So I'll call this meeting to order.

This is the Council Sustainability Committee meeting on April 30, 2026.

And it's a little late to finally the scheduling of other committee meetings.

And I just want to express my thanks to the staff for making it work.

It definitely is better for me.

And oh, I know you had to stay a little longer, but I appreciate it.

Okay, so I call the order.

This meeting is being conducted with a virtual component.

Anyone wishing to address the council sustainability committee virtually may join the meeting on Zoom using the link or phone number and web ID shown on the screen.

Um by dialing 669928 and entering webinar ID 838 1846 6283.

When the chair announces the item on which you wish to speak, click on the raised hand feature on Zoom or dial nine on your phone.

Star nine on your phone.

When the chair calls your name to provide public comment, if you are participating via phone, please press star six to unmute yourself.

Um for in-person attendees, uh please fill out a speaker part when you can find which you can find on the um table right over there with the water to the left of the door.

So that's item number one.

And um I wonder if there are any speaker cards to be turned in.

Okay.

All right, so um, would you like to take roll call?

Certainly.

Uh Chair Show Walter here, member Clark.

Hey, here.

Okay, item three is um approve the minutes.

Uh we had a CSC meeting um in December 1st, and we have minutes from that to approve.

Does anyone have any comments or questions about the meeting minutes?

No.

Okay.

Well, if not, then a um a uh motion is in order.

Come on.

Motion to accept.

Okay.

If there's no public comment, I'll second that.

Okay, all right.

Do we have any public comment on the minutes?

You're right.

We have first comment.

Any public comment on Zoom?

Okay, good.

So yes, we'll take your um second.

Thank you very much.

And um uh all in favor?

Hi.

All right, that passes unanimously.

The next um part of this meeting is oral communications.

Um, that is uh from the public.

This portion of the meeting is reserved to persons wishing to address the committee on any matter that is not on tonight's agenda.

Speakers are allowed to speak on any topic for up to three minutes during this section.

State law prohibits the CSD from acting on non-agendized items.

Would any member of the public like to provide comment on an item that is not on tonight's agenda?

Is there anybody on yes?

Hello, Mary.

Do you want to comment on the system?

Okay, so um please uh uh tell us your name and start talking.

Yeah.

Uh hi, my name is Sophia Yamata, and I'm currently a student at Mona Vista High School, and I'm here to address the community education on how we can prevent plastic solution from the source before it ever reaches the creek, and then share a few amendments after sharing my story.

A few weeks ago, I was along Calabasas Park near my neighborhood, and I noticed plastic bottles, food wrappers, and single use bags caught in the weeds on the banks.

And I've also seen the same thing collecting and drains along Steven Sleep Boulevard and in Mountain View.

And I feel like these plastic have nowhere except straight into a local waterways and eventually the San Francisco Bay.

And this is not a distant problem because every piece of plastic that enters into our storm drain goes untreated into the creeks and then into the bay, and once it gets there, it does not just float on the surface, but it breaks down into microclasses so small you cannot see them, and then they affect the fish and the water supply and into us eventually.

And because the bay is so important for the ecosystem for millions of people and thousands of species, it depends on.

Um, I feel like right now the waste is flowing into it every time it rains, and we have a responsibility to do something.

And I'd like to suggest three things in like our program that we could maybe implement.

First, like adding signs near storm drain, explaining where the actual water goes so people understand the direct connection to the bay, and second, to organize community creek cleanups and third partner with local schools so students can bring this education to the home and to their families.

I understand this is a difficult problem, but think we still have a minute to go.

Keep talking.

No, I think it's oh that's it.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um thank you very much for your comment.

And do we have any other comments?

Okay.

Um and at the end of the meeting, I can make a comment about a response or okay for me to make a comment now.

Yes, you may, yeah.

So okay.

I would just like to share that.

Um we do um uh some organizations stencil on near storm drains, a sign that says flows to bay, and um they don't last forever.

So that would be a great project for a high school group to work on.

And um, another thing is that we have two really statewide cleanups every year, one in the fall and one in the spring.

And um uh I hope that you will take part in that, but but um they are uh in our area, it's usually overseen by Valley Water.

If you look on their website, you'll find out about the cleanups.

And if you would like to organize uh your community or a group to do an extra cleanup, they can help you to do that.

So I just wanted to share that information with you.

Okay.

So now we have um we'll close the oral communications and move to number five, new business.

And we're here to uh talk about a five-year decarbonization plan and uh approach and action.

So staff, uh Ms.

Lucky is going to um give us a presentation.

Uh Miss Lucky and I will both get on it.

Apologies.

Um good evening, Chair and committee members.

Thank you for the time this evening.

Um tonight we're presenting the proposed approach and priority actions for the city's five-year decarbonization plan.

This work builds on incorporate builds on and incorporates on the um on the information from the sustainability action plan, recent analysis, major policy shifts that we've observed in the last year and a half, and extensive feedback both from the this committee, um, public comments made over the course of the last year, as well as um feedback from partners such as Silicon Valley Clean Energy and our colleagues in various departments across the city.

Our goal is to present a focused and really actionable strategy that positions the city to make meaningful progress towards decarbonization while allowing us the ability to continuously adapt to what we've seen as a rapidly changing plan.

So the purpose of tonight's discussion is really threefold.

First, uh, we'd love your feedback on the overall approach that we will be laying out this evening.

Uh, second, we'd like some confirmation of the proposed priority actions for the five-year plan.

And then finally, um, we'd like some feedback for the um in ahead of the May 26th City Council study session on decarbonization.

Uh just to review some of the prior direction that has fed into where we are uh this evening.

Um what's before you tonight builds on um multiple sustainability action plans as well as direction from the council um in approving um a scope of work with Cascadia Consulting to develop to both analyze our carbon neutrality goal year and to develop a five-year decarbonization plan.

Next slide.

We've had a lot of accomplishments to date.

We haven't only been focused on planning.

Um, I won't read all of these to you.

They were also included in the memo, but I just wanted to underscore how much we've been trying to balance both thinking ahead and um implementing programs on the ground.

Um next slide.

So over the last year, we've been in discussion with this committee and with partners.

You know, when will should we accelerate our carbon neutrality goal?

And of course, the period under which we were undertaking this discussion was very volatile.

You know, we we saw a lot of changes at the federal level in a very short amount of time.

So over the course of that discussion, um, you know, we were watching federal programs and policies shift, even changes at the state level, sometimes driven by federal action, um, and and potential impacts at the regional level.

Um, we saw that some of our biggest reductions really depend on an integration of or coordination of action at all of these different levels.

Um, and we saw that local actions alone are not sufficient to get us to our decarbonization goals.

However, they're essential.

Um, they help us kind of build on policy success, show local implementation working on the ground, fill gaps.

So as certain policies were um folded, you know, then we would have a local response.

Like, what is the way that we can try to fill some of those gaps?

And then finally, um, local actions help us pilot solutions that can be scaled ultimately.

Um, local action will not get us there alone, but we also find that it's essential.

Next slide.

Um we we have spent a few meetings now talking about this shift.

It felt like every meeting we came to, it was like we have a new update.

Um so just to remind you of a few things.

The EPA revoked California's authority to implement the Clean Cars Act.

That was a significant driver of emissions reductions in our projections.

Um, it led to quite an increase of the residual emissions that would be dealt with at the local level.

Uh, just the single act alone left our local level response to be 40% of the emissions as opposed to 7% when the Clean Cars Act was modeled and expected to be in place.

Next slide.

So taking all of this context into consideration, uh, the direction that we got from CSC was to emphasize now, you know, what should we do now in the next five years because the farther out future is much less certain.

You know, we've just seen so much shifting.

Um, we also got direction to maintain our existing carbon neutrality goal.

The city had already adopted a 2045 goal, and staff did not recommend accelerating it given the context last year.

Um, and then this creation of a five-year plan so that you know we we maintain this long-term goal, but we really focus on what we should do next.

What is the highest best use of our time, you know, for the next five years.

Next slide.

Um, you know, we can't bring to this committee a plan that shows a 25% reduction in our emissions over the next five years, getting us to 100% reduction in 20 years.

Um there have been significant changes at the federal level, and also it's been our experience that emissions reductions aren't linear.

You know, some are, but we have these uh major achievements that will spike our reductions.

So, for example, COVID, not something that was an achievement, but it had a significant um and quick impact on emissions.

Um things like the development of Silicon Valley Clean Energy and CCAs across the state, just really rapidly shifting our electricity portfolio.

That led to a rapid decline in emissions all at once.

So what we're trying to do is keep a focus on this end goal and recognize that we won't have a linear path to it, and really emphasize the short term.

Okay, and um with this, I'd like to hand it over to Miss Lucky.

So this is really the context in which we're developing this five-year plan, and now she's going to walk you through some of the specifics that are included.

So just looking at where our current emissions come from, about 90% largely come from building emissions by the use of natural gas in buildings, primarily water heaters and space heating equipment.

