[00:00:04]
WELCOME TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING OF AUGUST 22, 2019.
>> MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: GOOD MORNING.
WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO OUR CITY COUNCIL A SESSION AGENDA.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE
[1. Invocation]
AS WE BEGIN TODAY.WE'LL START TODAY WITH A GUEST OF COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO, AND I'LL ASK HIM NOW TO WELCOME OUR INVOCATOR.
BEFORE I INTRODUCE TODAY'S INVOCATOR, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED INVOCATOR PRESIDENT OF THE COLONIAL HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, RICK CHRISTIANSON.
RICK HAD A MISHAP ON TUESDAY INJURING HIM AND PREVENTING HIM FROM ATTENDING OUR MEETING THIS MORNING.
WE WISH HIM A SPEEDY RECOVERY.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK PASTOR BARBER FOR HIS LATE IN THE GAME SUBSTITUTION AS INVOCATOR.
HE GRADUATED WITH HONORS FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND THEN ATTENDED TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY AND SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE MAJORING IN POLITICAL SCIENCE WHERE HE OBTAINED AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN 1970.
PASTOR BARBER HAS BEEN PREACHING THE GOSPEL FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
HE ACCEPTED THE CALL TO MINISTRY AT ST. LUKE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF PASTOR WINTERS.
AT ST. LUKE HE SERVED AS A YOUTH MINISTER, BTU DIRECTOR, AND MEMBER OF THE BROTHERHOOD, MASS CHOIR, AND MALE CHORUS.
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PASTOR WINTERS HE BECAME INVOLVED IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING AND HAS CONTINUED IN THIS PROFESSION FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
HE IS THE FORMER PASTOR OF THE GREATER SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH IN SEQUIN, TEXAS WHERE HE SERVED FOR NINE YEARS UNTIL HE WAS CALLED TO TAKE OVER THE LEADERSHIP AT ST. LUKE IN JULY 20, 2006.
HE IS NOW CELEBRATING 13 YEARS AS PASTOR AT THE PLACE WHERE HIS MINISTERIAL JOURNEY BEGAN.
SINCE RETURNING TO ST. LUKE, PASTOR BARBER FOUNDED A FAITH-BASED CORPORATION DESIGNED TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE ON THE WEST SIDE AS WELL AS OTHER PROGRAMS TO FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
RECENTLY PASTOR BARBER CREATED THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM WHICH OFFERS FREE MEDICAL SERVICES AND HOT MEALS EVERY FOURTH WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH.
HE IS A MEMBER OF THE WEST END HOUSING INITIATIVE GROUP, WHICH ASSISTS WEST SIDE SENIOR CITIZENS WITH HOME REPAIRS.
HE IS ALSO A CO-FOUNDER AND ADVISOR OF SHAKE THE CITY YOUTH NETWORK IN COLLABORATION OF YOUTH MINISTERS WORKING TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES TO EVANGELIZE THE YOUTH WITHIN OUR CITY.
HE AND THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, SHARON SULLIVAN BARBER, HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR 32 YEARS.
SHE READY WORKS HAND IN HAND WITH PASTOR BARBER AND THEY ARE THE PARENTS OF THREE DAUGHTERS AS WELL AS BEING GRANDPARENTS AND GREAT GRANDPARENTS.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION AND THE PRIVILEGE TO COME BEFORE YOUR PRESENCE, THE HONORED MAYOR AND STAFF ASSEMBLED.
FATHER GOD, WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE THE HEAD OF OUR LIVES.
THAT YOU RULE AND SUPER RULE OVER THESE LIVES.
THAT YOU HAVE ALLOWED US TO COME TOGETHER ONE MORE TIME.
WE PRAISE YOU, FATHER GOD FOR YOUR PRESENCE IN THIS PLACE, REALIZING THAT YOU ARE OMNIPRESENT AND YOUR PRESENCE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE.
WE THANK YOU NOW AND PRAISE YOU NOR -- FOR A LEADERSHIP MASTER.
FATHER GOD COME TOGETHER WITH THE PURPOSE OF BEING USED BY YOU.
WE ASK, GOD, THAT YOU MOVE IN A MIGHTY WAY IN THIS CHAMBER, THAT YOU BLESS THOSE THAT ARE OVER THIS MEETING.
THAT YOU GUIDE THEM BY YOUR SPIRIT.
THAT IT WOULD BE A SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP.
THAT IT WOULD BE A SPIRIT OF RESOLUTION, FATHER GOD, THAT THIS CITY BE LIFTED UP AS A BEACON CITY THAT TRUSTS YOU IN GUIDING EACH PATH.
WE OPEN OUR HEARTS AND OUR MINDS TO RECEIVE YOU TODAY.
THANK YOU, SIR, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRAY TO YOU.
THANK YOU, SIR, FOR BEING AN OPEN VEHICLE, AN OPEN WAY, A PATHWAY FOR HOPE, A PATHWAY FOR RECONCILIATION.
HAVE YOUR WAY IN THIS ROOM SIR AS WE SUBMIT TO YOUR WILL AND YOUR WAY.
[2. Pledge of Allegiance]
IN JESUS' NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.[00:05:04]
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU,
[3. Approval of Minutes from the City Council Goal Setting Session of June 21, 2019 and the City Council Special Meeting of June 24, 2019.]
PASTOR BARBER.OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR ACTION IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES FROM THE CITY COUNCIL SESSIONS OF JUNE 21 AND JUNE 24, 2019.
ENTERTAIN A MOTION OF APPROVAL FOR THOSE MINUTES.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FROM JUNE 21 AND 24.
[4. Councilmember Shirley Gonzales will be sworn-in as Mayor Pro-Tem, serving the term August 29, 2019 through November 7, 2019.]
PLEASE VOTE.>> ITEM NO. 4, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, IS THE SWEARING IN OF COUNCIL MEMBER SHIRLEY GONZALES, WHO WILL BE SWORN IN AS MAYOR PRO TEM TO SERVE THE TERM OF AUGUST 29, 2019 THROUGH NOVEMBE.
JUST RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND REPEAT AFTER ME.
>> I, SHIRLEY GONZALES, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF MAYOR PRO TEM OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND WILL, TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND OF THIS STATE, SO HELP ME GOD.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT.
[Additional Item]
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALES.WE HAVE -- WE'RE GOING TO RECOGNIZE COUNCILMAN TREVINO FOR A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE.
AND IF WE CAN PUT UP AN IMAGE UP ON THE SCREEN.
I WAS REMISS LAST WEEK NOT TO MENTION THE PASSING OF A COMMUNITY LEADER, PASSIONATE NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVIST, LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER, AND AWARD-WINNING JAZZ MUSICIAN, SAN ANTONIO AMBASSADOR TO THE WORLD, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY FRIEND, JIM KOEHNE, JR.
JIM DIED ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 IN HIS RIVER ROAD HOME.
WORDS CANNOT FULLY DESCRIBE JIM'S IMPACT IN SAN ANTONIO.
IMPACT THAT WAS RECOGNIZED FAR AND WIDE AND MOST RECENTLY BY OUR OWN DISTINCTION IN THE ARTS AWARD IN 2016.
I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW JIM AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL WHO ARE FEELING HIS LOSS.
A CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE WILL BE HELD AT THE TOBIN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, 100 AUDITORIUM CIRCLE, SAN ANTONIO ON SATURDAY AUGUST 31 AT 2:00 P.M.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO.
AND AGAIN TO EMPHASIZE THE POINT, THE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE AND MUSIC AND IMPACT OF JIM WILL BE HELD FOR THE PUBLIC ON AUGUST 31 AT THE TOBIN CENTER.
WE HAVE ONE ITEM SCHEDULED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION ON OUR
[Consent Agenda]
AGENDA TODAY.AT THIS POINT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES IF THERE ARE ANY ITEMS THEY WOULD LIKE TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.
WE'LL TAKE UP CONSENT FIRST AND THEN WE'LL MOVE TO OUR INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. ARE THERE ANY ITEMS FROM WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA? OKAY.
HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.
THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVE FOR ITEM 5.
THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA, ALL ITEMS SAVE FOR ITEM 5.
COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO -- EXCUSE ME, COUNCILMAN PELAEZ.
EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS A VERY BRIGHT ORANGE HAT IN FRONT OF YOU.
ASIDE FROM BEING EXCELLENT FOR SAFETY PURPOSES, AS YOU CROSS THE STREET, IT'S ALSO A GIFT FROM OUR FRIENDS AT UTSA.
AS YOU KNOW, UTSA IS ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT PARTNERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND THEY'RE PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS KNOW, OUR WORKFORCE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE STAY AS COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE.
TODAY ITEM 22 ON CONSENT IS GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO ALSO STAY AS COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE IN CONNECTION WITH THEIR FOOTBALL PROGRAM, WHICH IS -- HAS SURPRISED ALL OF US AS FAR AS HOW SUCCESSFUL IT'S BEEN.
YOU KNOW, THE CITY OVER THE PAST DECADES HAS ALWAYS TRIED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE FOOTBALL A PART OF ITS DOWNTOWN AND HERE COMES UTSA AND THEY DID
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IT.AND UTSA, THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN SAN ANTONIO ENOUGH TO INVEST YOUR BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS AND YOUR TREASURE IN SAN ANTONIO'S FOOTBALL FUTURE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU NEED SOME HELP FROM US AND SOME FLEXIBILITY ON OUR PART TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CONTINUE TO BE A SUCCESS.
AND I'M EXCITED TO SUPPORT THAT.
SO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO CARLOS AND THE TEAM AND PATRICIA FOR WORKING SO HARD TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN FOR US.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER PELAEZ.
I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE AND HIGHLIGHT ITEMS NO. 9 AND 10.
I WANT TO THANK THE WORLD HERITAGE OFFICE.
WE ARE FINALLY GETTING OUR SIDEWALKS THAT WE NEED -- OR A PORTION OF OUR SIDEWALKS THAT WE NEED FROM THE MILITARY AND TO SAN JUAN.
AND IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY VISITORS THAT COME HERE.
AND ALTHOUGH THEY CAN SHARE A ROAD, THEY CAN'T EVEN WALK ON A SIDEWALK.
SO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, MEETING A NEED FOR OUR COMMUNITY, SO I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY, OF THE OFFICE OF WORLD HERITAGE AND CITY STAFF AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER VIAGRAN.
WE HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS REMAINING ON CONSENT.
>> WELL, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR NIRENBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL.
FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER.
A FEW ITEMS I WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION ON THIS PORTION OF THE AGENDA, INCLUDING THE ONE THAT MR. PELAEZ MENTIONED REGARDING UTSA.
IT'S ABOUT, OH, ITEM NO. 22 IS ABOUT AN AMENDMENT TO OUR CONTRACT WITH UTSA REGARDING THEIR FOOTBALL GAMES HERE AT OUR ALAMODOME STADIUM.
AND, YES, MR. PELAEZ MENTIONED THE SUCCESS OF THE UTSA FOOTBALL TEAM.
I WAS WONDERING IF MR. PELAEZ AND I ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME FOOTBALL TEAM.
MR. AUDIO-VISUAL MAN, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
BLOW THAT UP IF YOU WOULD THERE.
IT'S AN ARTICLE FROM THE EXPRESS NEWS A FEW MONTHS AGO ABOUT UTSA'S FOOTBALL TEAM, THEIR RECORD FROM LAST YEAR.
UTSA FINISHED -- YEAH, THAT UNDERLINED AREA.
UTSA FINISHED 3-9 FOR THE YEAR.
YEAH, SECOND PAGE IF YOU WOULD THERE.
WHAT DOES IT SAY THERE? ROADRUNNERS FINISHED THE SEASON -- EXPAND THAT A LITTLE BIT SO WE CAN SEE IT BETTER -- RANKED LAST NATIONALLY.
IT'S HARD TO SEE WITH ALL THE AUDIO-VISUAL THERE.
BUT THE NEXT LINE SAYS THE ROADRUNNERS ALSO ARE NO. 129 OUT OF 130.
YEAH, RETURN THE CAMERA TO THE PODIUM IF YOU WOULD, MR. AUDIO-VISUAL MAN.
YES, THAT'S UTSA'S FOOTBALL TEAM.
AND THEY HAD A -- OH, LET'S SEE, A 16% DECREASE IN ATTENDANCE AT THE ALAMODOME.
AND THEIR TAKE AT THE GATE HAS BEEN GOING DOWN AND I'M WONDERING HOW CAN THEY ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM, YOU SEE.
AND I GUESS MAYBE ONE LOGICAL BLATANT REMEDY WOULD BE, WELL, MAYBE THEY CAN START WINNING SOME FOOTBALL GAMES THERE, YOU KNOW.
MY QUESTION IS, BASICALLY THEY HAVE COME UP WITH A PROGRAM WITH THE CITY WHEREBY THEY'RE GOING TO OFFER SOME BUYOUTS.
WELL, THE BACK UP DOCUMENTS DOESN'T TELL US IF THOSE BUYOUTS ARE A GOOD DEAL FOR THE CITY.
HAVE WE BEEN GETTING A TRUE PROFIT ON THIS? WILL WE BE LEFT IN THE LURCH ON THIS OR IS IT A WAIT AND SEE THING OVER YEARS TO COME, THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE A DECISION.
I'D SAY IF IT REALLY DOESN'T LOOK THIS GOOD FOR UTSA AT THIS TIME, MAYBE WE SHOULD BE ASKING -- LOOKING FOR ANOTHER UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE TO USE THE ALAMODOME AND ASKING UTSA TO MAYBE USE A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL STADIUM OR SOMETHING FOR THEIR NEEDS THERE.
WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE? OH, SO MANY SCANDALS, SO LITTLE TIME.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, MR. FINGER.
THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.
THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVE FOR ITEM 5.
[5. Briefing on the status of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan [Roderick J. Sanchez, Assistant City Manager; Douglas Melnick, Chief Sustainability Officer, Office of Sustainability]]
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MOTION CARRIES.>> ITEM NO. 5 IS A BRIEFING ON THE STATUS OF THE CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN.
AND THIS IS TO BE PRESENTED BY ROD SANCHEZ.
THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEF YOU ON THE STATUS OF THIS PLAN.
IT'S A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND THE CITY.
THIS PLAN BRINGS SAN ANTONIO TO THE FOREFRONT OF RECOGNIZING THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS A MAJOR PRIORITY TO ACT ON AND PROVIDE A BALANCED APPROACH TO ADDRESS IT.
I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE THOUSANDS OF SAN ANTONIANS WHO HAVE WEIGHED IN ON THIS PROCESS AS WELL AS THE 80-PLUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WORKED FOR THE PAST YEAR AND AND A HALF ON CRAFTING THIS PLAN.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
I WOULD ALSO JUST LIKE TO RECOGNIZE -- THERE'S A FEW PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO ARE HERE, IF ANY PARTICULAR QUESTIONS COME UP THAT I CAN'T ANSWER, DAN BRADLEY IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF NAVIGATE.
DR. SHARIF, AND CARLA AND ANGELA FROM CPS ENERGY WHO HAD BEEN OUR DIRECT LIAISONS DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS .
SO THE BIG QUESTION IS WHY ARE WE WORKING ON THIS? BASICALLY IT REALLY STARTED BACK IN AUGUST OF 2016 WHEN CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED THE SA TOMORROW SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.
WHILE THAT PLAN WAS NOT A CLIMATE DOCUMENT, IT WAS MORE OF A GENERAL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR ORGANIZATION, IT INCLUDED CLIMATE ELEMENTS.
IT INCLUDED OUR FIRST GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY.
IT INCLUDED A STRATEGY IN THE MUNICIPAL SECTION THAT DID RECOMMEND THE DEVELOPMENTS OF A CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN.
THIS PLAN IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THAT ADOPTED PLAN.
THERE WAS ALSO THE RESOLUTION IN JUNE OF 2017 BY CITY COUNCIL IN SUPPORT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENTS.
THAT WAS OUR PRIMARY DIRECTIVE AND THIS PLAN MEETS THE COMMITMENT ON BEHALF OF CITY COUNCIL.
AND THEN FINALLY IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT THIS PLAN JUST ISN'T ABOUT CLIMATE, IT'S ABOUT SO MUCH MORE.
WE WERE RECENTLY DESIGNATED AS NON ATTAINMENT, THIS PLAN HELPS ADDRESS THAT.
IT ADDRESSES MANY OTHER THINGS AND OTHER PRIORITIES AS WELL.
IT HELPS INITIATIVES AROUND MOBILITY, MICRO MOBILITY, CONNECT SA, INITIATIVES AND PLANS THAT ARE IN PLACE BY OUR PARTNER AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE RIVER AUTHORITY, SAWS, VIA, CPS.
SO THIS PLAN BRINGS A LOT OF EXISTING PLANS AND PROGRAMS UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF CLIMATE AND PROVIDES A KEY TRACKING METRIC TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO WHY IS CLIMATE SUCH A BIG DEAL? SO THESE ARE CLIMATE PROJECTIONS FOR THE END OF THE CENTURY THROUGH 2100.
THEY WERE COMPLETED BY DR. SHARIF FROM UTSA AND BROUGHT DOWN TO THE SAN ANTONIO-SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHY.
THERE'S TWO POSSIBLE PATHWAYS.
THERE'S THE LOW EMISSION PATHWAY, WHICH MEANS WE AS PART OF A GLOBAL COMMUNITY TAKE AS MUCH ACTION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
WE CAN MINIMIZE THE DIRECT CLIMATE IMPACTS.
OR IF WE DO NOT DO ENOUGH, THERE IS THE HIGH EMISSIONS SCENARIO.
YOU CAN SEE WE'LL SEE AN INCREASE OF SUMMER MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES UPWARDS OF 10 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
IT WILL NOT COOL OFF AT NIGHT AND WE'LL SEE A REDUCTION IN PRESCRIPTION.
WE'LL SEE MORE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS THAT MAY LEAD TO MORE FLOODING.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT SIMPLY ABOUT CLIMATE, IT'S ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS FOR SAN ANTONIO AND OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR BUSINESSES .
WE ARE SEEING CLIMATE IMPACTS ACCELERATE, AND THEY WILL BE FELT IN MANY WAYS.
SOME OF THOSE IMPACTS THAT WE CAN EXPECT ARE IMPACTS ON OUR AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH, INCREASED ENERGY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE COOLING FOR OUR BUILDINGS.
THE PAST TWO WEEKS, A TASTE, IT WAS VERY, VERY HOT, PLACED A GREAT STRAIN ON OUR GRID.
WE'LL ALSO EXPERIENCE IMPACTS ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, MILITARY PREPAREDNESS AND NATIONAL SECURITY, BOND RATINGS, INSURANCE RATES, AND NOT LEAST IMPACTS ON OUR WORLD HERITAGE AND TOURISM INDUSTRY.
SO WHAT IS SA CLIMATE READY? I THINK SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT FROM THE PUBLIC ON THE FIRST DRAFT WAS WE READ 60 PAGES OF THIS AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS.
SO EARLY ON IN THE PLAN WE DEFINED WHAT THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS PLAN ARE.
PRIMARILY IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A PLAN TO MEET
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THOSE PRESENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE.TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND THIS IS REALLY PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.
IT'S ABOUT CLEAN AIR, PUBLIC HEALTH, WATER QUALITY, AND CONSERVATION, GOOD JOBS, TRANSPORTATION CHOICES, CLEAN AND SECURE ENERGY, AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
THIS PLAN'S NOT JUST ABOUT CLIMATE.
EVERY STRATEGY IN THAT PLAN HAS OTHER BENEFITS THAT WILL HELP IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S ALSO ABOUT MARKET TRANSITIONS, CONSUMER CHOICE.
THIS ISN'T ABOUT DIRECTING OUR RESIDENTS OR BUSINESSES TO MAKE ANY SPECIFIC CHANGES, BUT IT'S ABOUT REFLECTING WHERE THE MARKET'S GOING.
WE'RE SEEING INCREASED INTEREST IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
WE AS A COMMUNITY, WE AS AN ORGANIZATION NEED TO DETERMINE HOW DO WE HELP SUPPORT THAT AND FACILITATE THAT.
KEY TO THE PLAN ALSO IS EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY.
I HAVE A SLIDE ON THAT THAT I'LL TOUCH UPON.
AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS ABOUT CLIMATE SCIENCE AND BEST PRACTICES.
THE OTHER THING I WOULD MENTION IS WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE SCIENCE, WE HAVE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THE JURY IS STILL OUT.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS I THINK WE LOOK AT ORGANIZATIONS THAT CONDUCT PEER REVIEW RESEARCH.
THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE, THE UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS, THE UNITED STATES, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION, THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
THERE'S NUMEROUS CREDIBLE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE POSITIONS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS OCCURRING AND IT'S BEING CAUSED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY.
SO THE BASIC METRIC FOR A PLAN TO ADDRESS CLIMATE IN TERMS OF REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES IS OUR INVENTORY.
YOU CAN SEE THIS IS FOR OUR COMMUNITY SECTOR.
IN 2016 THE MAJORITY OF OUR EMISSIONS COME FROM OUR BUILDING SECTOR AND OUR TRANSPORTATION SECTOR.
AND THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH CITIES LIKE SAN ANTONIO ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE GOOD NEWS IS BETWEEN 2014 AND 2016 WE HAVE SEEN A 6% REDUCTION IN OUR GROSS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS THE RESULT OF CPS ENERGY REDUCING THE BURNING OF COAL AND BRINGING MORE RENEWABLES ONLINE.
SO WE ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
SO THE PLAN IS BROKEN UP INTO TWO COMPONENTS.
ONE IS THE GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION SECTION.
THOSE ARE THE STRATEGIES IN PLACE TO HELP US REDUCE OUR EMISSIONS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE SIX SUBCATEGORIES, INCREASING CARBON-FREE FROM CPS ENERGY, REDUCING BUILDING CONSUMPTION, REDUCING TRANSPORTATION ENERGY CONSUMPTION, ADVANCING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY, WHICH IS BASICALLY LOOKING AT HOW WE CONSUME AND WHAT WE THROW AWAY.
PROMOTING BIO DIVERSITY AND HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS. AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT EDUCATION AND EMPOWERING.
UNLESS WE CAN CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE AND CONVERSATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR STAKEHOLDERS, IT WILL BE CHALLENGING TO HAVE THE BUY-IN TO MOVE THIS PLAN FORWARD.
WITHIN THE MITIGATION SECTION THERE'S 28 COMMUNITY STRATEGIES AS WELL AS 13 MUNICIPAL STRATEGIES.
AND THE KEY TO THE MUNICIPAL STRATEGIES IS THAT WE NEED TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
BEFORE WE AS AN ORGANIZATION EXPECT COMMUNITY PARTNERS, RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES TO TAKE ACTION, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LEADING THE WAY.
IN TERMS OF ADAPTATION, THAT IS AT THE END OF THE DAY HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR THOSE CURRENT AND FUTURE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
VERY MUCH A LOT OF THIS FALLS UNDER THE BANNER OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OF WHAT WE AND OTHER PARTNER AGENCIES ARE ALREADY DOING.
YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE SEVEN SECTIONS LOOKING AT INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC HEALTH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, LOOKING AT ECOSYSTEMS, FOOD SECURITY, WHICH IS A BIG PRIORITY.
AND THERE HAS BEEN A REPORT THAT CAME OUT, PERHAPS THIS PAST WEEK, BY THE IPCC, THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE THAT STARTED SING THERE'S THREATS TO GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEMS WHICH WOULD HAVE LOCAL CONSEQUENCES.
WE ARE LOOKING AT RESILIENCECY.
WE KNOW OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS ARE THE MOST AT RISK AND OUR PLAN RECOGNIZES THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE ARE CONSIDERING THOSE RISKS AS WE IMPLEMENT THE PLAN .
SO THE KEY METRIC THAT WE TRACK IS GREENHOUSE GASES.
AS WE WORKED WITH OUR CONSULTANT TO DETERMINE WHAT PARIS COMPLIANT MEANS, WE LOOKED TO THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE SPECIAL REPORT, WHICH BASICALLY STATES THAT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN OR LIMIT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE TO NO MORE THAN 1.5 DECIDE CELSIUS, FOR US IN THE UNITED STATES IT'S
[00:25:02]
2.7 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.THAT WE NEED TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS AND CO2 EMISSIONS BY ABOUT 45% BY 2030.
WORKING WITH OUR CONSULTANT, WE TRANSLATED THAT INTO SPECIFICS FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
YOU CAN SEE THE ORANGE LINE ON THAT GRAPH ON THE LEFT IS BUSINESS AS USUAL.
THAT IS IF WE DO NOT DO ANYTHING, WHERE DO OUR EMISSIONS GO? AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A STEP INCLINE.
THAT INCLUDES POPULATION GROWTH.
THAT INCLUDES ALL THE INDUCED ENERGY NEEDS AND TRANSPORTATION NEEDS FOR THAT INCREASED POPULATION.
THE GREEN LINE REPRESENTS A STRAIGHT PATHWAY TO CARBON NEUTRALITY BY 2050.
NO CITY IS EVER GOING TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE THEY ARE NOT EMITTING ANY CARBON.
THIS PLAN CALLS FOR AN 88% REDUCTION IN EMISSIONS BY 2050, BUT WILL REQUIRE APPROXIMATELY A 12% OTHER CATEGORY, WHICH POTENTIALLY COULD BE CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE.
THE KEY TO THIS PATHWAY IS IT'S A GUIDE.
WE ARE CONTINUALLY GOING TO BE EVALUATING OUR PROGRESS REFLECTING NEW SCIENCE, NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
BUT THE KEY IS THAT WE HAVE THAT PATHWAY.
AND THIS PATHWAY IS IN LINE WITH BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND, IN FACT, THE GLOBE.
SO I HAD MENTIONED OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY.
THAT WAS REALLY A HUGE PRIORITY FOR THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, WE HAD FORMED A WORKING GROUP AROUND CLIMATE EQUITY, WHICH INCLUDED 14 COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO REALLY FOCUSED ON THOSE WHO USUALLY AREN'T AT THE TABLE AND THOSE THAT WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE HAVE VOICES IN THIS PROCESS.
THE FIRST PART WAS WORKING WITH THEM TO EVEN IDENTIFY WHAT CLIMATE EQUITY MEANS, WHICH WAS NO EASY TASK.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S ABOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THOSE WHO ARE AT RISK.
THE LEVEL OF IMPACT THAT THOSE COMMUNITIES HAVE ACTUALLY ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS AS WELL, AND REALLY LAYING OUT A PROCESS MAKING SURE THEY ARE INCLUDED IN THE DECISION MAKING AND DISCUSSIONS, AND MAKING SURE THEY ARE INVOLVED IN THE FINAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.
WE DID ALSO IDENTIFY SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND HOW DO YOU EVEN MEASURE CLIMATE EQUITY.
