REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Create a Community Advisory Committee and a Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee for the Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0 Initiative
Report
BACKGROUND
The City’s current Climate Action Plan (CAP) for addressing greenhouse gas emissions was adopted in May 2014. The CAP was developed through a comprehensive public participation strategy to engage the community in identifying strategies to reduce emissions. Key components of this strategy were formulated by contributions from the Horizon 2035 Advisory Committee, a Council-appointed committee of 15 individuals representing a broad variety of interests in Sunnyvale that served in an advisory capacity for the development of the CAP.
In May 2016, City Council approved the first biennial progress report on CAP implementation, which concluded that Sunnyvale is on track to meet or exceed the reduction target of achieving 1990 emissions levels by 2020 (which is deemed equivalent to a 15 percent reduction the base year 2008). However, the adopted CAP is not designed to meet the State targets of a 40 percent GHG reduction by 2030 and 80 percent reduction by 2050.
Accelerating Climate Action was added as a Council Policy Priority at the January 2017 Strategic Workshop. In alignment with this Priority, the City Manager’s Recommended FY 2017/18 Budget includes Budget Supplement No. 6 in the amount of $250,000 to fund a new initiative - CAP 2.0 - Planning for Climate Action Beyond 2020. The funding will support consultant services that will provide for the research, analysis, and community engagement necessary to support Council policy and goal setting. The main goal of the CAP 2.0 Initiative is the development of a revised and more aggressive CAP that will contain guiding principles and key strategies designed to achieve or exceed the State’s long-term greenhouse gas reduction targets.
As described in the CAP 2.0 Work Plan (Attachment 1), the CAP 2.0 Initiative includes:
1) Benchmarking programs and policy approaches;
2) Evaluating potential strategies, particularly in the key areas of transportation and energy;
3) Updating Sunnyvale’s GHG projections for 2030 to determine the gap between planned actions and the 40% reduction target;
4) Evaluating prospective scenarios for a suite of strategies to meet or exceed the 80% reduction target;
5) Designing a framework for the CAP 2.0 including key strategies, decision-making, and an approach to future work planning and resource planning;
6) Identifying funding and financing strategies to support implementation; and
7) Engaging the community through various mechanisms such as workshops, surveys, and the creation and engagement of a CAP Advisory Committee.
Staff anticipates an 18-month implementation period for the Initiative with the proposed CAP 2.0 to be presented to the City Council in December 2018.
EXISTING POLICY
GENERAL PLAN: Community Vision Chapter
Goal CV-1: Achieve a community in which citizens and businesses are informed about local issues and city programs and services.
CV-1.3: Ensure an integrated approach to informing community members about local issues, City programs and services that reaches all segments of a diverse community.
COUNCIL POLICY MANUAL
Policy 7.2.1: Community Engagement-Goals and Policies
Policy 7.4.13: Council Subcommittees and Council or Mayor-Created Advisory Task Forces (Attachment 2)
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The creation of the Community Advisory Committee does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378 (a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change to the environment, or a reasonable foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Furthermore, it is otherwise exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15063 (b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the creation of the Committee may have a significant effect on the environment. Environmental review will be conducted when the CAP 2.0 is brought to City Council for consideration and adoption.
DISCUSSION
The CAP 2.0 Initiative will engage the community in co-creating solutions for local climate action. Accordingly, a key aspect of this community engagement will be the formation of a community advisory committee that represents the broad interests of the Sunnyvale community to guide the development of CAP 2.0. The City has formed similar community advisory committees for the development or update of plans in the past, including the adopted CAP, the El Camino Real Corridor Precise Plan, the Lawrence Station Area Plan, and the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) of the General Plan.
Benefits of a Community Advisory Committee
Reducing communitywide GHG emissions to 20 percent of 1990 levels by 2050, or sooner, will require transformations in lifestyle, infrastructure, and technology. It is, therefore, essential that the community provide input from the beginning of the process.
A CAP 2.0 Community Advisory Committee (CAC) whose members represent a cross-section of stakeholders in the City will provide broad-based participation in the development of CAP 2.0. CAC meetings will facilitate more in-depth education, dialogue, and deliberations on relevant policy issues and will, therefore, provide a more open and transparent public review process. The involvement of the CAC will allow the community to share ownership of the planning process and the final CAP 2.0.
The formation of a CAC is one of many strategies involving community stakeholders in CAP 2.0 development; it will be complemented by broader outreach to the community, including widely noticed community workshops and the formal public hearing process conducted by the Sustainability Commission and City Council for adoption of the final CAP 2.0. Staff also intends to solicit public input during the development of CAP 2.0 through various mechanisms such as information booths at public events, workshops, surveys, and an online communication channels (e.g., social media, Open City Hall).