And then we've got 58% coming from the use of vehicles, gasoline, and diesel in our community.

And looking at this information, this is kind of a good data point in addition to what we're already seeing in terms of policies that are underway or where there are gaps.

For example, like the Bay Area Air District rules.

So starting in 2027 in the Bay Area, the air district's going to restrict the sale of gas-fired water heaters.

And then that's going to ramp up over the next few years to furnaces and then large commercial water heaters.

And we see an opportunity for local action in this area to really complement and kind of drive the success because that does really hinge on the ability for local government to make those broader policies of success through outreach, education, incentives, kind of filling in those gaps as well.

So if we're building electric electrification, what we're seeing is that there's a lot of good news in this area and the broader landscape, there's still a lot of positive actions going on in this area.

I mentioned the Bay Area district rules.

And we also have California's clean energy regulations.

So we can expect to see zero emissions by 2045 in electricity, just because of the state regulations regarding clean energy.

And as I mentioned, it does really depend on local action as well and ensuring that these policies can be implemented on a local level.

So it really does represent a large opportunity for us to again just continue the momentum and ensure a smooth and equitable transition from natural gas to electricity.

So the proposed actions or the key actions, there's there's quite a few in the attachment to the staff report, but the key actions that we see are electrification readiness.

So ensuring that people have pre-wiring are already done before their appliance reaches the end of life.

So they're not kind of out of having hot water or anything like that.

They have a spot chosen, there's already a plug.

So that would enable compliance with the air district rules.

And we continue to enhance our permitting process.

We've done a lot over the years, and we're going to continue to enhance the process as much as possible to again ensure effectiveness.

And then, of course, targeted education and outreach.

And incentives for small business and low-income households.

We see this as a key area over the next five years.

So right now we have a $2,000 rebate for all residents in Mountain View.

And you know, that's really helping to catapult and kind of again have these community discussions around electrification.

But then kind of looking at, you know, where can we support the gaps potentially where it might be hard to electrify or again small businesses or low-income households.

And then looking at uh piloting programs as well.

So it, you know, excitingly, we've been accepted into the state program where we're we're a high candidate, I won't want to say accepted quite yet, but Mountain View is one of three cities in Santa Clara County to be accepted.

And we've got the most census tracks right now to look at where instead of investing in upgrading gas infrastructure and neighborhoods, a PGE would instead use that money to electrify the neighborhood itself, and then therefore you know, turn off the gas in certain neighborhoods.

It's kind of known as natural gas pruning, was a term that's been used.

So that's a very exciting development that we're hoping to pursue in the next five years.

And then the plan also builds in redundancies as well.

So with the air district rules, what we're seeing, as you noticed in the previous slide, is that you know, we're gonna see a reduction of 92% in this sector by 2045 because clean energy, because of the air district rules.

But let's say that the air district rules get delayed or modified and things don't work out as as planned.

There is a bit of redundancy built into our actions like time of sale that we can pick up to kind of continue the momentum at a local level.

And then we've got um innovative options like the phase out of natural gas by a certain year, building performance standards, and of course, policy um advocacy at the state and federal levels.

Because again, as we noticed, Miss Lee talked about all of these actions together really drive the deepest emission reductions.

Next slide.

Thank you.

So in looking at transportation, it's still one of the most persistent emission sources since I've started my career, and it still will be by 2045.

Vehicles are expected to account for approximately 63% of our emissions in 2045, even though we'll see a 50, an over 50% reduction over time.

And that's just because, you know, as these other sectors like building decline rapidly, then that'll take up more of our emission pie chart in 2045.

And our analysis only captured a portion of the changes at the federal level.

So when we were looking at the 54% reduction, we were looking at it without the Clean Card Act, but it didn't account for the discontinued inflation reduction act incentives that ended for EVs in the fall of last year.

So it's really too soon to know the impact of the removal of the IRA inflation reduction act.

But as we observed last year, the transportation emissions landscape is really volatile and absent of this broader framework and financial incentives to spur adoption.

Changes in the transportation sector, we see them as largely driven by fuel prices right now.

So that's a big motivator for people.

I mean, all those factors are kind of what we're seeing happening, but it's still uncertain to see what's going to play out in the future.

So our focus over the strategic focus over the next five years will be on addressing barriers to EV adoption and also tracking emerging technologies.

And all that's really to help figure out how to sustain the momentum.

Should you know these broader policy frameworks come back into play in the future that we're set up for success, and we're not having to start at zero and trying to complement these other policies that come online again.

So a challenging barrier for EV adoption tends to be access to charging, particularly for multifamily residents.

Right now, there isn't enough charging for EV owners currently in Mountain View.

And you know, the adoption curve, if we continues to go, that's going to be more problematic.

Or we have the reverse that happens where multifamily residents don't adopt EV vehicle uh EVs as a way to get around.

And what we're kind of seeking is well, what we're seeking is convenient and affordable charging.

So we want to really address this barrier and make sure that there is access to some level of charging.

And we recognize that technology is emerging in this area very rapidly.

And we're working to understand the future of charging.

It can take time to scale these new solutions.

So it's a balance of, you know, what can we do today?

Maybe not every unit is going to need charging, but some level of on-site charging for existing multifamily properties is going to be very useful.

And in the fall, we plan on discussing this further with the committee about where we stand with multifamily charging, what you know, how much of the properties, multifamily properties in Mountain View don't have charging and kind of where can we go from there?

So the next slide, what we're hoping to really look into over the next five years, how can we get charge into at least 25% of multifamily units in Mountain View.

So it's about 5,000 units.

And looking at the use of incentives, public more public charging that's near multifamily, uh, or even looking at piloting curbside charging as a solution, also looking into partnerships with utilities and private sector partners.

And we've done private sector partners in the past, and that's been beneficial.

And also pilot programs, figuring out where the highest need of charging is and what could we potentially pilot to give them the charging that they need, whether it's you know, fast chargers, nearby at city parking lots, or parks themselves to support their efforts to keeping their EV.

And then we have additional factoration actions, you know, EVs are a large part of ensuring that we reach our 2045 goal.

However, there are still other ways that complement how to get there, and we want to support those as well.

And the attachment to the staff report includes expanded shuttle services, affordable access to public transit, mobility hubs, outreach and education about EVs and learning more about if there are more barriers that we don't understand to incorporate those and expanding e-bikes and e-scooters and also talking about safety.

We've heard a lot of um information about the safety of e-bikes and how they're charged as well.

So making sure our community is safe and zero emission delivery services as well and ride share strategy.

So this approach is what we're um looking towards in moving our community toward decarbonization goal by 2045.

It focuses on the highest impact actions, it enables fast implementation, and it complements or fuels gaps in broader policy and helps us to not go too far because there may be technology advances so that we don't put all our eggs in one basket.

We allow for some changes and we can respond more nimbly to that, and we strengthen the regional impact as well.

So whether we're complementing like the air district rules or whether we're piloting or scaling something that could be scaled up.

There's a lot of great examples of that happening, and reach codes have been kind of paused for the next few years, but they were crucial in getting California building codes to consider encouraging electrification or EV charging.

So those things can't be discounted if that that started at the local level and eventually scaled up as well.

And with that, I will hand it back to Lee.

Thank you, Miss Lucky.

Um for the next steps, just for the decarbonization plan, we we'd like feedback from the committee and ideally approval of the proposed actions that were included in in the attachment.

Um we will be discussing the proposed actions at the city council study session on May 26th.

And ultimately we'll return to the council with uh formal plan for consideration.

Um next slide.

So maybe we can actually pause um if that's okay with the chair and just discuss the your feedback on the proposed um plan action items.

Um I think it's since we do need to have public comment.

That's well, yeah, typical process would be uh questions from the committee first, then public comment and then discussion.

So I think this is just sure.

This is where we're gonna end up is getting your guidance around how to bring this back to the council um around the approach to the goal and the decarbonization efforts.

Okay, so with that, um the questions to make some one to start the um for charging.

Do you envision and maybe we just haven't gotten this far?

Do you do you envision just partnering with an organization that would handle that or doing some of it in-house or just curious how you think about uh obviously SVCE can be full there?

I just didn't know.

Absolutely.

Um we have been in discussions with CCE.

Um, we have actually partnered with private entities.

We've sold our carbon credits to them or traded our carbon credits for installation of chargers in our parking garages.

And then we are also considering directly installing them ourselves.

I think kind of analogous to the overall climate solution.

There's no silver bullet for EV charging.

We're gonna end up with like this more buckshot approach of like many solutions to build a network of charging.

Um, we'll probably have to pursue all of the options.

So, you know, even things as far-fetched as looking at rideshare companies and if they want to support their drivers who live in Mountain View, seeing if they would be willing to partner and install chargers in our community.

So just any range of any any number of opportunities to get more charging infrastructure.

We'd like to pursue all of it.

Great.

Okay.

