New Technology
Electric vehicle technology is relatively new to the fire service, with only eight cities in the United States currently operating the RTX. Consequently, there is limited information of the potential challenges and operational issues over time associated with this type of apparatus.
Battery Life and Maintenance
The longevity and performance of the battery over the life of the engine can be a concern. Over time, battery capacity may diminish, potentially impacting the engine's operational range and effectiveness.
Training and Adaptation
Fire Department and Fleet personnel will require additional training to effectively operate and service the apparatus, leading to potential increases in training costs and adaptation periods.
Resale Value
City of Coronado Page 328
The resale market for electric fire engines is still developing. Depreciation rates and market demand could impact the long-term value of the investment.
Summary
The all-electric engine was found to meet the operational needs of Coronado firefighting and delivers benefits in terms of noise reduction, emissions reduction, maintenance downtime and expense reduction, fuel cost reduction, and would contribute substantially to a healthier workplace environment from a physical and mental wellness perspective.
The current build time for this electric engine is 18-24 months, which would allow Coronado to replace its end-of-life fire engine two years earlier than with a traditional engine, which has a delivery timeline of four years.
Major drawbacks include the much higher cost of the apparatus and charging infrastructure, unknowns with this new and emerging technology, and battery life.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Acquisition of an electric fire engine would require an additional budget appropriation of $900,000 for the engine, and approximately $50,000 for facility upgrades and chargers.
ALTERNATIVE:
Direct staff to return with additional information and research or proceed with purchase of a traditional diesel fire engine.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT:
Not Applicable.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
No notice required.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
Submitted by: Fire Department / Chief Summers
City of Coronado Page 329
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
September 17, 2024 10d
REVIEW OF SINGLE-USE PLASTIC REGULATIONS
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the report on single-use plastic regulations and provide direction as appropriate.
BACKGROUND:
At the April 16, 2024, City Council meeting, the Council approved a Policy #2 request, directing staff to present the following three components for discussion on a future agenda:
1. Analysis of the City of Coronado’s existing policies and ordinances regarding the use of single use plastic products by and in the City of Coronado.
2. Review of similar policies in other cities, primarily focusing on San Diego coastal cities.
3. Information on any pending state legislation that may impose requirements on the City of Coronado related to prohibition of single use plastics.
ANALYSIS:
Currently, the City of Coronado has no specific ordinances or policies regulating single-use plastics. Although California has enacted state-wide regulations on single-use plastics, several local jurisdictions have implemented more restrictive policies tailored to their specific needs. Staff reviewed ordinances from regional coastal cities to catalogue the types of single-use plastic regulations in effect.
Regional Single-Use Plastic Prohibition Regulations
Policies addressing polystyrene and single-use plastics vary, but commonly include the following elements:
1. Single-Use Plastic Bags: Prohibits or mandates a charge for single-use plastic bags, and/or prohibits their distribution at city events.
2. Polystyrene Products: Prohibits the distribution of polystyrene foam containers in food service, packaging materials, coolers, and toys.
3. Plastic Utensils: Prohibits the distribution of plastic utensils to customers, encourages or requires distribution of biodegradable or compostable alternatives only upon request, and/or prohibits plastic utensils at City facilities and city events.
4. Other Plastic Items: Extends bans to encompass additional plastic items such as straws, stirrers, food packaging, and balloons.
5. Plastic Water Bottles: Prohibits or limits city spending on single-use water bottles and their distribution on City facilities and/or at city events.
Coastal cities in San Diego County have adopted varying levels of single-use plastic restrictions, with the chart below summarizing local ordinances and policies (excluding state-mandated regulations).
City of Coronado Page 330
Single Use Plastic Restrictions in coastal San Diego County Plastic
Bags
Polystyrene
Foam (EPS)
Plastic
Utensils
Other
Plastic
Items
Single Use
Bottles
Carlsbad 2024 2023 2022 2023 2022
Chula Vista None None None None None
Coronado None None None None None
Del Mar 2016 2018 2018 2019 None
Encinitas 2014 2020 2020 2020 2020
Imperial Beach 2019 2019 2019 2019 None
National City None None None None None
Oceanside 2025 2024 None None None
San Diego 2016 2023 2023 2023 None
Solana Beach 2012 2020 2020 2020 2022
Beyond San Diego County, several jurisdictions have enacted more restrictive ordinances on single-use plastics policies, including policies specific to city property and events. For example, Palo Alto mandates that any bags used in grocery stores and farmers markets for produce, meat, or bulk foods must meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for compostability, ahead of the statewide law set to take effect in 2025 requiring the same. San Francisco requires reusable alternatives to single-use plastics at city events and city property, while Berkeley requires event organizers provide accessible water filling stations and set a charge of $0.25 for disposable cups at food establishments. In the Lake Tahoe region, Truckee and South Lake Tahoe have banned the sale of plastic water bottles under one gallon, except in emergencies.
Existing and Pending State Legislation
California has implemented statewide legislation aimed at reducing single-use plastics, already in effect throughout the state, including Coronado. Existing legislation (PRC 42281, effective 2016) regulates the distribution and composition of plastic grocery bags, requiring they contain at least 40% postconsumer recycled materials, be recyclable, and be reusable. New legislation (PRC 42357), effective on January 1, 2025, will require pre-checkout grocery bags, such as plastic produce, meat, and bulk item bags, be replaced with recyclable paper or ASTM certified compostable alternatives.
PRC 42271, known as the “Skip the Stuff” law (effective June 1, 2022) mandates that food facilities only provide plastic straws, single-use food ware accessories, and standard condiments upon customer request. PRC 42372, effective January 1, 2023, prohibits hotels with over 50 rooms from providing small plastic bottles for personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, and lotion.
