1 OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE CULVER CITY
SUSTAINABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE October 10, 2024
CULVER CITY SUSTAINABILITY 5:30 p.m.
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Council Member Puza called the special meeting of the
Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council to order at 5:36 p.m. in the Dan Patacchia Meeting Room at City Hall and via Webex.
Present: Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Mayor
Freddy Puza, Council Member
Staff Present: Sean Singletary, Environmental Programs and Operations (EPO) Manager
Wallis Nash, EPO Senior Management Analyst
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst
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Pledge of Allegiance
Meeting attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Community Announcement by Members
None.
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Information Items from Staff
Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
October 10, 2024
2 Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, reported that in response to the Subcommittee’s desire to investigate solar panel installations at City-owned facilities, the Public Works Director would include a request to hire a consultant to conduct a feasibility study for all City buildings in next year’s budget, and she agreed to post the Climate Mayor’s Western Water Security Meeting Report and Presentation on the City website.
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Public Comment - Items NOT On the Agenda
Council Member Puza invited public comment.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, reported no requests to speak.
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Receipt of Correspondence
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, reported no correspondence received.
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Consent Calendar
Item C-1
Approval of Minutes for the Sustainability Subcommittee Special Meeting on August 22, 2024
MOVED BY MAYOR MCMORRIN, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER PUZA AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE SUSTAINABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING ON AUGUST 22, 2024.
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Action Items
Item A-1
Receive and Discuss a Presentation by Center for Climate Integrity
Kelly Sanks, Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), provided background on the organization; discussed holding oil and gas companies accountable for climate change impacts; studies to Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
October 10, 2024
3 estimate costs for different communities to adapt to different climate change impacts; estimated costs for municipalities; Los Angeles county’s climate cost challenge; a bill to protect communities through 2040; back-to-back weather events in Los Angeles; late season wildfires; intensifying climate -driven disasters; the need for resilience; costs for adaptations; cost to address flooding; addressing periods of drought; increased costs to treat drinking water; costs to proactively maintain roads; roads built toward a specific climate; and higher costs associated with reactive road maintenance.
Corey Riday-White, CCI, discussed responsibility for paying the costs; taxpayers vs. the companies that sold products and knew the harms would be caused; public education; cases underway to make climate polluters pay; tobacco and opioid litigation; lack of informed consent; public nuisance and consumer protection claims; effectiveness of litigation; and the feeling that the oil and gas companies should have to pay their fair share.
Discussion ensued between Mr. Riday-White, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding clarification that no actions have gone to trial yet; getting past the motion to dismiss phase; cases that are currently in the discovery phase; cases filed in state court; the state issue; localized harms; federal common law public nuisance; the Clean Air Act; delays to initial cases; additional information available at climateintegrity.org; existing evidence; and cases that have already been filed.
Member Puza invited public comment.
The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
David Coles discussed corporate crime; he felt that the estimates of what the costs will be were too conservative; noted other costs that would be absorbed; the cost of human life; people that die in a heat wave; he expressed appreciation for the presentation; and he was excited to hear that Culver City was going to launch a capital program to install solar on City buildings to reduce the changing climate.
Corey Riday-White, CCI, acknowledged the conservative estimate; discussed the difficulty of getting data; ensuring that the data is airtight and unassailable; and costs for weather events happening on the other side of the country.
Craig Cadwallader, Surfrider Foundation South Bay Chapter and Chair of the South Santa Monica Bay Watershed Area Steering Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
October 10, 2024
4 Committee, expressed admiration for CCI; discussed the importance of what is being done; the suit filed by the State Attorney General against Exxon Mobil for deceptive behavior and years of misleading the public; other organizations that have filed similar suits against Exxon Mobil; impacts of climate change; he indicated living in the Portuguese Bend landslide area of Rancho Palos Verdes; discussed atmospheric river rains that have accelerated the rate of earth movement; shut off of his utilities; the water supply; evacuation warnings; use of portable generators and cell service for internet; he asserted that it was imperative to hold the companies responsible for the damage that has been done to the environment; he was not sure whether movement could be slowed enough for them to be able to stay in their homes; expressed concern with losing his home as a direct result of severe climate impacts that can be directly linked to hydrocarbon users and damage to the atmosphere; he discussed the importance of getting oil companies to pay for damages; subsidies provided to oil companies that are costing Rancho Palos Verdes and other areas millions of dollars-worth of damage; the importance of accountability; and he expressed appreciation for the report and for the work of the CCI.
