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SC 01-18-20241 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 FINAL MINUTES MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION January 18, 2024 Final Minutes The meeting was called to order at 5:06 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Sonali Padgaonkar (VC), Steve Poon, Meera Ramanathan, Vignesh Swaminathan (C), Anna Weber Absent: None Staff: Victoria Morin, Staff Liaison Others Present: Matt Morley, Assistant City Manager, Susan Michael, Capital Improvement Programs Manager, Chad Mosley, Director of Public Works, Ursula Syrova, Environmental Programs and Sustainability Manager APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. October 19, 2023 Sustainability Commission minutes. MOTION: Commissioner Weber moved, seconded by Vice Chair Padgaonkar to approve the October 19, 2023, Sustainability Commission minutes as presented. MOTION PASSED: 5-0 Commissioner Ramanathan arrived at 5:07 p.m. POSTPONEMENTS No Postponements ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Eric Zhong, public speaker mentioned global temperatures were rising and a lot of his peers did not know about civic engagement and how to make changes. He wanted the City of Cupertino to expand youth engagement. Gilee Corral, public speaker expressed appreciation for the outgoing commissioners. She previously worked for the City of Cupertino and the Sustainability Commission (Commission). 2 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 André Duurvoort, public speaker announced that he was also a former staff and wanted to express appreciation for the work the Commission did. He hoped the commissioners experienced the real effects of their leadership in the community. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS None STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS Victoria Morin, Sustainability Specialist gave announcements. The next Environmental Recycling Day was January 20. Earth and Arbor Day Festival was happening on April 20 and the Sustainability Commission (Commission) was going to have a table. The Parks and Recreation Department was going to be leading the coordination of Earth and Arbor Day Festival starting 2025. She gave an update about a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court which ruled that the City of Berkeley’s building electrification reach code was not constitutional. The City of Cupertino’s City Attorney was looking into Cupertino’s current reach codes and how they might need to be modified. Chair Swaminathan wanted to know which reach code was potentially affected. Ms. Morin answered it was the code requiring new construction projects be all-electric. Ursula Syrova, Environmental Programs and Sustainability Manager said there will be an update on the Landfill Agreement at a future meeting. Ms. Morin was officially promoted to Sustainability Specialist. Vice Chair Padgaonkar asked when the new commission recruitments were happening. Matt Morley, Assistant City Manager said the interviews were happening at the end of January. Ms. Syrova commented on Cupertino’s Single-use Plastics Ordinance and how the City was part of a regional working group that was trying to get more traction with compliance from large chains. Chair Swaminathan was stepping down from Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) because he was leaving the area. The VTA finalized its Climate Action Plan. He recommended commissioners review that. He noted that the VTA appreciated the SV Hopper, and a driverless vehicle was being tested in the City of Palo Alto. OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS 2. Review City Council Work Program and Capital Improvement Program projects and recommend items for 2024. Ursula Syrova, Environmental Programs and Sustainability Manager gave a presentation on the City Work Program (CWP) recommendation for 2024. Susan Michael, Capital Improvement Programs Manager, gave a presentation on the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects, recommendations for 2024. 3 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 Commissioner Weber wanted clarification on the CIP projects mentioned in the slide, specifically the five buildings mentioned in the last bullet, she wanted to know if that was for electrification. Ms. Michael explained Commissioner Weber was referring to the solar program. There were very early preliminary designs completed, now she needed to get that to the next level. Victoria Morin, Sustainability Specialist, clarified the solar was over the parking lot and on the rooftop. Vice Chair Padgaonkar inquired if this was regarding the existing City of Cupertino buildings. Ms. Morin said yes. Chair Swaminathan wanted to know the relationship between the City and Apple because there were a lot of unused charging stations at some Apple buildings on Bubb Road that were left empty most of the time. He suggested SV Hopper or City vehicles use those because there was a lot; possibly there could be some agreement made. He suggested looking for unused charging stations in the City of Santa Clara as well. Chair Swaminathan was happy that Vision Zero was at the top of the list. The Bicycle Pedestrian Plan was in the medium priority section. He said only certain things in the Bicycle Pedestrian Plan needed to be updated, rather than doing a whole new study. Commissioner Ramanathan went back to the discussion of vacant electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. She wanted to know what happened to the charging stations when a company moved out of the area, but the building remained. She wondered if the company took the charging stations or were they part of the property and sold or leased with the building. Chad Mosley, Director of Public Works said it depended on the individual property owner. A lot of the time the property owner used charging stations as a selling point, and they were sold with the property. Commissioner Poon emphasized the chargers were on private property. Mr. Mosley stated the City did not have the authority to use them, but we could reach out to the property owner and try to establish an agreement. Commissioner Poon inquired if the budget was expected to be lower than what was previously planned because this affected what the City was able to do. Ms. Morin emphasized the Sustainability Commission’s (Commission) recommendation was to the Council, so the budget was prioritized based on what the Commission thought was the most important. If the Commission thought it was too expensive, then they probably should not recommend that particular action. Mr. Mosley relayed that the Council was looking for three recommendations that were within the Commission’s purview. Staff was looking for the three most important, considering staff time and economic resources. Chair Swaminathan thought the items to focus on were the Housing Element, Recycled Water Feasibility Study, Vision Zero, and potential revenue sources. Mr. Mosley mentioned the high- priority items in the staff report were previously suggested CWP items from 2023 and 2024. Vision Zero was hopefully going to be complete next year. He did not recommend putting that on the list. Commissioner Poon confirmed that what was previously in place will continue. Mr. Mosley said yes. 4 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 Chair Swaminathan questioned what “The Rise” and the “Real Estate Purchasing Policy” were. Commissioner Poon answered that The Rise was Vallco. Mr. Mosley spoke to The Rise and said plans were resubmitted in December and were currently under review. He recommended the Commission recommend items related to sustainability. Commissioner Ramanathan inquired about the Electrification Study. She thought it needed to be moved up because there was a lawsuit, plus it was cheap. Ms. Morin interjected that the Building Electrification Study was supposed to focus on existing buildings. New construction was already required to be all-electric under the existing Reach Code but because of the new decision that might not be enforceable. There was going to have to be other ways to encourage building electrification. Vice Chair Padgaonkar asked about the existing Climate Action Plan (CAP) and questioned if there was budget for projects related to that. Ms. Morin relayed there was some Special Projects budget, and yes, there was some work that could be done on it. It was not a CWP item and Council was not involved in the CAP at this time. Ms. Syrova understood the larger question was ‘Is everything in the CAP budgeted for?’ That was not the case, it was just a plan. As things went along, certain items were elevated. Vice Chair Padgaonkar wondered if the CAP should be included in the CWP. Ms. Morin said yes if the Commission thought the Council should be involved in it, if it needed to be elevated, and if they thought funds needed to be behind it. Vice Chair Padgaonkar understood there was an action that needed to be taken by 2040, such as compliance issues. Ms. Morin said the CAP needed to be followed, but it was up to the City Council to decide which projects took precedence. Even though the Council put the CAP in a plan, which did not necessarily mean it was going to get funded and move forward right away. Vice Chair Padgaonkar felt the CAP, the Electrification Study, and the Recycled Water Feasibility Study were priorities. Ms. Morin inquired what specific part of the CAP the Vice Chair wanted to recommend. Commissioner Poon said the Existing and New Building Electrification. Ms. Morin identified some recommendations the Commission could make: 1) the Urban Forest Management Plan; 2) the Micromobility Study; and 3) Conducting a Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Commissioner Ramanathan recalled the Micromobility Study was an option. Ms. Morin clarified that was not previously on the CWP list, but the Commission could propose new items. Commissioner Poon suggested the Recycled Water Feasibility Study. Vice Chair Padgaonkar asked if there was a budget threshold for the recommendations the Commission made. Chair Swaminathan said the Commission