Yeah, I have a bunch of questions about EV charging as well, but I'm thinking because you said that's going to be a later, there's going to be a later session just on that, that maybe I'll I'll um save much of it for that for that time.

Um and I will say though that my my questions were around like what's the what gives you the biggest ban for the buck with with EV charging.

Um but I I think I because I I charge my own car, I just plug it into a regular plug.

It's not a fast charger.

And I'm just wondering how fancy we have to get um for apartment charging, for example.

Um so I guess I'll just ask it that question in an abbreviated form.

Um, you know, are are you weighing different off, you know?

Are you is it like give everybody a fast charger?

Which my personal observation is not many people need that.

Is it more chargers or is it fewer but more fast ones?

Do you have how are you weighing?

Yeah, but I think we try to think of this in kind of two ways.

The biggest bang for your buck, you know, what will spur the most EV adoption, and then where are the barriers that are the kind of the hardest to solve that won't happen like naturally as the market evolves?

So, you know, for homeowners, maybe that's fine already, and the the availability of that home charging will kind of keep pace as they purchase more uh vehicles, electric vehicles.

But for example, what Ms.

Lucky was talking about, you know, charging it multifamily properties, like it's particularly hard to solve that.

This morning we met with SBCE and they said yes, multifamily is is just we don't know what to do yet.

And so kind of looking for those toughest nuts to crack to to see if we bring additional resources to bear.

Could we could we remove one of those most difficult barriers?

So it's kind of this blending of like what's the hardest problem or barrier to remove, and then what is the biggest bang for your buck?

Um trying to find the but you know the most overlap between them.

Um we don't have a single solution yet proposed.

So we we want to be focusing on EV charging in the next five years, and then at this um lengthier discussion in the fall, we'll talk more about um EV charging option.

Thank you.

That's a good start.

It would be, you know, it makes up level one to gas charging.

We we've seen some interesting technologies even at the level one charging, and maybe not getting every unit, but you know, at the meter, you're able to unplug one unit and get another unit if they're they have an EV, you know, there's that restricted capacity to issue two at properties.

Right.

They have to navigate as well, or other solutions like solar battery.

Um, and council did approve the SVCE grant um to use for multifamily EV charging.

It's about 300,000 is not a lot, but it's a good opportunity for us to learn more about what's going on where we can share information, have uh information about the projects, um, particularly for existing multifamily.

So that's something that we're going to be rolling out in the fall too.

Thank you.

That's a good introduction.

I look forward to that meeting because there's a lot I could ask like 10 more questions on that that I'll say that's what we're gonna do.

And um, but I like your uh, you know what the market can't solve, because I think that's what there's no reason for us to do what the market can solve unless we're speeding it up.

Um then my other question, another question is um, okay.

So our meetings are have been constantly over the past how long has it been since we've gotten our new president, year and a half, whatever.

Um you know, about changing uh conditions nationally and then statewide, and I feel like another one has just rolled out recently, which is not the repeal of all sorts of programs that I liked, um, but it's the you know, the the changing gas prices.

And and that's so all the others have been kind of disincentives for uh people to decarbonize and this wherever you are on the map politically, all of a sudden you don't want to burn a lot of fossil fuel.

So do you so I imagine you even wrote this staff or made much of this plan before this latest um iteration, and that we'll have other iterations as well.

I mean, I hope you've seen that last iteration, but um so uh do you do you have have additional things come to mind because of the rising fuel prices?

So some of the things that this is like a question that's all over the place, but rising fuel plate prices.

Also, you know, I go to various groups, no kings, etc.

There are some very motivated people to do things, and whether there's anything you could do to uh interface with those people.

And then there's also uh there's sort of call it what you will, an affordability movement.

There's more talk about bread and butter issues, and I think uh that may be the best way to talk about some of the things that are in this policy sort of because that's what they are in a lot of ways, particularly because of the war in Iran and the rising oil prices.

And there's also a will for energy independence.

I feel like a lot of people in California even want to be independent from not just national independence from, but you know, they want to be more independent of this whole, you know, this whole whirlwind that's happening out there.

So with all those things, that's a lot of things, but it's four big things, you know.

Do they have and they're relatively recent, did they affect at all the way you're thinking about the you know, the items here in the plan, whether it's reframing phraseology or who you reach out to or emphasizing one of these items that maybe you you wouldn't have emphasized before the fuel prices figure out.

Um I would say we broadly are trying to talk about this plan as allowing us to be nimble and to continuously monitor what's happening.

I don't think we're gonna just talk about it and then come back in five years and update it.

So our goal is to have these broad areas that we think as of now are highest and best use of our efforts, but it doesn't mean that we're going to stop monitoring the context.

And if there are significant changes, we would come back with proposals to shift course because you know, we want to always be working on the highest and best use um activities.

And then in terms of the more specifics, um, affordability certainly has been at the forefront of our mind.

I think in the memo, we um discuss the launch of the local government climate alliance um and our some of our legislative advocacy efforts.

The alliance has adopted a broad platform of climate goals, but this year we're focused specifically on energy affordability or electricity affordability to be even more specific.

So we had our first lobby day in Sacramento the day before Earth Day, and we met with legislators that serve on the energy committee um of both the Senate and the Assembly.

And uh we talked with about affordability with all the members, so both you know, both parties, political parties, and it's an issue that resonates with people.

You know, we can't just push decarbonization and have everyone electrify everything without any thought to electricity prices.

Um we're trying to approach the issue from both sides.

So certainly um affordability is is woven throughout, and in terms of our programmatic thinking and then also the advocacy in terms of um gas prices, I I think it's hard to predict how long they will stay high, right?

Like I could predict energy markets, I probably wouldn't have a day job.

I would just volunteer to do this work and um would be just fine.

Um so we're not developing specific programmatic responses to the high gas prices.

We have been certainly promoting electrification of vehicles, and this is just a further motivation, it's kind of an accelerant right now, but we are not counting on it to last.

Um, I hope for many reasons that energy prices go down just because it's difficult for people in terms of affording really cost of uh and then we haven't given thought specifically to interacting with the no kings groups.

We have tended to um work more on issue-related advocacy or interaction than um specifically political, but when there are areas of overlap, if if that group had a specific interest in decarbonization or sustainability more broadly, certainly we would be happy to engage with yeah.

Did I touch on I think so?

I think the the thing about the oil prices, you know, maybe uh if that lasts, it will affect policies.

Maybe that's more a long-term question.

Um then and then I wanted to check in on the cool block program, how that's going.

Are there any lessons learned?

Would you recommend any changes as it's been um, you know, been ongoing for some time?

Yeah, thank you for the question.

We completed our most recent cohort and this last cycle we have actually been evolving the program over time.

So the cool block kind of experience for the first cohort is not the same as what this most recent cohort went through.

We really tried to focus in on electrification in particular, knowing that I believe it's is it assembly bill 1221 was going into place, which is this requirement for the utilities to fund zonal decarbonization or neighborhood decarbonization.

So we thought, okay, we'll use the cool block model, talk at the neighborhood scale about electrification, and then if we're selected, which we have we haven't been cut from the program, I guess is the best way to say it.

If we are ultimately selected, then we have these pockets of neighborhoods that are have learned how to talk to each other about decarbonization.

So you're specifically talking to the ones that are candidates for that we we we were trying to have that level of overlap but it turns out you also need just motivated individuals and we weren't excluding people from participating just because they weren't in a zonal decarbonization priority area.

But just the model of like how do we create conversation amongst neighbors and community and these connections with each other so that they can then talk about decarbonization.

So we reworked our whole curriculum for the program and so that would be available to any neighborhood that was selected for it.

So the the cool block was really we tried to evolve it to help set us up to be able to do more neighborhood scale decarbonization because we recognize that you know one house at a time is very costly if we could get the utility to participate in electrification because they save money on the natural gas system it's just a lot more efficient.

So but that that requires a level of community building so we're using the cool block program to kind of build some muscle in that area.

It's not a direct overlap but but we have a sense of how to do it now.

And we're working to host um kind of the toolkit that's what this last cool we were building now like how would you you know instead of if someone in a neighborhood all of a sudden wanted to run a cool block we have all the materials that they could go ahead and do it.

So there is that in you know endurability and to endure this program to keep going for if people are interested but I will say it made it a very strong app um candidate for this pilot program over other cities.

I think the fact that we have the ability to rally neighborhoods made us a very interesting partner for PGE and wanting to continue to explore opportunities with us in that many census tracts.

Oh well that's interesting.

Yeah we heard from SVCE that they they thought that the worry might be that they couldn't find enough jurisdictions that could have the capacity to mobilize neighborhoods to participate and so we we hope that this positioned us well.

Okay well that's I could ask a lot more but I well I I'll ask one last question.

So one of the things that I think you do especially well is kind of paradigm shifts within I've talked to you about this paradigm shifts within city staff who are doing you know have been doing things in certain ways.

