SC 06-20-2019 CITY OF CUPERTINO SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION
Environmental Education Center 22221 McClellan Road
Thursday June 20,2019 4:00 p.m.
MINUTES
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
At 4:05 p.m. Chair Weber called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present:Anna Weber, Gary Latshaw,Angela Chen,Meera Ramanathan (arrived @ 4:11 p.m.).
Absent: Vignesh Swaminathan
Staff: Gilee Corral,Acting Sustainability Manager;Holly Kimura-Carlin, Climate Corps Fellow
Guests: Bruce Karney;Kunal; Gwyn Azar;Cupertino High School(CHS)Environmental Club members: Sanat
Singhal, Emily Fan,Lawrence Fan,Alice,Mukta, Calvin Anderson, Shiv Shah
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Draft minutes of May 16,2019 meeting were reviewed. Commissioner Chen moved and Commissioner
Latshaw seconded to approve the minutes. The motion carried unanimously with Commissioner
Swaminathan absent.
POSTPONEMENTS -None.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Bruce Karney passed out a handout about a planned event for Commissioners in the area.
Kunal spoke on behalf of a student,Nicole,to support the City adopting a fossil fuel divestment resolution
and a resolution to amend the City's climate emergency declaration.
Shiv Shah on behalf of CHS Environmental Club spoke to support the City adopting a Climate Crisis Package
and a fossil fuel divestment resolution.
Calvin Anderson on behalf of CHS Environmental Club spoke to support the City adopting a Climate Crisis
Package and a fossil fuel divestment resolution.
Emily Fan on behalf of CHS Environmental Club spoke to support the City adopting a Climate Crisis Package,
a resolution to amend the City's climate emergency declaration, and a fossil fuel divestment resolution.
Sanat Singhal on behalf of CHS Environmental Club spoke to support the City adopting a fossil fuel
divestment resolution and a resolution to amend the City's climate emergency declaration.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
2. SC 6-20-19 Written Communications
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Chair Weber noted the written communications attached to the agenda. Chair Weber reordered the agenized
items as follows: Item#3 moved to the end of the meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
4. Subject: Discuss Green New Deal legislative efforts on the federal and state level and consider
making a recommendation to the City Council to sign a resolution in support of H.R. 109
(Representative Ocasio-Cortez) and S. Res. 59 (Senator Markey) and AB 1276 (Assemblymember
Bonta)
Chair Weber opened Public Comment and the following individuals spoke:
Kanal spoke to support the CHS Environmental Club's version of a Green New Deal (GND)resolution.
Sanat Singhal spoke to support the CHS Environmental Club's version of a GND resolution.
Emily Fan spoke to support the CHS Environmental Club's version of a GND resolution and of her desire for
the government to invest in sustainable teclunologies.
Gwyn Azar spoke in support of the GND resolution,noting a petition that was started in support and other
cities that have launched their own version of a GND or supported GND efforts.
Calvin Anderson spoke in support of a GND resolution that satisfies the criteria in the CHS Environmental
Club's version of the resolution.
Chair Weber closed Public Comment and the Commission discussed the GND resolution issue:
• Commissioner Latshaw asked for clarification from the students on what they were proposing and
Emily Fan clarified their request.
• The Commissioners discussed the possibilities, including supporting the federal and state GND efforts
while encouraging more aggressive GND efforts.
• Commissioners expressed concerns:having enough time to review the resolutions before
recommending support to City Council,risks of taking an aggressive stance and not following through,
ensuring this legislative advocacy is in sync with the City Council's legislative priorities.
Discussion to be continued to the July meeting. Each Commissioner will research the related state and federal
bills in preparation for the discussion.
5. Subject: Staff overview of Climate Action Plan metrics
Chair Weber opened Public Comment and the following individual spoke:
Bruce Karney spoke in favor of conducing annual greenhouse gas emissions inventories and switching the
City's emissions reduction target from an absolute target to a per capita basis, including the resident
population plus daytime worker population in the per capita metric. He noted that$7.5 million was added to
the budget for sustainability activities in Mountain View.
Chair Weber closed Public Comment and Commissioners asked Karney clarifying questions.
Staff presented an overview of the Sustainability Division's Climate Action Plan metrics and answered
Commissioners's questions related to the presentation.
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6. Subject: Sustainability Speaker Series planning
Chair Weber opened Public Comment and the following individual spoke:
Sanat Singhal talked about gearing a speaker event to the youth and advertising more effectively.
Chair Weber closed Public Comment and the Commissioners asked Singhal clarifying questions.
Commissioners discussed Singhal's suggestions and how to better target a speaker event to a younger
audience. Commissioner Latshaw suggested inviting climate activist Greta Thunberg to speak and the
Commissioners discussed this option. The Commissioners agreed to invite Bea Johnson to speak for the first
event in early fall. Discussion to be continued to the July meeting.
7. Subject:Discuss and select agenda topics for upcoming Sustainability Commission meetings
The Commissioners discussed the possibility of moving the August meeting date;staff will contact
Commissioner Swaminathan to confirm his attendance for the August meeting.Discussion to be continued to
the July meeting.
OLD BUSINESS
3. Subject:Update on Buy Clean and Consider Resolution Language
Chair Weber moved and Commissioner Ramanathan seconded to move the Buy Clean update to the July 181h
Commission meeting. The motion carried unanimously with Commissioner Swaminathan absent.
Commissioner Chen left at 6:01 p.m.
STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Commission updates:None.
Staff updates:
- Gilee Corral will be out of town for the August Commission meeting. J�
- Fall Festival—September 141h 9
- Silicon Valley Clean Energy is launching a heat pump water heater rebate program soon.
- Electric vehicle solar project was not included in the adopted budget and will be discussed separately
at a future Council meeting.
ADJOURNMENT-6:05 p.m.
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