DATE:
November 19, 2024
CATEGORY:
Consent
DEPT.:
City Manager’s Office
TITLE: Scope of Work for Cascadia Consulting
Group to Develop a Decarbonization
Goal Analysis and Climate Vulnerability
Assessment
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the revised scope of work for a professional services agreement with Cascadia Consulting Group (Cascadia) to develop a 2035 and 2040 decarbonization goal analysis and complete a climate vulnerability assessment.
BACKGROUND
On June 25, 2024
, staff brought a consent agenda item to Council to approve an agreement with Cascadia to develop a 2035 Climate Strategy. Council raised questions about the scope of work and referred the item to the Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) for further discussion.
The CSC discussed the scope of work on September 4, 2024 and October 28, 2024 , and
recommends that the City Council approve the revised scope in Attachment 1 . The scope was reduced to focus on a technical analysis of two decarbonization target years (2035 and 2040) and to complete a vulnerability assessment. This aligns with previous direction from the CSC on June 22, 2022 t o analyze the City’s ability to achieve a more progressive decarbonization goal and identify actions to achieve the desired target. The City’s current decarbonization target year is 2045. In addition, completing a vulnerability assessment is on the City Council’s Work Plan and is a task called out in the Sustainability Action Plan.
The revised scope of work enables faster completion of the project and reduces costs. With City Council approval of the scope, the City Manager will execute the agreement, as it is within the City Manager’s authority, and Cascadia could begin the project in January 2025.
Scope of Work for Cascadia Consulting Group to Develop a Decarbonization Goal Analysis and Climate Vulnerability Assessment
November 19, 2024
ANALYSIS
The revised scope of work limit s community engagement in order to first focus on a technical analysis to help the City:
• Evaluate a 2035 or 2040 decarbonization goal and consider major actions that would be needed in the next five years to stay on track to achieve the selected goal; and
• Begin to understand the climate impacts that Mountain View will experience through completion of a climate vulnerability assessment.
A report will be developed for each of these two areas of technical analysis. A summary of the scope of work for each report is included below and provided in more detail in Attachment 1.
2035 and 2040 Decarbonization Goal Analysis Report
For each target year (2035 and 2040) , the project team will conduct a wedge analysis to understand how greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from current national, state, and regional policies and programs will impact emission reductions for Mountain View. The remaining emissions will provide insight on the further reductions Mountain View will need to accomplish to achieve its decarbonization targets.
In addition to the wedge analysis, the scope of work includes evaluating Mountain View’s current policies and programs to reduce emissions and development of a five -year menu of actions to consider for each decarbonization target year (2035 and 2040). The five-year menu will provide high-level options to demonstrate how the City can stay on track to achieve target-year goals. A five-year timeline allows for flexibility to pivot as necessary as a result of new policies and programs at various levels of government (e.g., regional, state, and federal), new technologies, and/or market changes that could enable faster emission reductions.
Climate Vulnerability Assessment
The climate vulnerability assessment will identify projected climate hazards, such as extreme heat, wildfire smoke, sea level rise, storms, and riverine flooding, and their potential impacts on Mountain View. This work will include four phases: (1) exposure analysis; (2) sensitivity analysis; (3) adaptive capacity analysis; and (4) vulnerability assessment. The assessment will also include a social vulnerability assessment to help the City understand the distributional burden of climate change impacts across its jurisdiction as well as the social determinants of vulnerability, such as income, age, race, linguistic isolation, renter status, or other factors. Several other cities in Santa Clara County have completed or are in the progress of developing climate vulnerability assessments, including Cupertino, Campbell, Milpitas, and Santa Clara.
Scope of Work for Cascadia Consulting Group to Develop a Decarbonization Goal Analysis and Climate Vulnerability Assessment
November 19, 2024
Cascadia Selection Process
Cascadia was chosen through a Request for Proposals process that occurred in the spring of this year. Additional information on the selection process is contained in the September 4, 2024 memorandum to the CSC.
CSC and Council Engagement
Staff will continue to solicit feedback from the CSC and City Council at key points throughout the project, including the review of the draft and final reports. Staff anticipates that the final Decarbonization Goal Analysis r eport and Climate Vulnerability Assessment r eport will be presented to the City Council for adoption by the end of 2025.
The anticipated outcome of the Decarbonization Goal Analysis report is to consider formal adoption of a more progressive climate target and determine which actions to take over the next five years to stay on track in meeting the new adopted target. For the Climate Vulnerability Assessment report, the anticipated outcome is to provide information to the CSC and the City Council and consider next steps on how to prepare the community to withstand some of the changes occurring due to climate change.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost for the Decarbonization Goal Analysis is $149,328, and the total cost for the Vulnerability Assessment is $73,677. The total recommended not-to-exceed contract amount is $223,005. This compares to the prior proposed contract amount of $433,234 for the previous scope of work. There is sufficient budget in Sustainability Project Capital Improvement Program, Project 20-99, to cover the services. No additional appropriation is needed or being requested at this time. The recommended fees are within the range typically charged for such services based on similar types of projects in the region.
LEVINE ACT
California Government Code Section 84308 (also known as the Levine Act) prohibits city officials from participating in any proceeding involving a “license, permit, or other entitlement for use” if the official has received a campaign contribution exceeding $250 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant in the proceeding within the last 12 months. A city official is similarly prohibited from accepting, soliciting, or directing a campaign contribution exceeding $250 from a party, particip ant, or agent of a party or participant to any proceeding involving a Scope of Work for Cascadia Consulting Group to Develop a Decarbonization Goal Analysis and Climate Vulnerability Assessment
November 19, 2024
license, permit, or other entitlement for use for 12 months after a final decision is rendered in said proceeding.
Please refer to the “X” in the checklist below for information about whether the recommended action for this agenda item is subject to or exempt from the Levine Act.
SUBJECT TO THE LEVINE ACT
___ Land development entitlements
___ Other permit, license, or entitlement for use
_x_ Contract or franchise
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
___ Competitively bid contract
___ Labor or personal employment contract
___ General policy and legislative actions
For more information about the Levine Act, please see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to-play-limits-and-prohibitions.html .
ALTERNATIVES
1. Do not approve the revised scope of work for a professional services agreement with Cascadia to develop a 2035 and 2040 decarbonization goal analysis and climate vulnerability assessment.
2. Provide other direction.
Scope of Work for Cascadia Consulting Group to Develop a Decarbonization Goal Analysis and Climate Vulnerability Assessment
November 19, 2024
PUBLIC NOTICING
Agenda posting and emails sent to community members interested in sustainability.
Prepared by:
Lauren Anderson
Sustainability Analyst II
Rebecca Lucky
Sustainability Manager
Approved by:
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager
LA-RL/1/CAM
624-11-19-24CR
204378
Attachment: 1. Scope of Work for the Development of a Decarbonization Goal Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment