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SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA
Please silence all electronic devices as a courtesy to those in attendance. Thank you. 5:30 pm SPECIAL SESSION
This special City Council meeting will run in concurrence with the regular City Council meeting of March 18, 2025.
CONSENT CALENDAR
4-12 Approval – SB 496 (Hurtado) Advanced Clean Fleets – Notice of Support
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
I, Marisa Avalos, City Clerk for the City of Lemoore, declare under penalty of perjury that I posted the above Special City Council Agenda for the meeting of March 18, 2025 at Council Chamber, 429 C Street and City Hall, 711 W. Cinnamon Drive, Lemoore, CA on March 17, 2025. //s//
Marisa Avalos, City Clerk
LEMOORE
CALIFORNIA
LEMOORE CITY COUNCIL
COUNCIL CHAMBER
429 C STREET
March 18, 2025
5:30 P.M.
“In God We Trust”
City of
LEMOORE
CALIFORNIA
711 West Cinnamon Drive Lemoore, California 93245 (559) 924-6744 Staff Report
Item No: 4-12
To: Lemoore City Council
From Marissa Trejo, City Manager
Date: March 17, 2025 Meeting Date: March 18, 2025
Subject: SB 496 (Hurtado) Advanced Clean Fleets – Notice of Support Strategic Initiative:
☐ Safe & Vibrant Community ☐ Growing & Dynamic Economy
☐ Fiscally Sound Government ☒ Operational Excellence
☐ Community & Neighborhood Livability ☐ Not Applicable
Proposed Motion:
Approval of the letter of support regarding SB 496 and authorize the Mayor to execute the letter.
Subject/Discussion:
The City of Lemoore recognizes the importance of investing in sustainable and clean transportation infrastructure. As the state moves toward a greener future, financial and technical support will be crucial for municipalities like Lemoore to successfully transition their fleet operations while maintaining essential public services.
Supporting SB 496 demonstrates the City's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability, while also advocating for necessary funding and resources to aid in compliance with emerging regulations. By submitting a letter of support, the City of Lemoore will join other municipalities and agencies in urging the state legislature to prioritize financial and technical assistance for local fleet transitions.
Financial Consideration(s):
N/A
Alternatives or Pros/Cons:
N/A
“In God We Trust”
Commission/Board Recommendation:
N/A
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the letter of support regarding SB 496 and authorize the Mayor to execute the letter.
Attachments: Review: Date:
☐ Resolution:
☐ Ordinance: ☐ City Attorney
☐ Map ☐ City Clerk
☐ Contract ☐ City Manager
☒ Other ☐ Finance
List: Letter of Support
“In God We Trust”
City of
LEMOORE
CALIFORNIA
711 W. Cinnamon Drive ● Lemoore, California 93245 ● (559) 924-6744 March 17, 2025
The Honorable Melissa Hurtado
California State Senate
1021 O Street, Room 6510
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 496 (Hurtado) Advanced Clean Fleets.
Notice of SUPPORT (As introduced 2/19/2025)
Dear Senator Hurtado,
The City of Lemoore is pleased to support SB 496 (Hurtado), which would create an Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) Appeals Advisory Committee, ensure disaster service workers are able to effectively respond to emergency situations, and provide some much needed and common-sense reforms for compliance.
The City of Lemoore is working diligently to reduce the carbon intensity of fleet operations while ensuring that we continue to provide the many critical services our communities rely upon for their most essential daily needs.
The ACF sets ambitious compliance deadlines for fleets to transition to an increasing proportion of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs). The ACF’s ZEV transition requires access to adequate utility infrastructure for alternative fueling such as EV charging, as well as access to ZEVs that operationally can deliver the full spectrum of important and highly specialized services that fleets provide (many which are vital to the health and safety of Californians). While the ACF allows that fleets may request exemptions granting compliance flexibility in cases where, for reasons beyond their control, fleets cannot meet the compliance timetables, the ACF does not provide clarity on how such exemption requests are to be evaluated and decided upon, nor does it provide a process for any administrative review of exemption request denials by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
SB 496 establishes an Appeals Advisory Committee by which local agencies may request a review of exemption request denials. Allowing a formal appeals process ensures transparency while protecting due process for those seeking further review. In cases where a regulation allows for exemptions and extensions, best practices necessitate an appeals process. Such a process can be particularly helpful and impactful by offering clear and feasible pathways to compliance without diminishing CARB's authority as this Appeals Advisory Committee would only operate in an advisory role.
Additionally, SB 496 would update the emergency vehicle exemption, allowing those vehicles that respond to and support critical operations related to emergencies and disasters, often under austere conditions, to continue to protect our communities. Our front-line workers and the communities they serve rely on vehicles that must be able to do the job the emergency dictates, even when the power is out.
Especially given the rising toll of natural disasters in our state, we must prioritize the safety of our communities and the public servants that work around the clock through these unprecedented events.
Also, SB 496 modifies the requirements of the daily usage exemption, removing barriers for the applicant to comply with the mandate.
“In God We Trust”
Finally, this measure promotes affordability in the midst of rapidly rising cost pressures on essential local services by averting the costly acquisition of ZEVs before it is possible to install the infrastructure required to use them. The infrastructure needs to be in place before the vehicles can be purchased.
