CITY COUNCIL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Hayward City Hall - Conference Room 2A
777 B Street, Hayward, CA 94541-5007
May 9, 2016
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
MEETING MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER: Meeting called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Chair Al Mendall.
ROLL CALL:
Members
• Al Mendall, City Council Member /CSC Chair
• Francisco Zermeño, City Council Member
Staff:
• Alex Ameri, Utilities & Environmental Services Director
• Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager
• Jennifer Yee, Sustainability Technician
• Gillian Corral, Civic Spark Fellow
• Carol Lee, Administrative Secretary (Recorder)
Others:
• Jillian Buckholz, Director of Sustainability, California State University East Bay (CSUEB)
• Jillian Hogan, Hayward Resident, Keep Hayward Clean and Green Task Force
• Karina Garbesi, Director of Environmental Studies, CSUEB
• Meri Soll, Senior Program Manager, StopWaste
• Sasha Stackhouse, Public Services Sector Manager, Waste Management of Alameda County (WMAC)
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Jillian Hogan announced that the 33rd Annual City-Wide Cleanup Event will be taking place at Weekes Park on Saturday, May 14 from 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and encouraged those in attendance to participate.
Council Member Zermeño inquired if the Bicycle Master Plan was going to be brought before the Committee, as it was scheduled on the tentative agenda schedule for City Council. Staff confirmed that the item was tentatively scheduled to come before the Committee meeting in November.
1. Approval of Minutes of Council Sustainability Meeting on March 14, 2016.
The Committee approved the minutes of the Council Sustainability Committee meeting of March 14, 2016.
2. East Bay SunShares
Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager, presented the report on East Bay SunShares, a group purchase program for solar photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles (EVs). Mr. Pearson mentioned that this program supports our General Plan and greenhouse gas reduction goals
Council Member Zermeño questioned why so few cities participated last year. Mr. Pearson suggested that the staff time required to participate maybe be a potential factor deterring a city from participating. Staff has not identified any other drawbacks to the program.
The Committee was in favor of staff submitting a letter of interest for East Bay SunShares.
3. Reusable Bag Ordinance Expansion - Review Draft Ordinance
Jennifer Yee, Sustainability Technician, presented a report regarding the proposed reusable bag ordinance expansion, which would expand the ordinance to include all retail stores and restaurants. Ms. Yee indicated that any member agency choosing to opt out of the expansion must do so by a resolution of its governing body before December 9, 2016.
Director Ameri commented that in slide five of the presentation, the pie chart reflects the number of stores by type, not to be confused for the amount of plastic bags used by store type. He noted that the largest distributers of plastic bags are already regulated by the current ordinance.
Council Member Zermeño asked what actions are taken with the 10% of stores that are noncompliant. Meri Soll, Senior Program Manager, StopWaste, explained that the agency works closely with such stores, and offers education and technical support until they are brought into compliance. Ms. Soll noted that there are about fifteen stores that are currently not in compliance and if they continue to be noncompliant, StopWaste will have to issue a citation.
Mr. Ameri stated that non-compliance does not necessarily mean that stores are not participating in the program and requested that Ms. Soll elaborate on what noncompliance entails. Ms. Soll explained that failing to charge for a reusable bag, not showing the bag purchase itemized on the receipt, or not distributing a compliant bag makes a store noncompliant. She further explained that a plastic bag without a handle is considered a produce bag or protective covering and is not covered under the current or proposed ordinance.
Council Member Zermeño inquired if there were any other counties, outside of Alameda County, that have expanded ordinances. Ms. Soll confirmed that there are other counties as well as other cities in the Bay Area and in the state that already have expanded ordinances. She explained that the expansion is proposed as a countywide measure, with the option for cities to opt out.
Chair Mendall inquired if any businesses have voiced objections. Ms. Soll stated that to date no one has come forward to StopWaste and opposed the ordinance. In response, Chair Mendall asked if there were any provisions to allow for changes to the ordinance if after the ordinance goes into effect, a business type is identified as one to which the ordinance should not pertain. Ms. Soll explained that it would go back to the Waste Management Authority, as they are adopting the ordinance. There would be a process to make an amendment to the ordinance that would require a vote by the members of the Board, and it would be required to go through the same process as this current amendment. Staff clarified that all of the member agency representatives will vote on the amendment, and should it pass, the represented agencies and cities will automatically be included in the amended ordinance. Individual cities will have until December 2016 to pass a resolution if they choose not to participate.