And I'm wondering what role you see I'm seeing that that implementing our biodiversity strategy um could and also some of the other things we're doing the related thing about biodiversity and urban forestry but also the ATP um do you what role do you see yourself like minimum and maximum I'm interested in maybe the maximum and you know helping without those paradigm shifts in those areas.

Yeah I mean I think in the best case scenario we all work together you know we'd love for all of our colleagues to see themselves as sustainability staff because they really are all together helping the city achieve its goals because biodiversity is part of sustainability in the broadest sense of all of the active transportation items those all help us um achieve a more sustainable community.

So we've been participant in the development of the biodiversity strategy we think that the vulnerability assessment some of the data that we have could really help to inform you know we want more tree cover you know we have some criteria we like let's also look at where the heat spots are so that we can just have as much information as possible to make real good decisions.

Yeah, we were talking about housing preservation and decarbonization because you're doing all of this rehabilitation anyways.

You have to bring the units up to code.

And if you're gonna rip them open, like why not put in a heat pump or um whatever it is, if um and so we're we're just trying to surface these opportunities.

So as much as possible, we like to champion the work of all of our colleagues in the departments and help them achieve their goals and really integrate sustainability into what they're doing.

And I would say they've been very receptive, you know.

Mountain View is incredibly collaborative.

Um you know, many of us have worked in multiple jurisdictions, and I've certainly been struck by how well everyone works together, just how open folks are.

So it's been a really fulfilling part.

May I provide some additional uh examples because I think this is kind of the behind the scenes role of sustainability that might not be as well um uh known.

And um a couple other examples are um around EV adoption within our own fleet, and really I won't say hand holding because our you know, our police department doesn't need its handheld, but but it's it's a newer concept to move towards electric vehicles for some of their types of uh vehicle needs.

And so, I mean, I'm actually signing the purchase orders for electric police vehicles because we've taken on that role to help them identify what's gonna meet their needs, like really meeting with them where they are.

What do you need?

You know, and and then helping them see the benefits of electric and helping remove the barriers to what they might have as concerns.

Um, so that's another example.

Solar is another example where um it's not yet kind of the the common practice, the you know, the design standard, if you will, since that's a you know uh a much talked about idea right now, um, to to build in the solar.

And so sustainability team can be the much more informed staff around what are the options, what's the process um and to shoulder some of that that work and getting into the contracting um and and finding ways to make it more feasible?

Uh and it's not because the public works department doesn't want solar or you know, any of these departments don't want to do these things, it's just they have very full plates doing things in the ways that they're already doing things, and so that's where paradigm paradigm shift comes from.

Right.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Okay, I I have some questions too.

We will get to public comment though in the discussion.

Um, one is um uh can you talk a little bit more about what is a mobility hub?

I've never heard that term before.

Yeah, is it something that transportation stuff we've been talking to them about?

Um, and it's been a concept that they've been wanting to pilot and looking for different types of funding to do that as well.

But it's essentially like, for example, the cow train station, you know, how can we put in electric bike scooters or um other ways we're be able to get around to that last mile?

Um other ideas include, like say that you live in a neighborhood that has an HOA and it has like a community park or something like that.

That's could be a mobility hub where you got a bike repair.

I mean, it those things are kind of already included, but it's like another step to really enable some of those alternative transportation modes um for those first and last miles rather than choosing to get into your vehicle or even shared vehicles.

It could be a shared EV and in some of these neighborhoods.

So that's really the concept.

It's it's new.

That's definitely an innovative aspect that I think cities are trying to figure out what that looks like.

And it could be a number of things, it sounds like depending on the situation.

Okay, all right, thank you.

And um, the other thing, uh, following up on your comment about the um reach codes, you know, we we had to change the reach code because of the law.

But um, we got quite a bit of statistical uh reporting um as we were working through that process.

And I'm wondering if we are finding that in the permits going forward, are people um choosing to who have the choice choosing to um put in natural gas appliances where where previously they wouldn't have been allowed to what's happening with that?

Do we know?

Uh we have some anecdotal information from community development, and we'd be happy to coordinate with them to see if they could give a more uh robust analysis of it.

We they were observing some instances of natural gas appliances being put into projects where previously they would have been excluded but I don't have you know they were just seeing it come across the desk sometimes and so you know which is Silicon Valley Clean Energy has done some market research that um where even like so that that shift like and it's for single family it's still not quite they're still maybe choosing gas appliances but for multifamily these larger developments they are seeing that the bottom line they do and you know they're using it as a valley point.

So I I wanted you know it was a it was more than half well more than half like just alone without the regulation now developers are choosing electric but only more than half I it's pretty I don't want to close you but well anyway I would love to know because what we really care about is is you know how how much electrification happens not um and if the if the policies are appropriate and we we did get very very upset about the REACH codes and I think that was appropriate under the circumstances but it it it it's also would be appropriate talking to our fix is working.

I will say that the local government climate alliance um was born of the pause on reach codes so there were all of these cities last summer we were all at this energy conference and people were really wringing their hands about it and it was like we're just not going to get caught flat footed again with a legislative blind side and so how can we be more proactive legislatively and that's where the concept being born we didn't end up focusing on reach codes it's electricity affordability but this broader idea of like maybe we need to work together in a different way so that these kinds of things don't happen or maybe we need to change the playing field ourselves so it's a nice silver lining to um okay and on a you know unfortunate policy thing.

Yeah um and then uh talking about charging and how the charging um technology is changing I remember we had public comment the last meeting about the concept that there may be instead of having gasoline stations they'll be like charging stations that have super fast chargers is there any do you have any information or idea about has anybody built one of those or is there are there companies that are just providing that or is is that something we expect to see on the horizon in five years or 10 years or maybe never who knows I mean I just wondered if we had any I I think it's um sooner than 10 years I think that there is a lot of excitement we haven't heard of super fast chargers being installed in on the peninsula or anything like that but um it's closer than 10 years this I think this morning actually we're in a meeting and it would be three to five years was kind of thrown out so in the relatively near term uh we have um a charging shortage now though you know this today I tried to charge my car actually and there were two cars in front of me in line for the fast charger so we have a charging shortage now there is room to grow our charging infrastructure but not so much that we think we've solved the problem for the city and then in five years have to rip all of that out and install brand new forms of charging.

So we want to increase the capacity we have now but not go all the way recognizing that the technology is evolving really quickly.

Okay.

And I think the nuance to that too is the EVs themselves so maybe the newer EVs can it can take that much that's true that's true.

Whereas if you still are buying used or older EVs right you you know it only has so much capacity to draw for a charger and then it you're we're looking at electric pores versus the Nissan leaf you know and how much it can really draw at a time from a charger it's quite different.

Right.

And then another thing with the um with the infrastructure stuff is um I really think an important part of what we're doing is um uh it's called I get the dozen um we're supposed to be asking questions about everything on this list right now okay so the blue stuff um I don't understand what regional time of sale energy upgrade partnership is can you talk to us a little bit about that it's on the page four yeah the time of sale um is uh an idea to require and fund electrification at the time of sale so uh Berkeley is the most commonly cited example of what they you know the program that they've established recently we think we spoke about it briefly at a prior CS meeting yes so our our thinking is that the air district rules will drive a lot of electrification but if there are so many carve-outs or delays um in the rule implementation

Yeah, the time of sale is an idea to require and fund electrification at the time of sale.

So Berkeley is the most commonly cited example of what they know the program that they've established recently.

We think we spoke about it briefly at a prior CS meeting.

Yes.

So our our thinking is that the air district rules will drive a lot of electrification.

But if there are so many carve outs or delays in the rule implementation, then we could look at time of sale as being a way to backstop some of the slowdown that that could create.

That reminds me of that.

And I also the building performance standards.

Sure.

At the state level, there are kind of building performance reporting requirements for buildings over a certain size.

So just reporting about the energy usage.

There are not requirements to bring down that consumption, the kind of like other piece of what would make a fully integrated building performance standard program.

We have been in participants, we have been in discussion with cities across Santa Clara County.

Um spearheaded by Silicon Valley Clean Energy looking at could we could we consider a building performance standard program that is implemented countywide?

Um but the discussions are fairly early.

We don't know kind of what role SVCE might play.

Um the administrative burden on building performance standards programs can be quite high because staff have to check each building and make sure that they've been reporting, and then if there are um performance standards that are instituted, then you have to go back and make sure that those standards are met.

So if we had a regional partner that would um particip would help implement the program, um it seems like an interesting opportunity if we had to stand up a program entirely on our own that was separate and distinct from other cities, our neighbors.

It could be confusing for um developers and then also um administratively challenging.

So we're we're exploring the concept, we don't know where it will land ideally regionally and implemented by SBC.

Um that would be wonderful.

Okay, um uh at uh a uh MIPS conference um several years ago, there was a presentation given about um uh a town in Iowa that had set these up, and they were particularly uh uh related to uh efficiency and and um uh you know putting in um start you put in your attic so it doesn't really insulation insulation, you know.

