Wed, Jun 3, 2026·Mountain View, California·City Council

Council Sustainability Committee Meeting - June 3, 2026: Decarbonization Analysis and Action Plan Progress

Discussion Breakdown

Sustainability and Resilience77%
Community Engagement8%
Transportation Safety7%
Procedural6%
Finance And Investments2%

Summary

Council Sustainability Committee Meeting - June 3, 2026

The meeting focused on two major agenda items: the presentation of the decarbonization goal analysis and an update on the Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) progress. Staff presented findings on emissions scenarios, discussed the impact of local versus state/regional actions, and proposed next steps. The committee also heard public comments on funding mechanisms, model assumptions, and community outreach.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes from the previous meeting were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Bruce Carney (oral communications): Proposed using the utility user tax (UUT) windfall – the amount collected beyond a baseline of $4.8 million – to fund incentives for electrifying vehicles and homes. He distributed a handout showing that $2.8 million per year could fund 1,414 incentives at $2,000 each, reaching 4% of households annually.
  • Katie (on decarbonization analysis): Noted that the model assumes the EV sales rate remains constant at 41% of new car sales, which she believes underestimates future adoption. She also expressed concern that heavy-duty EV sales are modeled at only 10% by 2050 and urged a deeper review of assumptions.
  • Patrick (on decarbonization analysis and SAP): Urged collaboration with the school community (about 4,000 households) to mobilize families. Suggested a line item in the action plan for outreach and a champion at each school.
  • Mary Daniel (via Zoom, on decarbonization analysis): Described the status of Bay Area Air District Rule 9-6, noting a proposed nine-month postponement and a 38% exemption rate. Asked staff to update the goal analysis to reflect these changes, plan for reach codes, estimate Mountain View’s exemption rate, and send letters of support to the Air District.
  • Mary Daniel (on SAP): Expressed support for continued shuttle funding and multifamily EV charging incentives. Noted that while 30 water heaters in city facilities were replaced with heat pumps, five were replaced with tankless gas units (14%), underscoring the difficulty of full electrification and the need for a commitment to end natural gas flow by 2045.
  • Patrick (on SAP): Suggested using Tel-RAAm devices (low-cost, Wi‑Fi connected counters) to collect real‑time multimodal traffic data (cars, bikes, pedestrians).

Discussion Items

5.1 Decarbonization Goal Analysis

  • Staff Presentation (Ms. Lee & Miss Lucky): Presented three emissions scenarios: business as usual (13% increase by 2045), adjusted business as usual (59% reduction thanks to state/regional policies), and local action scenario (additional 7% reduction, total 66%). Key drivers of reductions: EV market trends (41% sales rate), Bay Area Air District rules (banning gas appliances starting 2027), state SB 100 renewable portfolio, and low‑carbon fuel standard. Local actions – reach codes, electrification outreach, incentives, permitting assistance – were modelled and found to be complementary but small compared to state/regional policies. If Air District rules are delayed or weakened, reach codes become more critical (30,000 tons reduction vs. 107,000 tons from the rules). Transportation emissions remain the largest sector (63% of core emissions in 2045). Expanding multifamily EV charging showed high potential (22,000 metric tons reduction). Staff recommended maintaining the 2045 carbon neutrality goal and revisiting every five years.
  • Council Questions/Comments:
    • Chair Schulter asked about financing options. Staff responded that the analysis did not address funding yet, but financing opportunities (on-bill financing through PG&E, Silicon Valley Clean Energy pilot, third-party RFP) are being explored. The five‑year plan will include a high‑level action to pursue financing and funding.
    • Member Hicks confirmed that multifamily EV charging is a priority because 50% of housing units are multifamily and access to charging is lower. The model is designed to be dynamic to adjust to changing assumptions (e.g., Air District rule modifications, gas prices, EV adoption).
    • Member Clark appreciated the clear graphics and stressed the importance of communicating magnitude of reductions to residents. She also supported outreach through schools and noted the value of used EV programs.
    • Chair Schulter emphasized the need for financing and incentives to overcome upfront costs, referencing council member McAllister’s point that electrification saves money over time. Supported regional collaboration on UUT-based incentives and expressed interest in microcars and neighborhood electric vehicles.
    • The committee broadly supported continued work on financing and dynamic modeling.

