Environmental Program Coordinator Serena Lee _____________________________________________________________________ 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Natalia called the meeting to order at 6:01 PM. 1.1 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. ADDITIONS AND/OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA 3. PRESENTATION 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS – (TOTAL TIME – 15 MINUTES) NOTE: In accordance with state law, an item not scheduled on the agenda may be brought forward by the general public for comment; however, the Environmental Sustainability Commission will not be able to discuss or take any action on the item at this meeting. If appropriate, the item will be referred to Staff or placed on a future agenda. 5. CONFLICT DISCLOSURES 6. CURRENT BUSINESS 1 Page 4 of 10 6.1 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 20, 2025 REGULAR MEETING No changes to the minutes Motion: To vote on approving the minutes from the October 20, 2025 Regular Meeting Moved by Vice Chair McFarlin Seconded by Commissioner Williams Vote: 5-0 Ayes: Bourton, McFarlin, Natalia, Nooristani, Williams Noes: None Abstain: None Absent: Sellinger, Shustek Motion Approved 6.2 DISCUSSION OF THE EQUITY FRAMEWORK AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE Equity Framework ad hoc subcommittee expires November 2025 Dasmine McFarlin stated the ad hoc subcommittee met to implement edits and feedback and have the final draft to share. The draft one-pager discussed adding the date at the bottom and adding the contact information. A discussion ensued of who that department might be and whose email to put on the one-pager, with the conclusion that it would likely be the City Manager’s Office, if they are willing to receive questions and answer them. Staff mentioned they would ask if that is the best department. Commissioners discussed and requested that staff let the Commission know afterwards how the recent one-pagers and any other deliverables that came out of Ad-Hoc subcommittees have been implemented, such as adding updates during staff announcements at the end of Commission meetings, including information such as where posters ended up being put up and whether any other staff gave feedback on them. Moved by Vice Chair McFarlin Seconded by Commissioner Williams Vote: 5-0 Ayes: Bourton, McFarlin, Natalia, Nooristani, Williams Noes: None 2 Page 5 of 10  Abstain: None Absent: Sellinger, Shustek Motion Approved 6.3 DISCUSSION OF THE ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY EDUCATION AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE Alternative Transportation Safety Education ad hoc subcommittee expires in November 2025 College Corps Fellow Maya Feldman-Dragich introduced a proposed video series project that would promote alternative transportation and safe driving in collaboration with the La Mesa Police Department. She stated that the video series was still in the early stages of brainstorming and wanted to hear feedback if it were a series of videos, what the focus would be for the series or for each video. Commissioners discussed various potential topics and the framework of videos, including featuring youth commuting to school, defensive biking, and defensive walking. There was also a discussion of who the audience of the series would be, such as roadway users, car drivers, students, or the general public. Ricky Williams brought up the idea of focusing each video on a particular conflict point, such as one video focusing on a troublesome intersection near a school, or the recently-installed HAWK. A discussion about whether this ad hoc subcommittee should also discuss VMS or if it should be split into two separate Subcommittees. The Commission decided that they’d like to meet about this video series once and also about the new Variable Messaging System digital board that Public Works Operations received recently and that they hope to meet on both topics before the next Commission meeting but that they may discuss splitting the Subcommittee into two in December. A motion was made to extend the ad hoc subcommittee to February 2026. Motion: To extend the Alternative Transportation Safety Education Ad Hoc Subcommittee with Commissioners Natalia, Nooristani, Williams for three months and expire in February 2026 with the purpose of creating an educational video series and educational media signage Moved by Commissioner Williams Seconded by Commissioner Bourton Vote: 5-0 Ayes: Bourton, McFarlin, Natalia, Nooristani, Williams Noes: None 3 Page 6 of 10  Abstain: None Absent: Sellinger, Shustek Motion Approved 6.4 DISCUSSION OF THE CAP IMPLEMENTATION WORK PLAN AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE Climate Action Plan (CAP) Implementation Work Plan ad hoc subcommittee expires in November 2025 Staff showed the Commission most recent Word Document draft of the CAP Implementation Plan. It was requested to add page numbers to each page for easier reading. A discussion about on the budget table of FY 26-27 Estimated Staff Time that “Staff Time” represented in hours won’t make sense to the public, who is likely the intended audience of this document. It was also discussed that the Staff Hours is not clear that the hours include staff from all departments and not just Environmental Services Division staff and CivicSpark Fellows. That information could be added in the table, or in the introduction section elsewhere. Commissioner Bourton suggested using “man days” which would be 8 hours per day. Commissioners also discussed