HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupport Letter - SB 99 (Dodd) - 08.20.2021
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August 20, 2021
The Honorable Lorena Gonzalez
California State Assemblymember, 80th District
State Capitol, Room 2114
Sacramento CA 95814
RE: SB 99 (Dodd) – SUPPORT
Dear Assemblymember Gonzalez,
On behalf of the City of Cupertino, I write to express our support for SB 99 (Dodd),
which would establish a grant program for local governments to develop energy resiliency
plans and expedite the permit approval for distributed energy sources.
Specifically, SB 99 allows locally prepared energy resiliency plans to set forth a strategy
for reducing the adverse impacts associated with power outages. The measure also requires
plans to identify facilities and locations where the construction of microgrids could meet local
resilience plans and potential funding sources. The bill also fosters stakeholder collaboration
between local governments, public utilities, and community residents to develop and
implement resiliency plans that meet state climate goals.
As California enters a time of accelerating climate‐change impacts that have led to
disastrous wildfires, we must address the vulnerability of our electric grids when disruptive
events occur. Ensuring that our communities have reliable access to energy is essential in
minimizing the effects of events like public safety power shut offs, which disproportionately
harm our medically and financially vulnerable residents.
Moreover, these disruptive events have highlighted the importance of resilient energy
development, which is best employed at the local level through the establishment of distributed
energy sources. The bill’s provisions, which emphasize the development of microgrids, will
help reduce the dependency on fossil‐fuel generated electricity during electric outages and
ultimately aid in meeting the state’s aggressive climate goals.
MAYOR DARCY PAUL
CITY OF CUPERTINO
CORRESPONDENCE TO ASSEMBLYMEMBER GONZALEZ SUPPORTING SB 99 page 2 of 2
The City of Cupertino is committed to supporting efforts to mitigate the effects of
climate change and promoting community resiliency in the face of emergency events. In
addition to this, we commend this proposal for its forward‐thinking, yet pragmatic and
effective approach. It is precisely thoughtful legislation like this, which clearly considers what
opportunities can be created given a multitude of circumstances, that is going to bring us to a
cleaner and better future for everyone. It is our sincerest hope that this approach of thoughtful
consideration and inviting in partners will be the exemplar for legislation across the board.
For these reasons, we support SB 99.
Sincerely,
Darcy Paul
Mayor
City of Cupertino
cc: Senator Dave Cortese
Assemblymember Evan Low
Assemblymember Marc Berman
Assembly Appropriations Committee
Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
Assemblymember Frank Bigelow, Vice Chair
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan
Assemblymember Lisa Calderon
Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo
Assemblymember Ed Chau
Assemblymember Megan Dahle
Assemblymember Laurie Davies
Assemblymember Vince Fong
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia
Assemblymember Marc Levine
Assemblymember Bill Quirk
Assemblymember Robert Rivas
Assemblymember Akilah W