November 7, 2022
San Rafael City Council
1400 Fifth Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
RE: Building Electrification Reach Codes (Study Session) Honorable Mayor and Council Members,
Sustainable San Rafael urges your adoption of the full set of model reach codes recently approved by Marin County, based on extensive study and public involvement conducted by the county and other jurisdictions, including San Rafael.
The package includes electrification of all new buildings, incentivization of electric appliances in building renovations, and assurance of electric vehicle (EV) readiness in both new buildings and renovations. Electrification is essential both to reduce risks to public health and safety and to eliminate over a quarter of the GHG emissions that our city is contributing to increasingly deadly and costly climate change.
The time to act is now on all three of these reach codes--in alignment with the January 1, 2023 effective date of the other code adjustments you will be considering later tonight; in accordance with General Plan 2040 and your Climate Change Action Plan 2022 priority actions; and in recognition of the long lead times needed for the codes to yield results.
These codes have been thoroughly vetted by diverse
stakeholders, resulting in numerous adjustments and
exemptions. They will leverage the generous funding
provided to households and developers by the Inflation
Reduction Act and other sources over the next ten years to accomplish the transition to electrification.
We also urge your continued participation with jurisdictions countywide to develop a comprehensive Electrification Plan by January 1, 2024 in order to electrify existing buildings as rapidly as feasible. The June 6 Marin Grand Jury Report includes a number of economically viable strategies for meeting that goal, as does the July 20 letter submitted to you by Marin Conservation League.
Thank you for your ongoing climate leadership.
Sincerely,
William Carney
SSR President
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
William Carney, President
Linda Jackson, Vice President
Stuart Siegel, Secretary
Arlin Benavides
Greg Brockbank
Kay Karchevski
Kiki La Porta
Annika Osborn
Bob Spofford
415.302.0110