SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

  RECORD OF ACTION FOR
February 3, 2020
 
Supervisor Federal D. Glover, Chair
Supervisor John Gioia, Vice Chair
 
Present: Federal D. Glover, Chair  
  John Gioia, Vice Chair  
Staff Present: Lisa Chow, Office of Supervisor Mitchoff; Michael Kent, Hazardous Materials Ombudsperson; Cindy Cortez, Climate Corps Fellow, Dept of Conservation and Dvt; Demian Hardman, Energy Planner, Dept of Conservation and Dvt; Jody London, Sustainability Coordianator; Jason Crapo, Deputy Director, Dept of Conservation and Dvt; Dom Pruett, Office of Supervisor Andersen
Attendees: Mike Moore, Art Ungar, Marti Roach, Howdy Goudey, Nick Despota, Lisa Chang, Rebecca Auerbach, Jan Warren
 
               
1. Introductions
 
2. Public comment on any item under the jurisdiction of the Committee and not on this agenda (speakers may be limited to three minutes).
 
  There was no public comment.
 
3. Staff recommends approval of the attached Record of Action for the September 23, 2019, meeting of the Sustainability Committee.   
 
  The Record of Action was approved.
 
4. RECEIVE REPORT on benefits of building electrification and PROVIDE DIRECTION as appropriate.    
 
  Demian Hardman provided an overview of building electrification reach codes. He reported on the health benefits of building electrification and the negative impacts of gas use in residential buildings, including the direct correlation between asthma and gas use. The Committee discussed an electric-preferred reach code as a potential option for the County. Hardman reported that electric-preferred ordinances require 10 to 15% more efficiency than all-electric ordinances. Supervisor Gioia recommended providing alternatives to choose from in order to undersatnd the process the County would go through to adopt an ordinance. He mentioned it is important to include the perspective from the development community and other stakeholders during the process.

Members of the community offered comments on this issue. Marti Roach encouraged the County to educate stakeholders and the public about the economic benefits and implementation timelines of a building electrification reach code.  Arthur Ungar emphasized the importance of the County to act as a leader in adopting these ordinances in order to set the example for other cities to follow. Lisa Chang reported on a New England Journal of Medicine  article, “False Promise of natural gas”, which discusses high Asthma correlations and other health harms from natural gas. The article recommends new residential gas hookups be banned. Jody London highlighted the challenge of applying this ordinance to existing buildings, including expense and equity.  Howdy Goudey commented that the Sustainability Commission meeting in February will receive a presentation by Hardman and is hoping to provide feedback for the Sustainability Committee at its next meeting.

The Committee directed staff to report on the building electrification ordinance by March 23, and recommended staff to look at the City of San Jose’s adopted ordinance as a model.
 
5. RECOMMEND SUPPORT for the federal Green Act.   
 
  Jody London reported on the Green Act. The Committee voted to move forward on this.
 
6. REVIEW and ADOPT 2020 Sustainability Committee Discussion Schedule and 2019 Progress Report   
 
  The Committee agreed on the 2020 calendar and discussion schedule.
 
7. REVIEW Sustainability Staff 2020 Work Plan.   
 
  The Sustainability Coordinator provided an overview of the work plan developed by the County’s sustainability staff at the Department of Conservation and Development. The Committee directed staff to come back with reports on the climate emergency mobilization and reach code ordinance.
 
8. RECEIVE report from Sustainability Commission Chair.   
 
  Howdy Goudey, Sustainability Commission Chair, reported that the 2019 Annual Report and Work Plan had been approved at the last Sustainability Commission meeting. He reported that members of the Sustainability Commission are interested in seeing the County pursue a  low carbon concrete standard. He added that building electrification will be included at an upcoming Commission meeting.
 
9. RECEIVE REPORT from County Sustainability Coordinator.   
 
  The Sustainability Coordinator provided an overview of her activities since the last meeting and reported on the Climate Action Plan update. Demian Hardman reported that BayREN had been approved for ongoing funding to exist as a permanent program, with $287,000 as baseline funding and additional funding for special projects. He reported that a grant has been approved for a pilot program to assess health impacts and building status correlations for the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, and DCD and the Health Department continue to look for additional grant opportunities.
 
10. The next meeting is currently scheduled for March 23, 2020.
 
11. Adjourn
 
 
 

For Additional Information Contact:

Jody London, Sustainability Coordinatorf
Phone (925) 674-7871
Jody.London@dcd.cccounty.us