makes their recommendation and then the staff determines what they can do, spending-wise. Commissioner Poon stated Apple was the only place in Cupertino that had recycled water. The City wanted recycled water to be more widely available, so would the City have to build its pipes. Ms. Morin replied that was what the study was going to look at. Mr. Mosley said the infrastructure for the recycled water stopped at Homestead Road and Wolfe Road and it was 5 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 owned by Valley Water and the City of Sunnyvale. Cupertino needed to coordinate with those agencies on the expansion of those facilities. The Recycled Water Feasibility Study looked at what options were available and how the City was able to do this project. Vice Chair Padgaonkar was interested in recommending youth outreach, such as the essay contest with a prize. MOTION: Commissioner Ramanathan moved, seconded by Commissioner Weber to recommend the following City Work Program items to the City Council: 1. Recycled Water Feasibility Study 2. Existing and New Building Electrification 3. Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Inventory MOTION PASSED: 5-0 3. Staff update on CDP (previously known as Carbon Disclosure Project) recognition and discussion on mid-term greenhouse gas target. Victoria Morin, Environmental Programs Specialist gave a presentation on the staff update on CDP (previously known as Carbon Disclosure Project) recognition and discussion on mid-term greenhouse gas target. Chair Swaminathan recognized the City of Cupertino was pretty aggressive; we got an A- instead of an A. He wanted to know what the recommendation was for the Sustainability Commission (Commission) going forward. Commissioner Ramanathan referenced the presentation which said there were 3.44 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person was what caused a 62.8% reduction, but Cupertino got 3.39 MT of CO2 per person. She was surprised that the City did not get an A because there was a reduction. Ms. Morin replied that the City had a lower goal; it was needed for the City to reduce even more. The City had to get to 3.44 MT of CO2 per person to reach 62.8% but Cupertino got 62.1%; that brought our score down to an A- instead of an A. Gilee Corral, public speaker congratulated the Commission on getting an A- and it was a big effort. Chair Swaminathan asked if staff wanted a recommendation. Ms. Morin replied that if there was a need to make a recommendation, which meant amending the Climate Action Plan (CAP). Chair Swaminathan did not recommend amending the CAP. He was good with the A-. 4. Discuss engagement ideas regarding sustainability projects for youth. Victoria Morin, Environmental Programs Specialist gave a presentation on the discussion engagement ideas regarding sustainability projects for youth. Chair Swaminathan asked if all the utility boxes were painted. Ms. Morin was unsure. Chad Mosley, Director of Public Works understood the traffic control cabinets were painted, and 6 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 regarding the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) utility boxes, permission needed to be granted for those. Ms. Morin reminded the Sustainability Commission (Commission) of the budget situation, so there was nothing to pay the painters. Eric Zhang, public speaker suggested sustainability stakeholders attend youth assemblies and present to large groups there, explaining how these big sustainability projects can be implemented at youths' homes. He also requested an update on current projects. Chair Swaminathan liked the recommendation of speaking at assemblies, engaging youth, and discussing the Climate Action Plan (CAP). He liked the pamphlet that was done in the past because it explained what kids were able to do at home with their families. Vice Chair Padgaonkar offered her time to volunteer. Chair Swaminathan suggested a Subcommittee where two commissioners brainstormed ideas and then came back to the Commission for input and to report on what has been done. Commissioner Ramanathan liked the idea of outreach. She suggested engaging students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes in the high schools. Chair Swaminathan suggested tabling this discussion until the three new commissioners joined at the April meeting. He suggested a Subcommittee be created at the next meeting to focus on youth engagement. Vice Chair Padgaonkar noted that children were the best source for outreach because they taught their parents. Ms. Morin relayed that the recommended action was to prioritize youth engagement. Chair Swaminathan recommended the green pamphlet to have ideas for students to implement at home. Vice Chair Padgaonkar did not like the idea of a paper pamphlet because she felt it could be a waste of paper. Chair Swaminathan restated and suggested a PDF pamphlet to save paper. Commissioner Poon asked about food waste diversion and wondered if students did not know what went in each of the blue, black, and green waste bins. Ms. Morin clarified