-CITY COUNCIL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Hybrid Meeting
March 9, 2026
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 (arrived after roll call)
Staff:
▪ Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
▪ Conrad Braganza, Water Resources Planner
▪ Melanie Chavez Ugalde, Sustainability Fellow
▪ Linda Ko, Senior Secretary (Meeting Recorder)
▪ Jeff Krump, Solid Waste Program Manager
▪ Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager
▪ Mary Thomas, Assistant City Manager
▪ Mireille Vargas, Sustainability Specialist
▪ Elisa Wilfong, Water Pollution Control Administrator
Other:
▪ Chloe Carrion, Department of Public Works & Utilities Intern ▪ Vicente Gonzalez, Public Speaker
▪ Elise Pierce, Recycling Education Representative, Waste Management of Alameda County (WMAC)
▪ Daisy Romero, Recycling Education Representative, WMAC
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no public comments on non-agenda items.
1. Approval of Minutes of the Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) Meeting Held on November 10, 2025
The item was moved by Council Member Roche, seconded by Council Member Zermeño, and approved unanimously.
2. Building Performance Standard Model Ordinance
Mireille Vargas, Sustainability Specialist, presented a report on building performance standards (BPS) and how a BPS ordinance could be implemented in Hayward. 5
Public Comments
Vicente Gonzalez, Sustainability Analyst with Eden Housing, recommended the City align its benchmarking approach with the state and with other Bay Area jurisdictions, noting that inconsistent local requirements are burdensome for affordable housing owners. He offered to share Eden Housing's existing state benchmarking data to support the City's efforts.
Committee Comments
Council Member Roche supported moving forward with exploring a Hayward-specific ordinance but asked that staff evaluate whether the work would be something existing staff could take on given current staff workload. She also asked what upgrades would be expected of property owners and how the program would coordinate with regional peer cities to avoid duplicative or conflicting requirements.
Council Member Zermeño supported starting now rather than waiting for the state, noting the sooner start would help the City meet its Climate Action Plan goals. He suggested looking at grant funding for a less cost-burdensome option.
Council Member Goldstein supported starting the program now but raised concerns about staff workload and the City's general budget; he asked that staff pursue grant funding to keep the FTE cost-neutral rather than waiting years for fee-based cost recovery.
3. Proposed Updates to Requirements for Trash Enclosures and Recycling of Construction and Demolition Debris
Jeff Krump, Solid Waste Program Manager, presented a report recommending two ordinance updates: (1) codifying trash enclosure requirements (currently governed by internal policy only); and (2) increasing the fine for noncompliance with construction and demolition (C&D) debris recycling requirements from $100 to up to $1,000.
Public Comments
There were no public comments on this item.
Committee Comments
Council Member Goldstein supported increasing the C&D fine to $1,000 and codifying trash enclosure design requirements with the updated project threshold of $500,000 with the 10% cost cap to keep the requirement business-friendly.
Council Member Roche supported both proposed changes, agreeing that codifying the requirement gives applicants clarity on the full cost of their project up front, and that a $1,000 fine provides more effective deterrence for noncompliance with C&D recycling requirements.
Council Member Zermeño cited examples of ongoing enclosure issues around the city and voiced support for the ordinance while emphasizing the need to remain business-friendly.
Action: The item was moved by Council Member Zermeño, seconded by Council Member Roche, and approved unanimously to recommend to the City Council to adopt (1) an ordinance with new trash enclosure requirements and (2) amendments to the C&D recycling ordinance. 6
4. Compliance with Stormwater Trash Reduction Requirements — Information and Discussion
Elisa Wilfong, Water Pollution Control Administrator, reported on the City’s implementation and compliance with the trash reduction mandate in the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP)
3.0. Public Comments
There were no public comments on this item.
Committee Comments
Council Member Roche asked about the county's flooding concerns related to the large trash capture device installation and whether nearby private properties could contribute funding rather than installing separate devices; staff confirmed downstream properties will benefit at no cost once the Cabot Blvd project is complete.
Council Member Goldstein asked about the scale and cost of the devices, theft of small units, and confirmed the upcoming Cabot Blvd project (funded entirely by Caltrans) would allow the City to remove an estimated 20–30 smaller devices, reducing maintenance burden.
Council Member Zermeño requested that a summary memo, and video if practical, be shared with the full City Council to highlight the 100% compliance milestone.
5. Urban Water Use Objective Annual Report Overview
Conrad Braganza, Water Resources Planner, presented on the annual urban water use objective report.
Public Comments
There were no public comments on this item.
Committee Comments
Council Member Goldstein confirmed with staff that the City is currently in compliance with both the current and forthcoming thresholds and also expressed his support for continued outreach.
Council Member Roche asked whether outreach could be targeted at above-average water users specifically, rather than the general customer base; staff confirmed the 90th-percentile tracking supports this approach. She also asked about the potential impact of data center water usage on the City's averages; staff responded that existing local data centers have not shown exorbitantly high usage due to cooling technology improvements, and that the data center operators are willing to work with the City to discuss usage and possible recycled water use.
Council Member Zermeño thanked staff for the report.
6. Proposed Agenda Planning Calendar: Review and Comment Staff noted that going forward the CSC meeting would meet twice annually; the next meeting is scheduled for September 2026, with the exact date to be finalized to avoid conflicts with Council and other committee meetings.
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Committee Comments
Council Member Roche requested that data center environmental impacts, framed as a sustainability topic, be added as a future agenda item.
COMMITTEE MEMBER/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFERRALS:
Staff reported that rooftop solar installations in the city are trending well above typical monthly levels — approximately 1,200 kW installed in February compared to a typical ~500 kW/month — equivalent to the annual usage of more than 2,000 single-family homes.
Staff announced the Earth Day Litter Clean-Up and Earth Day Fair will be held Saturday, April 25, at Weekes Park, with participation from the Greenbelt Alliance.
Council Member Zermeño thanked Director Ameri for his support in retaining the Council Sustainability Committee.
ADJOURNMENT:
Meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.
Attendance:
Committee Member
03/09/26
Meeting
Present to Date
This Year
Excused to Date
This Year
Absent to Date
This Year
Julie Roche ✓ 5 0 1
Dan Goldstein ✓ 5 0 0
Francisco Zermeño ✓ 6 0 0
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