YOU SEE WE HAVE TWO IN THE PLAN AROUND ASTHMA RATES AND MEDIAN WAGES, WHICH ARE CORRELATED DIRECTLY WITH RACE.
GOING FORWARD, AS I MENTIONED IN MY BUDGET PRESENTATION YESTERDAY, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE WHAT THESE DANGERS ARE AND THE MEASURES WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT.
ONE POTENTIAL MEASURE WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN IS THE IDEA OF IDENTIFYING OUR ENERGY-BURDENED RESIDENTS.
THAT'S TIED TO INCREASED HEAT.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO EVALUATE AND IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE INDICATORS ARE.
FINALLY, WE IDENTIFIED A DRAFT SCREENING TOOL.
BASICALLY, THIS IS A SERIES OF QUESTIONS.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THIS AS WE BEGIN TO MOVE TO IMPLEMENTATION.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S WHAT QUESTIONS DO WE NEED TO ASK BEFORE WE PULL THE TRIGGER IN IMPLEMENTATION.
ASK QUESTIONS ALONG THE LINES AROUND THE AREAS OF AFFORDABILITY, CULTURAL PRESERVATION, HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY, AND ACCESS AND ACCESSIBILITY.
AND SO THIS IS A KEY COMPONENT GOING FORWARD.
THE OTHER THING WE DID AROUND EQUITY WAS, IT'S PART OF ALL OF OUR ENGAGEMENT, WE ASK DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS.
WE WANT TO TRACK OUR PROGRESS.
IT'S NOT JUST WHO WE ARE HEARING FROM, BUT WHO ARE WE MISSING.
AND WE FOUND THAT WE WERE MISSING KEY DEMOGRAPHICS.
SO WE HAD ENGAGED A CLIMATE EQUITY FELLOW WHO DEVELOPED A CRITERIA TO HELP US REALLY NARROW DOWN WHERE DO WE GO.
SO AS PART OF THIS CRITERIA, SHE LOOKED AT DISTRESSED COMMUNITIES INDEX, LIFE EXPECTANCY, TREE CANOPY, RACE, AS WELL AS OTHER TARGET DEMOGRAPHICS, AND FOUND THAT DISTRICTS 1, 2, 3, 4, AND 5 ARE PRIORITY AREAS.
NOT ONLY THAT, SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THAT DOWN TO EVEN SPECIFIC ZIP CODES.
IT WAS A PART OF THAT PROCESS AS WELL AS BRINGING ON TWO TEMPORARY OUTREACH WORKERS.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET AN ADDITIONAL 2500 RESIDENTS FROM THOSE AREAS TO TAKE SURVEYS AND PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM.
SO WE RELEASED THE PLAN IN JANUARY.
WHAT WERE OUR OBJECTIVES AS FAR AS UPDATING THIS PLAN? ONE, WE WANTED TO REALLY LISTEN TO THAT STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK AS WELL AS CONTINUE STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK.
WE SPENT MANY MONTHS WORKING WITH BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, HEARING WHAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE AND DETERMINING A WAY TO ADDRESS
[00:30:01]
THEM.WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLAN WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION AND SUPPORT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT.
WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE RETAINED ALL THE STRATEGIES IN THE PLAN.
ALL THOSE STRATEGIES ARE IN THE PLAN FOR A REASON, IT'S BECAUSE THEY TRANSLATE EITHER INTO DIRECT CARBON REDUCTIONS OR THEY HELP PREPARE OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THEY ADD UP TO REACHING THAT CARBON NEUTRAL GOAL BY 2050.
WE COULD REFINE THEM, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE ALL IN THERE.
WE WANTED TO FIRST AND FOREMOST MAKE SURE IT WAS READABLE, THAT IT FLOWED.
WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS SPECIFIC TO SAN ANTONIO.
YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR.
AND SO WORKING WITH SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS, WORKING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, I THINK WE ACCOMPLISHED THAT.
THE OTHER THING WE DID WAS WE REALLY WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS WORK.
SAN ANTONIO HAS BEEN COMMITTING BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE YEARS IN WORK THAT DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTES TO CLIMATE ACTION.
WHETHER IT'S CPS'S STEP PROGRAM ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUND.
WE NEEDED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS WASN'T SOMETHING NEW, BUT IT'S A CONTINUATION OF THAT COMMITMENT.
AND THEN, FINALLY, WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS A CLEAR PROCESS FOR REPORTING, UPDATING THE PLAN, AND IMPLEMENTING IT.
BECAUSE, AGAIN, WE DON'T WANT A PLAN THAT IS JUST SITTING ON A SHELF.
IT NEEDS TO BE KEPT AS A LIVING DOCUMENT AND CONTINUALLY REFLECTING TECHNOLOGY, NEW SCIENCE, AND THE DESIRES OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE UPDATES THAT WE HAD MADE? WE DID PRESERVE THE MAJORITY OF THE CONTENT OF THE ORIGINAL DRAFT, ALL THE STRATEGIES ARE THERE.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE INTENTS AND ALL THE CONTENT OF THE PLAN IS IN PLACE.
WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AROUND COST.
AND THE DECISION WE MADE TO REMOVE COST WAS NOT DONE LIGHTLY.
WE HAD SPOKEN WITH MANY STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS SECTORS, BOTH FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL AS WELL AS THE BUSINESS SIDE.
AND THE DETERMINATION TO REMOVE THOSE DOLLAR AMOUNTS WERE FOR NUMEROUS REASONS.
ONE, THIS PLAN IS JUST A FRAMEWORK.
WE HEARD THAT FROM SOME BUSINESS INTERESTS THAT WITHOUT KNOWING THOSE DETAILS, WITHOUT KNOWING HOW THIS IS ALL GOING TO PLAY OUT, IT WAS PREMATURE TO START PUTTING DOLLAR AMOUNTS ON IT.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE GOING TO BE.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT MANY OF THESE STRATEGIES.
WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE INCLUDING AS MANY IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS AS THE PROCESS.
SO UNTIL WE SIT DOWN WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND REALLY WORK ON THOSE DETAILS, IT'S DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY WHAT THAT COST IS GOING TO BE.
THE OTHER THING WE DID WAS WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE BENCHMARKING OURSELVES AGAINST OTHER CITIES.
WE LOOKED AT 31 CITIES WITH SIMILAR PLANS TO SEE IF THEY HAD ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.
WHAT WE FOUND WAS NONE OF THEM DID, AND THREE HAD ONLY IDENTIFIED STRATEGIES IN TERMS OF COST FROM LOW TO HIGH.
SO KEY TO THIS THOUGH IS WE DIDN'T WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM COST.
WE CLEARLY RECOGNIZE THAT THAT IS A HUGE PRIORITY.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS IN A SLIDE COMING UP.
BUT KEY TO THIS WAS REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THE IDEA OF COST WAS BUILT IN TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PLAN AND IT WASN'T BASICALLY GLOSSED OVER GOING FORWARD.
AGAIN, WE REARRANGED THE PLAN TO MAKE SURE IT WAS MORE READABLE.
AND THEN WE ALSO WANTED TO RECOGNIZE -- AND THIS WAS BASED UPON SOME FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED -- THAT THIS PLAN ISN'T SIMPLY PIE IN THE SKY.
A LIST OF STRATEGIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE VERY EASY TO ACCOMPLISH.
AND SO FOR EVERY STRATEGY WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY CONSTRAINTS.
WHETHER IT IS WE NEED MORE PUBLIC AWARENESS, REQUIRES BEHAVIOR CHANGE, INVESTMENTS, IT REQUIRES A NEW POLICY OR IT REQUIRES TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT.
WE WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THERE'S CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
AND SO EVERY STRATEGY HAS SOMETHING.
WE ALSO WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT, AS I MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING, THIS PLAN REFLECTS A LOT OF OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT ARE ALREADY GOING ON.
SO WE WENT THROUGH EVERY STRATEGY AND LOOKED AT MANY OTHER PLANS, WHETHER THEY ARE CITY-ADOPTED PLANS, SUCH AS SA TOMORROW, OR SAWS AUDIO] OR VIA'S 2040 PLAN.
AND WE CAN SEE THERE IS A LOT OF OVERLAP.
AGAIN, THE INTENT IS TO BRING ALL THESE STRATEGIES UNDER THIS CLIMATE UMBRELLA AND USE THAT GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION METRIC TO TRACK PROGRESS.
AND THEN, FINALLY, WE HAD INCLUDED INTERIM GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS FOR SPECIFIC SECTORS.
WE HAD HEARD THAT FROM SOME STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE NEEDED SOME MORE INTERIM TARGETS.
SO YOU CAN SEE FOR STATIONARY EMISSIONS, THOSE ARE EMISSIONS WE CAN ATTRIBUTE TO A SPECIFIC BUILDING OR LOCATION.
TRANSPORTATION EMISSIONS, SOLID WASTE EMISSIONS, EMISSIONS
[00:35:02]
ASSOCIATED WITH OUR WATER SUPPLY, TAKES ENERGY TO MOVE WATER AROUND THE CITY, AND INDUSTRIAL PROCESS EMISSIONS ARE EMISSIONS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE CITY BUT THAT USE ON-SITE ENERGY AS OPPOSED TO JUST RECEIVING NATURAL GAS OR ELECTRIC FROM THE GRID.THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE KEY EDITS THAT WE MADE.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I MENTIONED THAT WE HEARD WAS THAT HOW ARE WE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THIS, WHERE ARE OUR COSTS, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? AND SO WE CLEARLY WANTED TO MEMORIALIZE THE PROCESS.
SO EVERY STRATEGY BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD WITH IT NEEDS TO IDENTIFY COSTS, AND THAT'S COST FOR DIFFERENT SECTORS.
WE ALSO WANT TO QUANTIFY THOSE OTHER BENEFITS ASSOCIATED TO I HAVE THE.
WE ALSO WANT TO LOOK AT WHAT'S THE BENEFIT IN TERMS OF COST AVOIDANCE AS WELL AS IDENTIFYING FUNDING MECHANISMS, IF NEEDED.
WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE LOOKING AT TECHNOLOGY.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY STRATEGY THAT IS PROPOSED, THE TECHNOLOGY IS THERE.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN MEET THE PERFORMANCE THAT WE NEED.
IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO STAY THAT WE WANT TO DO THIS IF IT'S NOT GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THE JOB.
WE ALSO NEED TO PROVIDE A CLEAR TIMELINE FOR WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL AS WHAT ARE THOSE REDUCTIONS THAT WE EXPECT OVER TIME.
AND THEN, FINALLY, THE IDEA OF EQUITY.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO IMPLEMENT THIS STRATEGY? SO WE IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC PROCESS.
WE'LL BE WORKING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, COMMUNITY GROUPS I'LL TALK ABOUT IN THE NEXT SLIDE, AS WELL AS DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS AND COUNCIL TO IDENTIFY PRIORITIES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, CONVENE OUR STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS SECTORS, UNDERTAKE A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS.
ONCE WE KNOW WHAT THOSE COSTS ARE WE'LL LOOK AT THE EQUITY IMPACTS OF THAT AND THE AFFORDABILITY ISSUES.
IDENTIFY WHAT THE SPECIFICS ARE OF THE STRATEGY, UNDERTAKE COMMUNITY INPUT.
ONCE WE'RE COMFORTABLE WE HAVE CONSENSUS, BRING IT BACK TO CITY COUNCIL AND HAVE A DISCUSSION THERE.
THIS IS ALSO ANOTHER KEY PART OF THE PLAN, AND WE'VE HEARD THIS FROM ACROSS THE CITY FROM DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE ANSWER IS CITY COUNCIL.
BUT WE ARE PROPOSING CREATING SOME GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS. ONE IS A TECHNICAL AND COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
THE CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS DRAFT WAS IT WAS ORIGINALLY JUST A COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
BUT AS WE LOOKED AT THE PLANS WE REALIZED THAT THIS PLAN IS VERY MUCH DRIVEN BY THIS COMMITTEE NEEDS TO BE BALANCED.
IT NEEDS TO REPRESENT COMMUNITY INTERESTS AS WELL AS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE.
WE ALSO ARE PROPOSING A CLIMATE EQUITY SUBCOMMITTEE TO THAT GROUP THAT WILL BASICALLY WORK WITH CITY STAFF IN THE OFFICE OF EQUITY TO ENSURE THAT AS IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES MOVE FORWARD THERE'S A VOICE BROUGHT TO THAT PROCESS FROM OUR VULNERABLE AND MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.
WE'RE ALSO PROPOSING SOME INTERNAL STRUCTURE TO HELP ENSURE THAT THE CITY ORGANIZATION IS KEEPING AN EYE ON THIS AND IS MOVING IT FORWARD.
ONE IS AN EXECUTIVE TEAM, WHICH MAY INCLUDE ROD SANCHEZ.
LUCKY ROD, MYSELF AND OTHER KEY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS WHO WILL, AGAIN, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS LOOK AT WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE AND MAKING SURE THAT THE CITY ORGANIZATION IS MOBILIZING TO MOVE FORWARD, AS WELL AS AN ORGANIZATIONAL DELIVERY TEAM WHICH WILL BE MORE AT THE DEPARTMENTAL, MID-MANAGEMENT LEVEL WHO WILL HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH SPECIFIC ACTIONS AT THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE DON'T WANT A PLAN THAT JUST SITS ON THE SHELF.
AND SO THE PLAN PROPOSES TO UPDATE OUR GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY EVERY TWO YEARS.
THAT WILL GIVE US A VERY CLEAR BENCHMARK OF WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND THEN WE ARE PROPOSING TO RECESS AND UPDATE THIS PLAN EVERY THREE TO FIVE YEARS, DEPENDING UPON CHANGE IN COMMUNITY PRIORITIES, CHANGES IN CLIMATE SCIENCE, OR AT THE DIRECTION OF CITY COUNCIL.