There was a lot of I mean in their in their um climate insulation was a really big thing, but it was all driven by um uh reducing the amount of uh increasing affordability by reducing the amount of electricity that people needed, and they had set standards in their community that they were gonna meet.

And um anyway, it was very interesting thing, and um Lucas was at it too, and so we could probably figure out what that was.

Thank you.

San Jose also has a building performance standards program.

They've been part of this work group, kind of helping give their advice and share their experience with it.

Yeah, but I think that has a lot of um it it brings together a lot of things because people are very interested in affordability.

One of the ways of making things more affordable is to use like electricity.

Yes.

Um thank you, that's it.

So that's questions.

I think lots of questions.

Um and this is really a meaty topic.

And so now we come to public comment.

So if anyone in the rule would like to make a comment, we would love to hear it.

And then we'll go to virtual speakers after that.

Mr.

Carney.

I'm not just I'd like to spend my three minutes talking about natural gas off in the future.

If you would show slide 20, okay.

So let's say in 2026.

Says that about 20% of your natural gas bill is for the actual gas that comes from the oil fields, and the rest is overhead.

So that's up to 100, and that's what you pay.

Yes.

I'm sorry, slide 20.

Was that not the one with the 8% on it?

Sorry, this says 18.

We only had 18 slides, but we'll go to the natural gas.

Yes, 92% reduction.

I don't know why those okay.

So that means we would see 1.62% reduction.

And PGE still has all that over in and they need to get paid.

And so they're going to charge 98.4.

Okay, well, that's all going to be paid in 2045 by this very small number of gas users, which means the price of gas is experienced by the customer goes up by an enormous factor.

Totally unaffordable.

You have to not be the last person to be on gas.

Now if every city is doing things at the same rate that Mountain View is doing things, we'll all suffer equally.

But if Mountain View customers get off gas before the rest of California, then the rest of California will suffer those last gas users, and Mountain View will be in the clear.

This is why Carbon Free Mountain View is pushing for end of flow by 2045.

It's to the economic and environmental benefit of Mountain View residents.

But that's the basic math of running gas system down while the overhead is essentially fixed.

In fact, the overhead might go up if people's salaries go over.

Okay, thank you.

Any other comments?

Ms.

Daddy, welcome.

Thank you.

Hi, Mary Mary Dadio, Mount View residents.

First of all, cool block.

Thank you for the cool block program.

Half the cool block program is emergency preparedness.

And as a result, when our water went out last week, we had uh quite a few five-gallon containers already in the house full of water that we've been able to were able to use to flush toilets, and at least one of my uh cool block group, other cool block group members said the same thing to me.

So they're links.

So um it's great program.

I hope the program continues also because of the environment, obviously because of the sustainability part portion.

I thought I heard the grant ended, but I hope it's you find another way to keep moving it forward because I think it's the emergency preparedness part.

Um it's shown its worth this week.

Um ATP, so the active transportation plan.

So one of the most efficient ways to incorporate best safety practices is to stop uh adopt standard details, such as for laying widths and for the design of safe intersections, and I think council just approved a CIP to update road standards.

Um, so I hope that CIP results in the adoption of safety best practices for active transportation people.

So for example, um uh NACTO standards or there's some called DIB 94.

I don't know the standards myself, but I'm sure some of you have seen um emails from April Webster, and I I could send one too.

Um so as an example, um, I've heard repeatedly in recent meetings that 11 feet is the narrowest we can be for our roads, 11 feet, 11 feet.

But every project can be um there's going to be public input.

And so the public is welcome to come to every meeting and ask for 10 and a half foot wide lanes as the second lane on the street.

So, for example, Al Camino Real recently reduced one lane's 11 feet wide for the fire trucks and everything else that's big and wide, and the other lanes are 10 and a half feet wide.

So if it could be done on El Camino Royale, my question is why can't we do it on Metal Field Road?

Why can't we do it everywhere else?

And so that's what um ATP NACTO standards would bring.

If we have best practices in our and if the active transportation plan says we are going to adapt, adopt best practices um for our road design standards, then we aren't gonna have it's that's gonna be the default, and if it makes sense to have a wider lane in some particular application, then as part of that design process that could happen.

Um district meeting on May 6th.

So I've heard repeatedly how important that is to um City of Mountain View, and I'm sure many other cities in the Bay Area meeting their um stand their their goals for uh uh reduction and for sustainability.

So um there is obviously been pushback and um I don't know if you saw the articles saying that they're in Southern California a similar measure didn't pass because of a lot of suspected AI generated feedback um that the council received that council received and that they didn't realize it was AI generated until later.

So um we're trying to get a lot of people to um including everybody that's listening.

If anybody is online to uh send feedback to the Bay Area Air District before well before the May 2nd meeting, so in the next day or two, and just say that you're in favor of this rule to um it's Rule 9-6 to get rid of gas-powered basically to say that new water heaters for um generally have to be electric and not gas.

And so um I believe two city council members from the city of Mount View have also sent letters in support of this rule to the Bay Area District Air District, and I'm hoping more city council members from the city of Mountain View will send the letter in support.

And I'm hoping maybe Danielle, if she hasn't sent one recently, because I know you sent one a while ago, would also send one.

And then the last thing I'm gonna say, oh zero.

Thank you so much.

Okay, do we have any um of course?

Well please let us know your name.

Um, my name is Ann Incel, and um I'm very interested in patient.

I belong to a local group called electrification collaboration, and we're just working with people trying to tell them you know how what they can do to electrify the phones, and it's it requires a lot of persuasion, and it's hard to do, and I know I'm sure you're aware of that.

But um, that makes me want to ask the question to the city of Mountain View.

I mean, I'm not up to this, maybe you're doing it, but the thing you can control is electrification of your own buildings, and I didn't see any mention of that or a plan for making that happen.

So that's all I want to say.

Chair, if I may provide a quick comment.

Um the committee will be receiving, we'll be having a discussion in the fall about our municipal decarbonization efforts.

So this plan is more focused on community scale, and then uh this fall we'll be discussing it.

But there is a process, yes, and we have underway.

Okay, so we mentioned there was someone online.

Yes, um Bruce Nagel.

Okay, Bruce.

What's your comment?

Love to hear from you.

Okay, I'm sorry, I just unmuted.

Uh two comments.

First off, um I I did what you guys have already asked for is to send a letter to the Bay Area quality management district.

I got back a response with people's names on it.

If it'd be important, I'd be happy to send that you know, copy of the letter that I got that I sent and grab received back if it makes it easier for people to make a comment in regards to that.

It's gonna be well received.

Second thing is um generally when you have a plan, you have some goals that are numeric that you have a way to measure things.

I don't know whether that's gonna be part of the plan that you're gonna review in May, but I think it's gonna be difficult for people to understand how far you're getting and from the people involved in, unless there's some level message that says, here's what we plan to do.

And you all kind of also hinted at the fact of having regular um reviews of things, and I would suggest that that be part of the plan.

It says every year or something, you take a pulse of it where you are, figure out what has worked, what hasn't worked, or something, because um I don't see that in the plan, and so my concern is how how far we'll be able to do with concrete things if we don't have those kind of benchmarks.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Okay, is uh that the last one?

All right, so with that, um, I will bring it back to um committee members for discussion.

Um so uh we have some specific questions.

I thought we did um we have um questions about the study session, but we're currently seeking feedback on the um proposed approach and questions.

Yes, exactly.

Can you put those up?

Thank you.

All right.

How would you like us to address one and then two or both at the same time?

Um I think we're starting back with the CSC.

There you had it.

There you go.

The top one, just uh feedback and uh if so voted on approval of the proposed um actions.

Okay.

Um I suppose that basically feedback on active one and the list in that.

So who would like to start um okay?

So this is feedback on the uh the list of actions here.

Um so I you know, I generally like the direction this is going.

This is what I had hoped for.

Um I like action items.

Um I do think the the question on goals and metrics might perhaps that's more my comment for what bring back to council.

I don't know which part of this some of these comments are fitting into.

Um but this is what I I also feel that this shows flexibility for, you know, uh as a current events have rolled out sort of response to that, and I want to continue seeing that.

Um in terms of I like the focus on um you know buildings and transportation and on equity and streamlining uh permitting, particularly, because I know people have had problems with that one, electrifying.

I think that's something you could really help out on.

Um in terms of some sp comments on specific ones and additions.

Um a few additions.

One is that uh balcony solar was listed under uh an action involving equity, and I'm not on the right page, but somewhere in here.

Um I'm just hearing plug-in solar as something that I don't know enough about it, but as something that everyone in general can do, and whether you're low enough or not, if you just want to add something quick.

Um, so I'm hoping that that can be added as well, that it you know, maybe whether it's a part of pool block or a part of when you go to council neighborhood committee or whatever.

I'm just hoping that people can don't have to necessarily think make electrifying or make solar adjonian project, it's a project is something approval for them.

Um I will add that the local government climate alliance has both a priority list of legislation that we're actively supporting and then a watch list, and that is a balcony solar item on the watch list.

