Sustainability Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Sustainability Commission Tuesday, February 21, 2017 7:00 PM West Conference Room, City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CALL TO ORDER Chair Paton called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. in the West Conference Room. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chair Paton led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present: 4 - Chair Bruce Paton Commissioner Dan Hafeman Commissioner Petya Kisyova Commissioner Steven Zornetzer Absent: 2 - Vice Chair Amit Srivastava Commissioner Kristel Wickham Vice Chair Srivastava’s and Commissioner Wickham’s absences are excused. Council Liaison – Larry Klein (present) PRESENTATION 1 17-0259 PRESENTATION - Climate Action Plan Overview Nupur Hiremath, Sustainability Coordinator, provided an overview of the current Climate Action Plan (CAP), including an update on the status of key actions in the CAP and next steps for implementation and updates to the CAP. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT CALENDAR City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 21, 2017 2 17-0257 Approve the Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2017 Commissioner Kisyova pulled the minutes of the January 17, 2017 meeting noting that they did not reflect her suggestions related to a website of videos for the Sustainability Speaker Series. Staff clarified that meeting minutes are intended to primarily reflect the actions and decisions taken by the Sustainability Commission and, therefore, do not always include all details of the Commission’s discussions. Furthermore, Commissioner Zornetzer added the Commissioner Kisyova’s suggestion regarding videos had been incorporated into the proposal for the Sustainability Speaker Series developed by the Subcommittee. Commissioner Zornetzer moved, and Chair Paton seconded, a motion to approve the January 17, 2017 meeting minutes. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 3 - Chair Paton Commissioner Kisyova Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 Absent: 2 - Vice Chair Srivastava Commissioner Wickham Abstain: 1 - Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Hafeman abstained as he was not present at the January meeting. PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS 3 17-0258 Review Draft Proposal for 2017 Sustainability Speaker Series Commissioner Zornetzer provided the final proposal on the Sustainability Speaker Series developed by the Subcommittee. The proposal includes electrification and food waste as the first two topics, which are aligned with the City’s upcoming programs (e.g., Silicon Valley Clean Energy launch and residential food scraps collection) and are, therefore, opportunities for community involvement. Recommended speakers include Pierre Delforge (Natural Resources Defense Council), Sarah Jo Szambelan (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association), and Bea Johnson (speaker, blogger, writer). The first event is tentatively scheduled for May or June. Elaine Marshall, Environmental Programs Manager, recommended that the Subcommittee prepare the proposal in a formal City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 21, 2017 Report to Council format for submittal to Council in March. Chair Paton moved and Commissioner Zornetzer seconded a motion to: (a) approve the proposal as presented by the Subcommittee and (b) request that the Subcommittee work with staff to develop a Report to Council with additional budget and timing information for submittal in March. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 4 - Chair Paton Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Kisyova Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 Absent: 2 - Vice Chair Srivastava Commissioner Wickham 4 17-0260 Discussion of Draft 2017 Annual Master Work Plan The Commission reviewed and discussed the 2017 Work Plan, identifying some specific topics for staff and commissioner presentations, such as building code basics, and an analysis of lessons learned from the 2017 Speaker Series along with ideas for the 2018 Sustainability Speaker Series. The Commission also discussed how the Commissioner led presentations could also support the upcoming effort to update the CAP. STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES Commissioner Hafeman noted that portions of Mathilda and most of El Camino Real in Sunnyvale has a speed limit of 40 miles per hour. He stated that Sunnyvale is the only City with a speed limit of 40 miles per hour on El Camino Real. He proposed a potential study issue to evaluate whether the speed limit on El Camino Real could be lowered from 40 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour. He also proposed that the City study the feasibility of automatically converting the right-most lane of a four-lane road to sharrows (i.e., shared by bicycles and cars). Councilmember Klein pointed out that the City is already evaluating which streets can have sharrows as a part of the update to the Bicycle Plan. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioner Kisyova requested that the list of Sustainability Commissioners on City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 21, 2017 the City’s website be updated to be made current. She also noted that the link to the Climate Action Plan on the City’s website was not functional. Staff noted that they be sure to address these items. Commissioner Hafeman noted that a stretch of the sidewalk on Mathilda Avenue between Hwy 101 and Hwy 237 was overgrown with brush and unwalkable and requested the City address this problem. He reported that he attended the Mary Ave Extension Community meeting and shared that the revised Mary Avenue Extension Proposal had two new options that were promising: consideration for High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) use and a bicycle/pedestrian bridge. Chair Paton noted that he had learned from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Environment Committee about a proposal to revive the carbon tax. He proposed that this may be an idea to consider for a leading edge presentation for the Commission’s Work Plan. -Staff Comments Melody Tovar noted that two study issues (eliminating the use of pesticides on City property and the feasibility of developing EcoDistricts) that are under the Sustainability Commission’s purview had been ranked by City Council to move forward. She also noted some highlights of her attendance at Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s State of the Valley conference, which included an emphasis on electric cars and a mobility partnership between neighboring Bay Area cities (excluding Sunnyvale; http://www.jointventure.org/initiatives/mobility/managers-mobility-partnership). Elaine Marshall announced several upcoming events: (1) the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency’s (BAWSCA) Sustainable Landscape Series workshops hosted in Sunnyvale; (2) SVCE’s community meeting on March 16, 2017 at the Community Center; (3) Earth Day Poster and Video Contest in April; and (4) Sunnyvale Youth Commission’s Finding Dory community movie night. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:02 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 4