SO HERE'S JUST A VERY QUICK SUMMARY ON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE BEHIND THAT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE BRIEF SNAPSHOT.
SINCE WE INITIATED THIS PROCESS WE HAVE HELD ABOUT 288 EVENTS.
WE HAVE HAD JUST UNDER 10,000 ATTENDEES.
A TOTAL OF IT'S MORE THAN 5731.
AND SPECIFICS FOR THE RESPONSES THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED ON THE DRAFT PLAN.
[00:40:03]
COMMENTS.WE ALSO HAD A SURVEY AS A PART OF THAT RELEASE OF THE DRAFT PLAN.
IT WAS ON A ONE TO FIVE-STAR SCALE.
WHAT WE DID WAS WE WANTED TO QUANTIFY WHAT SURVEYS WERE POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, AND NEGATIVE.
78% OF RESPONDENTS HAD A POSITIVE VIEW OF THE PLAN.
8% WERE NEUTRAL, AND 14% WERE NEGATIVE.
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? OUR NEXT STEP IS I THINK THIS AFTERNOON WE WILL BE RELEASING THE UPDATED DRAFT TO THE COMMUNITY AND SENDING IT OUT TO STAKEHOLDERS.
WE WILL HAVE A MINIMUM OF TWO WEEKS.
THERE'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ENGAGEMENT AROUND THIS PLANNING PROCESS, BUT WE'LL HAVE A TWO-WEEK COMMENT PERIOD.
WE WILL, IN REALITY, BE ACCEPTING COMMENTS THROUGH ADOPTION.
I THINK WE AREN'T GOING TO TURN AWAY ANY COMMUNITY OR STAKEHOLDER INPUT.
WE'LL BE GOING TO PLANNING COMMISSION AUGUST 28.
AND THEN ON SEPTEMBER 11 LOOKING FOR A RECOMMENDATION.
THEN SEPTEMBER 20 PRESENTING TO COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EQUITY.
AND THEN A B SESSION PRESENTATION OCTOBER 2.
AND THEN, FINALLY, PROPOSING COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ON OCTOBE.
AND, WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
AND ON BEHALF OF ME AND MY COLLEAGUES AND THE COMMUNITY I WANT TO JUST COMMEND YOU PUBLICLY FOR ALL THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND COORDINATION THAT HAD TO OCCUR TO GET TO THIS POINT OF A DRAFT.
AND I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN IN THE CRUCIBLE FOR A LONG TIME ON THIS PLAN.
IT'S CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO BE EASY WORK GOING FORWARD, BUT YOU'VE DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB AND WE'RE VERY PROUD TO HAVE YOU, DOUG, LEADING THIS EFFORT.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, SOME OF WHOM ARE PRESENT IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY WHO HAVE COLLABORATED ON THIS PLAN, THROUGH THE TECHNICAL GROUPS, THROUGH OUR EQUITY GROUP, OR JUST IN GENERAL BY PROVIDING VERY VALUABLE COMMENTS.
THIS IS A DOCUMENT THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT WE LIVE IN, BUT ALSO THE GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT WE WANT TO LEAVE TO OUR CHILDREN AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN.
SO I WANT TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT.
NOW, IN THE PAST, BUT ALSO ONGOING AS WE GET TOWARDS RATIFICATION AND ULTIMATELY IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PLAN.
WE HAVE SEVERAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
AND THEN I'LL MOVE TO COUNCIL COMMENTARY.
MR. HURLEY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY RUSSELL SEAL.
I'M NOT ONLY IN FAVOR OF THE CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN, I'M STAUNCHLY IN FAVOR OF IT AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY IN FAVOR OF IT.
I'VE BEEN WRITING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE EXPRESS NEWS FOR PROBABLY 10, 15 YEARS.
AND I SEE A LOT OF ACTION AND A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDES ABOUT THIS.
BUT WHAT I WANTED TO ADDRESS YOU GUYS ABOUT WAS -- I WAS JUST SPEAKING EARLIER -- I'M GOING TO BE TALKING MORE ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE IN MY THREE MINUTES.
NOT ABOUT THE WEEDS BUT ABOUT THE LAWN, YOU KNOW.
BECAUSE I FIND THAT MOST PEOPLE THAT I TALK TO, THE AVERAGE JOE OUT THERE, DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND PERHAPS THAT'S ALSO TRUE WITH MY CONGRESSMAN, WHICH I WON'T MENTION HIS NAME.
WE'RE NONPARTISAN, SO I CAN'T MENTION HIS NAME, BUT HE RECENTLY TALKED ABOUT CAPITALISM AND HE WAS TEARFULLY SAYING THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY -- I GOT THE IMPRESSION HE WAS SAYING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY AND OTHER LIBERAL PEOPLE ARE AGAINST CAPITALISM.
AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT CATHERINE HAYHO, DOCTOR OF CLIMBTOLOGIST THAT YOU PROBABLY HEARD OF, RECENTLY TALKED IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. AND POINTEDLY SAID THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CAPITALISM.
THE FREEDOM TO BE A CAPITALIST IS JUST LIKE A ROAD INTERSECTION.
YOU HAVE A STOPLIGHT THERE BUT YOU DON'T NEED ONE IF THERE'S ONLY 30 PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
BUT IF THERE'S 300 PEOPLE OR 3,000 PEOPLE, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED THAT.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE CAP IS ALL ABOUT AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF WHAT THE CITY HAS BEEN DOING IN THAT REGARD.
CAN YOU SHOW -- OH, YOU ARE ALREADY SHOWING THAT.
IF -- I'M SPEAKING TO A LOT OF POLITICIANS HERE AND IF YOU'RE
[00:45:02]
WORRIED ABOUT POLITICS, THE MOVEMENT IN THE COUNTRY, AS YOU ARE WELL AWARE, HAS BEEN VERY MUCH MORE ALARMED.AND THAT'S A YALE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER STUDY THAT'S BEEN IN EXISTENCE SINCE 2007, I THINK.
AND WHEN I FIRST WAS AWARE OF IT, THE DISMISSIVE END, THE DISMISSIVE OF THE FOX NEWS KIND OF PEOPLE AND THE PRESIDENT KIND OF PEOPLE, THEY WERE A BIGGER CIRCLE THAN IT IS NOW.
AND SO WE'RE MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE WISE TO PREPARE.
GRETA FUNDBERG IS A 16-YEAR-OLD SWEDISH GIRL WHO HAS MADE THIS ISSUE A REAL INTERNATIONAL ISSUE.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, MR. HURLEY.
ON THE WEEK OF THE 20TH THROUGH THE 27TH IS THE CLIMATE STRIKE THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN SAN ANTONIO AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
GRETA FUNDBERG IS SPEAKING TO THE U.N. ON THE 23RD.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, MR. HURLEY.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: WE CAN GET THAT DISTRIBUTED TO COUNCIL.
MR. SEAL WILL BE FOLLOWED BY PETER BELLA.
I'M GOING TO UTILIZE MR. BELLA'S TIME, AND HOPEFULLY I'LL BE SHORTER THAN THAT.
RUSSELL SEAL AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, PROBABLY MUCH LONGER THAN THAT.
AND I HAVE BEEN PROUD TO SERVE, MAYOR, ON THE BUILDING COMMITTEE FOR THE CAP.
I'M ONE OF THE 80-PLUS MEMBERS WHO HAVE SERVED ON IT.
I HAVE ALSO SERVED ON COMMITTEES WITH AACOG FOR OZONE, AND I AM STILL SERVING ON YOUR TASK FORCE FOR YOUR SOLAR READY AND EV READY.
SO, NEEDLESS TO SAY, I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF PASSING THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
AND WE HAVE -- AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER IT AS A WHOLE, AS EVERYTHING THAT'S IN IT.
BUT I AM GOING TO GET INTO THE WEEDS A LITTLE BIT.
SERVING ON THESE COMMITTEES, WE HAVE BEEN PRIVY TO GETTING THE COMMENT LETTERS AND REALLY LOOKING AT THE DETAILS.
AND WE JUST RECEIVED MONDAY A LETTER FROM -- THAT WAS WRITTEN APRIL 5 BY PAULA GOLD-WILLIAMS' COMMENTS TO THE BOARD.
AND THESE COMMENTS I WANT TO READ.
IT'S HOW CPS ENERGY PERCEIVES ITSELF.
IN THE COMMENTS SHE LISTS -- AND I'M GOING TO READ THIS PARAGRAPH QUICKLY.
PROPOSED NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
THE CAP STATES THE CITY WILL INITIATE AN ONGOING PLANNING PROCESS WITH ITS KEY PARTNERS, INCLUDING CPS ENERGY, KEY STAKEHOLDERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO SERVE AND ENSURE THE CONTINUED COLLABORATION TOWARDS CARBON REDUCTIONS GOALS.
WE WELCOME AND VALUE FEEDBACK CREATING A NEW GOVERNING COMMITTEE SOLELY FOCUSED ON OUR ENVIRONMENTAL GENERATION PLANNING IS PROBLEMATIC AND PRESENTS SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES TO OUR HISTORICALLY HIGH EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MODEL AND APPROACH.
AS THE ENTITY CHARGED WITH ENSURING RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS, IT HAS BEEN INVALUABLE THAT WE MAKE DECISIONS THAT ADDRESS MULTIPLE CONSIDERATIONS.
WHILE THEY INCLUDE MAKING THE ENVIRONMENT INCREASINGLY BETTER, WE ARE STILL A BUSINESS, OWNED BY A COMMUNITY.
WE MUST CONSIDER ALL OF OUR INVESTORS WHO ARE OUR CUSTOMERS, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO HAVE LOANED US MONEY TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE OUR COMPLEX SYSTEM.
PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO HOW PAULA GOLD-WILLIAMS PERCEIVES CPS ENERGY AS BEING SEPARATE AND APART.
THAT RIGHT NOW, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, YOU CAN JUST APPOINT A BOARD MEMBER AND YOU CAN STRUCTURALLY TO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER UTILITY AROUND THE STATE AND NATION.
WE HAD PROBLEMS IN THE PAST WITH CPS ENERGY.
PAULA GOLD-WILLIAMS WAS PART OF THE MANAGEMENT TEAM A DECADE AGO THAT TOLD A $5 BILLION LIE AND LED TO THE MELTDOWN OF CPS ENERGY.
YOU HAD A COUNCIL THEN THAT WAS LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT THOSE STRUCTURAL CHANGES.
WE BROUGHT IN DOYLE BENBY WHO TOOK US IN A DIRECTION WHERE WE
[00:50:05]
WERE MAKING CHANGES FASTER THAN WE COULD IMAGINE.HE WAS GIVEN AN AWARD FOR HIS STRUCTURE.
WE DID NOT GET THE STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND PAULA HAS REALLY REIGNED BACK ON SOME OF THIS STUFF.
SHE'S SAYING YES, YES, YES THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS STUFF, BUT THE ACTIONS, WE HAVE THESE COAL PLANTS THAT DO NOT HAVE ALL THE EMISSIONS CONTROL ON THEM AVAILABLE.
WE ASK THAT YOU NOT SPEND THE $140 MILLION TO PUT THE SCRS ON THAT PLANT, RETIRED EARLY.
THEY DECIDED ONLY TO HEAR THE DON'T SPEND THE $140 MILLION ON THE SCR.
AND THEN ON PAGE 34 OF THE MITIGATION STRATEGY, NUMBER ONE, CHANGED FROM OUR ORIGINAL -- WHAT WE HAD RECOMMENDED CROSSING THE GRID LANGUAGE TO REDUCE THE CARBON INTENSITY AND WORK WITH CPS ENERGY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FLEX PATH TO DRIVE TOWARDS CARBON NEUTRALITY BY 2050.
THE FLEX PATH IS NOT AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH.
WE HAVE TO GET OFF THE COAL PLANTS.
WE HAVE TO MOVE THE DEMAND CURVES.
WE HAVE TO GET THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY HAVE TO PLAY A PART AND GET COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS.
THIS NEEDS TO BE LED BY COUNCIL.
COUNCIL NEEDS TO TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE WITH CPS ON HOW TO GET THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED TO BEND THE CURVES, TO CLEAN EVERY HOUR OF THE GRID UP AS MUCH AS WE CAN, TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES.
THE WAY THE BUSINESS MODEL THAT SHE IS PERCEIVING THEMSELVES AS SEPARATE AND APART IS NOT GOING TO GET US THERE.
LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE AND SEE IF WE CAN GET THOSE STRUCTURAL CHANGES DONE AT CPS ENERGY TO ENSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING, TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO GET THE IMPLEMENTATION.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, MR. SEAL.
>> WELL, MAYOR NIRENBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL.
FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER.
CLIMATE ACTION ACTIVATION PLAN.
IT WAS CRITICIZED ORIGINALLY BECAUSE IT WAS LONG ON IDEALS, GOALS, HIGH IDEALS AND SO FORTH, BUT VERY SHORT ON SPECIFICS.
THE LANGUAGE, IT WAS QUITE FRANKLY, SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY GOBBLEDYGOOK.
BUT IN DECIPHERING IT PEOPLE FOUND BASICALLY THE PLAN REQUIRES YOU AND ME, THE MOTORIST, TO GET OUT OF OUR CARS AND START WALKING TO WORK OR BICYCLELING.
YEAH, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE INSTITUTED MORE AND MORE BICYCLE LANES THERE AT THE COST OF MOTORIST LANES.
