--Form Name:
Unique ID:
Boards and Commissions Applicat ion
1451704025
4/15/26
---Ot N/A
Anmol Singh
Applicant Information
Name
Are you a Sunnyvale resident?
How long have you lived in
Sunnyvale?
Description Area
Current Main Residence
Email
Phone
Description Area
ey: _.._M.._H _
Anmol Singh
Yes
5 month s from November 2025 to now and 1 year from
September 2023 - August 2024
Residence Notice:Unless otherwise noted , your principal place of residence must be in Sunnyvale . You must live in Sunnyvale at the time of appo intment and at all times during serv ice on a board or comm ission.
Employment NoticeCity of Sunnyvale emp loyees may not serve on a board or comm ission.
I am a current City of Sunnyvale No
employee.
Have you ever served on a City of No
Sunnyvale board or commission?
Have you attended a meeting of No
the City Council, or a board or
commission?
Have you attended meetings of No
the board(s) or commission(s) for
which you are applying?
Board or Commission Selection
First Choice Sustainability Commis sion
Applicant Qualifications
What motivated you to apply for
this board or commission?
I've spent the last six years working at the intersection of climate ambition and real-world implementation, helping universities, corporations, and institutions translate sustainability goals into funded, actionable plans. What I've noticed is that the gap between ambition and action is rarely technical; it's usually about policy clarity, stakeholder alignment, and prioritization.
Sunnyvale's Climate Action Playbook strikes me as exactly the kind of community-driven framework that can close that gap at the local level. As a Sunnyvale resident, I want to contribute to that process directly, not just as a professional, but as someone who lives here and has a stake in the outcome. Joining this commission is also my first step into civic engagement, and I see it as an extension of the values that have driven my career.
What skills or attributes can you
bring to this board or
commission?
Beyond my technical background, I'd highlight three things that I think are more directly relevant to an advisory role:
First, translating complexity into clear recommendations- In my work at Environmental Defense Fund, I turned detailed emissions modeling and cost analyses into policy advocacy materials and fact sheets for state regulators. The goal was always to make complex tradeoffs legible to decision-makers, not to showcase the analysis itself. That's the same skill an advisory commissioner needs.
Second, stakeholder engagement across competing interests- A significant part of my work involves coordinating among parties with different incentives - utilities, developers, legal teams, corporate sustainability leads and finding common ground. I've found that the most durable outcomes come from genuinely understanding each stakeholder's constraints, not just advocating for a preferred outcome.
Third, a cross-sector perspective- Having worked across Fortune 500 manufacturers, universities, financial institutions, and tech companies, I've seen how the same policy can drive action in one context and be quietly ignored in another. That perspective helps me ask the right questions about whether a proposed policy will actually change behavior, not just whether it's well-designed in principle.
Anmol Singh
The primary role of a board or
commission member is to provide
advice to City Council on policy
issues that are within the scope
of the board or commission. What
steps would you take to
effectively exercise this specific
board or commission role?
I'd start by listening more than speaking. That means reading past commission minutes, understanding where debates have stalled, and getting a sense of what City staff and Council actually need from this body. Good advisory work begins with
understanding the audience.
From there, I'd focus on making my contributions concrete, balanced, and actionable. In my professional work, I've learned that a recommendation lands better when it accounts for budget realities, implementation timelines, and political feasibility, not just what's technically optimal or environmentally ambitious. I'd aim to evaluate issues from multiple angles including
environmental impact, cost, community implications, and feasibility, and bring that same pragmatism to commission discussions.
I'd also be transparent about the limits of my knowledge.
Sunnyvale's sustainability challenges touch on land use, water, transportation, and community equity, areas where I don't have deep expertise. Being honest about that, deferring to colleagues and staff who do, and actively building on their perspectives rather than defaulting to my own lane is part of being a genuinely useful advisor rather than just a confident one.
Overall, I'd approach the role with a commitment to being well-prepared, collaborative, and grounded, focused on what actually helps Council make better decisions, not on showcasing what I know.
Anmol Singh
Education – List college degrees,
majors and any relevant training
or experience that demonstrates
your ability to effectively serve
on this board or commission.
Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering, Cornell University (specialization in Energy Economics and Engineering). Winner of the Avangrid Innovation Scholarship (2020) and the Atkinson Sustainability Hackathon (2020), the latter reflecting applied sustainability problem-solving in a competitive, team-based setting.
Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani.
Additional relevant experience includes:
Professional experience in sustainability and clean energy strategy - currently an Engagement Manager at ERM
(Environmental Resources Management); experience working on projects related to decarbonization and clean energy
procurement.