Several pending legislation in California aim to address plastic pollution further, and these would apply to Coronado if signed into law. SB 1053, enrolled on September 4, 2024 for the Governor’s signature, would prohibit the distribution of carry-out bags at checkout, effective January 1, 2026. AB 1590, introduced in February 2023, would ban major coastal resorts from providing single-use coffee pods, straws, plastic bags, and polystyrene foam products.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
City of Coronado Page 331
ALTERNATIVE:
The City Council may direct staff to continue to monitor pending state legislation (e.g., SB 1053, AB 1590), conduct additional research, prepare and return with ordinances of interest, or take no action at this time.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT:
This activity is not considered a project as defined by CEQA and is therefore exempt from environmental review.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
No notice required.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
Submitted By: Community Development Department / Jasmine Bridges City of Coronado Page 332
Item 12a.
City of Coronado
Office of the Mayor
RICHARD BAILEY
1825 ST R A N D WA Y · CO R O N A D O, CA 92118 · T E L (619) 522-7320 · R B A I L E Y@C O R O N A D O.C A.U S September 16, 2024
The Honorable Tom Carper
Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works
410 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Sam Graves
Chairman
U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
2165 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Shelly Moore Capito
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works
456 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Rick Larsen
Ranking Member
U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
2163 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE: Request to Support and Advance the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act
Dear Chairman Carper, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Capito, and Ranking Member Larsen:
On behalf of the City of Coronado, I am writing to express my support for the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act, soon to be introduced by Senator Alex Padilla (CA) and Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-52). The legislation seeks to address the ongoing cross-border sewage crisis in the Tijuana and New River Watersheds.
As you may know, millions of gallons of contaminated water flows from Mexico into the United States on an almost daily occurrence. These contaminated flows from Mexico result in beach closures, public health concerns and impacts, environmental damage, and financial struggles for local businesses in the City of Coronado and other nearby cities. Furthermore, it has caused health issues for United States Navy SEALs, who train in these waters, and United States Homeland Security-Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers which disrupts our national security City of Coronado Page 333
Item 12a.
and military readiness. Your support and swift advancement of the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act will contribute to a lasting solution to the decades-long issue of untreated sewage affecting the Tijuana River Valley and broader San Diego region.
Specifically, the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act would designate the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the primary agency responsible for coordinating the efforts of Federal, State, Tribal, and Local governments to plan and build infrastructure projects that address cross-border pollution in both Southern California watersheds in which polluted waters, sewage, and debris flow from Mexico into the United States.
Critically, the legislation also gives the U.S. EPA authority to transfer, accept, and distribute funds across Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners to construct, operate, and maintain associated water quality restoration projects. Additionally, the bill codifies the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program (BWIP) to continually fund water infrastructure projects along the U.S. – Mexico border, including projects addressing the cross-boundary pollution crisis in San Diego.
The Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act is a critical step in mitigating and ending the cross-boundary pollution crisis in the Tijuana and New River watersheds by leveraging the management expertise of the EPA to implement a whole-of-government approach in response to this environmental, ecological, and economic disaster.
We look forward to further collaboration with you and your respective committee staffs to see this critical legislation swiftly moved through Congress and enacted into law. Moreover, the City of Coronado thanks you for your continued efforts to support vital projects aimed at confronting cross-border pollution.
Sincerely,
Richard Bailey
Mayor
CC: Coronado City Council
City of Coronado Page 334
Item 12b.
City of Coronado
Office of the Mayor
RICHARD BAILEY
1825 ST R A N D WA Y · CO R O N A D O, CA 92118 · T E L (619) 522-7320 · R B A I L E Y@C O R O N A D O.C A.U S September 16, 2024
The Honorable Tom Carper
Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works
410 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Sam Graves
Chairman
U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
2165 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Shelly Moore Capito
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works
456 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Rick Larsen
Ranking Member
U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
2163 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE: Request to Support New Authorizations for San Diego County and Tijuana River Valley Watershed in the 2024 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) Dear Chairman Carper, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Capito, and Ranking Member Larsen:
On behalf of the City of Coronado, I am writing to express my support for the new Environmental Infrastructure authorization in the Senate 2024 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) for the Tijuana River Valley Watershed, and the $200 million authorization included in the House WRDA bill for water and wastewater infrastructure in San Diego County, which can be used for fixes and upgrades at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as associated projects needed to handle the persistent contamination from Tijuana. The City of Coronado urges the Conference Committee to support the inclusion of both of these critically important measures in the final version of WRDA 2024. Once enacted, this language will authorize funding for the Army Corps of Engineers to leverage their expertise to address the ongoing sewage and waste crisis in the Tijuana River Watershed.
City of Coronado Page 335
Item 12b.
As you may know, millions of gallons of contaminated water flows from the Tijuana River in Mexico into the United States and out into the Pacific Ocean. These polluted flows result in beach closures, public health concerns, environmental damage, and financial struggles for local businesses in the City of Coronado and other nearby cities. This polluted water is a direct disruption for United States military readiness and national security as the United State Navy SEALs train in the contaminated water and United States Homeland Security-Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers are patrolling the United States border, regularly having to protect the nation by entering the Tijuana River. Your support of these authorizations will contribute to achieving a lasting solution to the decades-long issue of untreated sewage and waste flow affecting the Tijuana River Valley and San Diego region.
These authorizations are a critical next step in leveraging the environmental infrastructure and ecosystem restoration knowledge, expertise, and experience of the Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate, respond, and control the pollution in the Tijuana watershed. We look forward to further collaboration with you and your staff to see this language enacted into law, and continued efforts to support vital infrastructure projects aimed at confronting cross-border pollution.
Sincerely,
Richard Bailey
Mayor
CC: Coronado City Council
City of Coronado Page 336