1 THESE MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL
UNTIL APPROVED BY THE
CULVER CITY
SUSTAINABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE November 10, 2020
CULVER CITY SUSTAINABILITY 5:00 p.m.
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Council Member Lee called the special meeting of the
Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council to order at 5:03 p.m. virtually using WebEx.
Present: Alex Fisch, Vice Mayor
Daniel Lee, Council Member
Staff Present: Charles Herbertson, Public Works
Director/City Engineer
Kim Braun, Environmental Programs and
Operations Manager
Chanel Kincaid, Senior Management Analyst
Joe Susca, Senior Management Analyst
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst
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Pledge of Allegiance
Council Member Lee led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Public Comment for Items NOT On the Agenda
Council Member Lee invited public comment.
Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
2 The following member of the public addressed the
Subcommittee:
Sandrine Cassidy reported renewal of her role as
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD); she was looking forward to continued collaboration with the City and the Subcommittee; discussed funding for her position; her role; facilitation of green action; activities; programs; school improvements; collaboration with other clubs and agencies; joint
purchasing; completed projects; she announced that CCUSD had received the Green Ribbon Schools Award; and she encouraged those seeking additional information to visit
ccusd.org/sustainability.
Council Member Lee encouraged Ms. Cassidy to reach out if additional opportunities to collaborate are available.
David Coles discussed a recent experience with Southern California Edison (SCE) where he was pressured to sign a document stating that he will increase his energy consumption to meet what is produced by the solar panel array on his home, and he asserted that people should be encouraged to consume less electricity, not more.
Discussion ensued between Mr. Coles, staff and Council
Members regarding the Clean Power Alliance; billing through SCE; the goal of clean energy production; excess energy; the net energy metering program; system limitations for the program; program design for homeowners to only generate the energy that they use; communication with the Clean Power Alliance to lobby the California Public Utilities Commission to make changes to the net energy metering program terms and conditions; identifying renewable energy sources and extra capacity; technical challenges; ensuring that people select the correct size solar panel array; distributed energy
resources; and a suggestion to invite a representative from the Clean Power Alliance to a future Sustainability
Subcommittee meeting to present details and answer questions regarding the Net Energy Metering program.
Blake Hottle reported a similar experience with SCE.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council
Members regarding whether homeowners are aware of the
position of SCE to only have homeowners produce what they Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
3 need; those who think they are helping by providing excess energy; effective communication; and achieving program
objectives.
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Consent Calendar
Item C-1
Approval of Minutes for the October 7, 2019 Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting
MOVED BY VICE MAYOR FISCH, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER LEE AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE SUSTAINABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF OCTOBER 7, 2019.
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Order of the Agenda
Item A-2 was considered before Item A-1.
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Agenda Items
Item A-2
(Out of Sequence)
Presentation by Staff of the Stormwater Quality Master Plan
Kim Braun, Environmental Programs and Operations Manager, introduced the item; discussed meeting goals; projects
currently underway; tools for the City; and planning for the future.
Jessica Cassman, Blue Ocean Civil, provided a presentation on the Stormwater Quality Master Plan (SWQMP); discussed goals; compliance; project opportunities; costs and cost
effectiveness; dry wells; and she detailed projects at Culver City High School, Syd Kronenthal Park, Washington Boulevard, and Galvin and Northgate Street.
Dave Mercier, Michael Baker International, demonstrated the Decision Making Dashboard; discussed identifying priorities; the volume goal; types of BMPs proposed; reliance on regional Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
4 projects; available funding; different scenarios to achieve different goals; funding information; reporting options; project status and progress; and the level of detail available for projects.
Jessica Cassman, Blue Ocean Civil, discussed the Master Plan in the context of Enhanced Watershed Management Program (EWMP) requirements; SWQMP opportunities; local and regional project capacity; target volumes; compliance efforts; funding and regulatory support; communication with regulatory
agencies; and community outreach.
Discussion ensued between Ms. Cassman, staff and Subcommittee Members regarding access to the dashboard; the prioritized list of projects; location feasibility; the concept plan; offering storm water mitigation as a community benefit option to developers; the Costco project; in lieu monies from
developers; establishing rain gardens as part of development projects; development tools; new home construction
incentives; credit trading programs; pre-existing programs; placing requirements on smaller scale developments; funding prioritization; efforts to meet goals; Green Street Projects; impervious areas; and development impact fees.
Council Member Lee invited public comment.
The following members of the public addressed the
Subcommittee:
Craig Cadwallader, Surfrider South Bay and South Santa Monica Bay Watershed Area Steering Committee, expressed support for the Storm Water Master Plan; discussed Measure W; and he complimented the City for their collaboration with West Basin Water District and Metropolitan Water District.
Sandrine Cassidy was called to speak and indicated that her questions had been answered.
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Item A-1
Presentation of the Southern California Association of
Government's Grant to Prepare a Citywide Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan
Joe Susca, Senior Management Analyst, provided a summary of Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
5 the material of record; presented the grant from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG); the Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Plan; plan objectives; the
consultant proposal; the steering committee; approval of the Willdan contract by SCAG; EV charging station levels;
charging speeds; City-initiated installation of EV charging stations; utilization; scope of work; different types of chargers and length of time to charge; Tesla chargers; efforts by the automobile manufacturing industry to create a
standardized plug and outlet; City charging locations; the EVGo contract; the recent recommendation by the Mobility, Traffic and Parking Subcommittee to install Tesla chargers at either Cardiff or Watseka parking structures; efforts to convert the City’s bus fleet to electric by 2028; the Willdan Scope of Work; community outreach; establishment of a
steering committee; the site suitability analysis; the policy analysis; creation of educational guides and promotional brochures; and the EV webpage on the City website.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding timing of the project; coordination with other departments; chargers that work with multiple types of
vehicles; the mandate to transition public transportation to all-electric; grants that can be used by the Transportation Department as well as by residents; grants being pursued; and staff’s agreement to follow up on a suggestion to pursue grants across different departments to address concern expressed with City expenditures in the time of fiscal uncertainty.