So we're we're expressing our support for it.

We're sort of watching how it proceeds through committees.

Um I think all the numbers.

I don't have to put it on my balcony.

Right, you could put sweat on your porch.

Yeah, that's just a name.

Right.

So we're we're watching it as it proceeds.

Um, and we can certainly look at it.

Does that mean you can't do it right now?

I think individual jurisdiction there may be local quotes that govern it less consistency, if not consistent.

Okay, well, anything that you can do locally or or lobby-wise to move that forward, I would be interested in adding that.

And it was only under equity, and so I thought maybe making sure that everyone knows everyone to do it.

Um another thing when you talk about supporting electric vehicles.

I'm thinking more and more that we also need to support, and maybe you're already doing this, but hybrid vehicles.

I know so many people, so many of my neighbors say they can't buy an electric vehicle, and I'm because of anxiety and you know, uh charging availability.

My neighbors live in single-hand family homes.

Um, but so I think when I ask them what about a hybrid, then they're like, oh yeah, I could do that, as if they hadn't been thinking.

So I think particularly in the political situation we're in, I think stressing hybrids along with electric cars could be really useful.

So uh another, and I'm right our public speaker mentioned this, making sure that the CERP program includes um climate resiliency.

I think it's a good way to do outreach for certain things.

Um and I know that we've had not only this current water problem, but also uh with uh really intense storms a while ago.

We had a lot of power outages, and so it was it was a topic for some people, and people residents approached me and said this needs to be updated, um, and then it's kind of an incentive to build some resilience like battery backup and so forth, yeah, possible.

Um another thing, this is small, but um, but I've learned as I've become a senior that it's it's um not that easy to get a senior clipper car.

Oh, or maybe is am I right?

Oh my god.

You have to go to the ferry building for yes, it's ridiculous.

And it was like to get a youth path.

I had the same thing too, right?

Yeah, it was hard.

It was the amount I had children late enough that the transition from not being able to get my kids on mass transit to not being able to my senior cell phone.

It's only been several years.

There must be some way of getting more localities to do that because it's really prohibitive.

Um, so if you could do anything around that, you know, I I mean I love going to the ferry building, but I should not have to get yeah, no, seriously, it's it's an idea.

I I tried to get one for my husband for a Christmas present, and that would be personal for them.

Wrong.

I mean, you know, literally he had to do it in person.

You have to see that you're an old person.

You know, you can't ever use it.

Yeah, I couldn't use this.

This is um yeah, I mean and funny as it is, you don't know how many people are using cars rather than mass transit because they can't get their clipper car itself on both ends, the youth and the I mean it's not just the period, but but there's very few.

I mean, I think it's gonna walk me to buy a regular book report.

But they don't have the senior or the youth, yeah.

So that should not be impossible to change.

Um so those were my additions.

Uh think, and then uh so in term the one thing I'm concerned about among the actions that I would like to think about more, that I'd like us all to think about more, is that um there's the action around exploring zero emission delivery and ride share services.

Um I was mayor a couple years ago, I did a panel with the chamber of commerce on with all the A V companies, and I became interested, very interested in this.

The our regional bodies are talking about like for Plan Bay Area 2050, how AVs we could see a C change in how you know, just like a hundred years ago is when we went from courses to cars, we could go through a similar change, really change land use.

Um, and I would like to bring that more land use and congestion, parking, all sorts of things.

And the things I've been reading that are studies put out both regionally and globally say that they sort of divide it into two separate paths, the good path and the bad path.

I'm sure it's more than that.

With medium path, but um the the good path is when we do proactive policy and planning to link it to mass transit so that mass it doesn't make mass transit shrivel up and die.

Um, and you know, first and last mile and so forth.

And the bad route is if we do privatized AVs, and then we all buy one and go out and move to the exurbs and build our big villas and etc.

Um, because it's so cheap out there.

Um so I think we do have to do proactive planning and build that into some of what we're talking about in that particular item.

Um, and I kind of think we need to start now thinking about that.

And in Contra Cost County, they are doing first and last mile pilot programs.

So I think we should start thinking about that.

And the other oh, do you have a I was just going to let you know that I have had some preliminary discussions with ride share companies around the A V portion of it.

And just this morning mentioned to Silicon Valley Clean Energy, that's kind of an interesting opportunity because of the provision of electricity that that represents for that new business.

So we're we're starting to explore it, but I don't have enough to like put it in the plan very specific.

Yes, that's being flexible.

And my other concern in this same line item is um when we talk about robot delivery, they so everything's phrased here as if the rollout of all this technology will decarbonize.

And but I think that if we have too many roads, I don't want our sidewalks to be taken over by robots and robot delivery vehicles, which frankly are vehicles, and we've already it used to be when if you've seen photographs of Mountain View 75 years ago, you could walk down the street because there were not many, or maybe a hundred, I don't know.

Or San Francisco, like everybody's out on the streets, streets were for everyone.

Now the streets are for cars, and we're confined to the sidewalks.

And I don't want new vehicles taken over the sidewalks, and we need to stay home and have uh drones deliver.

So uh so I really want sidewalks just for people.

And I've said this in CTC, and I'm and we have companies in town like Neuro that do delivery on the roadway or in the bike lanes.

If they're highly used, then I don't know if we do that.

But um, but I'm just I just want to register here my objections to having sidewalks taken over by the others.

Thank you.

Those are all my comments.

Okay.

I'll just try and work from the bottom of the document up.

But first, um the public comment about lane widths.

I just wanted to point out that I just saw the agenda for the council of transportation committee meeting they're doing middle field next week.

I'm aware I'm sure anywhere, but for anyone listening, that's um that's actually fresh on going to be fresh on some folks' mind.

So um that um the it sounds like we'll probably separately get into chargers, so I'll only say a couple things there.

One is I think what everyone knows is in addition to the now the the cost of charging being less than in gas, especially if you're super commuting, the price of electricity is far more stable than the price of gas, uh much more predictable.

Um and so that that's I think somewhat helpful just to keep in mind the um uh I think uh for midstream lining is is a is a really significant thing that we can do, and I've been encouraged that we have a lot of um now that we had a lot of um a lot of those supercharging stations that uh companies like Tesla were doing were originally kind of lots to Tesla's, but now they're being opened up to the newer EVs, are actually quite compatible with those, and those rates are also quite stable, even though they're still somewhat expensive.

Uh, but they're also much more compatible with you know vehicles that don't charge as fast as some others.

And so I've been very encouraged to see many of those pop up in Mountain View over the last five years.

So there's one at um the El Monte Shopping Center is the newest one.

Um it has very fast chargers uh if your vehicle supports it, but it also supports slower charging ones behind Knob Hill.

Um that is a really significant charging station that just opened.

Um and uh the biggest I don't I'm not sure that permitting has been the biggest hurdle in Mountain View, it's PGE because I remember that the one behind Knob Hill was ready for the longest time with you know tarps over it because it's ready for PGE to activate it for I don't know how many months, but um but the extent that we can um you know that it's easy to put those types of things in because at the end of the day, it's not that we shouldn't make some efforts ourselves and herb side and some city facilities, but I think the you know if there's a market for it, the private sector is going to move a lot quicker than we will, and they're going to upgrade their technology a lot faster than we'll be able to.

And so I think I think just ensuring that they have the uh streamlined processes that they need to do that, and that will also benefit the the city for its efforts too.

Um we have to follow our own rules.

The um and then um what was the um yeah that so I'll leave that with uh EV chargers, the uh speed streamlining and then um time of sale.

I mean, we discussed that before.

Um I'm overall I I don't really have a I mean you heard my views on it.

I'm still kind of feeling my way through it, and it's one of those things where there are some things I'm willing to be on the bleeding edge of, and there are others I'd like to see how it pans out.

And I'm happy to let others be on the bleeding edge for a few years and get the data and see if it works the way that it's advertised.

And I think because this is a five-year plan, you know, if it goes well in Berkeley, then you know, I'm not gonna fight facts and proper incentive structures, but um, but you know, this is one of those things where in the five year period, it's something I'd look more in like year three, four, five than year one or two, because then we get the feedback from Berkeley, maybe already have some data I don't know.

But if it's but if it's working well, then fine.

And if it's if there are tweaks that could be made or different structures that work better, then that too.

But um we talked about reach codes.

Um you have e-bikes and scooters, the um you know, micromobility, I think is especially for that last mile or so from our because we have an express stop on the caltrain, is is important.

You've highlighted that.

Um I have slightly differing views on zero emission delivery vehicles.

Um I'd much rather navigate a sidewalk with a starship robot than random person on you know, biking down the sidewalk, but but um, but I'm not I mean that's just a value judgment.

So um the uh but I do think that um you know I I do I do think you've highlighted some of the things that um that uh between bicycle scooters, EVs, and and being open to uh being a trial location for uh for drone deliveries where it if where and when it makes sense.

