San Diego Environment Committee Meeting - November 7, 2019

The Environment Committee of the San Diego City Council met on November 7, 2019, at 9:00 AM. Chair Campbell presided, with Councilmembers Bree, Sherman, and Moreno present. The meeting began with adoption of the previous meeting's actions, followed by extensive public testimony on two primary topics: declaring a climate emergency and passing a right to rescue resolution for animals. The committee then approved a consent calendar and three discussion items unanimously, and received an informational update on recycling at city facilities.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Climate Emergency Declaration: Eight speakers urged the committee to recommend that the City Council declare a climate emergency. Speakers included Michael Brackney (Climate Mobilization / Extinction Rebellion / San Diego 350), Barbara Rose, Dr. Beth McNeil, Bud Titlow (environmental scientist), Carl Alpinger (President, North County Climate Change Alliance / Extinction Rebellion), Nancy Cassidy, Derek Cassidy (La Jolla resident), and Sophie Wolfram (Climate Action Campaign). They cited scientific warnings (over 11,000 scientists declaring a climate emergency), risks to property and insurance, the 1.5°C target, and the need for rapid implementation of the Climate Action Plan (e.g., bus-only lanes, protected bikeways, increased tree canopy, dense infill housing, and curbside composting). Several noted that over 1,000 jurisdictions worldwide and 50 U.S. cities (including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York) have already made such declarations.
• Right to Rescue Resolution: Nine speakers requested the committee pass a resolution affirming the right to rescue animals from abuse, particularly on factory farms. Speakers included Cam Maita, Melanie (last name unclear), Stacy (spelling uncertain), Frankie Madison, Doreen Nasser, Rachel Hostler (North Park resident), Liz Jacobelli, and Shannon Sears. They argued that California Penal Code 597 already permits rescuing animals denied food, water, or medical attention, but that activists face felony charges for intervening. They called for an animal bill of rights, citing undercover investigations revealing cruelty at slaughterhouses and the discrepancy between protections for pets and livestock.
• Other Public Comments: Three speakers addressed additional concerns: Terry Ann Skelly noted the persistent black market for marijuana despite legalization; Ann Fage (Chair, Community Forest Advisory Group) reported illegal tree topping at a parking lot on Montezuma Road and urged code enforcement for urban forestry; Kelly McCormick raised issues with marijuana manufacturing facilities dumping waste and the city's failure to analyze environmental impacts under CEQA.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1: Second amendment to agreement with Hawthorne Machinery for heavy-duty dozer equipment at Miramar Landfill. Approved unanimously.
• Item 2: Resolution to increase expenditure authority for citywide refuse and recyclable services contract with Allied Waste Systems (Republic Services). Approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

• Item 3: Household Hazardous Waste Contract – Staff from Environmental Services Department (Mario Sierra, Joy Newman) presented a five-year contract with Clean Harbors Environmental Services, not to exceed $6 million, for managing household hazardous waste at Miramar Landfill and eight mobile collection events. In the past fiscal year, 4,590 households participated, diverting 69 tons. Councilmember Sherman inquired about advertising; staff noted postcards sent to 1 million households. The committee approved the contract unanimously.
• Item 4: Landfill Gas System Operations – Staff (James Hay) requested a $2.5 million amendment to the contract with SCS Engineers for interim operation and maintenance of the landfill gas system at Miramar Landfill, bringing the total to $4.5 million. The extension is needed while a long-term operator is procured. The committee determined the activity was categorically exempt from CEQA and approved the amendment unanimously.
• Item 5: Waste Carts and Recycling Containers – Staff (Michael Goudreau) presented a request to increase expenditure authority by $5.545 million for the cooperative procurement contract with Rarig Pacific for automated trash and recycling carts, extending through September 2021. Currently 690,000 containers are in use; 500,000 are over 10 years old and out of warranty. Councilmember Moreno raised concerns about bin quality (citing a 2017 Grand Jury report) and inequitable green waste pickup in neighborhoods like Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, and others. Staff responded that bin quality meets specifications and that the green waste program is not citywide. The committee approved the expenditure increase unanimously.
• Item 6: Recycling at City Facilities Update – Staff (Barbara Lamb, Jennifer Hobbs) reported that city facilities achieved a 72% diversion rate in fiscal year 2019, exceeding the 50% goal. Departments under 50% (e.g., Fire, Parks & Recreation, Police) have made progress. Future plans include streamlining data reporting and continuing quarterly recycling liaison meetings. Sophie Wolfram (Climate Action Campaign) noted that citywide waste diversion remains flat at 64-66%, far short of the 2020 target of 75%. Staff announced that a Zero Waste 2.0 plan addressing these issues would be presented to the committee in January 2020. This item was informational only; no vote was taken.

Key Outcomes

• All consent and discussion items requiring action were approved unanimously. Specifically:
  • Consent items 1 and 2 approved.
  • Contract with Clean Harbors (Item 3) approved.
  • Amendment with SCS Engineers (Item 4) approved.
  • Expenditure increase with Rarig Pacific (Item 5) approved.
• The committee received the recycling update (Item 6) and noted the upcoming Zero Waste 2.0 plan.
• No votes were taken on climate emergency or right to rescue resolutions; the items were not on the agenda. Public testimony was heard but no action was scheduled.
• The chair announced that no December 2019 meeting would be held, concluding the committee's meetings for the year.

Note: The transcript also contains a brief opening statement by Lee Friedman (Strategic Energy Initiatives Manager, Mayor's Office) about recent initiatives, but the presentation was cut short due to the start of public testimony.