PART OF THAT TRAFFIC-CALMING THING WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE THAT AND SO THE POWERS THAT BE, Y'ALL BACKED OFF A LITTLE BIT.
BUT A LOT OF IT IS STILL HERE, AND RIGHTLY SO.
I MEAN, GLOBAL WARMING, VERY REAL, ISN'T IT? I MEAN, LOOK AT ALL THE 100-DEGREE PLUS TEMPERATURE DAYS WE HAVE HAD THIS YEAR.
SEVERAL -- OVER A DOZEN OR SO.
WE'VE NEVER HAD THAT HAPPEN HERE IN SUMMER, HAVE WE? YEAH.
CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSING ALL OUR TORRENTIAL RAINS.
YEAH, TORRENTIAL RAINS AND FLOODING AND SO FORTH.
WE'VE NEVER HAD THAT EITHER, HAVE WE? YEAH.
OH, YES, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REACH ZERO -- YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, REACHING NET ZERO IN OUR CO2 EMISSIONS.
YOU KNOW, I WAS WONDERING, MR. MAYOR, CO2 EMISSIONS NEED TO DECLINE BY ABOUT 45% IN 2010 AND ABOUT REACHING NET ZERO AT 2050.
[00:55:01]
CARBON DIOXIDE, DON'T WE AS HUMAN BEINGS BREATHE IN AND OUT CARBON DIOXIDE? I MEAN, TO BAN CARBON DIOXIDE MEANS YOU'LL HAVE TO BAN HUMAN BEINGS, RIGHT? DOG GONE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT? WELL, I'M SORRY, THE MASS SHOOTINGS JUST AREN'T DOING THE JOB, BUT DON'T WORRY, MR. MAYOR, YOU AS A CITY COUNCILMAN SOME TIME AGO YOU ACTUALLY SUPPORTED PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN BABCOCK AND PLANNED PARENTHOOD DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF BANNING HUMAN BEINGS WITH ITS ABORTIONS THERE.>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR AUDIENCE I FAILED TO MENTION THAT THE NEW DRAFT PLAN WILL BE UPLOADED TO THE SA CLIMATE READY.ORG WEBSITE.
IF IT'S NOT DONE NOW, IT WILL BE UP BY NOON FOR THOSE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO READ THE PLAN, IT WILL BE LIVE TODAY.
MOVE NOW TO COUNCIL COMMENT AND QUESTIONS.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE I'M STARTING A BOOK CLUB AND THE FIRST THING WE'RE GOING TO READ IS THE CLIMATE PLAN.
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO JOIN, COME ON.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOUG, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ON THIS.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, EVER SINCE THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.
I WANT TO THANK ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS.
THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK, YOUR PATIENCE, YOUR HELPFULNESS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS.
AND I KNOW MOVE IS HERE IN SUPPORT -- I BELIEVE YOU'RE HERE IN SUPPORT OF CLIMATE ACTION AS WELL, SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
JUST A FEW COMMENTS ON THE PROCESS.
AND I SAID THIS AT THE STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING THE OTHER DAY IS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME OUR CITY DOES THIS.
AND IF WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY, WE WERE MISTAKEN.
THERE WERE A LOT OF LITTLE MINES IN THE WAY THAT PERHAPS WE HADN'T FORESEEN, SO I WANT TO THANK THE COMMUNITY AND THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEES FOR BEING PATIENT WITH US AS WE WORKED THAT OUT.
BUT WE NEEDED SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO BE UNIQUE TO SAN ANTONIO AND THAT CONSIDERED THE FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THE CULTURAL HERITAGE STUFF, THE TYPES OF VISTA WE HAVE HERE.
IT'S STILL NOT FINAL BUT WE'RE AT A TREMENDOUS MILESTONE TODAY.
THERE WAS SOME DISAPPOINTMENT, I KNOW, WHEN WE HAD TO POSTPONE THE ADOPTION DATE.
BUT I THINK THAT REALLY ALLOWED US AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK, REVIEW, AND THINK AND COME BACK WITH SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE IS MUCH STRONGER AND MORE THOUGHTFUL, PERHAPS, THAN WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE FIRST TIME AROUND.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE OTHER STAFF THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THIS.
GPA, YOU REALLY CAME THROUGH FOR US IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO YOUR STAFF, JEFF, FOR DOING THAT.
WHEN WE HEAR -- I'LL START WITH THE CRITICISMS. WHEN WE HEAR CRITICISMS ABOUT TAKING CLIMATE ACTION, THEY USUALLY START WITH THE REDUCTION PORTION.
YOU KNOW, THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT I WANT TO FOCUS ON THE ADAPTATION PART OF THIS PLAN FOR A FEW MINUTES.
IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WE'VE HAD SOME TREMENDOUS WEATHER.
IT HAS NOT COOLED DOWN AT NIGHT, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE A MUCH BIGGER LOAD ON OUR UTILITY GRID.
AND THAT'S JUST A SMALL TASTE OF SOME OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE THAT WE'RE ALREADY EXPERIENCING.
BUT WHETHER OR NOT WE GET TO THE LOW EMISSIONS SCENARIO, WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IN JUNE WE HAD AN UNEXPECTED STORM THAT RIPPED THROUGH DISTRICTS 5, 1, AND 7, DOWNING OUR POWER LINES FOR DAYS AT A TIME, IN SOME COMMUNITIES.
AGAIN, WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IF IT GETS WORSE OR EVEN AT THE LEVEL THAT WE ARE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE CALL ADAPTATION OR RESILIENCE.
IN OTHER WORDS, OUR NEW NORMAL, WHICH ISN'T EXACTLY NORMAL, OUR PREDICTABLE.
I BELIEVE THAT IT IS MY JOB TO ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS PREPARED FOR THAT.
OUR RESIDENTS EXPECT RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP FROM US AND THESE TYPES OF CHANGES THREATEN TO HARM THE PEOPLE AND THE PLACES THAT WE LOVE.
[01:00:01]
SO THAT IS A FUNDAMENTALLY-IMPORTANT PART OF THIS PLAN, SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THAT'S HALF THE PLAN, RIGHT, IS PREPARING FOR THINGS LIKE THAT.THEY ARE PRACTICAL COMMON-SENSE STEPS TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE OTHER PART.
SO SOME OF YOU KNOW I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN AIR POLLUTION, MODELING AND CLIMATE MODELING.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF -- I FEEL LIKE A NERD BUT VERY EXCITED THAT THIS IS FINALLY HAPPENING HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
BUT THE TRUTH IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF A CHANGING CLIMATE, THEY'RE VERY SCARY AND THEY ARE VERY HARD TO FATHOM THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT COULD HAPPEN HERE, THAT WE COULD LOSE THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE HAVE.
BUT WE NEED TO GET PAST THE FEAR AND TAKE THAT ACTION.
AND I KNOW THERE'S ALSO CONCERN ABOUT GOVERNMENT INTERACTION, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH -- SORRY, GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION.
BUT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE NO ONE PERSON CAN DO THIS ALONE, AND THAT'S WHAT GOVERNMENT IS FOR, TO DO THINGS TOGETHER THAT WE CAN'T DO ALONE THAT WE NEED.
SO I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE TAKING THIS ON AND PLAYING A ROLE.
I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO CLARIFY A COUPLE OF THINGS IN THE PLAN THAT I THINK DESERVE SOME HIGHLIGHTING.
NUMBER ONE, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT CARBON NEUTRAL MEANS AGAIN?
SO CARBON NEUTRALITY -- THERE'S LOTS OF TERMS THROWN AROUND WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT ZERO NET ENERGY AS WELL.
CARBON NEUTRAL BASICALLY MEANS THAT WE WILL BE EMITTING -- OR IT COULD BE A BUILDING, IT COULD BE A COMMUNITY, EMIT NO NET CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE.
IT DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL BE EMITTING ZERO BUT IT MEANS THAT WE WILL NEED TO EITHER STORE OR OFFSET ANY OF THOSE SUPPLEMENTAL EMISSIONS THAT WE CAN'T ACTUALLY REDUCE COMPLETELY.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE CAN HIT 88% REDUCTION IN TERMS OF ALL OF OUR EMISSIONS, THERE WILL BE 12% LEFT OVER.
THOSE ARE THE EMISSIONS THAT WE'LL HAVE TO FIND OTHER MECHANISMS TO ADDRESS.
IT COULD BE A TARGETED TREE PLANTING PROGRAM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT TREES CAN CAPTURE AND STORE CARBON.
SO I THINK IT'S WHAT ZERO ACTUALLY MEANS IN HAVING THE TECHNOLOGICAL ABILITY TO GET TO ZERO.
>> SANDOVAL: SO ONE OF THE WAYS WE CAN DO THAT IS BY PLANTING LOTS OF TREES.
SO THAT COULD BE A QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT THAT COMES FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PLAN.
>> IT WOULD HELP WITH OUR MITIGATION SIDE BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HELP WITH ADAPTATION IN TERMS OF STORM WATER MANAGEMENTS, PROVIDING COOLING AT BUS STOPS ALONG KEY PEDESTRIAN CORRIDORS.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS WITH THIS PLAN THAT WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN PURSUING ONCE ADOPTED IS THERE IS VERY MUCH THIS EMERGING FIELD THAT'S GOING ON ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT REALLY WANTS -- WE REALLY WANT TO LOOK AT THE OVERLAP BETWEEN GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS, ADAPTATION, AS WELL AS EQUITY.
AND HOW DO YOU START PRIORITIZING THESE HUNDREDS OF STRATEGIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING MOST EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE.
ARE THERE CURRENTLY ANY TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE TO OFFSET CARBON EMISSIONS BESIDES TREES?
>> OTHER THAN NATURAL -- AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THAT'S A BIG COMPONENT IN THE PLAN IS RECOGNIZING THIS IMPORTANCE OF OUR BIODIVERSITIES AND YOUR ECOSYSTEMS. BUT THERE'S ONLY EXPERIMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES OUT THERE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE LOOKING TO PHYSICALLY PULL CO2 OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE WITH TECHNICAL MEANS.
>> SANDOVAL: THERE'S NO CURRENT CARBON CAPTURE GOING ON, SAY, RIGHT NOW AROUND CEMENT PLANTS OR SOMETHING?
SO, YES, THANK YOU FOR THE POINT.
THERE HAVE BEEN AROUND CEMENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY PULLING CARBON OUT AND INSTALLING IT AND PRODUCING IT INTO CEMENTS WHICH ACTUALLY IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF THAT PRODUCT BUT ALSO DOES REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EQUITY SCREENING TOOL OR MECHANISM.
AND I KNOW IT'S A VERY LONG NAME.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD CONCERNS FROM A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, AND RIGHTLY SO, THAT SOME OF THESE CHANGES MAY END UP COSTING MORE FOR PEOPLE WHO CANNOT AFFORD IT.
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW THIS TOOL WILL BE USED?
THE ONE CAVEAT I WOULD GIVE IS THIS IS VERY MUCH -- THIS PLAN PLACES SAN ANTONIO AT THE FRONT OF THIS EQUITY DISCUSSION AS IT RELATES TO CLIMATE.
I THINK WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF LOOKING AT OTHER CITIES, FOR THE MOST PART, THAT HAVE GOTTEN
[01:05:01]
THIS FAR.SO THIS IS VERY MUCH AN EVOLVING PROCESS THAT WE ARE LOOKING TO REFINE WITH EQUITY LEADERS AND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WE GO FORWARD.
THE INTENT IS AS WE IDENTIFY KEY STRATEGIES WE RUN THROUGH THIS CHECKLIST.
WE RUN THROUGH AND MAKE SURE WE ARE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
SO THE BIG ASPECT OF THIS IS IT IS NOT CITY STAFF ASKING THESE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERING IT.
IT'S ASKING EQUITY EXPERTS IN OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THE AFFECTED MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO QUESTIONS SUCH AS WOULD THE STRATEGY EXPAND ACCESS TO HEALTHY CLEAN TRANSPORT SYSTEMS. THAT'S A POSITIVE.
ANOTHER QUESTION WOULD BE WILL THIS STRATEGY RESULT IN AN INCREASE IN UTILITY RATES? THAT'S A RED FLAG.
SO THIS WAS A FIRST BLUSH BY THE CLIMATE EQUITY TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP, BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A LOT MORE REFINEMENT.
THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY, WHILE IT APPLIES TO THIS PLAN AS WELL AS THE SUSTAINABILITY, I THINK IT COULD SERVE AS A VERY GOOD MODEL FOR HOW OUR ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS OTHER ORGANIZATIONS START TAKING THESE CONSIDERATIONS.
>> SANDOVAL: SO THAT'S THE POINT I WANTED TO MAKE.
RIGHT NOW WHEN A DECISION COMES TO CITY COUNCIL, WE DO NOT HAVE A TOOL LIKE THAT TO EVALUATE, SAY, A UDC CODE CHANGE OR A NEW REGULATION BEING PUT FORWARD.
WE DO NOT HAVE THAT FOR ANY OTHER DECISIONS THAT THE COUNCIL MAKES.
>> SANDOVAL: ERIK, WOULD THIS BE A FIRST?
>> WALSH: YES, POTENTIALLY, COUNCILWOMAN.
SO WE ARE GOING TO BE PUTTING THESE PROPOSED STRATEGIES THROUGH A MUCH MORE RIGOROUS PROCESS THAN ANY OTHER DECISION THAT COMES BEFORE THIS BODY.