Corey Riday-White, Center for Climate Integrity, expressed sympathy for what Mr. Cadwallader is going through; reported reading the Surfrider Foundation and State Attorney General’s report with regard to the fraud of plastic recycling; and he thanked Mr. Cadwallader for his work.
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Item A-2
Receive and Discuss an Update Regarding the Outreach Plan for the Proposal to Ban Single-Use Plastic Beverage Bottles, Balloons, Butts (Smoking), Astro-Turf, and Single-Use Bags Not Pre-Exempted by California Public Resources Code
Charlotte Bloemsma, SGA Marketing, provided background on herself and an update on proposed restrictions City-wide; discussed survey tactics; current online results; social media and email outreach materials; the statewide ban on carryout plastic bags; gathering data to understand implications to local business; in-person efforts; key goals to improve participation from businesses; understanding impacts; virtual meetings to conduct the survey; backup options; survey postcards; FAQ sheets; collecting information through open-ended, candid conversations; building the narrative behind what they are thinking; in-person visits; outreach to retailers; stores likely to sell some of the items Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
October 10, 2024
5 under consideration; current in-person survey results; survey fatigue; and providing information about the purpose of what is being done and things the City is considering.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the timeline; next steps; and appreciation for the presentation.
Member Puza invited public comment.
The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
David Coles provided background on himself; discussed his work with LA Water Keeper; discussed trash collected on his regular boating trips from Palos Verdes to Marina Del Rey; presented a photograph of some of the mylar balloons that they repeatedly collected; discussed harm to ocean life; weighing the importance in the culture vs. the harm that the balloons do; non-harmful alternatives; less instances of latex balloons being found in the ocean; helium as the real issue; whether the approach would be heavy on education and light on enforcement as is usual with existing environmental rules; and his observation of a lack of an enforcement emphasis.
Charlotte Bloemsma, SGA Marketing, indicated that they were in the exploratory and conceptual phase and she noted the need for input from residents and businesses to help shape decisions.
Sean Singletary, Environmental Programs and Operations (EPO) Manager, discussed enforcement predicated on what legislation was passed; initial educational outreach to understand what regulations are; past success with education; past complaints that have come into compliance; the need for enforcement; and being reactive to complaints received rather than being proactive in finding the situations on a consistent basis out in the community.
Jacob Stetzer, Party City, indicated serving the community since 2017; expressed appreciation for the Committee’s dedication to environmental sustainability; discussed shared concerns; balance; unintended consequences with an outright ban; community members who rely on affordable products to celebrate; what balloons represent; working to connect with guests; impacts to decorators; balloons as critical elements to their businesses; undermining the ability for people to make a living; the fact that the majority of balloon usage is indoors; he suggested that the Committee institute a ban on the intentional release of balloons; discussed signage, care tips, and recycling bins provided by Party City; weights and clips attached to balloon bundles; their slogan: “balloons are fun, Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council
October 10, 2024
6 but when you’re done, recycle”; he noted that research indicated that bans in one community shifted purchases to another community rather than eliminating usage; the goal to encourage behavioral change; education as a key component; eliminating joy and economic benefit; contributions of Party City to the local economy; risk of store closure; and the negative effects of store closures.
Craig Cadwallader, Advisory Council for the Ballona Creek Renaissance and the Surfrider Foundation South Bay Chapter, discussed his work on ordinances all over the state; results of the ordinances; impacts on businesses; mylar and latex balloons found in the ocean; disagreement that latex balloons are harmless; harmful chemicals used for coloring; harms related to balloons filled with air; he urged that the restriction include air-filled balloons as well; pointed out the availability of non-balloon decorating materials; and the potential to use artificial balloons that stay inflated all the time.
Luis Gutierrez agreed that he did not want to see plastic in the ocean; discussed plastic bottles sold at his store; Styrofoam items; he noted that they sold a small amount of plastic bottles so he did not believe the impact would be great; he indicated that they recycled all of their plastic bottles rather than throwing them in the trash; and he questioned whether the ban would be just in Culver City or in surrounding areas as well.
Discussion ensued between Charlotte Bloemsma, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding providing information on survey availability; availability at culvercityrecycles.com; and a suggestion to add the survey to the Sustainability Subcommittee webpage as well.
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Public Comment for Items NOT on the Agenda
Council Member Puza invited public participation.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, reported no requests to speak.
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Members Requests to Agendize Future Items
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding potential dates for the next meeting and agreement to provide another update on the bans.