CITY COUNCIL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Hybrid Meeting
May 12, 2025
5:00 p.m.
MEETING MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER: Meeting called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Council Member Francisco Zermeño.
ROLL CALL:
Committee Members:
▪ Dan Goldstein, City Council Member
▪ Julie Roche, City Council Member
▪ Francisco Zermeño, City Council Member/CSC Chair
Staff:
▪ Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
▪ Stephanie Dumont, Sustainability Specialist
▪ Linda Ko, Senior Secretary (Meeting Recorder)
▪ Jeff Krump, Solid Waste Program Manager
▪ Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager
Other:
▪ Timothy Burroughs, Executive Director of StopWaste
▪ Michelle Fay, StopWaste Program Manager
▪ Jason Toro, CEO of Tri-CED
▪ Matt Kritscher, Public Comment Speaker
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Public speaker Matt Kritscher shared current information about sustainability projects at the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. He also asked for Waste Management’s support in picking up old grey carts that are no longer needed and rather hurt the existing recycling program since the inconsistent color-coding causes confusion and recycling contamination. [Staff since worked with Waste Management and Chabot College to have the carts retrieved.]
1. Approval of Minutes of the Council Sustainability Committee Meeting held on March 10, 2025
The item was moved by Council Member Goldstein, seconded by Council Member Roche, and approved unanimously.
2. SB54 Overview (The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Producer Responsibility Act)
Stephanie Dumont, Sustainability Specialist, presented an overview of SB54, also known as the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packing Producer Responsibility Act, that was signed into law on June 30, 2022. The law aims to reduce the amount of plastic packaging in 5
California by prohibiting the sale, distribution, or import of single-use disposable packaging and foodware unless it is recyclable or compostable. SB54 establishes an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program that shifts the responsibility of managing plastic pollution to producers and manufacturers. Timothy Burroughs, Executive Director of StopWaste, and Michelle Fay, StopWaste Program Manager, also helped present the report.
Public Comments
Public speaker Jason Toro, CEO of Tri-CED, shared his concern about the storage capacity at Tri-CED’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) to store all the accepted materials since space at the MRF is limited, however he expressed his support and excitement for SB54. Mr. Toro also shared that Tri-CED was investing $6 million in their MRF to be able to capture more recyclable materials.
Public speaker Matt Kritscher encouraged people to benchmark their sustainability criteria for procurements, such as office supplies, and to set goals to continue to increase their sustainability levels in their purchasing.
Committee Comments
Council Member Roche thanked staff for the detailed report and asked how producers would be regulated to label their products. Mr. Burroughs explained that CalRecycle had enforcement authority and could issue fines and citations if any producers were not in compliance with the law. He also explained that it would be more difficult for producers to achieve the goals of the state law if everyone was not participating, so this creates an incentive for producers to keep each other accountable.
Council Member Goldstein thanked staff for the informative report.
Council Member Zermeño asked Mr. Burroughs to discuss his advisory role for the implementation of SB54. Mr. Burroughs shared that he represents local governments on the advisory board established by the state law SB54 and works with other entities to provide input on the regulatory process, implementation plan and needs assessment to achieve the goals of the law.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:
3. Proposed 2025 Agenda Planning Calendar: Review and Comment Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager, shared the proposed 2025 agenda planning calendar with the Committee and a proposed change to the Committee’s meeting schedule to quarterly meetings going forward.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Committee Comments
All Council Committee Members agreed to the proposed change to the Committee meeting schedule.
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COMMITTEE MEMBER/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFERRALS:
Director Alex Ameri shared that in the month of April the City of Hayward had 468 kilowatts of solar installed by private entities which is equivalent to the electricity demand of approximately 100 single family homes.
Mr. Pearson announced that Bike to Wherever Day would be on Thursday, May 15th.
Council Member Roche thanked and congratulated everyone who participated in the Earth Day Clean-Up.
ADJOURNMENT: 6:08 p.m.
MEETINGS
Attendance Present
5/12/25
Meeting
Present
to Date This
Year
Excused
to Date This
Year
Absent
to Date This
Year
Julie Roche ✓ 3 0 0
Dan Goldstein ✓ 2 0 0
Francisco Zermeño ✓ 3 0 0
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