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;F THE C1TOAKLAND
22 JUL 14 PM 2= 45 APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
//CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
8 9 3 4 5RESOLUTION NO. C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER KALB
RESOLUTION (1) RECOGNIZING THAT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT RESIDENTS OF OAKLAND WHO
ARE LOWER INCOME, INDIGENOUS, AND OF COLOR AND (2)
DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO ENGAGE IN AN
EQUITABLE PROCESS FOR INTEGRATING CLIMATE
RESILIENCE AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND POLICIES
THROUGH THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE PROCESS IN THE
HOUSING, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, SAFETY AND LAND USE
ELEMENTS OF THE GENERAL PLAN
WHEREAS, the well-being of our region is rooted in the vitality of our communities, economies, experiences, and the health of our surrounding environment; and WHEREAS, climate change is a real and present danger that threatens our region’s ability to thrive in the near and long term; and
WHEREAS, it is important to design for healthy, resilient communities that are equipped to thrive in the face of climate-induced hazards, and provide fire-safe and flood-safe development in the right places; and
WHEREAS, frontline communities, such as low-income, communities of color, and Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts and thus should be centered in land use decision-making; and
WHEREAS, it is vitally important to enact policies that seek to embed environmental justice considerations into planning elements and help to rectify historic disenfranchisement of and disinvestment in communities of color and lower income communities; and 3152633vl/BXS
WHEREAS, everyone across geographical boundaries, political ideologies and sectors of the economy has a vital role to play in contributing to local climate solutions; and WHEREAS, those solutions must pursue climate justice to ensure that the outcomes of policies and strategies prioritize the resilience of our most vulnerable communities; and WHEREAS, it is important to harness nature-based strategies to prepare for and minimize impacts of natural disasters and address long-term climate stressors that communities face now and into the future; and
WHEREAS, climate adaptation calls for embracing uncertainty in our policies as well as our implementation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Oakland’s Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP) incorporates a variety of climate resilience strategies and actions; and WHEREAS, the City of Oakland recently began its process to update its General Plan, which is a policy document that establishes a citywide vision and consistent direction for future development and reflects community priorities, values, and includes supporting goals, policies, and implementation measures to achieve the community’s vision; and WHEREAS, the actions proposed herein comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and are not in-and-of-themselves “projects” pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 because they will not directly or indirectly cause a physical change in the environment, and each policy proposed herein will be studied in the Environmental Impact Report for the General Plan; and now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the General Plan shall encourage and facilitate creating and designing healthy, resilient communities that are equipped to thrive in the face of climate hazards, while avoiding developing in very high fire, sea level rise, and flood risk areas and focusing developing in lower risk areas; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland will incorporate relevant strategies and actions in the ECAP into appropriate elements of the General Plan update, including, but not limited to, strategies TLU-8 - Expand and Strengthen Transportation Demand Management Requirements, and A-6 - Fund and Protect Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland will advance coordination and collaboration to effectively and efficiently undertake climate adaptation actions in ways that can protect communities and help address historic disenfranchisement; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland will adopt General Plan elements that embed environmental justice considerations into policies with the goal of pursuing outcomes that can help rectify historic disenfranchisement, disinvestment, and harm; and be it 2 3152633v 1/BXS
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan update engagement, shall employ an equitable process—ensuring that those facing the greatest potential negative impacts are robustly represented in policy and program development ensuring that the benefits of Oakland’s climate actions as integrated into the General Plan accrue foremost to communities that have been hit hardest by environmental and socioeconomic injustices; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan process, will work to ensure that those most in need have access to housing in a manner that takes into consideration the historic disenfranchisement of frontline communities and strives, to the extent possible, to address the root causes of the housing crisis; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland will promote fair and inclusive zoning modifications that will help make housing more accessible and available to everyone— especially those most in need, while incorporating any planned increase in density in non-very high fire severity zones that are near transit that are safe from sea level rise and flooding; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan process and other mechanisms, will design healthy resilient neighborhoods that have the tools to protect residents from a multitude of climate hazards, especially frontline communities that are the most vulnerable to risk, making sure these places are spaces that reflect the needs of residents, creating opportunity for growth and community solidarity; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan, will integrate urban greening and green stormwater infrastructure into planned and future infrastructure projects, including right of way improvements, parks, and private development, in a way that prioritizes lower income communities of color; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan and other policies, will pursue new funding mechanisms to support urban greening projects and climate resilience projects at the local and regional level; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan, will proactively pursue nature-based and science-based planning, implementation, adaptation and mitigation strategies for sea level rise, groundwater challenges, flooding caused by high-intensity storms, extreme heat, and land subsidence; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan and related land-use policies, will pursue improved wildfire resilience, including updating and strengthening woodland-urban interface planning and related building codes as needed; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan, will encourage higher density development in non-very high fire severity zone infill locations near transit to discourage increased regional sprawl, and away from risks associated with sea level rise and flooding due to high-intensity storms; and be it
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FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, through its General Plan, will facilitate and encourage inclusive planning and zoning policies to facilitate a meaningful increase of climate-resilient affordable housing in Oakland; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council affirms these ideals and commitments to ensure that all of the residents of Oakland are protected against the impacts of climate change, and that the City’s planning processes are an important tool to achieve climate mitigation and climate resilience.
JUL 1 9 2022IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - fMt- GALLO, KALB|^M#<f/REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENTFORTUNATO BAS— Qp
NOES -
0 ABSENT
ABSTENTION -
ATTEST:
ASHA
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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