Title
Endorse the 2019 Annual Report on the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (Patrick Pelegri-O’Day, Climate Action Coordinator)
Body
Transportation Commission
January 22, 2020
Item 5B
Action
Endorse the 2020 CARP Annual Report
BACKGROUND
The Climate Action & Resiliency Plan (CARP) was adopted by the City Council on September 3, 2019, after a year and a half plan development process that included significant community and stakeholder engagement. The aim of the CARP is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to the local impacts of climate change, and become a more sustainable city. To guide implementation, Annual Reports will be presented to City Council and Boards and Commissions to share information and evaluate priorities. This Annual Report is brought to the Transportation Commission in particular because an estimated 70 percent of local emissions come from the transportation sector and the transportation system will face significant flooding vulnerabilities if climate breakdown continues.
Less than six months has passed between adoption of the CARP and submittal of this first Annual Report. The 2020 Annual Report is being put forward at this time to ensure that budget decisions can be linked to plan implementation efforts and to coincide with the Transportation Choices Plan annual report, acknowledging the important connections between transportation and climate.
The 2020 CARP Annual Report presents the CARP’s vision and goals, the status of key projects and staffing structure, metrics and funding, and a framework for the next five years of plan implementation.
DISCUSSION
The 2020 CARP Annual Report is the first annual report on climate action and resiliency. The goals of the CARP are reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 50% below 2005 levels by 2030; increasing resiliency to flooding, drought, extreme heat, hazardous air quality, and earthquakes; and building social resilience and local government capacity. In addition to the numerical GHG reduction goal, the CARP aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible in accordance with Alameda’s Climate Emergency Declaration, which was passed in March 2019 by the City Council.
Equity
The three pillars of sustainability are healthy economy, natural environment, and social equity. Equity is critical for societal sustainability and community resilience, and is a central tenet of the CARP. In the development process, social equity was considered when assessing the potential impacts of climate change, the costs and benefits of proposed City actions, and project prioritization.
To better understand the impacts of climate change locally, staff developed a Social Vulnerability Assessment (SVA) for Alameda. The SVA recognizes that hazard events do not have the same impact on every household; impacts are influenced by income, ability, age, English language proficiency, and other socioeconomic characteristics. The SVA mapped Alameda’s 57 census block groups according to their concentration of social vulnerability indicators, as determined by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). This data is now being utilized in the development of the Active Transportation Plan and Emergency Operations Plan.
The CARP is committed to implementing adaptation and GHG reduction strategies that are socially beneficial, especially for underserved communities. One example is the CARP’s prioritization of mode shift strategies that increase transit access and bicycle and pedestrian safety, making affordable mobility options accessible to a broader range of Alamedans. Another equitable transportation strategy is AMP’s rebate program for used EVs, launching early 2020, which will allow more Alamedans to enjoy the cost savings and cleaner air from driving a zero-emissions vehicle.
Inclusive outreach and engagement was a priority in the CARP development process and continues to be a priority as implementation begins. In the CARP, resources were produced in four languages and workshops were offered online and in-person in order to make attendance more accessible. Despite these efforts, the diversity of Alameda and complexity of the CARP mean that much more communications work is needed. Staff recommend initiating a communications plan in spring of 2020, which can also be leveraged to support transportation priorities, in order to address this need.
GHG Reduction Progress and Priority Actions
With the City Council’s adoption of a Climate Emergency Declaration in March 2019, the City established an aim of achieving net zero GHG emissions as soon as possible. This goal is in line with scientific projections of global emissions reduction efforts necessary to limit global heating below the most damaging levels. It is also very ambitious, and requires concerted effort across all City departments.
Progress on GHG reduction in 2019:
• Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) is providing 100% clean power to all Alamedans.
• Constructed new bike lanes
• Launched Active Transportation Plan planning process
• AMP conducted extensive outreach about electric vehicles.
• Incentivized energy efficient windows and doors to promote climate-friendly building retrofits
• City Council passed a resolution that will result in all-electric residential development on City-owned lands.
• Drafted ban on gas-powered leaf blowers
Priority actions for reducing GHG emissions in 2020:
• Reduce commute vehicle miles travelled (VMT) by promoting telecommuting.
• Provide rebate program for used EVs, including a higher rebate amount for income-qualified individuals (program by AMP).
• Synchronize traffic signals.
• Begin planning process for citywide Master Tree Plan.
• Seek greater integration among the CARP, Transportation Choices Plan, Active Transportation Plan, and AMP’s Strategic Plan.
