OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Sacramento Environmental Commission Meeting – October 29, 2024

Boards and Commissions — Tuesday, October 29, 2024
BodySacramento County, California
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateTuesday, October 29, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

Joel, can you please take roll call?

0:11

Laura Nickerson.

0:12

Stephanie Holstech.

0:14

Here.

0:14

Christine Casey.

0:15

Here.

0:16

Dr.

0:16

Anthony DeRiji.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Richard Hunn.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Eugene Lee.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Gage Martini.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Jacqueline Todak.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Mark White.

0:26

Here.

0:26

You have a quorum.

0:28

Thank you.

0:29

The next item is we'd like to just do an introduction of all of the commissioners for everyone present here today.

0:37

So we'll start with Gage on the left.

0:40

Good evening, everyone.

0:42

My name is Gage Marcini.

0:44

I am an attorney at Abbott and Kinderman.

0:46

I do environmental law and land use, and I am a Sacramento County appointee to the Commission.

0:54

Good evening.

0:55

I'm Richard Hunt.

0:56

I was appointed by Sacramento County, and I'm a retired environmental planner.

1:02

I'm Stephanie Holstege.

1:04

I'm a senior environmental scientist with the State Water Resources Control Board, and I'm the vice chair on this commission, and I'm appointed by the City of Sacramento.

1:14

Good evening, Christine Casey.

1:16

I'm an appointee of Sacramento County, and I'm Deputy Secretary for Freight Policy at the California State Transportation Agency.

1:24

Jacqueline Todak, I'm appointed by the City of Sacramento, and I'm a senior environmental project manager.

1:31

Hi, I'm Mark White.

1:33

I was formerly a consultant of the garbage industry.

1:36

Now retired.

1:38

Appointed by the county.

1:40

Hello, I'm Eugene Lee, representing the City of Elk Grove, retired from the California Energy Commission.

1:47

I'm Tony DiRiggy, a retired pediatrician representing the city of Sacramento.

1:52

I worked on the Kaiser Permanente Environmental Stewardship Program.

1:58

Thank you.

2:00

So the next item is public comment.

2:02

I don't know if there's anyone present that would like to provide public comments at this time or anyone online.

2:10

Great.

2:11

So we'll move into the Sacramento Environmental Commission Environmental Awards.

2:17

Thank you all for coming, and we're excited to honor and recognize citizens, businesses, and organizations based in Sacramento County that have demonstrated outstanding efforts to improve, protect, and steward environmental resources.

2:34

We're going to be presenting three trophies to winners of this year's environmental awards in no particular order.

2:40

And I'll be um announcing the first award.

2:44

So the first winner is the Wildlife Care Association for Outstanding Environmental Stewardship.

2:51

With the help of a small number of paid employees and approximately 250 volunteers, the Wildlife Care Association is open 365 days a year, accepting injured and orphaned wildlife free of charge and caring for them with the ultimate goal of releasing them back into the wild.

3:09

The Wildlife Care Association takes in animals from the public as well as animal control agencies and maintains detailed annual statistics on species intakes, survival rates, and release rates.

3:22

In 2023, the Wildlife Care Association received and cared for nearly 7,000 animals and is on track to receive even more in 2024.

3:32

Between 3,000 and 4,000 of the animals received the otherways may have died are released back into the Sacramento area annually.

3:40

The Wildlife Care Association maintains a hotline that the public can call if they find an animal in need and have questions about intervention and care.

3:48

The Wildlife Care Association cares for approximately 340 different species of mammals and birds each year, filling an enormous gap for injured wildlife rehabilitation in the Sacramento area.

4:00

Accepting the awards is Teresa Bailaski Bilaski on behalf of the members of the Wildlife Care Association.

4:08

So at this time, um please come forward to the podium to accept the reward, and you're welcome to say a few words about your organization if you would like.

4:27

So I also asked two other board members to come down with me.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health█████████████████████████████████████37%
Environmental Mitigation███████████████████████23%
Public Comment██████████10%
Procedural██████6%
Public Education██████6%
Climate Action Planning██████6%
Animal Regulation█████5%
Cannabis Regulation█████5%
Public Transit██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento Environmental Commission Meeting – October 29, 2024

The Sacramento Environmental Commission convened on October 29, 2024, at 10:49 UTC. The meeting featured presentations of the 2024 Environmental Awards, a public health update from the County Health Officer, an update on the County Climate Action Plan, a report from the Environmental Management Department, and approval of prior meeting minutes. Commissioners also shared updates on local environmental initiatives and discussed outreach strategies.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Draft Minutes – August 19, 2024 – Approved with 9 in favor (Stephanie Holstege, Christine Casey, Dr. Anthony DeRigi, Eugene Lee, Gage Martini, Jacqueline Todak, Mark White) and 1 abstention (Richard Hunn).
  • Approval of Draft Minutes – August 26, 2024 – Approved with 7 in favor (Stephanie Holstege, Christine Casey, Richard Hunn, Eugene Lee, Gage Martini, Mark White) and 2 abstentions (Dr. Anthony DeRigi, Jacqueline Todak).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered during the designated period.

Discussion Items

2024 Environmental Awards

Three awards were presented to recognize outstanding environmental contributions in Sacramento County:

  • Wildlife Care Association – Received the Outstanding Environmental Stewardship award. In 2023, the organization cared for nearly 7,000 injured or orphaned animals (approximately 340 species) and released 3,000–4,000 back into the wild. The association operates 365 days a year with ~250 volunteers. Teresa Bilaski accepted on behalf of the organization.
  • Jamie Stevenson – Received the Outstanding Environmental Leadership award for planting 25 trees at age 14 with 50 volunteers in Folsom. The project took two years; she committed to three years of tree care. Jamie thanked her mentors and troop leaders.
  • Splash – Received the Outstanding Environmental Leadership and Education award for 23 years of stormwater and watershed education. Splash has connected nearly 105,000 students with nature, trained over 450 teachers, and in 2023 reached 18,620 students and 579 teachers. Splash also hosts a youth climate camp and maintains 40 animal ambassadors. McKenzie Weiser accepted the award.

