SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Remote Participation – Digital Zoom Meeting
May 9, 2022
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
MEETING MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER: Meeting called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Council Member Francisco Zermeño.
ROLL CALL:
Members:
Present for roll call
Elisa Márquez, City Council Member
Francisco Zermeño, City Council Member
Not present for roll call
Barbara Halliday, Mayor/CSC Chair (Joined meeting at 5:14 p.m.) Staff:
Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Nicole Grucky, Sustainability Specialist
Mira Hahn, Associate Planner
Linda Ko, Senior Secretary (Meeting Recorder)
Elli Lo, Senior Management Analyst
Steve Osborne, Supervising Plan Checker & Expeditor
Jennifer Ott, Assistant City Manager
Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager
Leigha Schmidt, Principal Planner
Carolyn Weisman, Climate Corps Fellow
Other:
Farhad Farahmand, TRC Companies, Inc., Associate Director Avani Goyal, TRC Companies, Inc., Project Manager
Eryn Kim, East Bay Community Energy, Fellow
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no public comments.
Approval of Minutes from the Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) Meeting Held on March 14, 2022 The item was moved by Council Member Márquez, seconded by Council Member Zermeño, and approved with two votes.
Approval of Minutes from the Special Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) Meeting Held on March 28, 2022 The item was moved by Council Member Márquez, seconded by Council Member Zermeño, and approved with two votes.
Climate Action Plan and Environmental Justice: Considerations for New General Plan Policies and Programs – Information and Discussion Nicole Grucky, Sustainability Specialist, and Carolyn Weisman, Climate Corps Fellow, gave an informational presentation on updates to the Climate Action Plan (CAP) to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets adopted by Council. Staff also presented a draft policy framework for a new Environmental Justice Element of the General Plan.
Council Member Márquez expressed appreciation to staff for the comprehensive plan update and the efforts to meet the community where they are at. She encouraged staff to utilize both The Stack and The Leaflet newsletters to engage the community and also suggested partnering with the Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) and Hayward libraries to get more education out to the community.
Council Member Zermeño asked if the GHG emissions for on-road transportation included only those from cars in Hayward or also emissions from cars driving through Hayward. Ms. Grucky confirmed that the data accounted for emissions from a combination of both types of vehicle trips.
Comments made by Mayor Barbara Halliday after joining the meeting at 5:14 p.m.
Mayor Halliday suggested, in the overall attempts to provide more equity and to be more inclusive of other communities, to engage the indigenous community and to possibly get their input on sustainable land management. She also recommended providing education to the community about healthier foods that are less environmentally damaging.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
2023 Reach Code -Information and Discussion
Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager, presented an information report on additional considerations for new non-residential buildings and for electric vehicle charging requirements that may be included in a new Reach Code.
Council Member Márquez stated that she appreciates the efforts to ban the use of natural gas but did want to allow some flexibility for industrial uses, especially for life science buildings, on a very limited scope. Council Member Zermeño expressed his support for eliminating mixed-fuel options with the exceptions listed by staff.
Mayor Halliday commented that Hayward should look to continue to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging opportunities and facilities. Mr. Pearson informed the Committee that staff is working with East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) to develop fast charging hubs in various locations in the city.
For EV charging requirements, Council Member Zermeño supported Option B with a mix of low power and high power Level 2 charging. Council Member Márquez also expressed her support for Option A and stated that she wanted the charging to be accessible to as many people as possible with faster charging. Mayor Halliday expressed her support for Option A stating that the cost to upgrade from low power ready to high power ready in the future would be more expensive than installing the high power ready from the start.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
Proposed 2022 Agenda Planning Calendar: Review and Comment Mr. Pearson shared the proposed 2022 agenda planning calendar with the Council Sustainability Committee.
Council Member Zermeño informed the Committee that he would not be present for the July meeting.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
COMMITTEE MEMBER/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFERRALS:
Mr. Pearson shared that Bike to Work Day would be on May 20th and that there would be an energizer station at the Hayward BART Station. He also announced that the Compost Giveaway would be on May 21st at the former Skywest Golf Course parking lot.
ADJOURNMENT: 6:00 p.m.
MEETINGS
Attendance
Present
05/09/22
Meeting
Present
to Date This Fiscal Year
Excused
to Date This Fiscal Year
Absent
to Date This Fiscal Year
Elisa Márquez
✓
6 0
1 Barbara Halliday
✓
6 0
1 Francisco Zermeño
✓
7 0
0