SC 12-19-2019 CITY OF CUPERTINO SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION
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Environmental Education Center,22221 McClellan Road
Thursday,December 19,2019 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, Vignesh Swaminathan, Angela Chen,Meera
Ramanathan(arrived after Oral Communications).Absent:None.
Staff:Andre Duurvoort, Sustainability Manager;Ursula Syrova, Environmental Programs Manager; Gilee
Corral, Climate and Utilities Analyst.
Guests: Member of the public.
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Draft minutes of November 21,2019 meeting were reviewed.Vice-Chair Latshaw moved and Commissioner
Chen seconded to approve the minutes. The motion carried unanimously with Commissioner Ramanathan
absent.
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POSTPONEMENTS -None.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
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Frank Geefay(Cupertino resident) talked about concerns over the future of Cupertino's recycling program in it
light of China and other southeast Asian countries limiting acceptance of recyclables due to contamination, V
and his desire for Cupertino to reduce plastic disposable bottles and move toward a Zero Waste approach.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS-None.
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OLD BUSINESS-None. j
NEW BUSINESS 9
2. Subject: Update from Environmental Programs Division staff on Household Hazardous Waste Program
and Recology's recycling processing cost increase
Ursula Syrova,recently promoted to Environmental Programs Manager, provided an update on the I
Household Hazardous Waste(HHW)Program and Recology and answered clarifying questions from the
Commission.
General points from the staff update:
- Door to door HHW service ended at the end of 2018; City is amending agreement with Recology to
request a refund plus expenses from using the County program.
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- Staff reviewed Recology's increased cost/rate increase request (to cover increased expenses related to
China's National Sword policy)with a consultant and agreed it was reasonable. The rate increase
would extend through the term of our current agreement expiring in January 2021.
- The HHW and rate increase items would likely go to Council in February and if approved, the rate
increase would go into effect on Recology's next billing cycle.
- Staff are in the design phase for a new franchised hauler agreement,working with a consultant to
consider any needed changes to compost service,recyclables, etc.
Other topics and questions raised during discussion included:
- Zero Waste Plan,how to address disposables, Zero Waste outreach and the Commission's role.
- Producer responsibility,what can be recycled and what the numbers mean on plastics,where/how
public park trash is disposed.
- Use of Greenwaste for composting, consideration of the SMaRT Station in Sunnyvale and split cart for
food scraps.
- Guidance on how compostable foodware is treated,Bay Area regional discussions on to-go reusable
solution system planning,City of Berkeley's leadership in this area.
Chair Weber opened public comment and the following individual spoke:
Frank Geefay (Cupertino resident) spoke in favor of establishing a formal Zero Waste strategy and program,
his concern on how to address junk mail, and his concern of a lack of public understanding of the changes in
recycling programs.
Chair Weber moved and Commissioner Ramanathan seconded to move Staff Updates before item#3.The
motion carried unanimously.
STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Staff updates:
Sustainability Manager Andre Duurvoort gave an update on the reach code adoption process and answered
clarifying questions.Items reviewed included:
- Results of presentation to the Chamber of Commerce and feedback received on the draft ordinance.
- Brief review of how the commercial kitchens/restaurant exemption was developed and how the
exemption would have affected new builds in Cupertino.
- Results of the Council First Reading of the reach code draft on Dec. 17;Council requested stronger
language in the draft ordinance: removed restaurant and standalone ADUs exemption, adjust to all
electric covering all building types,exceptions are junior ADUs, i.e. garage conversion,technical
exemption for laboratories, if no electric alternative.
- Review of the official review process and timing for the California Energy Commission(CEC). Only the
energy-related portions of the ordinance need CEC approval.About six cities have received CEC
approval for their reach codes so far.After Jan. 1,the CEC process is anticipated to shorten from 60
days to 15 days.Duurvoort anticipates the following timeline:
o January 21:Council Second Reading and adoption of draft ordinance.
o February(after Second Reading): ordinance submitted to the CEC for review.
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o February/March: Enforcement begins.
Gilee Corral gave a brief update:
- Staff changes:Lauren Anderson has left the City;the Environmental team will be recruiting for two
Environmental Programs Assistant positions.
- Newsletter: Sustainability team's CivicSpark AmeriCorps Fellow,Vanessa Shin, developed an e-
newsletter;the first issue was just released by email to the City's listsery for environmental news.
3. Subject: Staff update on Buy Clean California Act policy development and Bay Area low carbon
concrete codes initiatives
Corral updated the Commission on the Buy Clean Act policy implementation progress at the state level and
local progress of low carbon concrete codes policy development. The Commission briefly discussed the topic,
raising issues including:
- Concern about lifecycle emissions,pollution, and unsustainability associated with concrete. Options to
recycle/reuse asphalt preferable to using concrete. Consider this as an issue for the Commission to
take up in the future(Swaminathan).
- Could continue the Commission's current Work Program item on Buy Clean into the next fiscal year
(Weber).
- Duurvoort offered to give a staff report on the Green Building Ordinance for the Commission before
the item goes back to Council.
Chair Weber moved and Commissioner Ramanathan seconded to add a discussion on the Green Building
Ordinance and the impact of concrete to the January 16f Commission meeting. The motion passed
unanimously.