WELL, I WANT TO THANK YOU AND COMMEND YOU FOR YOUR WORK, AND ALSO THANK THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL COMMITTEE THAT REVIEWED THE UPDATES AS THIS WAS COMING UP.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN PELAEZ, FOR YOUR RIGOROUS FEEDBACK THAT HAS MADE THIS A STRONGER DOCUMENT AS WELL.
SO, WITH THAT, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING THE COMMENTS FROM MY COUNCIL MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY COUNCILWOMAN GARCIA-ROCHA WHO JUST FINISHED READING THE SUMMARY OF THE POLICIES.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE IF THERE'S ANY COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN HERE THAT HELPED WITH THE PLAN.
I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE THE NEW VERSION OF THE PLAN.
I HAD READ THE FIRST ONE THOROUGHLY AND PROVIDED SOME FEEDBACK AND I HAVE READ THE SECOND ONE THOROUGHLY.
THEY WON'T ALL BE ASKED TODAY, SO DON'T WORRY.
BUT I DID WANT TO JUST APPRECIATE YOU ALL.
THANK YOU ALSO FOR INCORPORATING THE FOOD INSECURITIES PORTION THAT I MENTIONED YESTERDAY AND YOU INCLUDED IT TODAY.
I BELIEVE WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY REVISIT AND ADAPT THIS ROAD MAP TO MEASURE PROGRESS, EVALUATE THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, AND REVIEW THE METRICS USED.
THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PLAN, LIKE YOU SAID, DOUG, THAT SHOULD JUST BE PLACED ON THE SHELF.
I ALSO AM CONCERNED WITH THE REASSESSMENT AND UPDATES EVERY THREE TO FIVE YEARS FROM THE ADOPTION DATE.
I THINK WE NEED TO DO IT A LOT MORE OFTEN, SO THE THREE TO FIVE YEARS -- I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BECAUSE OF COST.
IS IT STAFFING? I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT IT IS, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO CONSIDER REVISITING THAT.
BUT, IN THE MOST RECENT REPORT FROM THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE, WHICH I UNDERSTAND YOU ALL HAVE BEEN USING, THEY MAKE REFERENCE TO TECHNOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL, AND CULTURAL BARRIERS THAT CAN LIMIT THE ADOPTION OF SOME OF THESE THINGS , ESPECIALLY UNCERTAINTY ABOUT BENEFITS.
BUT THEY ALSO SAY THAT PUBLIC DISCOURSE CAREFULLY DESIGNED POLICY INTERVENTIONS AND INCORPORATING SOCIAL LEARNING AND MARKET CHALLENGES CAN TOGETHER HELP REDUCE THESE BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION.
AND I'M IN FAVOR OF ANYTHING THAT HELPS REDUCE BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION, BUT I'M ALSO IN FAVOR OF STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT.
I WANT TO MAKE PARTICULAR REFERENCE THAT THEY MAKE -- THEY MAKE A BIG ADDRESSING GAPS IN IMPLEMENTATION.
I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY GAPS AS WE MAY HAVE IF WE DON'T HAVE A FULL STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION.
I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A WAY TO MAKE THIS ROAD MAP STILL MORE RELEVANT TO SAN ANTONIO.
I APPRECIATE SOME OF THE EFFORTS THAT WERE MADE.
ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT I HAD GIVEN ON THE FIRST ROUND WAS THAT I THINK WE NEEDED TO
[01:10:05]
HIGHLIGHT SOME ADDITIONAL SAN ANTONIO COMPANIES.SO ON PAGE 19 OF THE PLAN, FOR INSTANCE, I HAD ASKED FOR CONSIDERATION OF HIGHLIGHTING SOME GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENS TRYING TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SINCE THAT WASN'T DONE, I TOOK A PERSONAL TOUR OF A COMPANY THAT I HAD HEARD WAS SETTING THE BAR AND THAT I USE IN MY CLASSES AS SOMEONE TO HIGHLIGHT.
AND I WANT TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW TO HIGHLIGHT OUR LOCAL COCA-COLA COMPANY.
THEY'RE THE SECOND PLANT IN THE SOUTHWEST TO IMPLEMENT IN-LINE MOLDING, THAT'S REDUCED OUR ENVIRONMENTAL EMISSIONS FROM 15 TO ONE ON THEIR TRANSPORT LOADS.
ADDITIONALLY THEY HAVE THIS AWESOME LEAK DETENTION PROGRAM.
AND I ENCOURAGE ALL MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES TO GO AND TAKE A TOUR OF THE COCA-COLA PLANT.
I'M NOT BEING PAID TO SAY THAT.
BUT ALSO THEY HAVE CAPTURED THE -- THE RETURNED STEM CONDENSATION IS CAPTURED.
THEY HAVE HYBRID TRUCKS AND THEY ARE TRULY COMMITTED TO A WORLD WITHOUT WASTE, WHICH IS MORE THAN A MOTTO FOR THEM.
I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DID ALSO WAS THEY'RE PLANNING AHEAD IN REDUCING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF THE DRINK IN YOUR HAND BY 14% BY 2020.
AND I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AND APPRECIATE THOSE EFFORTS BEFORE I WENT ON.
BUT ON PAGE 53 I WANTED TO ASK -- WELL, NO.
ON PAGE 35, WHAT IS THE SA 2030 DISTRICT? I'M NEW, SO MAYBE IF YOU COULD JUST HELP ME WITH THE SA 2030 DISTRICT.
SO THE SA 2030 DISTRICT -- THE 2030 DISTRICT IS A NATIONAL PROGRAM.
IT WAS STARTED BY ED -- I BELIEVE HIS LAST NAME WAS MARZA, AND IT BASICALLY IS A VOLUNTARY EFFORT OF CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO DESIGNATE A DISTRICT, USUALLY IT'S IN A DOWNTOWN AREA WITH LOTS OF BUILDINGS, TO DEVELOP A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM WHERE PROPERTY OWNERS COMMIT TO BENCHMARKING THEIR ENERGY AND WATER USE AND STRIVING TOWARDS REDUCTIONS AS A DISTRICT.
SO OUR 2030 DISTRICT HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.
THERE'S MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF SQUARE FEET THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THIS DISTRICT.
MANY OF OUR OWN CITY PROPERTIES ARE A PART OF IT.
AND IT PROVIDES A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW PROPERTY OWNERS CAN IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR BUILDINGS.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT REDUCING EMISSIONS, IT HELPS THEIR BOTTOM LINE, AND THAT'S REALLY THE BIG POINT OF IT.
>> GARCIA: ALSO YOU MENTIONED EARLIER ZIP CODES, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW MANY ZIP CODES IN DISTRICT 4 ARE IN THAT STUDY.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY DISTRICT 4 RESIDENTS ACTUALLY TOOK THE SURVEY.
IF I CAN ACTUALLY SEE A COPY OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT, I WOULD BE REALLY HAPPY.
AND I DO HAVE TO ASK IF IT WAS TRANSLATED.
ALL THE SURVEYS WERE IN SPANISH AS WELL.
ON PAGE 46 YOU HAVE ITEM NO. 25.
AND SO YOU REFERENCE REGULAR UPDATES.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE IN THE PROPOSED THREE TO FIVE, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE REGULAR, I'M ASSUMING MAYBE QUARTERLY?
>> THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR WE WILL HAVE TO WORK WITH PARTNER AGENCIES AS WELL.
THE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT THAT WAS COMPLETED AS PART OF THIS PLANNING PROCESS WAS FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL.
I THINK THE KEY IS TO TAKE THIS DOCUMENT, TAKE THOSE CLIMATE PROJECTIONS AND WORK WITH PARTNER AGENCIES TO DRILL DOWN TO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL.
I'M NOT SURE OF THE TIMING ON IT.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL WANT TO EVALUATE IN TERMS OF NOT JUST UPDATING THAT, BUT THE WHOLE PLAN IN GENERAL, AS YOU HAD MENTIONED, IS GIVING ENOUGH TIME FOR STRATEGIES TO BE IMPLEMENTED TO TRACK PROGRESS.
BUT I THINK WE CAN UPDATE THE PLAN BASED UPON IF THERE'S SOME SORT OF TRIGGER.
IF WE SUDDENLY SEE, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE VULNERABILITY SIDE, THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING MORE DAYS OVER 100 DEGREES, WE'RE HAVING CHALLENGES WITH OUR TARGET POPULATIONS.
THAT, I THINK, WOULD BE A TRIGGER WHERE WE REALLY WANT TO SIT DOWN WITH THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND KEY PARTNERS, METRO HEALTH, TO REASSESS OUR VULNERABILITY STATUS.
>> GARCIA: I DO LOVE THE MOBILE HEALTH CLINICS COMPONENT ON PAGE 44.
YOU REFERENCED 31 CITIES THAT WE WERE BENCHMARKING AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT THOSE 31 CITIES ARE.
AND THEN ON PAGE 53, HOW DID YOU DETERMINE THE MAKEUP OF THE COMMITTEE? AND DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DISTRICT 4 RESIDENTS WERE A PART OF THOSE COMMITTEES?
[01:15:02]
COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION?HOW DID YOU DETERMINE THE MAKEUP OF THE COMMITTEES THAT ARE REFERENCED ON PAGE 53? AND HOW MANY DISTRICT 4 RESIDENTS PARTICIPATED? IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER RIGHT NOW, IT'S OKAY.
>> WE CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE PLAN COMMITTEES THAT HELPED DEVELOP IT.
WHAT GOVERNANCE IS REFERENCING ON THIS SECTION, THOSE AREN'T ESTABLISHED.
>> WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK WITH COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE PROCESS AND COMPOSITION OF THOSE COMMITTEES.
BECAUSE THAT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO YOUR POINT ON PAGE 55 WITH LACK OF REPRESENTATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
AND I THINK THAT WE COULD MANAGE THAT NOW THAT YOU'VE ANSWERED THAT.
ON PAGE 69, SO IS THAT A COMMITTEE -- THAT'S ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE ARE STILL GOING TO WORK ON THE COMPOSITION OF AS WELL? STEERING COMMITTEE AND TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP.
>> THAT REPRESENTS THE COMMITTEES, THE 80-PLUS MEMBERS THAT ACTUALLY HELPED DEVELOP THE PLAN.
>> GARCIA: SO THAT ONE HAS BEEN UPDATED.
AND THEN ALSO CAN YOU DEFINE WHAT YOUR TARGETED STAKEHOLDERS WERE ON PAGE 69? THE NUMBER OF TARGETED STAKEHOLDER EVENTS WAS 164, NUMBER OF TARGETED STAKEHOLDER EVENT ATEEN DEES WAS 3,581.
>> IT INCLUDES QUITE A FEW NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS, HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS.
IT'S SORT OF A CATCH-ALL FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT BREAKOUTS.
BUT WE HAVE A SUMMARY DOCUMENT THAT WE COULD PROVIDE THAT BREAKS THAT DOWN FURTHER.
BECAUSE THAT'S MY NEXT QUESTION IS THE BREAKDOWN FOR D 4.
THEN PAGE 77 , I THINK THAT THIS CHART, THE BOTTOM CHART ON HOUSEHOLD INCOME, IT'S DISTURBING TO ME BECAUSE DISTRICT 4 RESIDENTS ARE IN THAT LOWER TIER, BELOW THE $25,000 AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD.
SO I JUST WANT TO KEEP SAYING THAT THAT LOWER INCOME BRACKET NEEDS TO DEFINITELY BE REPRESENTED.
AND SO -- AND THAT WAS JUST KIND OF ONE OF THE BIG RED FLAGS FOR ME WHEN I SAW THIS AND THAT'S ACTUALLY WHY I WANTED TO SEE THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT ITSELF.
AND THEN ON PAGE 81, WHO WILL DETERMINE THE LONG-TERM ECONOMIC VITALITY AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS ROAD MAP? THAT'S THE SECOND BULLET POINT, I BELIEVE -- NO, ACTUALLY, IT'S THE SECOND SECTION, THE THIRD BULLET POINT.
I'M REVIEWING THE ONE THAT WAS PROVIDED TO ME ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, NOT THE ONE FROM THIS MORNING.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF PAGE NUMBERS HAVE CHANGED.
>> GARCIA: THIS ONE TALKED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ASSESSING LONG-TERM ECONOMIC VIABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS.
SO I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS GOING TO MEASURE THAT LONG-TERM ECONOMIC VITALITY AND HOW WE'RE HOPING TO --
SO THIS IS RELATED TO FUEL SWITCHING, AND THAT'S BASICALLY FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF EXISTING BUILDINGS.
IN TERMS OF ASSESSING, THAT WOULD BE -- THIS WILL BE A LONG-TERM STRATEGY.
THAT WILL BE WORKING WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS, CPS ENERGY, BUSINESS COMMUNITY, RESIDENTS.
I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE DIALOGUE ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS.
THERE'S COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT AND IT IS WHO BEARS THAT BURDEN.
SO I THINK THAT IS GOING TO BE A VERY ROBUST CONVERSATION WHEN WE COME TO IT.
THE G INVENTORY EVERY TWO YEARS.
IS THERE A REASON WHY EVERY TWO YEARS INSTEAD OF EVERY YEAR WE HAVE ANNUAL BEST PRACTICES?
>> IT'S BASED UPON BEST PRACTICE AND IT'S ALLOWING SOME TIME BETWEEN INVENTORIES TO SEE THE STRATEGIES TAKE EFFECT.
SO IF WE UPDATED IT EVERY YEAR WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES, WE MIGHT NOT SEE ANY DECREASE OR INCREASE.
AND IT IS FAIRLY STAFF INTENSIVE.
S I THINK JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A REGULAR CADENCE OF EVERY TWO YEARS SO WE CAN TRACK PROGRESS.