Committee Composition and Selection of Members
According to Council Policy 7.4.13, a community advisory committee (or "Community Member Advisory Task Force" per the policy) can be created by the Mayor or City Council. Staff recommends that given the policy-level responsibilities of the CAC, it is appropriate to have the committee be a "Council Created Task Force" that would be subject to Brown Act open meeting requirements.
Council Policy 7.4.13 further states that members of a Council Created Task Force can be appointed by the Council or Council's designee. Per Council policy, staff recommends that the Mayor appoint a City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to review applications to the CAC. Staff further recommends that the Council designate the Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to select the members of the CAC without the need for confirmation by the full Council. This process is similar to how past community advisory committees have been created, such as the El Camino Real Plan Advisory Committee (ECRPAC), Horizon 2035 Committee, and the Lawrence Station Area Plan Citizen Advisory Group (LSAP).
The recommended composition of the CAC consists of residents and business representatives, as well as appointees serving on specified City commissions. For a project of this scale, staff recommends a maximum of 11 members to better manage meeting schedules and other logistics of committee work. Alternative 1 suggests the following 11-member composition for the CAC to allow for diverse community representation:
Two (2) members of the Sustainability Commission
One (1) member of the Planning Commission
One (1) member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC)
One (1) large business representative
One (1) small business representative
One (1) real estate developer
Two (2) residents from the City at large
Two (2) representatives of volunteer community groups (e.g., Sunnyvale Cool, SUFA, Livable Sunnyvale)
Following Council's approval of the general composition of the CAC and creation by the Mayor of a Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to select the members, staff will prepare recruitment announcements and an application form to solicit applications from members of the community. Announcements would be posted on City bulletin boards, KSUN, in the Sunnyvale Sun, and on the City's website. Announcements will also be sent to those members of the community who have contacted staff to be placed on the mailing list for updates on the project. Applications will be reviewed by the Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, which will then appoint CAC members.
For the recommended commission members on the CAC, staff recommends that those Commissions nominate their Commission representative(s). The City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee would confirm these nominations when it selects the other members of the CAC. This is similar to the past process for selecting commission representatives for the ECRPAC and the LSAP advisory committees.
In addition, staff recommends that the Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee appoint three alternate members, who can serve on the CAC if one of the 11 appointed members are no longer able to serve. Alternate members should represent residents and businesses (at least one each). Staff would reconvene and confer with the Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to appoint replacement members if the CAC membership drops to nine members at any point, or if a new Commission representative needs to be confirmed.
It is anticipated that the CAC would be formed by September 2017.
Member Commitment
In May, staff issued a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a consultant (or team) with the required expertise to support CAP 2.0 development and community engagement. Staff anticipates presenting the consultant agreement to Council in August 2017 for approval.
One of the first consultant deliverables will be a detailed community engagement plan. Once the engagement plan is finalized, staff anticipates the commitment for CAC members would be approximately six to eight meetings over 18 months, primarily during the beginning and towards the end of the planning process. The Committee members will be expected to provide input throughout the planning process to help the consultant and staff evaluate key focus areas for CAP 2.0, identify scenarios to achieve State greenhouse gas reduction targets, and identify aggressive yet achievable strategies and actions.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the CAP 2.0 Initiative is included in Budget Supplement No. 6, Accelerating Climate Action, in the City Manager’s Recommended FY 2017-18 Budget. This funding will cover consultant costs for research, analysis and development of CAP 2.0 including supporting a robust community engagement effort, which includes costs for planning and facilitating CAC meetings.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the 11-member composition of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and have the Mayor appoint a City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee composed of three Councilmembers to select the members of the CAC for the Climate Action Plan 2.0 Initiative.
2. Modify the 11-member composition of the CAC, and either have the Mayor appoint a City Council sub-committee of three Councilmembers to select the members of the CAC or have the full Council appoint the members of the CAC.
3. Other direction provided by the Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve the 11-member composition of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and have the Mayor appoint a City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee composed of three Councilmembers to select the members of the CAC for the Climate Action Plan 2.0 Initiative.
Staff
Prepared by: Melody Tovar, Regulatory Programs Division Manager
Reviewed by: Kent Steffens, Assistant City Manager and Interim Director of Environmental Services
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. CAP 2.0 Initiative Work Plan
2. Council Policy 7.4.13