4. Subject: Sustainability Commission Proposals for FY 2020-21 City Work Program j
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Corral gave an overview of the Work Program process.The Commission briefly discussed main topics to
address and how to select the proposals. Considerations/ideas included:
- Engagement with youth,essay contest(Weber).
- Consider our bandwidth, assume more community involvement during Commission discussions
(Swaminathan).
- Engagement, grants program,legislative advocacy (Ramanathan).
- Decarbonization(Latshaw, distributed Written Communications).
- Education around recycling,more educational opportunities,support City's priorities. Noted
education as#1 topic(Chen). Commissioner Chen left at 6:06 p.m.
- Staff suggested looking at decarbonization, CAP update and engagement.
- Housing,how to address state housing mandates in a sustainable way(Swaminathan).
Chair Weber opened public comment and the following individual spoke:
Frank Geefay(Cupertino resident)spoke about affordability of housing,how to reduce vehicle miles traveled,
desire to reduce traffic and have housing for people that work in Cupertino.
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Chair Weber closed public comment and the Commission continued the discussion, raising additional issues:
- How to incorporate issues raised by the community during public comment, i.e.protected tree
ordinance (Weber). Staff advised the Commission to keep in mind the priorities of the Commission and
Council when considering these issues.At the suggestion of Commissioner Ramanathan, the
Commission agreed to keep a running list of ideas raised by the public for review during the Work
Program proposal development process. Staff will create and update this list.
- Consider recommending support of efforts to restore the Arctic,expressed top concerns as
decarbonization and natural gas usage (Latshaw). Commission briefly discussed the Arctic suggestion
and agreed to add the Arctic draft letter of support to the January agenda;Vice-Chair Latshaw will
draft a letter for review. He left at 6:47 p.m.
After an extensive discussion,the Commission agreed their proposals for the Commission Work Program for
FY 2021, indicating their top three in ranked order;the proposals were recorded on screen in an Excel
spreadsheet,wording reflected in table below:
Project/Task Project Objective Driven by Measurement Criteria
mandate,law,or
Council
priority/direction?
1.Community Student essay contest,tabling at Complete student essay contest and
outreach,education, Earth Day Festival,and Speaker at least one Sustainability Speaker
and youth Series Events(at least one event). Series event.Draft a plan for
engagement Work with schools to involve Commission to engage more
students in City's CAP and actively with local schools.
sustainability initiatives.
2.Support CAP 2.0 Recommend strategies for Support staff's CAP 2.0/
and Adaptation Plan involving the community in the Adaptation Plan process with
development CAP 2.0 and Adaptation Plan strategies to involve public input.
development.
3.Zero Waste Policy Review regional efforts on Zero Waste Recommendation to City Council
restricting single use/disposable Policy on policy to prohibit or restrict
items.Consider local ordinance to single use/disposable items in the
restrict single use/disposable City.
items.
Decarbonization Study policy options for limiting Create a best practices list of
strategy for existing natural gas usage in existing policies and/or strategies for
buildings buildings.Identify best practices accelerating decarbonization in
around decarbonization. existing buildings.
Buy Clean state Staff to continue to provide Monitor the issue and determine if
policy progress and quarterly updates on state Buy City action should be taken.
Bay Area local model Clean policy progress.Review
codes on embodied model code for potential local
emissions in concrete adoption via Cupertino's Green
Building Ordinance.
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Housing and Collaborate with other Monitor this issue and determine if
sustainable land use . Commissions to study land use, future City action should be taken.
policy watershed protection,and
sustainable housing policy.Track
state legislation on housing
density.
Commissioner Ramanathan moved and Chair Weber seconded to submit the proposals as recorded to the City
Manager for consideration for the City Work Program for FY 2021. The motion carried unanimously with Vice-
Chair Latshaw and Commissioner Chen absent.
5. Subject: Sustainability Speaker Series planning
Corral reviewed the City of Sunnyvale Sustainability Commission's suggestions for ideas to collaborate on an
event in FY 2021:California's Carbon Neutral Future (proposed speaker Jared Blumenfield,CaIEPA) and What
Moves You-Active,Shared and Electric Transportation(proposed speaker Jeff Tumlin,Nelson Nygaard
Consulting). Corral recommended that if the Commission decides to pursue another event for FY 2020,to
select a no/low-cost event and establish a subcommittee to plan it.
Commissioner Swaminathan moved and Commissioner Ramanathan seconded to add the Sustainability
Speaker Series topic to the January meeting agenda, to discuss the collaboration with Sunnyvale and decide on
a subcommittee. The motion carried unanimously with Vice-Chair Latshaw and Commissioner Chen absent.
STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS (continued)
Commission updates:
Commissioner Swaminathan reported that his business won a contract with the City of Cupertino to work on
the McClellan Road protected bike lane.He will-recuse-himself on any discussions related to this project in the
future.He also noted an update from VTA—that bus service 523 will begin a high-speed corridor service from
Caltrain Sunnyvale to De Anza and the San Jose Berryessa BART station soon.
ADJOURNMENT-7:48 p.m. j
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