CITY COUNCIL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Remote Participation – Digital Zoom Meeting
November 14, 2022
4:30 p.m.
MEETING MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER: Meeting called to order at 4:36 p.m. by Mayor Halliday.
ROLL CALL:
Members:
Present
▪ Barbara Halliday, Mayor/CSC Chair
▪ Elisa Márquez, City Council Member
▪ Francisco Zermeño, City Council Member
Staff:
▪ Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
▪ Sierra Cannon, Climate Corps Fellow
▪ Nicole Grucky, Sustainability Specialist
▪ Hailey Meyer, Climate Corps Fellow
▪ Jennifer Ott, Assistant City Manager
▪ Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager
▪ Judy Phung, Senior Secretary
▪ Michael Wolny, Administrative Secretary (Meeting Recorder)
Other:
▪ Cait Cady, East Bay Community Energy
▪ Alex DiGiorgio, East Bay Community Energy
▪ JP Ross, East Bay Community Energy
▪ Jessica Guadalupe Tovar, Local Clean Energy Alliance
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no public comments.
1. Approval of Minutes from the Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) Meeting Held on October 6, 2022
Council Member Márquez requested the consideration of the minutes at the next CSC meeting to confirm the inclusion of the Save the Bay letter that was received by the Committee.
2. East Bay Community Energy Update: Local Programs and Customer Bill Savings – Information and Discussion
Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager, introduced staff from East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), who presented an update on local programs, partnerships and customer bill savings.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Committee Comments
Council Member Zermeño thanked EBCE staff for the report and encouraged continued outreach and education efforts to the public.
Council Member Márquez thanked EBCE staff for the thorough presentation and asked staff to address the power content label and efforts to have cleaner energy. Alex DiGiorgio stated that the power content label, information detailing power sources for the Bright Choice product, shows that emissions have increased in the past two years due to renewable energy that is imported across state lines that no longer qualifies as renewable energy. In addition, he stated there is a reduction in hydroelectricity due to the drought. Mr. DiGiorgio stated that EBCE has a Board-approved goal of having carbon-free energy available throughout its service area by the year 2030.
Mayor Halliday encouraged EBCE to advocate for programs that would assist low-income community members who may not be able to afford green energy.
3. Existing Building Electrification Efforts – Information and Discussion Nicole Grucky, Sustainability Specialist, presented on existing building electrification efforts which included information on the California Equitable Home Electrification Program (CEHEP), building inventory, partnership with Local Clean Energy Alliance (LCEA) and equity concerns.
Public Comments
Jessica Guadalupe Tovar, with LCEA, shared that the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, BayREN, will be hosting a forum on the topics discussed and would hopefully help answer questions and create policies that would both protect renters and transform communities into clean energy communities.
Committee Comments
Council Member Zermeño inquired how staff was doing outreach about electrification, especially to the 47% of renters. Ms. Grucky stated that staff would focus on outreach and the existing electrification workshop once the Climate Action Plan was updated. Mr.
Pearson mentioned that staff was also working on a bill insert to promote rebates for heat- pump water heaters.
Council Member Márquez suggested staff coordinate with the Council Homelessness- Housing Task Force to ensure renters are not displaced during electrification of appliances.
Assistant City Manager Jennifer Ott confirmed that she would coordinate with staff.
Mayor Halliday suggested the possibility of sending trusted community members to resident homes in certain neighborhoods to share information about energy efficiency programs.
4. Annual Update on Implementation of Strategic Roadmap (Sustainability-Related Projects) – Information and Discussion
Mr. Pearson provided an update on the implementation of sustainability-related projects within the priority areas of Confront Climate Crisis and Champion Environmental Justice and Invest in Infrastructure.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Committee Comments
Council Member Zermeño suggested staff look into the details of the Tree Preservation Ordinance to discern between reasonable and unreasonable causes for tree removal. He mentioned it would be reasonable for tree removal in cases where invasive tree roots may be causing damage to water or sewer lines but not for inconvenience reasons such as too many leaves falling. Council Member Zermeño asked staff to also look into replacing trees that had to be removed.
Mayor Halliday suggested the possibility of sending trusted community members to resident homes in certain neighborhoods to share information about energy efficiency programs.
Council Member Zermeño inquired if staff knew the number of total trees in the City of Hayward. Public Works Director Alex Ameri stated that he would work with Todd Rullman, Director of Maintenance Services, to see if there was a way to obtain the total count of trees.
Council Member Márquez thanked the Environmental Services Division staff for all their great work in keeping up with new environmental regulations.
Mayor Halliday recommended staff focus on educating both residents and restaurants on the reusable utensil law.
5. Proposed 2023 Agenda Planning Calendar: Review and Comment Mr. Pearson shared the proposed 2023 agenda planning calendar with the Committee.
Committee members agreed with staff’s recommendation to remove two items on the unscheduled items list, Low Carbon Concrete and Ending Natural Gas Use by 2045, that would be considered for the 2026 Reach Code.
COMMITTEE MEMBER/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFERRALS:
Mr. Pearson shared that the Fall Compost Giveaway was very well attended and a record number of 4,200 bags of compost were given out to the community in three hours.
Council Member Zermeño and Council Member Márquez both expressed their appreciation to Major Halliday for her leadership and service as part of the Council Sustainability Committee.
ADJOURNMENT: 6:05 p.m.
MEETINGS
Attendance Present
11/14/22
Meeting
Present
to Date This
Fiscal Year
Excused
to Date This
Fiscal Year
Absent
to Date This
Fiscal Year
Elisa Márquez ✓ 2 0 0
Barbara Halliday ✓ 2 0 0
Francisco Zermeño ✓ 2 0 0