SB 496 will create much-needed improvements to the ACF while protecting the health and safety of Californians, avoid unnecessary costs detrimental to our shared long-term goals, and ensure that local agencies can continue to work diligently to decarbonize their fleet operations and comply with the ACF without being penalized for factors beyond their control.
For these reasons, the City of Lemoore is pleased to support SB 496 (Hurtado).
Sincerely,
Patricia Matthews
Mayor
City of Lemoore
cc. Alejandra Macedo, Assembly Member (33rd Assembly District) Raj Rakkar, Regional Public Affairs Manager (via email) League of California Cities, [email protected]
California Special
Districts Association
Districts Stronger Together
SB 496: Safe and Clean Fleets
(Hurtado, Archuleta, Niello, and Alanis)
• Uphold compliance with our CLIMATE GOALS
SB 496 ensures local agencies can continue to work diligently to decarbonize their fleet operations by providing clarity without compromising our priorities. • Promote AFFORDABILITY for our hard-working families
Amid rapidly rising cost pressures on essential local services, SB 496 streamlines unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to compliance and averts the costly acquisition of unusable ZEVs before it is possible to install the infrastructure they require. • Ensure TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY in
our government
SB 496 establishes an Appeals Advisory Committee by which local agencies can request review. This committee must act within 60 days of receiving a request, and all meetings must be 1) open to the public, and 2) recorded with the video posted online. • Protect HEALTH AND SAFETY in our communities
SB 496 updates the ACF’s emergency vehicle exemption to include vehicles that respond to and support critical operations related to emergencies and disasters, often under severe and difficult conditions not suitable for ZEVs.
In 2023, CARB imposed the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation on state and local agencies to transition medium and heavy duty fleets from internal combustion engines to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2045 Our front-line workers need to be able to rely on their vehicles under any conditions during a fire, earthquake, storm or other emergency where their service is critical.
SB 496 is bipartisan legislation that ensures California can continue to move forward in achieving its climate and emissions goals, while improving the ACF to:
March 4, 2025
The Honorable Melissa Hurtado
California State Senate
1021 O Street, Suite 6510
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SPONSORS - Senate Bill 496 (Hurtado): Advanced Clean Fleets Senator Hurtado,
On behalf of the League of California Cities (Cal Cities), California State Associations of Counties (CSAC), Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), and California Special Districts Association (CSDA), we are pleased to co-sponsor Senate Bill 496 which would ensure disaster service workers are able to effectively respond to emergency situations, create an Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) Appeals Advisory Committee, and provide some much needed and common-sense reforms for compliance.
Local agencies are working diligently to reduce the carbon intensity of fleet operations while ensuring that they continue to provide the many critical services Californians rely upon for their most essential daily needs as well as their most trying times.
The ACF sets ambitious compliance deadlines for fleets to transition to an increasing proportion of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs). The ACF’s ZEV transition requires access to adequate utility infrastructure for alternative fueling such as EV charging, as well as access to ZEVs that operationally can deliver the full spectrum of important and highly specialized services that fleets provide (many which are vital to the health and safety of Californians). While the ACF allows that fleets may request exemptions granting compliance flexibility in cases where, for reasons beyond their control, fleets cannot meet the compliance timetables, the ACF does not provide clarity on how such exemption requests are to be evaluated and decided upon, nor does it provide a process for any administrative review of exemption request denials by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
SB 496 establishes an Appeals Advisory Committee by which local agencies may request a review of exemption request denials. Allowing a formal appeals process ensures transparency while protecting due process for those seeking further review. In cases where a regulation allows for exemptions and extensions, best practices necessitate an appeals process. Such a process can be particularly helpful and impactful by offering clear and feasible pathways to compliance without diminishing CARB's authority as this Appeals Advisory Committee would only operate in an advisory role.
Additionally, SB 496 would update the emergency vehicle exemption, allowing those vehicles that respond to and support critical operations related to emergencies and disasters, often under austere conditions, to continue to protect our communities. Our front-line workers and the communities they serve rely on vehicles that must be able to do the job the emergency dictates, even when the power is out. Especially given the rising toll of natural disasters in our state, we must prioritize the safety of our communities and the public servants that work around the clock through these unprecedented events.
SB 496 also modifies the requirements of the daily usage exemption, removing barriers for the applicant to comply with the mandate
Finally, this measure promotes affordability in the midst of rapidly rising cost pressures on essential local services by averting the costly acquisition of ZEVs before it is possible to install the infrastructure required to use them. The infrastructure needs to be in place before the vehicles can be purchased.
These improvements to the ACF will protect the health and safety of Californians, avoid unnecessary costs detrimental to our shared long-term goals, and ensure that local agencies can continue to work diligently to decarbonize their fleet operations and comply with the ACF without being penalized for factors beyond their control. For these reasons, Cal Cities, CSAC, RCRC, and CSDA are pleased to cosponsor Senate Bill 496, and we urge the Legislature to approve this critical legislation. If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to contact Damon Conklin at [email protected], Mark Neuburger at [email protected], Staci Heaton at [email protected], and Anthony Tannehill at [email protected].
Thank you for your leadership on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Damon Conklin Mark Neuburger
League of California Cities California State Association of Counties Staci Heaton Anthony J. Tannehill
Rural County Representatives of California California Special Districts Association