AND I THINK WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO MAKE THIS WORK.
AND I'LL END MY COMMENTS BY QUOTING POPE FRANCIS IN HIS BOOK ON CARE FOR THE COMMON HOME.
SO I HAVE BEEN STARTING A BOOK CLUB WITH COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL OVER THERE.
BUT WE COULD WORK TOGETHER TO GENERATE INTELLIGENT AND PROFITABLE WAYS OF REVISING, REVAMPING, AND RECYCLING WHILE ALSO IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCIES OF CITIES.
>> COUNCILWOMAN, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO REVISIT YOUR SUGGESTION REGARDING HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THOSE SPECIFIC BEST PRACTICES IN THE BUSINESS SECTOR, AND I'M SURE WE CAN FIND SOMEPLACE.
[01:20:02]
WHO GAVE INPUT.>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA.
I WOULD LIKE SOME OF THE SAME ANSWERS AS COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA HAD REGARDING STATS IN HER DISTRICT.
I KNOW YOU DO HAVE THEM BROKEN DOWN SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THOSE.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL AND THE MAYOR FOR GETTING US TO ACT ON SOME OF THESE THINGS.
AS I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THE LATEST UPDATED VERSION, I GUESS I WANTED TO FOCUS MY COMMENTS PRIMARILY ON THE EQUITY PORTION AS WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THIS.
AND I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A FRAMEWORK.
THERE'S NO DOLLAR AMOUNT ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
BUT I FELT LIKE A LOT OF THE CONVERSATIONS EARLY ON HAD TO DO WITH HOW WOULD A PERSON ON A FIXED INCOME, POOR COMMUNITY, HOW WOULD THEY PHYSICALLY BE ABLE TO PAY FOR IT.
AND SO I FEEL LIKE THAT CONVERSATION HAS CHANGED NOW AS WE UNDERSTAND, LIKE, HOW WE ARE IMPACTED MORE FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE, MEANING MORE PRONE TO MORE FLOODING, PROPERTY DAMAGE.
AND I THINK WE DID EXPERIENCE SOME OF THAT IN THOSE RECENT STORMS WHEN WE HAD POWER OUTAGES OUT FOR A LONG TIME.
AND I DO HAVE TO SAY I KNOW THAT CPS WORKED VERY QUICKLY TO RETURN THE POWER AND THERE WAS SOME COMMENTS PERHAPS THAT MY DISTRICT TOOK LONGER TO RESPOND TO, WHICH I THINK THOSE ARE NOT TRUE.
THE ISSUE REALLY COMES IN THE FACT THAT WHEN THE POWER'S OUT AND ALL THE FOOD IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR IS LOST, POOR PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO OUT AND BUY MORE FOOD.
WHEN I WENT OUT TO VISIT MY CONSTITUENTS DURING THE FLOOD -- I'M SORRY, DURING THE POWER OUTAGE, MANY OF THEM JUST DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID OF BEING VANDALIZED.
THEY WERE AFRAID THEIR HOMES WOULD GET BROKEN INTO.
SOME PEOPLE, IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO PHYSICALLY MOVE.
AND SO THEN WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT WE WERE TURNING THE POWER BACK ON AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, THERE WAS SOME HOPE THAT IT WOULD BE HARDER FOR THEM TO PHYSICALLY GET OUT THAN IT WOULD BE FOR THEM TO JUST STAY.
AND MOST OF THEM DID GET POWER RESTORED WITHIN 24 HOURS.
BUT IT WAS VERY, VERY HOT DAY AND IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE BURDEN FOR PEOPLE.
SO MY COMMENTS REGARDING THE EQUITY -- AND I HOPE THAT, ERIK, AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS AND OUR BUDGET DEPARTMENT WORKS THROUGH THIS THAT WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT MANY OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE SUFFERED DISPROPORTIONATELY IN POOR COMMUNITIES IS BECAUSE WE WERE NEVER INVESTED IN TO BEGIN WITH.
I WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THE 1921 FLOODS, ABOUT THE 1945 FLOODS.
THOSE WERE NOT A CONVERSATION ABOUT CLIMATE.
BUT THE REASON SO MANY PEOPLE DIED IS BECAUSE THERE WAS NO INVESTMENT IN DRAINAGE IN OUR DISTRICT.
AND IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE IN THE 1946 FLOODS WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN, SHORTLY AFTER THAT CITIZENS FOR ORGANIZED FOR PUBLIC SERVICE GOT TOGETHER AND FORCED THE CITY TO FINALLY INVEST IN SOME INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT HAD BEEN DELAYED.
OVER $125 MILLION OF PROJECTS THAT HAD BEEN SORT OF NEVER COMPLETED -- STARTED BUT NEVER COMPLETED IN OUR WEST SIDE COMMUNITIES.
SO I JUST -- AS WE ARE WALKING THROUGH THIS AND DISCUSSING EQUITY, THAT WE USE THAT INFORMATION TO INVEST THE INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS WHERE THEY SHOULD GO.
ONE OF THE ISSUES AND WHY I WAS ASKING SOME OF MY QUESTIONS YESTERDAY ABOUT STORM WATER AND HOW MUCH WE SPEND ON DRAINAGE IS BECAUSE ONE THING WE KNOW IS THAT IT'S HARD TO SEPARATE DRAINAGE CONCERNS BY DISTRICT.
IT'S MUCH EASIER TO DO WITH STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.
WE ALSO HAVE MORE DATA FOR STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.
>> GONZALES: THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING THE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WAS THE EXTENT OF NEED BASED ON DRAINAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND I THINK THOSE NUMBERS ARE IN THE $2 BILLION RANGE.
NEVER LIKELY TO BE ADDRESSED, GIVEN THAT WE ARE AT A CITY THAT I BELIEVE HAS GROWN BEYOND WHAT IT CAN CURRENTLY SUSTAIN.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES ABOUT INVESTING IN OUR CORE, AND THE REASON THAT WE SUFFER DISPROPORTIONATELY IN FLOOD EVENTS AND IN STORM EVENTS IS BECAUSE WE WERE NEVER PROPERLY INVESTED IN.
AND SO HOW WE START TO MAKE THOSE CORRECTIONS, I THINK, IS IMPORTANT AS WE ADJUST THE BUDGET.
I THINK THE CLIENT ACTION PLAN IS JUST HIGHLIGHTING THAT.
[01:25:04]
I RECOGNIZE THESE ARE BIG-PICTURE ITEMS AND IT'S HARD TO REALLY TARGET DOWN, AND IT'S NOT JUST POOR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPACTED, IT'S ACTUALLY OLD COMMUNITIES.SO ANYTHING THAT WAS BUILT BEFORE 1950 HAD A DIFFERENT STANDARD OF DRAINAGE, SO THAT'S WHY IT FLOODS A LOT IN OUR OLD COMMUNITIES.
THAT'S WHY I ASK, IF WE HAD ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD, COULD WE GO BACK AND FIX THOSE? IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING WE CANNOT.
IT WOULD BE MORE DISRUPTIVE THAN IT WOULD BE POSITIVE TO GO BACK AND TRY AND FIX THAT OLD INFRASTRUCTURE, BECAUSE OUR STREETS WERE DESIGNED TO CARRY WATER, AND THAT WAS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE TIME.
I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS.
I JUST HOPE THAT RATHER THAN THE CONVERSATION GOING TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY BEING IMPACTED MUCH MORE GLOBALLY, THAT WE SORT OF BRING IT DOWN TO A LOCAL LEVEL AND INVEST OUR INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS WHERE THEY NEED IT MOST.
AND -- AND ALSO AS ANOTHER ASIDE, SOMETHING I THINK WE CAN DO AS WE ARE HAVING SOME REALIZATION THAT OUR OLDER COMMUNITIES ARE BEING IMPACTED MORE BY CLIMATE, IS THAT WE ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF TITLE CLEARANCES.
AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN READING OTHER STUDIES THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN OTHER CITIES, AND ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT HAPPENED IN KATRINA, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN MANY COMMUNITIES WERE WIPED OUT, ONE OF THE REASONS A LOT OF HOMES COULD NOT GET REHABILITATED IS BECAUSE PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE CLEAR TITLE, SO THEY COULD NEVER CLAIM THAT WAS THEIR HOMESTEAD.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO ON ANOTHER SIDE, WE'VE BEEN PILOTING IN DISTRICT 5 FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW IN TRYING TO PERFECT THAT, AND JUST IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, I KNOW WE'VE CLEARED 120 PLUS SIMPLE TITLES IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE DO THE SIMPLE THINGS THAT WE CAN TO PROTECT PEOPLE, WHICH WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A NATURAL DISASTER.
I MEAN, I THINK IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF WHEN AND HOW SEVERE.
WE'VE HAD IT ALREADY, BUT THERE ARE SOME SIMPLE THINGS WE CAN DO ON THE FRONT END.
AND I JUST WOULD HOPE THAT WE -- OR RATHER -- NOT THAT I WOULD HOPE, BUT THAT WE MAKE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLAR DECISIONS ALSO BASED ON THE REALITY OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY WILL FACE IN THE EVENT OF THESE STORMS. SO THANK YOU.
I THINK -- NO QUESTIONS REALLY THERE, DOUG, JUST --
>> GONZALES: I DO THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WORK, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PROPER INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY TO KEEP US SUSTAINABLE FOR 100 MORE YEARS TO COME.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER GONZALES.
COUNCILMEMBER ANDREWS-SULLIVAN.
>> SULLIVAN: THANKS, DOUG, AND THANKS FOR EVERYONE ON THE COMMITTEE TO MY FELLOW COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, AS WE PUSH FORWARD, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WE CAN DO TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE HERE BREATHE BETTER AND HAVE A LONG ER GEVITY OF LIFE.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, AND COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL HAS TOUCHED ON A FEW AND THEN COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA HAS ALSO TOUCHED ON A FEW OF THOSE AS WELL.
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE OXYGENATED PLANTS AND TREES, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN START IMPLEMENTING AHEAD OF TIME.
EVEN THROUGH THE NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT IS COMING IN, WITH OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE PUSHING FORWARD.
THOSE THINGS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IMMEDIATELY.
THEY'RE NOT SOMETHING WE HAVE TO WAIT ON WHEN IT COMES TO COUNCILWOMAN GONZALES, INFORMATION THAT SHE GAVE, IN 1998, ON THE DISTRICT 2 SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, THERE IS AN AREA WITHIN THE WHEATLY HEIGHTS COMPLEX THAT WE HAVE A SOCCER FIELD.
THAT SOCCER FIELD IS NOT USED AT ALL.
IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY GARDENS, THAT WE CAN START DOING NOW, THESE ARE JUST THINGS THAT WE CAN TRULY START LOOKING AT.
WITH THOSE COMMUNITY GARDENS, WE CAN START LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE AS A COMMUNITY PRODUCE OUR OWN VEGETABLES AND FRUITS, AND SO THAT IS ANOTHER THING, HELPING TO CUT DOWN ON THE EMISSIONS OF TRANSPORTING WITH THE BIG 18-WHEELERS, THINGS THAT WE CAN DO WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES.
I KNOW CPS HAS A HUGE OUTSTANDING BILL ON THE COAL PLANTS.
IF WE ARE TO LOOK TO CLOSE THOSE, WILL THAT COST NOW BE TRANSFERRED THROUGH THE CPS BILLS TO THOSE FAMILIES THAT
[01:30:01]
ARE STILL STRUGGLING TO KEEP THEIR BILLS AND THEIR COSTS AT A MINIMUM? WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS THE CLOSURE OF THOSE PLANTS, HOW DOES THAT TRANSFER? ALSO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EQUITY OF THE LOWER INCOME FAMILIES, ARE WE LOOKING TO DO ANY PARTNERSHIPS TO BRING IN AIR FILTRATION SYSTEMS TO THOSE THAT WE KNOW HAVE COPD OR ASTHMA WITHIN THE HOME THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET THOSE ENERGY-EFFICIENT PRODUCTS THAT THEY NEED? ARE WE PARTNERING RIGHT NOW WITH ANYONE TO GET -- TAKING OUT THE HOMES THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE OLDER THAT HAVE THE WINDOW AC UNITS, ARE WE LOOKING TO PARTNER WITH BRINGING IN ENERGY-SUFFICIENT UNITS FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE, THOSE THAT CAN'T AFFORD TO GET THOSE REPLACED? A LOT OF THAT IS CAUSING OUR ENERGY BILLS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE HEAT AS WE KNOW IN SAN ANTONIO, THEY HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY RUN THOSE SYSTEMS. YOU HAVE A LOT OF THE HOMES THAT STILL HAVE THE GAS HEATER SYSTEMS IN THEM.WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS GETTING THOSE REDUCED WITHIN OUR OLDER COMMUNITIES? AND THEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT PARTNERSHIPS, ARE WE BRINGING IN COMPANIES LIKE LOWE'S, COMPANIES LIKE HOME DEPOT THAT CAN GO IN AS WELL AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE CAN PARTNER WITH THE CITY TO PROVIDE ENERGY-SUFFICIENT AC UNITS? I KNOW THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE DID WHEN WE CAME INTO OFFICE, AND WE DO HAVE A WAY TO GET THOSE UNITS.
AND WE'RE LOOKING TO FIND A PARTNER WITHIN THE CITY THAT CAN HELP US GET THOSE UNITS OUT TO SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT 2.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE BREAKDOWN OF THE ZIP CODES, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT AS WELL FOR DISTRICT 2.
