a. All eligible persons are strongly urged to get vaccinated and remain up to date with the latest recommended booster against COVID-19 as soon as possible, including receiving the most recent bivalent COVID-19 booster. b. Businesses and governmental entities should continue to implement mandatory vaccination requirements for all personnel, subject only to the limited exemptions required by law. Business and governmental entities are encouraged to continue to set forth more stringent standards for those working in Higher-Risk Settings or similar settings that may pose a greater risk to personnel, clients, or the public.
c. Any person, vaccinated or unvaccinated, who has any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should get tested immediately and avoid contact with others pending test results.
Strong Recommendation to Continue Universal Use of Face Coverings Indoors.
The Health Officer continues to strongly recommend that all persons continue to wear Face Coverings when in indoor settings with shared air space with persons outside their household, consistent with the provisions of the Health Officer’s prior August 2, 2021 Face Covering Order. The Health Officer further recommends that all businesses and governmental entities likewise continue to require use of Face Coverings in all indoor settings with shared airspace.
To continue proceeding under the streamlined provisions for teleconferencing authorized under AB 361, Council will need to make the follow finding, contained in today’s Consent Agenda item:
State or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing.
It is a judgment call for Council to make whether the current circumstances, including the Health Officer’s strong recommendation to continue use of face coverings indoors, is a sufficient basis for making the AB 361 finding. We are informed that some cities in our region that have been holding fully remote meetings may decide, in light of the September 12th Health Order, to cease making the AB 361 findings.
If Council elects not to approve the AB 361 findings, this will mean that all Brown Act teleconference requirements will need to be followed in the event any Council Member is participating remotely:
• At least a quorum of the legislative body must participate from locations within the local agency’s jurisdiction;
• Each teleconference location must be specifically identified in the notice and agenda of the meeting, including a full address and room number, as may be Packet Pg. 151
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• Agendas must be posted at each teleconference location, even if a hotel room or a residence;
• Each teleconference location, including a hotel room or residence, must be accessible to the public and have technology, such as a speakerphone, to enable the public to participate;
• The agenda must provide the opportunity for the public to address the legislative body
directly at each teleconference location; and
• All votes must be by roll call
Note that these requirements effectively prohibit remote participation from a vehicle or other location where advance posting and concurrent public attendance is not feasible.
Also notably, on September 13, 2022, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2449 (AB 2449) into law. With an effective date of January 1, 2023, AB 2449 authorizes a local agency to use teleconferencing without requiring that each teleconference location be identified in the notice and agenda and accessible to the public if at least a quorum of the members of the legislative body participates in person. A member of the legislative body may participate remotely using the streamlined procedures only where specified circumstances that are defined in the statute are met. Members may use these procedures no more than two times per year, and approval of the legislative body is required. Staff will provide further information about how to use AB 2449 as the effective approaches.
Finally, if Council decides not to make the AB 361 findings, Council may wish to clarify whether this decision will apply only to Council or will also apply to the City’s Boards and Commissions.
Council can provide this direction by pulling the item from Consent hearing it this evening on the Action agenda.
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(ID # 14816)City of Palo Alto
City Council Supplemental Report
Item 9
Meeting Date: 10/3/2022 Report Type: Action Items
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Supplemental Information on Sustainability and Climate Action Plan Update Goals and Key Actions, Reach Code Changes, and Advanced Heat Pump Water Heater Program
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Utilities
This supplemental report to the September 27 S/CAP Update staff report (CMR 14606, packet p. 80) includes responses to several questions and information requests from the September 27, 2022 meeting. The topics and staff responses are provided below. Part II of this item will continue at the October 3, 2022 Council meeting.
1. Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on the heat pump water heater program:
Rewiring America has a variety of resources on the IRA, including a calculator summarizing the electrification incentives and available tax credits. Residents should consult their tax advisors to assess how the provisions in the IRA and incentives may affect their personal financial situation.
2. Amount of carbon reduced per dollar invested in various types of emissions-reducing activities considered in the S/CAP:
This information can be found in the preliminary impact analysis discussed by Council on April 19, 2021, on page 3 of the at-places memo item for Agenda Item 7. Staff provided a summary of the City’s current transportation-related programs to the Utilities Advisory Commission at its September 14, 2022 meeting (Item 4).
3. Percentage of EV drivers who charge at work:
There is limited data on EV driver charging patterns. A 2017 City survey showed 70% of Palo Alto residents charge at home, which is comparable to the national average. A 2018 survey by Volvo Car USA of 1500 EV drivers found that 16% of charging events among survey participants occurred at work.
4. Amount of carbon emitted from non-renewable energy sources by electric production at night (not counting offsets we do during the day):
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City of Palo Alto Page 2
The most recent report containing information on the City’s compliance with its carbon neutral electric portfolio standard (which takes into account the hourly emissions of the grid) was published at the December 2021 Utilities Advisory Commission meeting as an informational item (Staff Report 13753). It provides information on a monthly basis. See page 5 for a discussion of this topic.
5. Status of the City’s micromobility pilot, which is expected to include e-scooters, e-bikes, or other small electric vehicles:
The Office of Transportation does not currently have the staff capacity to proceed with this pilot, but is looking for creative ideas or partnerships that might help move the pilot forward.
Micromobility vendors have changed their models throughout the pandemic and that has led to increased cost for cities. Throughout these changes, staff has also re-evaluated micromobility staffing resource demands and determined that a micromobility pilot will require more resourcing and oversight.
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