City of Sunnyvale  
Meeting Minutes  
Sustainability Commission  
Monday, November 17, 2025  
7:00 PM  
Online and Redwood Conference Room,  
City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale,  
CA 94086  
CALL TO ORDER  
Chair Nabhan called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the Redwood Conference  
Room (Room 140) at City Hall.  
SALUTE TO THE FLAG  
Chair Nabhan led the salute to the flag.  
ROLL CALL  
Present: 7 -  
Chair Jeffery Nabhan  
Vice Chair Kristina Pistone  
Commissioner Madeline Chang  
Commissioner Colin Ford  
Commissioner Cortney Jansen  
Commissioner Douglas Kunz  
Commissioner Richard Parenteau  
Council Liaison - Councilmember Srinivasan (present)  
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS  
None.  
STUDY SESSION  
25-1072  
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan Update  
Emma Hinojosa, Environmental Programs Manager, presented an update on the  
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan. Commissioners asked questions and staff  
provided answers.  
CONSENT CALENDAR  
1.A  
25-1070  
Approve the Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes of  
October 20, 2025  
Commissioner Parenteau moved, and Commissioner Kunz seconded, a motion to  
approve the consent calendar.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
Yes: 7 -  
Chair Nabhan  
Vice Chair Pistone  
Commissioner Chang  
Commissioner Ford  
Commissioner Jansen  
Commissioner Kunz  
Commissioner Parenteau  
No: 0  
1.B  
25-1071  
Approve the Joint Study Session Minutes of October 23, 2025,  
with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory and Sustainability  
Commissions.  
Commissioner Kunz moved to approve the minutes as presented.  
Commissioner Ford noted a correction to the minutes, stating that Commissioner  
Parenteau was incorrectly marked as present when they were absent.  
Commissioner Jansen proposed a friendly amendment to update Commissioner  
Parenteau’s attendance status and seconded the motion.  
Commissioner Kunz accepted the friendly amendment.  
The motion as amended carried by the following vote:  
Yes: 6 -  
Chair Nabhan  
Vice Chair Pistone  
Commissioner Chang  
Commissioner Ford  
Commissioner Jansen  
Commissioner Kunz  
No: 0  
Abstain: 1 - Commissioner Parenteau  
PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS  
1.C  
25-1069  
Annual Review of City Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected  
and Appointed Officials and Opportunity to Recommend  
Changes to the City Council  
Chair Nabhan provided an overview of the 2025 Code of Ethics and Conduct for  
Elected and Appointed Officials and invited Commissioners to ask questions and  
offer comments or recommendations. Christina Raby, Environmental Engineering  
Coordinator, noted there were no updates to the 2025 Code of Ethics.  
Chair Nabhan opened the public hearing at 8:11 p.m.  
No public comments were made.  
Chair Nabhan closed the public hearing at 8:11 p.m.  
Commissioner Parenteau moved, and Commissioner Ford seconded, a motion  
declaring Commissioners have read and will abide by the rules of the Code of  
Ethics.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
Yes: 7 -  
Chair Nabhan  
Vice Chair Pistone  
Commissioner Chang  
Commissioner Ford  
Commissioner Jansen  
Commissioner Kunz  
Commissioner Parenteau  
No: 0  
1.D  
25-1073  
Discussion of Potential Council Priority Project Ideas  
Ms. Raby provided an overview of the Council Priority Projects (CPP) process and  
timeline. Ms. Raby noted that each Board and Commission may forward one priority  
project for City Council consideration.  
Proposal No. 1 – Commissioner Parenteau presented a proposal focused on  
promoting distributed energy storage for renters in multi-tenant housing,  
emphasizing uninterruptible power supplies (battery storage) to reduce energy costs  
during peak hours, improve resilience, and address barriers for low- and  
moderate-income renters. Commissioners discussed potential implementation  
challenges, jurisdictional considerations, coordination with Silicon Valley Clean  
Energy (SVCE), and landlord-related constraints.  
Proposal No. 2 – Vice Chair Pistone presented a proposal related to the  
environmental impacts of AI data centers in Sunnyvale. Commissioners discussed  
potential approaches including transparency requirements, efficiency standards, a  
possible temporary moratorium on approving new data centers, and broader  
economic and regional considerations.  
Proposal No. 3 – Commissioner Jansen presented a proposal to implement two pilot  
projects for natural grass athletic fields using regenerative maintenance practices  
and not using synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Commissioners discussed cost,  
staff capacity, training requirements, timing relative to the turf and pesticides Study  
Issues, and overall feasibility.  
Chair Nabhan opened the public hearing at 9:17 p.m.  
No public comments were made.  
Chair Nabhan closed the public hearing at 9:17 p.m.  
Staff drafted project proposal language with the Commission and discussed  
feasibility, staff resources, and alignment with City goals.  
Commissioner Parenteau moved, and Commissioner Kunz seconded, a motion to  
forward Proposal No. 1 on studying barriers for low- and moderate-income tenants  
to utilize uninterruptible power supplies (battery storage) and encourage SVCE to  
provide incentives to City Council.  
The motion failed by the following vote:  
Yes: 2 -  
Commissioner Kunz  
Commissioner Parenteau  
No: 5 -  
Chair Nabhan  
Vice Chair Pistone  
Commissioner Chang  
Commissioner Ford  
Commissioner Jansen  
The motion failed on a roll call vote.  
Commissioner Kunz moved, and Commissioner Jansen seconded, a motion to  
forward Proposal No. 3 on implementing two pilot projects for natural grass athletic  
fields using regenerative practices to City Council.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
Yes: 7 -  
Chair Nabhan  
Vice Chair Pistone  
Commissioner Chang  
Commissioner Ford  
Commissioner Jansen  
Commissioner Kunz  
Commissioner Parenteau  
No: 0  
Proposal No. 3 will be forwarded to the City Manager for City Council consideration.  
1.E  
25-1074  
Approve 2026 Master Work Plan  
The Commission discussed finalizing the Draft 2026 Master Work Plan. The Draft  
Work Plan was prepared by staff and reflects topics prioritized by the Commission.  
Chair Nabhan opened the public hearing at 10 p.m.  
No public comments were made.  
Chair Nabhan closed the public hearing at 10 p.m.  
Commissioner Parenteau moved, and Commissioner Jansen seconded, a motion to  
approve the 2026 Draft Master Work Plan.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
Yes: 7 -  
Chair Nabhan  
Vice Chair Pistone  
Commissioner Chang  
Commissioner Ford  
Commissioner Jansen  
Commissioner Kunz  
Commissioner Parenteau  
No: 0  
NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS  
-Commissioner Comments  
Commissioner Kunz reported on two presentations from the November Livable  
Sunnyvale meeting addressing mass timber building techniques and embodied  
carbon, and dark sky ordinances.  
Commissioner Parenteau referenced a Southern California city’s revision to its  
building code allowing denser multi-tenant buildings on small lots and suggested  
Sunnyvale consider a similar approach.  
Commissioner Jansen announced House Representative Ro Khanna’s virtual town  
hall on November 19, 2025, and encouraged Commissioners to attend and  
advocate for environmental protection and sustainability initiatives.  
Vice Chair Pistone recommended a podcast episode from the “What If We Get It  
Right” series by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.  
Councilmember Srinivasan thanked the Commission for their work and noted this  
was his final meeting as the Sustainability Commission’s Council liaison.  
-Staff Comments  
Ms. Raby reported on previous and upcoming events.  
INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS  
25-1075  
Updated Annual Work Plan November 2025  
ADJOURNMENT  
The meeting was adjourned at 10:12 p.m.