CITY COUNCIL
Darrell Steinberg, Mayor
Angelique Ashby, Vice Mayor, District 1
Sean Loloee, District 2
Jeff Harris, District 3
Katie Valenzuela, District 4
Jay Schenirer, District 5
Eric Guerra, Mayor Pro Tem, District 6
Rick Jennings, II, District 7
Mai Vang, District 8
CHARTER OFFICERS
Mindy Cuppy, City Clerk
Susana Alcala Wood, City Attorney
Jorge Oseguera, City Auditor
Howard Chan, City Manager
John Colville, City Treasurer
City Council
Financing Authority
Housing Authority
Public Financing Authority
Redevelopment Agency
Successor Agency
City Hall-Council Chamber
915 I Street, 1st Floor
Published by the Office of the City Clerk
(916) 808-5163
FINAL CORRESPONDENCE
Description of Attached: Correspondence received after publishing the Agenda.
For the Meeting of: Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.
Agenda Item: Public Comments – Matters Not on the Agenda
From: clerk
To: Public Comment
Subject: FW:
Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 8:50:38 AM
From: Ainsley Bock <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2022 7:54 AM
To: clerk <[email protected]>
Subject:
Mayor Steinberg and Council Members:
We commend the Council for adopting the new building electrification ordinance which will help to reduce the cost of buying and maintaining a home and improve public health in newly-constructed residential developments as soon as 2023. This forward-thinking leadership is one excellent example of how investment in staff and programs centered on reducing greenhouse gas emissions also advance multiple City objectives and improve the overall quality of life for all Sacramentans.
However, a two-person office is not sufficient to address other equally urgent climate issues. Passage of the electrification ordinance demonstrates how much education, outreach, and logistics are necessary to implement change. The lack of appropriate staffing has delayed the Climate Action Plan and implementation of previously funded council actions such as tree planting.
Inadequate staffing has also left the City seriously disadvantaged for successfully competing for federal and state funding.
The City of Sacramento’s climate effort is dramatically underfunded and inadequately established within the City management structure to successfully produce the results expected from what the Mayor’s Climate Commission defined as an urgent, high-priority effort.
We ask that the City act on its own acknowledgement of the urgency of climate action, cite the multiple benefits of funding climate action including promoting economic development, public health, affordable housing, and social equity, and:
1) Substantially increase funding for programs and additional staff positions needed to accomplish the urgent climate efforts identified by the Mayor’s Climate Commission.
2) Set aside money for match funding for future state projects in transportation the Council supported in February.
3) Revise the management structure to create a Climate Office from which priorities and resources can be more clearly managed and tracked and cross-department and regional work products can be managed.
A Climate Office will be better able to integrate climate efforts into other City priorities, especially economic development and the capital improvement plan. Aggregating climate resources and programs into one office also will enhance grant competitiveness because federal and state funding sources will be more comfortable with simplified cost benefit and outcome tracking requirements.
Every increment of GHGs kept from the atmosphere today does more to meet the City’s climate goals and reduce the adverse effects of climate change than reductions made later. Quoting from the Mayor’ Commission final report, “Turning this plan into action rests on more than just ideas and good intentions. It requires residents, businesses, City government, and other institutions to urgently rise to the challenge of making big changes”. The time is now to provide ample resources to allow the City to fully partner with the state and federal government, SMUD’s nation-leading zero carbon efforts, and many community-led efforts.
Thank you for considering our comments.
Respectfully,
Ainsley Bock
C.K.McClatchy Eco Club