5.2 Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) Progress Update

  • Staff Presentation (Ms. Lee & Ms. Anderson): SAP (adopted 2019) is 91% complete or ongoing. Highlights: 30+ million in grants secured ($27M from Measure B for bike/ped improvements), building electrification via reach codes, municipal fleet electrification, Vision Zero policy, e‑bike rebates, heat pump water heater campaigns, and Cool Block program. Remaining actions: urban forest plan (adoption expected June 2026), municipal decarbonization phase 1 (electrification of city facilities, solar, fleet), and two transportation initiatives (including recently adopted TDM ordinance). Remaining SAP fund balance: $3.86M, of which $2M is available. Staff proposed targeted investments: $500K for heat pump water heater rebates, $500K for multifamily EV charging rebates, $200K for community shuttle, $300K for city fleet EV charging infrastructure, and $300‑500K for solar/battery storage soft costs at City Hall, library, and Rengstorff Aquatic Center.
  • Council Questions/Comments:
    • Member Hicks asked if any remaining actions are at risk; staff confirmed no concerns from departments. Member Hicks also inquired about bike count data and post‑program surveys for e‑bikes. Staff noted that e‑bike program surveys showed promising trip replacement rates, but ongoing citywide bike counts are not routinely reported. Member Clark seconded the value of data on usage of different bike lane types to inform future investments.
    • Chair Schulter praised the cross‑departmental collaboration fostered by the SAP tracking process.
    • Member Hicks and others discussed using traffic cameras and other technology for multimodal counts (not storing data, only aggregate counts). Staff took note.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal action was taken on the decarbonization goal analysis (informational item); staff will return with the final five‑year decarbonization plan later this year.
  • SAP progress was received as informational; the proposed funding allocations will be brought forward for council approval at future hearings (e.g., solar/battery projects in September).
  • Straw poll: Committee members expressed support for holding a special meeting of the Council Sustainability Committee (rather than a general council meeting) for a planned sea level rise discussion with Santa Clara County elected officials this fall. Staff will work on logistics and scheduling, ensuring at least two committee members can attend.
  • No formal votes were taken on either discussion item; the meeting adjourned at 7:31 PM.

Meeting Transcript

That's great. So let's have a call to 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 webinar ID shown on the screen. When I announce the item on which you wish to speak, click on the raise hand feature in Zoom or dial star nine on your phone. When I call your name to provide public comment, if you are participating via phone, please press star six and unmute yourself. And then for people in attendance, please fill out a speaker card, which you can find on the sign-in table to the left of the door. And so item one. Do we have any speaker cards? Roll call. Yeah. Okay. Oh, everybody's here. Um chair show on here. Member Clark or Member Hicks. Yeah, great. All right. And then we have item three, which is approve the win uh the minutes. Does anyone have any comments or questions about the meeting minutes? Okay, now. Thank you. If um, would anyone like to move a motion to approve the minutes? Second after public comment. Yeah, I think we need to have public. Okay. Is there any would you like to make public comment on the minutes? No, okay. Anybody online? Okay, so we can go ahead with the vote. All those in favor of approving the minutes? Aye. Aye. Okay, that passes unanimously. Now we come to item four, oral communications. Um, item four is oral communications from the public. This portion of the meeting is reserved for people wishing to address the committee on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are allowed to speak for on any topic for up to three minutes during this section. State law prohibits the CSC from acting on non-agendized items. Would any member of the public like to provide comment on an item that is not on the agenda? Yes. Welcome. Thank you. I'm going to speak about a lot of different numbers, and so I thought it'd be kind to put them on a piece of paper so you could see them as I was talking about. Oh, so the last city council meeting, I commented on what I felt was a need for funding source to do wonderful things for sustainability. And just in the last couple of days, I've come up with one. So it is to say that the user utility tax, which has risen so rapidly the last few years, represents a windfall. Money that people have paid in order to get electricity and gas in their homes and businesses have done the same. The city has taken a 3% tax on all of that money, and as the price of gas and electricity have risen, the tax revenues have risen. In the past, 4.8 million dollars a year for natural gas and electricity was the city's take, and it went to the general fund. All that money is still going to the general fund.