The Committee was in favor of the reusable bag ordinance expansion and requested that staff bring it before City Council as a consent item.
4. Update on PAYS Implementation
Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager, provided an update on the PAYS (Pay-As-You-Save) Program, an On-Bill Conservation and Efficiency Financing Pilot Program. He noted that since the last update in December 2015, two properties have signed contracts and scheduled upgrades with Bottom Line Utility Services (BLUS), the City’s selected contractor. Nine properties have pending contracts and three have declined. He added that two of the three properties have decided to do the work themselves. Director Ameri commented that the properties that make upgrades on their own are still eligible for water rebates offered by the City.
Chair Mendall asked if staff could follow up with the two properties that opted to do the work in-house to ensure they follow through. He further commented that at the county level, Community Choice Energy (CCE) is moving forward, and would likely provide a similar program for energy savings. He suggested encouraging CCE to expand efficiency programs to include water savings in order to avoid duplicative efforts.
Council Member Zermeño asked if staff contacted both property owners and managers regarding this program. Staff responded that they have, and noted that the contractor has primarily focused on larger properties which have posed some challenges, as some of those properties have remote owners or corporate owners.
5. 2016 Agenda Topics
Council Member Zermeño requested clarification regarding the Outreach Campaigns - Results scheduled in July. Staff explained that the report would summarize several events that City hosted to outreach to the community regarding sustainability.
Council Member Zermeño asked that staff look into how the City can become more bike-friendly when addressing the Bicycle Master Plan. Mr. Zermeño requested that staff look into working with Hayward Area Recreation and Park District to develop new bike/walk trails along local creeks. Director Ameri responded that this cooperative work may be possible through the Sustainable City Year Program, in collaboration with CSUEB. He stated that staff would look into it and could make a recommendation.
He further inquired about the project to expand the solar field at the Water Pollution Control Facility, and asked staff to provide an update to either the Committee or Council. Direct Ameri explained that this Capital Improvement Project was already approved by Council, and that the City is preparing the land that is required for the expansion, noting that the existing one megawatt field takes up eight acres of land. He affirmed that staff would prepare an update.
Director Ameri commented that staff will bring a report before the Committee regarding renewable energy and noted that the City is producing much more green energy than previously expected due to the new cogeneration and solar at the Waste Water Pollution Control Facility and other City facilities. Gillian Corral, Civic Spark Fellow, announced that staff is working to get the City’s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory onto the ClearPath platform to allow more efficient tracking and concise comparison of GHG emissions over time. Chair Mendall asked staff to update the Committee as to the trend of the City’s GHG emissions.
Director Ameri commented that staff will provide the Committee with an update on water supply, outlook, and efficiency, including the revised regulations released earlier that day.
Chair Mendall commented that the schedule for July appeared full and requested that staff be mindful of the time it would take to present and discuss several of the scheduled items. He recommended that staff consider postponing items in order to allow for adequate discussion.
COMMITTEE MEMBER/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFERRALS:
Erik Pearson announced that StopWaste and the City will be hosting a home energy upgrade workshop at City Hall on May 10. He noted that currently sixty people are signed up to attend. He further announced that the City will be hosting an energizer station at South Hayward BART on Bike-to-Work Day and reiterated that the Annual Clean-up Event will be on May 14.
Council Member Zermeño expressed his heartfelt thanks to Sasha Stackhouse, Public Services Sector Manager, WMAC, for her attendance and assistance at the Annual Cinco de Mayo Family Festival the past weekend.
Director Ameri announced that, under the leadership of the City Manager’s Office, City staff and CSUEB faculty are continuing to discuss and prepare for the implementation of the Sustainable City Year Program. Director Ameri also announced that the Zero Net Energy Policy for New and Refurbished City Buildings, which was brought before the Committee already, will be going before Council. Lastly, Director Ameri stated that the City has received the Acterra Business Environmental Award, noting that the only other non-private entity is Stanford University, and the City will receive this award on May 26 at Intuit in Mountain View. He invited Council Members to attend.
ADJOURNMENT: 6:15 p.m.
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MEETINGS |
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Attendance |
Present 5/9/15 Meeting |
Present to Date This Fiscal Year |
Excused to Date This Fiscal Year |
Absent to Date This Fiscal Year |
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Greg Jones |
X |
3 |
1 |
0 |
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Al Mendall* |
ü |
4 |
0 |
0 |
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Francisco Zermeño |
ü |
4 |
0 |
0 |
ü = Present O = absent X = excused
* Chair