City of Sunnyvale  
Meeting Minutes  
Sustainability Commission  
Monday, May 19, 2025  
7:00 PM  
Online and Redwood Conference Room,  
City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale,  
CA 94086  
CALL TO ORDER  
Chair Veitch called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. in the Redwood Conference  
Room (Room 140) at City Hall.  
SALUTE TO THE FLAG  
Chair Veitch led the salute to the flag.  
ROLL CALL  
Present: 5 -  
Chair Tonya Veitch  
Vice Chair Jeffery Nabhan  
Commissioner Cortney Jansen  
Commissioner Douglas Kunz  
Kristina Pistone  
Absent: 1 - Commissioner Richard Parenteau  
Commissioner Parenteau's absence was excused  
by general consent.  
Council Liaison - Councilmember Chang (present)  
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS  
Susan Hinton, Chair of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, informed the  
Sustainability Commission of a successfully managed natural grass sports field in  
Tiburon, California. Ms. Hinton invited Sunnyvale staff and elected officials to attend  
a guided tour of the McKegney Green fields in Tiburon.  
Chair Veitch announced her resignation from the Sustainability Commission due to  
changes in her residency status. Chair Veitch thanked Commissioners for their  
support and guidance while she served on the Commission. Chair Veitch thanked  
staff and the Environmental Services Department for their dedication and passion in  
driving sustainability policies and programs forward in the city.  
PRESENTATION  
25-0618  
PRESENTATION - Recognition of Service  
Councilmember Chang thanked Chair Veitch and Commissioner Pistone for their  
years of service on the Sustainability Commission. She commended them for their  
contributions to moving the City’s sustainability initiatives forward.  
CONSENT CALENDAR  
25-0617  
Approve the Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes of  
April 21, 2025  
Commissioner Kunz moved, and Commissioner Pistone seconded, a motion to  
approve the consent calendar.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
Yes: 5 -  
Chair Veitch  
Vice Chair Nabhan  
Commissioner Jansen  
Commissioner Kunz  
Pistone  
No: 0  
Absent: 1 - Commissioner Parenteau  
PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS  
25-0619  
Annual Review of City Manager’s Recommended Budget  
Full budget available online at:  
Sunnyvale.ca.gov/your-government/governance/city-budget  
Staff addressed comments and questions from the Commissioners on the City  
Manager’s FY 2025/26 Recommended Budget (Recommended Budget),  
highlighting funding available for projects and positions related to sustainability  
programs. The Commission discussed the Recommended Budget and asked  
clarification questions of staff.  
Chair Veitch opened the Public Hearing at 9:24 p.m.  
There were no public comments.  
Chair Veitch closed the Public Hearing at 9:25 p.m.  
MOTION: Commissioner Kunz moved, and Commissioner Jansen seconded, a  
motion to provide the following recommendations on the City Manager’s  
Recommended Budget for FY 2025/26 to City Council, and to nominate Vice Chair  
Nabhan to convey these recommendations to City Council verbally and in writing:  
1. Given the City’s priority of advancing climate action, consider whether Project  
824780 – Upgrading of Fuel Stations, utilizes the most appropriate strategy, given  
there are two newly replaced tanks on City properties. Fuel needs assessments  
should consider:  
a. Fleet electrification, especially with the CARB Advanced  
Clean Fleets ruling;  
b. The costs of maintaining this asset while electrifying, then  
the cost of decommissioning this stranded asset prior to the  
end of its useful life;  
c. Alternative methods of fueling while the fleet is transitioning  
to all-electric, such as Mobile Fueling.  
2. Recommend that future costs for project 831290 beyond FY 27/28 be included in  
the budget to align the long-term financial budget with the importance that Climate  
Action will have in the next two decades.  
3. Support funding Budget Supplements:  
a. #1 funding the Study Issues;  
b. #3 Homestead Road Full-Time Bike Lanes;  
c. #4 Safe Parking Program, acknowledging that this can help  
reduce litter and pollution impacts;  
d. #5 Street Sweeping (option B) with a recommendation to  
not use gas-powered leaf blowers to accomplish this;  
4. Support not funding Budget Supplement #6 while acknowledging that artificial  
intelligence (AI) data centers have significant environmental impacts.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
Yes: 5 -  
Chair Veitch  
Vice Chair Nabhan  
Commissioner Jansen  
Commissioner Kunz  
Pistone  
No: 0  
Absent: 1 - Commissioner Parenteau  
STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES  
None.  
NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS  
-Commissioner Comments  
Commissioner Pistone shared her experience biking along a portion of the El  
Camino Real bike path that runs from Santa Clara to Menlo Park. Commissioner  
Pistone encouraged Commissioners to bike the path and announced that May is  
Bike to Work Month.  
Commissioner Kunz summarized the May 7 Livable Sunnyvale presentation that  
Sunnyvale Environmental Services staff provided to the group. Commissioner Kunz  
thanked staff for a comprehensive presentation on the City’s Climate Action  
Playbook. Commissioner Kunz also announced a City Council agenda item on the  
May 20, 2025, titled: “Hollenbeck Avenue Bike Lane Study,” and encouraged  
Commissioners to attend the Study Session discussion.  
Councilmember Chang shared that at the May 20, 2025, City Council meeting, the  
City Council will be appointing new Commissioners to fill the vacant positions on  
City of Sunnyvale Boards and Commissions. Councilmember Chang stated that  
there is a Sunnyvale Caltrain Station Pedestrian Bicycle Study out and encouraged  
the Commission to complete the survey for the study prior to its closing on May 24.  
Councilmember Chang detailed the City's plans for the 4th of July celebration this  
year.  
-Staff Comments  
Ramana Chinnakotla, Director of Environmental Services, thanked Chair Veitch for  
her years of service and leadership on the Sustainability Commission.  
Christina Raby, Environmental Engineering Coordinator, reported on previous and  
upcoming events.  
INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS  
25-0620  
Updated Annual Work Plan May 2025  
ADJOURNMENT  
The meeting was adjourned at 9:43 p.m.