Strengthening San Mateo’s climate change response through gas appliance phaseouts and a proposed decarbonization ordinance remain top City Council priorities as it reviews its strategic plan goals.
At its Oct. 4 special meeting, the council reinforced its desire for city staff to examine the feasibility of a decarbonization plan suggested at a September council meeting by the San Mateo Climate Action Team, a volunteer group working to support climate change actions and solutions. The group asked the city to immediately pass a decarbonization ordinance to address existing buildings’ electric appliance replacement. The ordinance would go beyond the city’s current and upcoming reach codes, which govern new and used appliance replacement. It also includes a requirement that all replacement of gas equipment in homes and businesses be electric or zero emissions starting in January 2025. Mayor Rick Bonilla and Councilmember Amourence Lee pushed for immediate action given the state of the climate and public support for stricter requirements.
“I think we have all heard many people who express concern over the current state of the Earth, climate, the fires and hurricanes,” Mayor Rick Bonilla said.
However, a council majority stuck with its original September decision to have a city outreach process to examine feasibility and cost concerns with a new ordinance, delaying potential approval for several months. The council is interested in seeing a decarbonization plan in early 2023. Councilmember Joe Goethals asked staff to examine feasibility and economic hardship clauses he wants in an ordinance, believing they are currently insufficient. City staff believed working on the clauses would not prevent the council from passing the ordinance or 2025 implementation. Goethals noted clear ordinance language is the primary issue preventing immediate decarbonization action, like addressing appliance costs and what if someone can’t afford it.
“We are not at the point where we have specific enough language in the feasibility and economic hardship sections to actually enforce,” Goethals said. “That is the only thing holding us back. Otherwise, we could go forward and pass this law that would have to be enforced starting in January 2025.”
Assistant City Manager Kathy Kleinbaum said the strategies the advocacy community is pushing for were always going to be evaluated under the plan. Kleinbaum reiterated staff has never opposed the measures going into effect in 2025. It just wanted to go through the proper analysis and outreach before recommendation.
“All of those other mechanisms and approaches are going to be studied as part of this decarbonization plan, which staff will begin working on as soon as the reach codes and ordinances are brought forward to the City Council at the next meeting,” Kleinbaum said.
Kleinbaum said the city would hire a company to study the ordinance’s feasibility and implementation date. Once it has the technical parameters, it will conduct general community outreach within the next six months, like talking with contractors about any concerns.
Councilmember Eric Rodriguez was against speeding the outreach and research process up without having staff vet the decarbonization ordinance, noting four new councilmembers would make the decision. He had heard from many residents who were unaware of the proposals and were against them.
“The public is being educated about this. They need more information. This is not a time to rush forward,” Rodriguez said.
City staff will first have the council pass new electric reach codes before examining a decarbonization plan. The current codes passed in 2019 expire at the end of the year. Reach codes refer to local building energy codes that go beyond state requirements. The new regulations will appear before the council for a vote at its Oct. 17 meeting and calls for further restrictions on new and existing buildings for appliance replacement.
The reach codes and decarbonization efforts are part of city goals to decarbonize existing buildings and infrastructure and eliminate methane gas use by 2030. The goal is part of its overall 2022-23 strategic plan, which it adopted April 4. The council used its Oct. 3 meeting to review the plan and readjust goals. The strategic plan is a document that identifies council priorities that staff work on throughout the year, providing a blueprint for short and long-term council goals. Staff said all priority initiatives are on track, with a handful not yet started but expected to later in the year. Other priorities in 2023 call for the city to evaluate leaf blower regulations, study landscaping water conservation, an analysis of density minimum restrictions for mixed-use projects and an ordinance to increase residential density in infill or transit-rich areas.
(2) comments
Another article that details the council virtue signaling for all-electric but where the council again fails to inform us as to where this magic electricity will come from - from natural gas fired plants or imported fossil-fuel generated electricity. I guess as long as emissions are in another region, it’s acceptable because “we” can brag that our area is “green.” Perhaps the City Council can waste time “road dieting” more areas so a few bikers have priority over all residents requiring parking? Based on this article, it sounds like we need to reduce the hours for City Council members –there would be less of a financial hit to everyone with this all-electric pipe dream, in addition to reducing the inconvenience of having to find parking due to road diets. Better yet, vote out the folks pursuing these silly goals.
Terrence - I am not a resident of San Mateo but I noticed some timid refusal to go along with their draconian Reach Code implementation. Perhaps, we will see more fortitude after the November elections. Folks need to be fully made aware of the financial and logistical consequences. Let's hope that the staff will provide an objective recommendation that all San Mateo residents can live with.
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