Public Health Update (Dr. Olivia Casiria, Sacramento County Public Health Officer)

Dr. Casiria provided updates on current infectious disease concerns:

  • Avian Influenza H5N1 – Detected in raw milk and dairy herds; 11 human cases among California farm workers (all mild, mostly conjunctivitis). 304 herds affected in 14 states. No cases in Sacramento County yet. Risk of mixing with seasonal flu highlighted; farm workers encouraged to get flu vaccine. Pasteurized milk is safe.
  • Marburg Virus – Outbreak in Rwanda (62 cases, 15 deaths as of October 15). No cases outside Rwanda; CDC monitoring travelers. No vaccine or treatment.
  • Seasonal Respiratory Viruses – Flu and COVID-19 rates currently low; expected to rise after Thanksgiving. New at-home rapid test for COVID plus flu authorized. New COVID variant XEC, but population immunity high. RSV vaccine available for high-risk groups.
  • Rabies – Recent positive skunks near Land Park (two of four tested positive). County typically sees 15–20 positive animals per year (skunks, bats). Residents advised to avoid sick wildlife, keep pets vaccinated and leashed.
  • Other Updates – County public health accreditation expected by end of 2024. National shortage of IV fluids after hurricane impacts; hospitals managing without canceling surgeries.
  • Wastewater Surveillance – Used for COVID, flu, and potentially Marburg. Currently at the treatment plant level, not neighborhood-specific. State-funded, no county cost.

Sustainability Update (John Lundgren, County Sustainability Manager)

  • Climate Action Plan (CAP) – Scheduled for a special Board of Supervisors hearing on November 6, 2024 (after 2 p.m.). The CAP includes a proposed requirement for carbon neutral new growth (expanding communities outside the urban services boundary, not infill). Staff recommended approval; the commission had submitted three recommendations that were incorporated.

Environmental Management Department Director's Report (Janea Monasterio)

  • AB 1776 – Effective January 1, 2025; allows food sales in cannabis lounges. EMD will permit the food aspect only, not cannabis activities. No additional resources needed currently.
  • Sidewalk Vending Ordinance – Proposed county ordinance to be presented to the Board in January 2025. Would require sidewalk vendors to obtain a business license in addition to a health permit. Aimed at preventing health and safety issues (e.g., blocking right-of-way).

Commissioner Monitoring Updates

  • Richard Hunn – Proposed forming a subcommittee in 2025 to improve outreach to county agencies. Subcommittee volunteers: Richard Hunn and Mark White.
  • Christine Casey – Reported that SB 707 (Responsible Textile Recovery Act) passed, establishing extended producer responsibility for textiles.
  • Eugene Lee – Reported on Elk Grove’s e-bike lending library: 320 requests for 20 bikes; 217 e-bike vouchers distributed (2,000 applications).
  • Stephanie Holstege – Noted SB 270 (plastic bag ban) passed, effective January 2026, prohibiting plastic grocery bags.
  • Gage Martini – Mentioned ongoing public meetings on the Urban Forest Plan and a City of Sacramento Urban Agricultural Incentive Program (applications due November 1).
  • Commissioner discussion about organizing a holiday luncheon in December.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved draft minutes from August 19 and August 26, 2024.
  • A subcommittee will be formed in 2025 to improve outreach from the commission to county agencies.
  • The County Climate Action Plan will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on November 6, 2024.
  • Commissioners will explore scheduling a holiday luncheon in December.
  • The commission will continue monitoring environmental issues and agencies at future meetings.

Meeting Transcript

Joel, can you please take roll call? Laura Nickerson. Stephanie Holstech. Here. Christine Casey. Here. Dr. Anthony DeRiji. Here. Richard Hunn. Here. Eugene Lee. Here. Gage Martini. Here. Jacqueline Todak. Here. Mark White. Here. You have a quorum. Thank you. The next item is we'd like to just do an introduction of all of the commissioners for everyone present here today. So we'll start with Gage on the left. Good evening, everyone. My name is Gage Marcini. I am an attorney at Abbott and Kinderman. I do environmental law and land use, and I am a Sacramento County appointee to the Commission. Good evening. I'm Richard Hunt. I was appointed by Sacramento County, and I'm a retired environmental planner. I'm Stephanie Holstege. I'm a senior environmental scientist with the State Water Resources Control Board, and I'm the vice chair on this commission, and I'm appointed by the City of Sacramento. Good evening, Christine Casey. I'm an appointee of Sacramento County, and I'm Deputy Secretary for Freight Policy at the California State Transportation Agency. Jacqueline Todak, I'm appointed by the City of Sacramento, and I'm a senior environmental project manager. Hi, I'm Mark White. I was formerly a consultant of the garbage industry. Now retired. Appointed by the county. Hello, I'm Eugene Lee, representing the City of Elk Grove, retired from the California Energy Commission. I'm Tony DiRiggy, a retired pediatrician representing the city of Sacramento. I worked on the Kaiser Permanente Environmental Stewardship Program. Thank you. So the next item is public comment. I don't know if there's anyone present that would like to provide public comments at this time or anyone online. Great. So we'll move into the Sacramento Environmental Commission Environmental Awards. Thank you all for coming, and we're excited to honor and recognize citizens, businesses, and organizations based in Sacramento County that have demonstrated outstanding efforts to improve, protect, and steward environmental resources. We're going to be presenting three trophies to winners of this year's environmental awards in no particular order. And I'll be um announcing the first award.

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