September 2, 2025
San Rafael City Council
1400 5th Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
RE: Updated Building Code Ordinance Amendments
Honorable Mayor and Council Members,
In response to the State's recent advice that the City could not adjust rehabilitation target scores beyond 2027, Sustainable San Rafael would like to update the recommendations in our August 18 letter.
We recommend that the targets set for 2027 be increased from the proposed 16 points (for pre-1978 vintage buildings) and 9 points (for 1918-91 vintage buildings) to revised targets of 19 and 12 points respectively. These three-point increases would retain the targets that the City previously proposed and found cost-effective for the entire six-year period during which AB 130 inhibits additional changes.
In further compliance with the State's requirements, the change is in alignment with San Rafael's General Plan 2040, including Program C-4.1D, that calls for "electrification of building systems and appliances in new buildings and those that currently use natural gas. This should be achieved by requiring new or replacement furnaces and appliances to be electric and utilize fossil free energy."
Thank you for your consideration of this minor adjustment, which would help maintain the City's momentum towards the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from its homes.
Sincerely,
William Carney,
Vice President
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Annika Osborn, Co-President
Ben Snyder, Co-President
William Carney, Vice President
Miles Smith, Secretary
Greg Brockbank
Kay Karchevski
Kiki La Porta
Rina Lopez
Phil Muller
Marisa Nordstrom
Stuart Siegel
415.302.0110