potentially using Full Time Employee, or FTE, as well. It was decided that the Ad Hoc Subcommittee would convene again and decide which one made the most sense for this document. Commissioner Williams suggested including a “How to read this chart" section in the beginning of the document so members of the public would be able to understand the Staff Time and Budget table better, similar to how the County of San Diego has in some of their documents. It was requested that staff send this document to all Commissioners so they can review it after the Ad Hoc Subcommittee and review independently ahead of the December Commission meeting. Commissioners recommended extending the ad hoc subcommittee to February. Motion: To extend the CAP Implementation Work Plan Ad Hoc Subcommittee to February 2026 comprised of Commissioners Natalia, Nooristani, and Shustek with the purpose of finalizing the document. Moved by Commissioner Nooristani Seconded by Commissioner Bourton 4 Page 7 of 10  Vote: 5-0 Ayes: Bourton, McFarlin, Natalia, Nooristani, Williams Noes: None Abstain: None Absent: Sellinger, Shustek Motion Approved 6.5 DISCUSSION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION 2026 WORK PLAN AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE Environmental Sustainability Commission 2026 Work Plan ad hoc subcommittee expires February 2026 Commissioner Williams introduced the draft of the 2026 Work Plan and highlighted what changed from the 2025 Work Plan. They suggested broadening the scope of item 1.1d from bicycle-conscious driving education to just driving education and alternative transportation education. It was also discussed to change 1.3 to broaden from EV charging infrastructure development to “increased adoption of EVs and usage.” Commissioner Bourton also mentioned he’d like more sections to call out multi-family renters more to ensure they’re not being left out of the conversation. Ricky and Amanda-Dawn discussed what the major contextual differences are in the Work Plan The Commissioners requested to see the document before the December Commission meeting to review it in detail. 6.6 DISCUSSION OF THE CREATION OF NEW AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEES Staff asked if the Commission would be interested in considering a Green Business Network-related Ad Hoc Subcommittee, but only Commissioner McFarlin was interested. The idea was tabled due to the need for a more concrete end goal in mind. It was discussed support for the GBN could be added to the 2026 Work Plan in the case that a concrete goal is developed and there is also interest shown from the Commissioners who were not present at the meeting. Commissioner Natalia discussed planning Walk ‘n’ Roll events with schools in conjunction with the Police Department, but that could start in January. 5 Page 8 of 10  No new Ad Hoc Subcommittees were created. 6.7 DISCUSSION OF THE JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2026 REGULAR MEETINGS Due to federal holidays, the Commission discussed cancelling the regular meetings scheduled in January and February 2026, and scheduling special meetings for each month. The Commission decided to schedule special meetings on January 26, 2026 and February 23, 2026 Motion: To vote on cancelling the Environmental Sustainability Commission January 19, 2026 Regular Meeting and February 16, 2026 Regular Meeting Moved by Vice Chair McFarlin Seconded by Commissioner Williams Vote: 5-0 Ayes: Bourton, McFarlin, Natalia, Nooristani, Williams Noes: None Abstain: None Absent: Sellinger, Shustek Motion Approved Motion: To vote on scheduling Special Meetings of the Environmental Sustainability Commission on January 26, 2026 and February 23, 2026 Moved by Commissioner Williams Seconded by Vice Chair McFarlin Vote: 5-0 Ayes: Bourton, McFarlin, Natalia, Nooristani, Williams Noes: None Abstain: None Absent: Sellinger, Shustek Motion Approved 7. STAFF AND COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCEMENTS Serena Lee gave updates on upcoming December events, including a Clothing and Toy Swap on December 6 and an energy resources fair on March 7. She mentioned the acceptance of an award from the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition at their Golden Gear Gala on December 12 for “Public Partner of the Year” because of the City’s bike education and e-bike incentive program. She also gave up an update on the Tree Education and Giveaway program, that staff 6 Page 9 of 10  are looking into an additional potential renewable energy project, that the EV Charging Station Master Plan held its third and final working group, and that Maya has been reaching out to schools to do bike safety assemblies. Serena also gave an update for EDCO, stating that they have a new Instagram page, “EDCOWasteAndRecycling.” Commissioner Gracyk gave comments about the $1k check handed to Helix Charter High School Students on November 14 for a water-wise native plant garden, and confirmed that Helix Water District would be able to present to the Commission on December 15 about the East County Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Program. He also mentioned that Helix is commissioning the EV electrification project, potentially March 26 and invited Commissioners to attend. He also gave details about the Water Conservation Garden’s free attendance days. Commissioner Natalia received a round of applause on completing her first meeting as Chair of the Commission. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Natalia adjourned the meeting at 8:00 PM. 7 Page 10 of 10