Sustainability Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Sustainability Commission Monday, June 17, 2019 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 6:59 p.m. in the West Conference Room. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chair Paton led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present: 5 - Chair Bruce Paton Vice Chair Kristel Wickham Commissioner Dan Hafeman Commissioner Stephen Joesten Commissioner Steven Zornetzer Absent: 2 - Commissioner Douglas Kunz Commissioner Shana Padgett Commissioner Padgett and Kunz absence is excused by general consent. Council Liaison – Michael S. Goldman (absent) ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT CALENDAR 19-0669 Approve the Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes of May 20, 2019 Vice Chair Wickham moved, and Commissioner Joesten seconded, a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. The motion carried by the following vote: City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final June 17, 2019 Yes: 4 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Wickham Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Joesten No: 0 Absent: 2 - Commissioner Kunz Commissioner Padgett Abstain: 1 - Commissioner Zornetzer Commissioner Zornetzer abstained as he was not present at the May 20, 2019 meeting. PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS 19-0659 Nominate a representative to serve on the El Camino Real Plan Advisory Committee (ECRPAC) Commissioner Hafeman provided a summary of his experience working on the ECRPAC and noted that the next phase will be reviewing the draft Plan. Staff confirmed that the ECRPAC is anticipated to meet two more times in 2019. Chair Paton opened the public hearing. Sue Serrone, a resident of Sunnyvale, commented that her group (Livable Sunnyvale) had worked hard to come up with a plan that was holistic in nature, with a vision of the “grand boulevard”. She stated that the Sustainability Commission was well suited to serve as a representative offering a bigger picture viewpoint and a unifying voice for the community. Chair Paton closed the public hearing. Vice Chair Wickham moved, and Commissioner Hafeman seconded, a motion to nominate Commissioner Zornetzer to represent the Commission on the ECRPAC. The motion carried by the following vote: City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final June 17, 2019 Yes: 5 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Wickham Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Joesten Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 Absent: 2 - Commissioner Kunz Commissioner Padgett STANDING ITEM: CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP 2.0) UPDATE Nupur Hiremath, Environmental Programs Manager, shared that staff is working with a consultant team to complete the environmental review of the Climate Action Playbook (CAP) to ensure alignment with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Staff will present the CAP to the Sustainability Commission, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC), Planning Commission, and the CAP 2.0 Advisory Committee (CAC) in July and to City Council in August. STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES 19-0661 New Process for Study Issues Nupur Hiremath shared a revised process for Boards/Commissions to propose Study Issues. Key changes include use of a new Study Issue form for proposing Study Issues, following a two-step process of proposing Study Issues and then sponsoring Study Issues, and an opportunity for the Commission to review drafts of Study Issue Papers after sponsorship. The Commission asked clarification questions and staff provided responses. Staff will share the Study Issue ideas from the forms received with the Commission to ensure there is no duplication of Study Issue ideas between Commissioners. Commissioner Wickham noted her intention to propose Study Issue topics on: Kirby Canyon’s flaring of natural gas; consideration of a Community Condition Indicator for citywide GHG emissions; and barriers to EV infrastructure. 19-0660 PRESENTATION - Commissioner Presentation: Waste-to-Energy Commissioner Joesten provided a presentation on waste-to-energy technologies as a strategy to achieve zero waste. The Commission asked clarification questions and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of this technology. City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final June 17, 2019 Mark Bowers, Solid Waste Division Manager, shared information related to local attempts in Sunnyvale to use waste-to-energy for diversion; the current status of Covanta plant in Stanislaus; California state regulations; and feasibility of waste-to-energy. Chair Paton opened the public hearing. Sue Serrone, a resident of the city of Sunnyvale, commented on how natural gas pipelines are prone to leaks, releasing methane that is a potent greenhouse gas. Chair Paton closed the public hearing. 19-0663 Waste-to-Energy: alternatives to landfilling waste Joesten recommends pulling the Study Issue (SI) at this time because it is a state issue. 