Six Sigma Black Belt, Cornell University Systems Engineering - Training in structured problem-solving and evidence-based decision-making in complex systems.
Describe your involvement in
community activities, volunteer
and civic organizations.
My community involvement has roots in India, where I taught yoga and provided tutoring to underprivileged children, work that was less about professional development and more about
showing up consistently for people in my community who needed support. Those experiences shaped how I think about service - it's most meaningful when it's direct, sustained, and grounded in genuine care for the people you're working with.
Since moving to the US, my focus has been on building my career in sustainability, and I haven't yet translated that spirit of service into formal civic engagement here. Joining the Sustainability Commission is my first step, and I bring the same commitment that motivated me earlier in life, combined with several years of professional experience that I believe can genuinely contribute to Sunnyvale's climate goals.
Description Area The City has a Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials and an Attendance Policy (7.2.19), 2 G (II) that appointed members are required to follow.
Do you have any concerns related
to the above code and policy?
No
Are you willing to accept a
temporary appointment for the
remainder of an unexpired term?
Yes
Anmol Singh
Board or Commission-Specific Questions
Sustainability Commission
Category One: I’m a Sunnyvale
resident.
Yes
Category Two: I’m a Sunnyvale
business community member.
No
Sustainability is a new and
emerging concern in many
communities. What do you think
are the primary sustainability
policy issues this commission will
be addressing over the next few
years?
Clean electricity and grid resilience will be at the center of much of the work. Sunnyvale has already achieved 97% enrollment in clean electricity through its community choice aggregator, which is a strong foundation, but the next phase is more complex. As the city pushes more load onto the grid through electrification of buildings and transportation, expanding local solar, battery storage, and community-scale energy systems becomes critical.
Bringing large corporate customers who currently source electricity independently and often from more carbon-intensive sources into alignment with the city's clean energy goals is another near-term challenge that will require both policy creativity and stakeholder engagement.
Building electrification will be one of the most immediate and consequential areas, with the city on a deadline to adopt electrification ordinances for existing residential and commercial buildings by 2026. The policy challenge here goes beyond the environmental goals, i.e., designing a transition that is equitable and financially accessible for lower-income homeowners and renters will be just as important as the ordinances themselves.
Transportation decarbonization is the third major priority, particularly around accelerating EV adoption, expanding charging infrastructure equitably across the community, and holding large employers accountable to transportation demand management requirements. The emerging focus on off-road equipment
emissions adds a newer dimension to this work that I expect the commission will increasingly need to address.
Description Area View the Climate Action Playbook
Have you read the above version
of the Climate Action Playbook?
Yes
Anmol Singh
What are your thoughts on the
Playbook? How might the actions
("Plays") be improved?
The Playbook is an impressive document - it is community-driven and structured in a way that connects long-term targets to specific near-term actions. The decision to set goals that exceed state requirements reflects real leadership, and the five-year Game Plan cycle is smart as it builds in the flexibility to adapt as technology, policy, and community needs evolve.
That said, a few areas stand out as opportunities for
strengthening the Plays. The clean electricity strategy succeeds at the community level but is relatively passive when it comes to large corporate energy users. Given that Sunnyvale is home to some of the world's largest technology companies, there is an opportunity to develop more targeted engagement mechanisms that bring these employers into active partnership on local clean energy goals, beyond just encouraging them to switch providers.
On building electrification, the Plays are strong on policy timelines but lighter on the financing and support infrastructure needed to make those policies succeed in practice. A more detailed roadmap for how lower-income residents access incentives, rebates, and on-bill financing would strengthen implementation significantly.
More broadly, I think the Playbook would benefit from more explicit integration between the Plays. Strategies around clean electricity, building electrification, and EV adoption are deeply interdependent as success in one accelerates the others, but the Plays largely treat them as parallel tracks. Highlighting those interdependencies more explicitly would help the commission and City Council prioritize sequencing and resource allocation more effectively.
Your Agreement
Anmol Singh
Description Area IMPORTANT NOTICE – READ BEFORE SIGNING:By selecting both “Yes” and “Submit Form” below I am adding my digital signature to this application. I am also agreeing with the following statements:All statements I have made on this application are true and correct.I authorize the City of Sunnyvale (City) to investigate the accuracy of this information.I release the City from all claims and liabilities arising from such investigation.I acknowledge that any false statement on this application will be grounds for the City to deny my appointment. A false statement discovered later, will be grounds to dismiss me from my appointment at any time.I acknowledge that any false statement on this application could lead to criminal charges. Charges could fall under California Penal Code, Section 115 or other applicable law.
I agree Yes
Your full name Anmol Singh
Date Apr 15, 2026
Anmol Singh