Council Member Lee invited public comment.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, indicated that no public comment had been received.
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Item A-3
Presentation and Consideration of Options for an Amendment to Chapter 11.18, Polystyrene Regulations, to Title 11, Business Regulations, of the Culver City Municipal Code
Kim Braun, Environmental Programs and Operations Manager, discussed polystyrene in Ballona Creek; Ballona Creek
Renaissance; the Adopt a Creek video created by Blake Hottle; Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
6 the Polystyrene Ban; education; the Environmental Compliance Inspector; and delays due to COVID-19.
Chanel Kincaid, Senior Management Analyst, presented a
summary of the material of record; provided background on the ban; discussed Council considerations including plastics reduction, compostable food ware, reusable dine in and
beverage bottles; outreach; survey responses; the CivicSpark – AmeriCorps Fellows; the Environmental Compliance Inspector; the Economic Impact Study created by SEMCO Consultants; plastic reduction considerations; plastics recyclability; effects of COVID on plastics recycling; plastics food service ware litter; polystyrene litter; the economic impacts of plastics food service ware; food waste; compostable food service ware; bioplastics; fiber based alternatives; upon request policies; reusable food service ware; clarification that no disposable food service ware can beat the
environmental benefits of reusables; the Environmental Break- Even Point; economic challenges and benefits; ReThink
Disposable; preventing waste before it starts; encouraging the use of reusable takeout containers; community benefits; economic impacts; consideration of bans of different items; litter data; installation costs for hydration stations in the City; identifying affordable alternatives; life-cycle
analysis reports; City Council considerations including:
availability of alternative containers, costs to consumers costs to the City, and water accessibility; the timeline for implementation; and potential next steps.
Council Member Lee invited public input.
The following members of the audience addressed the
Subcommittee:
Craig Cadwallader expressed support for moving forward; discussed coalitions working on food ware ordinances state- wide; work with the city and county of Los Angeles; he offered to provide input and the latest information; discussed pilot projects in other areas of the state; demonstrated savings after transitioning to reusables; elimination of all non- recycled plastics; the upon request option; ensuring that compostables are BTI certified; changes to ordinances in the last year; he asked to be allowed to provide input to
supplement staff information and better inform the City Council; he hoped to see a faster time frame; noted delays Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
7 due to COVID; and stated that the changes would help
businesses save money.
Sandrine Cassidy, Ballona Creek Renaissance, expressed
support for the information provided and for the work of staff; she encouraged the City to investigate West Basin grants for water filling stations; discussed the ban on single use plastics at UCLA during the pandemic; she encouraged the City to move forward as soon as possible; and she expressed appreciation for the collaboration with the City.
David Coles encouraged the City to move forward as soon as possible; wanted to see single use plastics phased out of the economy; discussed compliance with the existing polystyrene ban; the lack of citations; repeat violators; data on past reports of violations; staff changes; businesses who need to be fined as they will not come into compliance otherwise; and the cutlery upon request only provision.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding disappointment in the timeline; changes proposed for City Hall and City facilities; the transition to waste- free materials at City Hall; moving the item forward to the full City Council as quickly as possible; financial benefits to businesses who make the transition; up-front costs vs. savings per year; adding specificity to considerations; the importance of discussing sustainability in the context of saving money; concrete data; extra waste in the COVID context; not providing cutlery to people eating at home; different timelines for different elements of the proposal; concern with delays; financial benefits to business; businesses surviving month-by-month; highlighting savings achieved by making changes; the distinction between bioplastics and fiber; produce and meat trays; types of hydration stations; City facilities; low-fi solutions like water pitchers; use of refrigerators; the timeline for moving forward; allowing choice; clear direction on what an ordinance can look like; centering the discussion on the most immediate proposals in order to move items forward; items requiring a broader policy discussion; emphasizing cost savings benefits even if they require behavior changes; improving the quality of waterways; appreciation for the effort and encouragement to move forward quickly with an improved draft and a focus on actionable items; staff acknowledgement of the desire to move forward more quickly with changes to City facilities; investigation of grants; placing the emphasis on fiber rather than bio- plastic; education; the litter stream analysis; the challenge Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
8 of obtaining accurate data for polystyrene; environmental effects of polystyrene vs. quantitative measures; effects to ecosystems; keeping in mind that due to COVID, businesses are operating at 25%; delayed enforcement because of the economic downturn; potential push back from businesses; increased operational costs passed down to consumers; the budget; accelerating the timeline for City facilities with a
negligible impact to the bottom line; the upon request
provision for businesses; and appreciation to staff for their efforts.
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Public Comment for Items NOT on the Agenda
Council Member Lee invited public participation.
No cards were received and no speakers came forward.
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Received and File Correspondence
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, reported that no
correspondence had been received.
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Items from Subcommittee Members
None.
Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
November 10, 2020
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Adjournment
There being no further business, at 7:40 p.m., the
Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council adjourned.
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___________________________________________________________ Jeremy Green
SECRETARY of the Culver City Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council Culver City, California
APPROVED
___________________________________________________________ Daniel Lee
COUNCIL MEMBER, Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council Culver City, California