19-0662 Free transit passes for City of Sunnyvale residents Commissioner Joesten highlighted that the Study Issue regarding free transit passes would examine whether the City can adopt discounted pricing for transit passes on a sliding scale similar to that used by the City of San Francisco. Chair Paton recommended amending the title of the Study Issue to “Subsidized transit passes for City of Sunnyvale residents.” Suggestions from the Commission included: aligning the Study Issue with key elements of the Climate Action Playbook and highlighting that such a program would improve bus ridership on public transit that may otherwise be under-utilized as well as increasing community outreach. Chair Paton opened the public hearing. No public comments Chair Paton closed the public hearing. Commissioner Joesten moved and Commissioner Zornetzer seconded, the motion to add Study Issue "Subsidizing Transit Passes for the City of Sunnyvale residents". The motion carried by the following vote: City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final June 17, 2019 Yes: 5 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Wickham Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Joesten Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 Absent: 2 - Commissioner Kunz Commissioner Padgett 19-0664 Improve transparency of City Mobility policies to strategies Commissioner Paton shared that the proposed idea would study how the City can improve transparency in sharing its policies and programs around transportation and mobility, while allowing for opportunities for public input. The Commission discussed how to encourage transparency in City policies and programs and conferred on the value that a Commission or citizen group could bring to this process. Chair Paton opened the public hearing. No public comments Chair Paton closed the public hearing. Commissioner Hafeman moved, and Commissioner Zornetzer seconded, a motion to propose a Study Issue to creating a new City Commission or citizen group focused on City mobility issues, especially commutes into and out of the City. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Wickham Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Joesten Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 Absent: 2 - Commissioner Kunz Commissioner Padgett 19-0665 Consider adopting a Green Monday program to reduce City of Sunnyvale Page 5 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final June 17, 2019 food-related emissions Commissioner Hafeman presented that this study issue was motivated by public comments on this topic provided at the May 20, 2019 Sustainability Commission meeting. This Study Issue topic would examine the potential for implementing Green Mondays in Sunnyvale. The Commission asked clarification questions and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of how to move forward with further education and outreach. Commissioner Zornetzer noted that this could be a good topic for a future Sustainability Speaker Series event. Commissioner Wickham suggested that the Commission could consider making a recommendation to Council to adopt a resolution related to Green Mondays, rather than proposing this topic as a Study Issue as the topic may not warrant much study. Staff shared that awareness of the carbon impact of food was proposed as a Next Move in the Climate Action Playbook and will be implemented to create awareness of low carbon food. Staff also noted that this Move was the least popular based on public feedback provided on the Draft Playbook. Staff observed that the Commission could make a specific recommendation to support this Move as a part of the Commission’s recommendation on the Climate Action Playbook. Alternatively, if the Commission wished to make a recommendation that was more specific to City operations and/or City funded activities, a Study Issue may be more appropriate. Based on the discussion, the Commission agreed by general consensus to include a future Sustainability Speaker Series event on this topic and to drop this topic from consideration as a Study Issue at this time. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioner Paton attended a Silicon Valley Leadership panel discussion entitled “Rising waters and resilience,” which examined increased flooding risk and sea-level rise due to climate change. He observed that State agencies have increased their estimate of projected sea level rise. He also shared that he attended a transit meeting that discussed the difference between companies that supply transit passes and those that do not. He noted that he also planned to attend upcoming conferences, including Innovation Prospect Silicon Valley and a Stanford energy conference. Commissioner Wickham shared that she spoke at the City Council Budget Workshop on May 23, 2019 to share the Commission’s perspective on the City Manager’s FY 2019-20 Recommended Budget. She also attended the “Rains to the City of Sunnyvale Page 6 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final June 17, 2019 Bay” talk by speaker Peter Gleick and recommended him for the Sustainability Speaker Series. Commissioner Wickham also noted that Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE)s moving forward with developing language on Reach Codes for buildings and also planning electric vehicle (EV) Silicon Valley Clean Energy charging programs. -Staff Comments Nupur Hiremath, Environmental Programs Manager, previewed the July 15 meeting agenda. The agenda will include: the selection of both the Chair and vice chair, Commissioner Paton presentation Climate Resilience and Adaption Plan for Bay Area Cities, CAP Sustainability Commission Joint meeting, City Hall design and construction updates, along with several study Issue. BPAC has a meeting this Thursday June 20th 7 pm they will be discussing the final recommendation for the Vision Zero Plan. Melody Tovar, Regulatory Programs Division Manager, shared that SVCE will be launching a pilot program funded by the Bay Area Air Quality District in June to provide rebates for heat pump water heaters. INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS 19-0670 Updated Annual Work Plan June 2019 Commissioners were provided with an updated annual work plan. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 7