Adaptation/Resilience Progress and Priority Actions
Alameda is one of the most climate-vulnerable cities in California. Our most significant vulnerabilities are to sea level rise and a rising water table, but our vulnerabilities are not limited to flooding. Earthquakes, hazardous air quality from wildfire smoke, and increasing heat waves are all risks that Alamedans face
Progress on adaptation and resilience in 2019:
• Alameda property owners passed a Water Quality and Flood Protection fee increase to provide ongoing revenues for operations and capital projects that reduce flooding and improve water quality runoff to the Bay.
• Completed the City’s first Green Infrastructure Plan, which guides the identification, implementation, tracking, and reporting of green infrastructure projects within Alameda.
• Drafted Environmental Annex to the Emergency Operations Plan, which defines protocols for City actions in case of extreme heat, extreme cold, and hazardous air quality.
Priority actions for increasing adaptation and resilience in 2020:
• Complete study on emergent groundwater and integrate relevant infrastructure vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies into the CARP.
• Engage stakeholders on the high-priority flooding locations of Doolittle Drive, Webster/Posey Tubes, and Eastshore neighborhood.
• Obtain funding for construction of levee or equivalent flood protection at Veteran’s Court.
• Complete update of Master Infrastructure Plan for Alameda Point, which includes aligning sea level rise projections with the latest science from the State of California.
• Develop framework for considering social equity in climate adaptation planning.
A cross-cutting effort for 2020 that will advance both adaptation/resilience goals and GHG reduction goals is the development of a communications plan. A request to fund the plan is expected to be presented to the City Council at the mid-cycle budget amendment in summer 2020.
Metrics
Tracking and communicating metrics throughout implementation will be key to achieving the CARP’s ambitious 2030 goals. Figuring out which metrics to track for internal and public-facing purposes, how to communicate about them, and how to tie them to CARP strategies and actions will be a major focus of staff effort in 2020. For greenhouse gas reduction, the summary metrics proposed include citywide natural gas consumption as a way to track emissions from buildings, vehicle registration by fuel type in Alameda as a way to track growth in EVs and decline in car ownership, and mode shift metrics such as bus and ferry ridership. The summary metrics proposed for carbon sequestration include number of trees planted and citywide canopy cover. Summary metrics for climate adaptation could include number of parcels in the 100-year floodplain.
To track and communicate these summary metrics, as well as more granular metrics for specific sectors, staff are creating a dashboard in partnership with OpenGov. The first version of this dashboard will be available at the presentation of the 2020 CARP Annual Report to City Council in March.
Staffing
At this time, implementation of the CARP is led by the Assistant City Manager with the support of the part-time Climate Action Coordinator. Many staff members throughout the City are focused on implementing various aspects of the CARP, particularly staff from Public Works; Planning, Building and Transportation; Recreation and Parks; and Alameda Municipal Power.
In the upcoming mid-cycle budget discussion, the City Council will be presented with the option to add a new full-time equivalent position - Sustainability and Resilience Manager. The Sustainability and Resilience Manager would be a full-time employee responsible for coordination and ongoing management of CARP implementation, progress tracking and reporting.
Funding
As stated in the adopted CARP, “to implement GHG and resilience strategies, Alameda will need to use a mix of federal, regional, state, and local dollars and grants.” Staff continues to communicate with other agencies and organizations to identify and selectively pursue grant opportunities. At the local level, the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) will be a key source of funding for prioritized projects in the near-term. To help fund CIP projects, the City Council will use funding from a number of sources, including the Water Quality fee, approved by Alameda property owners in 2019.
The adopted CARP also mentions the possibility of creating a “Climate Fund,” which could be used for matching grants, offsetting permit fees, retrofitting buildings and purchasing carbon offsets. At this stage in our overall CARP implementation process, staff intends to develop a more comprehensive funding plan in 2020, which will align with project and program priorities for the coming years.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Endorsement of the 2020 CARP Annual Report will have no impact on the General Fund. The recommended priority actions are designed to be accomplished within existing (or anticipated) approved budgets and with existing (or anticipated) funding sources, where the City is the lead agency. Final budget decisions on specific programs and capital projects will be made by the City Council when it approves the Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Program. Endorsement of a work priority in the Annual Report does not predetermine or obligate the City Council to make a particular funding decision when it adopts the citywide Budget and Capital Improvement Program.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Endorsement of an Annual Report is statutorily exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule that CEQA only applies to actions that have the potential to cause a significant impact on the environment.
RECOMMENDATION
Endorse the 2020 CARP Annual Report.
Respectfully submitted,
Gerry Beaudin, Assistant City Manager
By,
Patrick Pelegri-O’Day, Climate Action Coordinator
Exhibits:
1. 2020 CARP Annual Report
2. 2020 CARP Annual Report Appendix