schools did not have organics sorting right now. When organic sorting was rolled out, the kids were going to need guidance. Commissioner Poon offered that if the schools and companies had the same bins, it made things easier. Ursula Syrova, Environmental Programs and Sustainability Manager interjected that there was an existing California State law that required that staff talk to local companies about sorting and the City had that. Recology and City staff already had plans to work with school facilities to provide the bins, training, and operations for sorting. Vice Chair Padgaonkar said having a liaison per school was good. Every school had a Parent Teacher Association (PTA). There needed to be one person designated to talk to the PTA about this. Chair Swaminathan recognized Commissioner Weber was the Commission liaison for schools. When new commissioners came on board, a new commissioner needed to be elected to talk to the PTA and other groups. Commissioner Weber said her work was more of an education work, which was an appointment by the Council. 7 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 Commissioner Ramanathan suggested help at school events too, not just at lunchtime. MOTION: Chair Swaminathan moved, seconded by Commissioner Poon to recommend the following engagement ideas regarding sustainable projects for youth: 1. Connect with schools 2. Presence at events 3. PDF pamphlet update on what students can do at school and at home to be sustainable a. Make the pamphlet capable of posting on Instagram or other social media platforms MOTION PASSED: 5-0 5. Discuss ideas for generating funding for sustainability projects. Ursula Syrova, Environmental Programs and Sustainability Manager presented ideas for generating funding for sustainability projects. André Duurvoort, public speaker remarked on funding and said there were a lot of regional groups, such as Silicon Valley Clean Energy that were good resources. Incentives were being taken advantage of more in cities than at the Statewide level. Working with the County of Santa Clara and applying for grants were solid ways to go about this. Gilee Corral, public speaker offered herself as a resource. Chair Swaminathan said Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) charged companies for bus passes and companies gave those bus passes out to their employees. He wondered if this could be done with SV Hopper. The City of Cupertino paid for a pass and the employees were able to get an SV Hopper pass for a reduced fee. Another idea was to charge more for gas within City limits to meet the sustainability goals; it would be a fee source for the City. Vice Chair Padgaonkar recalled the scooter idea, which was part of the Micromobility Plan. There were ways for the City to make money related to micromobility. Commissioner Weber suggested private corporations for sponsorships, not just for events but more permanent things, such as assets or programs. She wondered if this was a potential source for revenue or was there a conflict. Chad Mosley, Director of Public Works relayed that any funding donations required the approval of the City Council. Commissioner Ramanathan recognized there was a Rotary Club that had a list of various businesses in the City. She suggested letting people on that list know of projects and asking them if they wanted their name to be part of a given project. Maybe businesses were interested in sponsoring projects. Vice Chair Padgaonkar asked to email ideas later. Victoria Morin said yes. 8 Sustainability Commission Regular Meeting January 18, 2024 Commissioner Poon stated there were grants available, and he understood City of Cupertino residents were taking advantage of these grants. He wondered if there was a place where residents could get help applying for grants or rebates. Ms. Morin recalled there were rebates with the Climate Victory Garden Program, but help was awarded on an agency-by-agency basis. There was no specific consultant support at this time. Commissioner Poon suggested finding volunteers that could help with rebates. This helped residents be more sustainable. Vice Chair Padgaonkar suggested a workshop and charge for it, maybe a few times per year. FUTURE AGENDA SETTING •Building Decarbonization master plan including outreach •Sustainable Youth Engagement option brainstorm •Elect Subcommittee •Climate change adult action campaign/hosting a workshop for carbon reduction ideas •Opportunities and challenges of recycled water in Cupertino •Discuss zero-emission vehicles and chargers. •Municipal plan to electrify fleet •Landfill Agreement/Post-Collection RFP update •CAP 2.5 Re: Brainstorm funding ideas for the City •New Construction •Fees •Recycling •Municipal Goals vs. CAP •Earth Day •Study Session on Grants ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 6:43 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: ____________________________ Victoria Morin, Staff Liaison Note: Any attachments can be found on the Cupertino Website https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/agendas-minutes