I mean, the more vehicles we take off the road, even if they're um uh the better, because right now with all the delivery companies, especially food deliveries, you know, that is in my opinion, not the highest and best use of a vehicle on a road, even if it is an electric vehicle.

And so if there are other ways that don't necessarily utilize as much of the physical environment, um you know that, but that's just my my personal opinion on that.

Um I think just to share, I'm on the airport land use commission.

Electric vertical takeoff is it's it's happening.

Um they just did the the big test runs in New York, and we are already planning for vertiports at San Jose Airport.

Um we've identified sites, we have an electric vertical takeoff uh company in Mountain View.

And so I think some of the the larger spaces will be where all that happens, but I think there will be additional sites probably identified in years three through five here is is those um at the the air taxis um start to um but I I think that's less relevant here.

Sorry for the distraction.

The um, but but it is it's it's happening.

It's gonna be LA is emphasizing it heavily for the at the Olympics that are coming up.

So um the neighborhood programs that were highlighted, I think in terms of um you know there's a lot of bang for your buck in multi-family, you know, because that's where we can have the biggest impact.

But I think as we saw with composting and other things, you know, we have single family neighborhoods that are very motivated to um to decarbonize.

And so the you know, the more that we can support those efforts and identify um you have this in here, uh, but I just wanted to voice my support for that because I think a lot of especially single family neighborhoods, um, just as we saw with composting, we'll be um more than willing to kind of work together and incentivize each other to to do that on their own.

So we talked about EVs, and I think that's those are all my major comments on that.

Thank you.

Okay, do you want me to make a comment on a comment?

So I just wanted to make a comment on the robots on the sidewalk, which is I you know, I don't care about navigating around a robot on the sidewalk, and then during the pandemic, AV has had robot delivery at the room, you know, around here.

Um that I don't care about at all.

It was just that when I was on the Council of Transportation Committee, which I'm still on, um, when we talked about them, they talked about the expected volume of them.

That's true.

And it was it was a lot.

And I want to get ahead of the game.

Uh I I don't care about one robot on the sidewalk, but really a lot of robots, and we have a lot of food delivery here.

And in particular, you know, if you're using if our downtown is supposed to be pedestrian-oriented, but a lot of the downtown, a lot of the restaurants are located here, so they're just coming out by the dozens down the you know, that's not a look.

And when I brought it up on the Council of Transportation Committee, you know, we would look into this.

And the other people on the committee who hadn't observed this situation were like, well, they don't use that street, they use the alley.

No, they don't.

And they're what they use the middle of the street, and so and and also we do have companies here who specialize in road delivery, like neuro.

So I just want to uh higher awareness of that, and I don't want us to wait until it's too late, you know, permit it when it's one or two, and then we get hundreds of them out on the street and know you know it's difficult to pull back.

So I still haven't thanked for you.

No, that I'm completely aligned with you on.

I think what I was thinking about during the pandemic, you know, there were a handful of it.

Oh, yeah, one or two.

I actually kind of had fun with it, even though I had to crop out to you know and go to Eagle Park to get it.

But if you would go out and pull it down the street, yeah.

But the but the I think the the much more like neuro, I mean, those those are much more efficient use because they can do multiple deliveries in a single at least one off, you know, the starship robot where it's just a single delivery.

I don't think that's going to uh well may I hope it doesn't.

I hope they don't take over the sidewalks because that's highly inefficient, you know, just for a single delivery.

But um and and I actually on the other things, I actually think the time of sale could be super important, but I'm willing to not be on the edge.

But I think it could be a really important thing.

Um and in terms of chargers, I think chargers near stores actually have a dual, you don't know how many places I shopped just because there's a charger there.

So I think for making stores more viable, I think it is the dual purpose.

Yeah, the supercharging stations because they're near shopping centers, it's the perfect use of 20 minutes.

So you're not going to get to 100%, but you know, just adding 20 or 30 percent to your vehicle is a great use of that job type.

Right.

And so if the people at the stores can help pay for it instead of the communicating credit or whatever, because it it doesn't help our business to have it in the garage, not only it's the parking lot is there, you know, we don't have to donate any land to it.

Yeah, all of the okay.

Well, I have a comment about the sidewalks too.

I was gonna say that um I think uh we have to develop a just like we do for trails.

We we have to keep up the um uh discussion of the community culture of what's the etiquette on sidewalks and what is the etiquette?

Well, the etiquette is pedestrians first, or if you're disabled pedestrian, even more so.

I mean like a wheelchair.

So we you know, I I think it's perfectly fine for somebody to be on a deserted sidewalk on their bicycle, but as soon as a pedestrian shows up, they need to yield to the you know the pedestrian.

So I think we need to teach um uh I think we need to teach etiquette about how to use these, and um uh so that everybody can share, just like on the Stevens Creek Trail.

We have these little signs about you know who's who's supposed to merge with what and you know, so I um but I do think that our sidewalks are an incredibly valuable and we want to make them um really uh pleasant for everyone to use as well as efficient, and so kind of having that you know that culture uh about what's the etiquette is um is something that we should include in our you know uh discussion about you know when we're teaching kids to bike, teaching kids to bike safely, you know, it's all about the etiquette on the road, right?

We have these little signs about you know who's who's supposed to merge with what and you know so I um but I do think that our sidewalks are an incredibly valuable and we want to make them um really uh pleasant for everyone to use as well as efficient and so kind of having that you know that culture uh about what's the etiquette is um is something that we should include in our you know uh discussion about you know when we're teaching kids to bike teaching pets to bike safely you know it's all about the etiquette on the road right it's a similar thing with sidewalks um okay so my guys should time for me to take a turn yeah yeah okay all right yeah I I was generally quite pleased with it with it seems pretty comprehensive and um uh I I really appreciated the um the explanations um there are a couple things I wanted to highlight um one because we you know transportation is such a um part of our GHGs I think concentrating on the transportation is is is really important and there's a whole bunch of them and I think pretty much they're they're they're all important in particular I think that collaboration is really valuable if you um have a group of um agencies working together and you that that brings down costs and it makes a late uh more of a level playing field it makes it simpler to um uh to communicate the rules etc etc so I think the partnerships and the collaborations are are just really vital um and uh so I I put checks on things that I kind of read and were fine with and I put stars on things I really liked uh I really like the regional transit partnerships the equity and affordability and transit access I think your point about the clipper cards was really excellent getting uh getting a hold of a senior clip card is is a you can get so many seniors to draw cars if it's a pain it's just really a pain.

I also think employer transportation demand management that is something we haven't talked about a lot in the last few years but over the course of the time I've been on council it has come up many times and um I I do think that um it is in the um it's in the interest of employers to have their employees arrive at work um not frazzled by the transportation system so so um it's in their interest to help us support this and we should not forget that and and um and you know involve them as much as possible uh another thing I I would really like talking about the parking management strategies um that seems to have uh not been as prominent in the last few years as it was maybe maybe eight eight or nine years ago we did a series of things um I I do think we probably should revisit paying for parking downtown and um uh and also shared parking with our um uh our large buildings that um you know that aren't utilizing it at all like like for instance the plan for the new hotel to use um valet service I I think things like that are I think are really a good idea um the equity focus electrification for hard to um electrify buildings and neighborhoods I think that in our neighborhoods um I look around and in my neighborhood there are uh there's sort of two big groups there um and they're kind of extremes at each of them there's sort of the young couples who move in and they're often uh multi-generational couples uh multi-generational families and then there are the people who have lived there forever and some of them forever and forever and and they're really kind of land poor you know they bought their houses when they're um in the in the 70s or the 80s and um they they're living there some of them are fixed incomes not all of them but um they uh they're they're a lot of single famil people living in houses alone and I think those people do not have the um the wherewithal for the most part or the money to electrify and yet um the removal of the barriers that we have instituted by the changes in our permit system and by our rebate system still applies to them so I sort of see then as a as a um uh a group we could target um to do the electrification of single family homes that you were talking about um especially with the assistance of uh Silicon Valley Clean Energy's concierge service that kind of stuff so I think of them as a hard to electric you know as a sort of a an equity as sort of a super senior equity group yeah I could ask questions about that senior program but these are people with a lot of money but it's trapped in the house I don't know how much money we want to give them but you could do uh like a group equity program or something you could or something

So I think of them as a hard to elect, you know, as a sort of a an equity as sort of a super senior equity group.

Yeah, I could ask questions about that senior program, but these are people with a lot of money, but it's trapped in the house.

I don't know how much money we want to give them, but you could do uh like a group of equity program or something.

You could, or even just even just um uh some souped up program to get the information out, yeah.

Even if that wasn't about life, yes, it was about the information appropriate.

Yes, um, and then uh I liked the stuff on the last page uh a lot.

Uh I I really believe that um the advocacy that we do um it it it uh it reaps rewards, it really does read rewards, and um uh we want to continue doing that, and that's particularly true because um our you know, our senator Josh Becker is at such a prominent place in the Senate with respect to um sustainability issues.

So we have you know, we have a really good connection there that we should um take advantage of as much as possible.

And then the other thing I wanted to mention, really um more things I want to mention.

One is that with our EV program, we we want to um of course improve EVs, but we also really want to identify issues associated with them, and we want to bring those up on a regional level, particularly Silicon Valley Clean Energy Like the last, I think we were having a discussion, or maybe it was the last meeting where you mentioned that there was a problem of look not having enough power in the um the garage here in City Hall to do all the charging at once at the level we wanted to do it.

I think that that idea I identify that sort of issue and kind of working on how how do we deal with that?

Um there is is something that you know we want to work on forward.

Um then the other thing I I want to talk about is sort of the psychology side of it.

I think that is very important to celebrate our successes, um, particularly in this time of um foment, political foment.

Uh we want to bring to people's attention things that have worked, things that are working, things that we should be proud of.

And um, I do I don't think we do a bad job of that.

I don't mean to say that, but I I just think that it's a it's actually a really big deal.

And so um having all of you show up at community events, you know, and you're in in your silly um uh you know water heater costume dress.

I mean, uh that makes an impact.

And um, I I just want to thank you for doing that and and say it's we should continue.

And if if you don't want to do it, it's possible we could get some kids from uh the local theater group to help us out.

I thought you were gonna vote.

Yeah, I know you're gonna volunteer as a mayor.

But um, but then the other thing I wanted to say is that along with that celebration, we you know, we we really want to we we need to keep reporting back as Bruce Nagel said, we need to keep reporting back.

That's just things that get monitored done, and um and people really appreciate, particularly in the sort of tech focused uh um community that we live in.

People really appreciate seeing numerical reports of of how things have gone or happened, and um uh so I won't I think that we want to continue to share those facts with people so that they can kind of make personal fact-based decisions.

Um so that's what it is I want to say.

And so I guess now that brings us to you you don't need a you don't need a an um a motion, do you?

No, no, I okay.

So taking your feet so then we get the city council session next week with three things listed there.

So that's just right.

Um answer these questions.

The first question, um, yes, and then the oh may I help um so with your feedback, we will bring the actions to the city council, and it's a study session, and the reason for this is that um uh when we bring back the plan for actual adoption with your feedback with the you know metrics and the other things that we've discussed, we want to make sure that it's gonna reflect the council as a whole and and their direction, especially given the things that have changed so much since the last time the council really kind of weighed in on this, you know.

So one of their last items was to say, hey, can we accelerate the 2045 goal?

And and now we're in a pretty different place, and um what basically staff has presented is not taking away the 2045 goal, but acknowledging we're developing a five-year plan to move us forward in high impact areas, and we're acknowledging that five-year plan will not get us 25% of the way to um carbon uh neutrality um in 2045, but we still feel like that is the right approach, and so we want to give council the opportunity both to um weigh in on the actions just as you've done tonight, but also to confirm the overall direction, right?

Because this was a this has been a big topic of conversation for this committee for a couple of different meetings, and this will be the first time for the council as a whole.

So if you think that that those are the two questions you want council to focus on at the study session, then you can tell us that if you think they should be tweaked, then let us know.

So I have a couple questions.

Well, the plan, I mean, we made some comments.

Are you gonna make like incorporate our comments a little bit?

Okay, and I guess the one thing that so I agree with all that, I agree with those.

Um, and I think it is the right thing to do that the last time council talked about, like we've made changes, but it they do have to be brought back to council, I think, because it was a pretty different discussion at that pretty different world at that time.

Um, and the one thing that's not there that I don't know whether we just punt it or what we do is we also talked about carbon offsets if we don't get there by a certain time.

And I'm now my personal opinion on that is that if we're saying that because um, you know, basically the Trump administration derailed what we were working on, which then derailed some things statewide as well, and we don't meet the goals because of that, then we do once we get there, we we pay for hugely expensive carbon offsets because almost nobody in in Mount View even voted for that particular administration.

It's it doesn't seem appropriate anymore to me.

So but maybe other council members still think the Cartman offsets are kind of appropriate, maybe community members can weigh in, but I'm finding them not appropriate anymore, or maybe we just punt and like the year before they they the future council, the year before they're about to be assessed with something, but I think they're not appropriate.

Um I think because we are uh looking at five year of act five years of action, um, and we're not setting that in those five years we will reach target of 25 percent.

I I don't think offsets is really a question at this point for where we are in the planning process, but I think we we committed to them as a council, but maybe I'm I don't know that we tell it, but you don't think I don't think we did okay.

We have to discuss them, yeah, yeah.

Council hasn't provided directly that then I guess we don't have to point out well that reminds me of one thing that um seems to be much further along scientifically than either where this was before that is an understanding of carbon sequestration, and um we uh um are doing things as a community that are promoting carbon sequestration, the you know, the restoration of the salt pond is a big one.

Um we're going to be planning a lot of trees.

So I I would I guess I would add um, and I think this was part of the biodiversity plan that we talked about on Tuesday night.

That that we you know, we also fold in as we move forward a um a little bit more um discussion and of of the carbon sequestration kind of activities that we're doing, and and and and I think we've probably gotten to the time where we can assign some valuable, some values that are fairly reasonable, which is that wasn't the case 20 years ago.

That we didn't know enough.

So um that would be something I would kind of like to see that we have included carbon sequestration associated with weapon restoration in um as one of our 10 local measures that we modeled.

So when the full analysis is released, that will be included in that form.

Oh, great.

Yeah.

Um perhaps not by the council study session in May, but um before final adoption.

So we're incorporating that.

These are fine.

There's one other thing that I forgot to mention earlier that I think has changed.

Timelines are all blurred in my head at this point.

So I think it's changed since it was last review, but I can't remember.

Um this is more transportation related.

Um one big thing that happened was uh in the recent past at least uh Caltrain's been electrified and the payment system has been unified mostly.

Um and that is a that is a really big technical hurdle that's been overcome.

And I'm on the local policymaker groups for Caltrain.

Um they are now they have revamped the employer programs for these transit passes, and they are very excited about how how much they have allegedly simplified everything.

And so that might be worth another push, not just for employers, but for multi-family complexes, you know, 10 years ago, I remember when we could require things, we were requiring multi-family apartments that were eager to give us anything they wanted.

Anything we wanted to be able to build something, they would uh you know, in both offices and and residential.

So that might be worth taking another look at because they just kind of pumped it up on a on a call recently, and they were really excited about how integrated that was, and that now you can use a single payment system.

You don't have to have the physical clicker card anymore because it's all integrated with both iPhone Android and everything, most paper.

Yeah, um and then my I was really struck by it.

I I had no idea how it was to get a senior clipper card.

And it struck me.

Um I have these hair-brained ideas, but you know, if if I were on a transportation agency like MP MTC or VTA, and this is probably a hair brain idea because it's probably way too expensive or whatever, but during this period of astronomical increases in or astronomical, big increases in gasoline prices.

I mean, having things like you know, a monthly transit holiday where everything is just free.

That's a great idea.

Let's just try you know try it out.

Um, or you know, we we know through driver's licenses and and uh voter registration and and this uh I and I realize this creates equity issues, but like we know when you turn a certain age, it would be really nice if you just mailed you a senior clipper card if you live within X miles of a transit station.

Here's here's uh here's enough for a round trip on Cal Train or whatever.

Happy birthday.

Yeah, happy birthday.

Here's a $10 clipper card that works on the entire transit system, you know.

But but that's that's hard, but that's a I mean, if you're the state legislature or a transit agency that has enough funds to do that, that's kind of a cool thing.

But also the I mean, this is the perfect three to four month window to do a transit holiday.

Uh you know, pick the day that you really want, right?

You have low ridership that you want to increase, or maybe it's a peak review day in terms of vehicle vehicular traffic.

I don't know, but sorry, that's not your problem.

It's just me thinking aloud if I were on a transit agency, we wanted to increase writership because we don't have cost recovery, or I guess that doesn't help cost recovery, but it on that on that day, but it might help it longer, but and increasing air brain things are kind of like our favorite things.

So even if it doesn't feel like it's directly related, yeah, we we kind of search those out.

So I'm not sure they called in GoPasses anymore, but that that has been recent development is the integration of the unification of the payment system and the revamp of that entire um employer and residential system.

Okay, here's my hair brain idea.

How about when you update your driver's license and you're a senior, they hand you a clipper card because there they're verifying that you are that age.

And you have to show up to do a lot.

Yeah, if they can register you to vote.

If you happen to be in a region with mass transit, right.

Right.

Right.

All right.

So I think that brings us to the end of did you get one community?

Yes.

Great yeah.

All right.

Thank you.

I thought it was great.

I thought it was what we need to yeah.

All right so now we come to item six which is commuting staff comments, questions, and reports on the next um no action will be taken by the CSC if we find but um it's good to hear what people have been there.

Red C S members or staff have comments or questions that you like all right well thanks everyone for your attendance and this meeting is adjourned at 927