I WAS WONDERING HOW THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMITTEES WERE MADE UP TO REFLECT WHAT THE TRUE SAN ANTONIO AUDIOLOGY LOOKS LIKE, AND BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER, BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE FAMILIES THAT ARE LIVING ON A CONTINUOUSLY FIXED INCOME, ENERGY IS A PRIORITY AND A MUST, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY CANNOT AFFORD IT.
SO YOU HAVE FAMILIES WITHIN OUR AREA WHO ARE LIVING WITHOUT WATER BECAUSE THERE'S NO -- WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR SOFTENING AND THE CALCIFICATION THAT COMES WITH THE HARD WATER THAT WE HAVE WITHIN OUR CITY, WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT THE USE OF HARD CHEMICALS TO GET RID OF THAT, AND OUR PIPES ARE CONTINUOUSLY ERODING AND ROTTENNING.
SO IS THERE A FILL STRAITION OR A SOFT -- FILTRATION OR A SOFTENING SYSTEM THAT WE CAN USE WITHIN OUR CITY'S WATER SYSTEM TO KIND OF ALLEVIATE THE HARSH CHEMICALS THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY USE? THOSE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE THINGS I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WITHIN THIS PLAN AS WELL.
WE WILL SIT DOWN AND WE CAN TALK THROUGH THESE QUESTIONS WITH YOU.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER ANDREWS-SULLIVAN.
AND, DOUG, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK, YOU AND ALL OF THE 80 OR SO DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTICIPANTS HAVE PUT INTO THIS.
I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY MY PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING, BELIEF AND WHER WE'RE GOING ON ALL OF THIS.
I BELIEVE CLIMATE CHANGE IS OCCURRING, BUT NOT JUST HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT AROUND THE WORLD.
AND WE IN SAN ANTONIO DO NOT LIVE IN A BUBBLE.
WE ARE PART OF THE WORLD, AND WITH THE POTENTIAL ADOPTION OF THIS CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN, WE JOIN HUNDREDS OF CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD THAT ARE ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE IN THEIR PART OF THE WORLD.
SO I BELIEVE TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
THE RECENT DRAFT OR ITERATION OF THE CAP IS A VALUABLE GUIDE ON WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND WHAT OUR CITY GOVERNMENT SHOULD WORK TOWARDS TO PREPARE FOR IS SAN ANTONIO, OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL LIVE WITH AND DESERVE.
I'VE NOTED THAT THERE ARE 28 COMMUNITY-WIDE STRATEGIES WITH 86 POTENTIAL MEASURES TO CONSIDER.
THERE ARE ALSO 13 MUNICIPAL STRATEGIES AND 26 POTENTIAL MEASURES TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US.
I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR I SUPPORT THIS DRAFT OF THE CLIMATE ADAPTATION ACTION PLAN; HOWEVER, I'M NOT PREPARED TODAY TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY OF THESE STRATEGIES OR MEASURES UNTIL THIS COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDERS UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT THE
[01:35:01]
IMPLEMENTATION.AND TO DO THAT, I BELIEVE WE NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING, OR HEAR MORE ABOUT THE FOLLOWING: FIRST, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THE DETAILS ON HOW WE PLAN TO IMPLEMENT EVERY ONE OF THESE STRATEGIES.
THEN I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES FOR IMPLEMENTING THESE STRATEGIES.
AND THEN WHAT WILL BE THE TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION? AND THEN WHAT MAY BE THE COST TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT MAY BE THE POTENTIAL COST TO THE INDIVIDUAL ECONOMIES OF THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND FINALLY, WHAT MECHANISM WILL BE EMPLOYED TO MONITOR AND TRACK THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF ALL OF OUR EFFORTS? WHEN I SEE THOSE, WHEN THE COMMUNITY HAS A CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THOSE PARTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PLAN, I THINK WE'LL EARN THE FULL SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY.
NOW, THIS MAY TAKE A LOT MORE TIME TO DEVELOP THAN SOME PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE US MOVE.
I MEAN, WE HERE ALREADY OF PEOPLE WHO SAY, WELL K WE WANT TO SHUT DOWN COAL IN FIVE YEARS.
I ASK THEIR PATIENCE, BECAUSE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE -- THAT WILL GET THIS RIGHT.
AND IF IT TAKES ANOTHER SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR TO DEVELOP ALL OF THESE THINGS, FOR ME TO SUPPORT, I'M WILLING TO WAIT BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO AFFECT THE LIVES OF EVERYBODY IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR 30 OR 40 YEARS GOING FORWARD.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE.
>> TREVINO: THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU, DOUG, FOR THAT PRESENTATION -- AUDIO] -- COMPLEX ISSUE.
THANK YOU TO COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR HELPING TO SHEPHERD THIS ALONG, AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO THANK DR. AMY, WHO'S IN THE AUDIENCE, SPECIFICALLY ON THESE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE TO PARTNER WITH UTSA AS AN INCREDIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION.
I WANT TO SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK HIM AND DR. HASAM RASHAD ALI FOR THE RESEARCH HE DID FOR THE UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM THAT RECENTLY ONE A STATE AWARD FOR ITS EFFECTIVENESS, AND AT THE HEART OF THAT WAS THE RESEARCH THAT DR. HASAM RASHAD ALI DEMONSTRATED.
AND I'D LIKE TO SEE, ONE OF THE KEY CATEGORIES BUILDING ENERGY, HOW WE'RE ABLE TO REDUCE AS A BENEFIT TO A ROOF REPLACEMENT PROGRAM THE TEMPERATURE OF A HOME, THAT OBVIOUSLY HAD SOME REAL BENEFITS, ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FROM NOT JUST REPAIRING ROOFS, BUT BEING SMARTER ABOUT HOW WE BUILD.
AND I THINK THAT THIS IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE CAN BE LOOKING AT WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING ENERGY.
IT'S NOT JUST WHEN WE CONSTRUCT SOMETHING, BUT HOW IT'S MAINTAINED AND HOW WE LOOK AT A LOT OF THE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR CITY.
I THINK YOU'VE HEARD A LOT OF MY COLLEAGUES SPEAK TO THAT.
YEUNL, WE'VE BEEN BUILDING A CITY OVER -- OVER MANY, MANY DECADES, AND WE'VE LEARNED A LOT.
AND I THINK THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT CAN HELP EDUCATE FOLKS, HELP THEM AT HOME AND HELP THOSE THAT ARE MOST VULNERABLE.
SO I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU MAYBE JUST A FEW QUESTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE BIE-BACK -- BUY-BACK PROGRAM.
HOW CAN A BUY-BACK PROGRAM BE A HUGE BENEFIT TO CITIZENS IN SAN ANTONIO? AND WHAT I'D LIKE -- I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE INEFFICIENT VEHICLES, BUT WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS EXPANDING THAT TO BE SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST VEHICLES, BUT RATHER APPLIANCES AND HOMES AND HOW PEOPLE GENERALLY LIVE IN THE CITY AND HOW WE CAN LOOK AT JUST KIND OF A SMARTER APPROACH IN HOW THESE LITTLE THINGS CAN BE CAPTURED.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF REPLACING AN OLD REFRIGERATOR AS AN EXAMPLE WITH A NEWER ONE? AND HOW CAN WE HELP WITH THAT? SO CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT?
>> AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT, AND WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THAT AS WE START LOOKING AT WHAT MECHANISMS ARE AVAILABLE.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF REACHING OUT TO -- AND I THINK WE ACTUALLY DISCUSSED THIS WITH OUR FEW WEEKS AGO, REACHING OUT TO LOWE'S, REACHING OUT TO HOME DEPOT, WILL THEY BE WILLING TO PARTNER WITH US.
I THINK A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY RELATED TO YOUR POINT, COUNCILMAN TREVINO IS SITTING DOWN WITH CPS ENERGY
[01:40:02]
AS THEY ARE CURRENTLY REEVALUATING THEIR STEP PROGRAM.THEY ARE CURRENTLY ASSESSING WHAT WERE THE OVERALL IMPACTS OF THE INVESTMENTS, AND SO I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT A DATA-DRIVEN QUANTIFIED APPROACH TO WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GET THE BIGGEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK IN TERMS OF NOT JUST REDUCING EMISSIONS, BUT LOOKING AT THE EQUITY ISSUE, LOOKING AT IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
SO I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE AND DETERMINE WHERE IS THE BEST USE OF THOSE FUNDS TO GET THE -- BASICALLY ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO.
>> TREVINO: YEAH, AND I THINK YOU'RE HEARING FROM THIS COUNCIL THAT THERE'S A REAL CONCERN FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE TRANSITIONS DON'T CREATE A COST BURDEN OR AN UNNECESSARY OR UNDUE BURDEN ON THOSE POPULATIONS.
SO WHAT CAN THE STRATEGY THAT -- AS WE IMPLEMENT THIS, WHAT STRATEGIES CAN ACTUALLY HELP THEM IN THE LONG RUN? SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE DEMONSTRATIONS THAT, AGAIN, WE'VE -- WORKING WITH UTSA, WE CHANGED A SIMPLE ROOFING PROGRAM INTO A PROGRAM THAT ACTUALLY SAVES AN OWNER OCCUPANT ALMOST $2,000 A YEAR ON THEIR UTILITY BILLS.
SO THAT'S -- THAT'S MONEY THAT THAT PERSON CAN UTILIZE FOR FOOD, FOR MEDICINE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO SEE US SORT OF THINK IN THAT PERSPECTIVE, HOW CAN WE CREATE A LAYERED IMPACT THAT ACTUALLY BENEFITS, TO USE AN ANALYSIS THAT MY FORMER COUNCILMEMBER COLLEAGUE SALDAÑA WOULD APPRECIATE, IT'S OFTEN BASE HITS THAT WINS GAMES AND NOT THE INTERMITTENT HOME RUN, AND SO I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW CAN WE SCORE SOME BASE HITS HERE AND REALLY HELP TO, YOU KNOW, GET THE COMMUNITY TO TRULY BENEFIT FROM A PLAN LIKE THIS.
BECAUSE AT THE HEART OF THIS IS NOT JUST TO CREATE A RULE OR A REGULATION, BUT A REAL COMMUNITY BENEFIT.
I ALSO JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT, I THINK IT WAS TWO DAYS AGO WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE, AND HOW THEY GO INTO HOMES AND THEY SEE, YOU KNOW, FIRSTHAND A LOT OF THE NEEDS.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I ASKED CHIEF HOOD WAS TO HELP US KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHERE -- WHERE SOME FOLKS THAT MIGHT NEED SOME OF THESE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AND HOW CAN WE COLLECT THAT DATA TO SORT OF MODIFY SOME OF THESE STRATEGIES.
I WOULD ASK THAT WE ALSO SORT OF INCLUDE THAT AS PART OF THIS, IS HOW DO WE EXPAND OUR OWN SORT OF COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS WHERE THEY'RE ACTUALLY TOUCHING PEOPLE.
>> TREVINO: AND I GUESS THAT'S REALLY IT.
I MEAN, HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, WE'LL CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT THAT WE HOPE WE CAN LAYER.
I WANT TO MENTION, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN WE STARTED THE ROOF PROGRAM, I MENTIONED THIS TO ROD AND MIKE SHANNON ABOUT, YOU KNOW, USING OUR CODES TO ALSO HELP WITH SOME OF THAT COST BENEFITS.
AND, IN FACT, I REMEMBER ONE OF MY FIRST MEETINGS WITH COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL WAS GET THAT ROOF PROGRAM EVERYWHERE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE US TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW WE CAN MAKE IT PART OF OUR -- YOU KNOW, PART OF OUR STANDARD TO SAY HIGH REFLECTANTS ROOFS ARE A MUST IN SAN ANTONIO.
EVERY DAY THERE'S ROOFS GOING UP.
IT'S AMAZING TO ME HOW MANY TIMES I SEE THESE REALLY BLACK OR DARK ROOFS GOING UP ON THESE NEW HOMES.
I THINK THAT WE CAN INCENTIVIZE OR DISINVENTIVIZE THOSE KIND OF ACTS IN CONSTRUCTION.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: CHEW COUNCILMEN TREVINO.
THANK YOU FOR THIS LASTING WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE DOING FOR THE COMMUNITY.
I UNDERSTAND THE CAP ENJOYS SOME OF THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE IN SUPPORT OF THIS CITY.
WILL YOU CONFIRM SOME OF THE SUSTAINING HOLDERS THAT ARE IN
[01:45:01]
SUPPORT, OR AT LEAST NOT OPPOSED TO THE CURRENT VERSION.>> MELNICK: WE HAVEN'T -- HAVE MET WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS, AUTO DEALERS, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, REALLY WORKED THROUGH SOME OF THEIR CONCERNS AND WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE THEIR SUPPORT THAT THEY CAN LIVE WITH THIS PLAN.
YOU KNOW, I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS CONCERNED, BUT I THINK THEY APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANT OF TAKING ACTION.
I THINK THEY WERE VERY MUCH LOOKING FOR A PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO HOW WE'D MOVE FORWARD.
WE'VE ALSO MET WITH MANY ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE NATURE CONSERVANCY TO THE SAN ANTONIO ZOO TO BRIEF THEM, AND THEY'RE VERY SUPPORTIVE.
SO I THINK WE -- WE HAVE OVERALL SUPPORT.
THERE'S THOSE ON BOTH SIDES AND BOTH EDGES.
THERE'S THOSE THAT BELIEVE WE'RE NOT BEING AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH AND THEN THERE'S THOSE THAT DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING IT AT ALL.
BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR COMMUNITY BELIEVES WE NEED TO TAKE THIS FIRST STEP.
>> HAVRDA: I THINK IT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO GET BOTH ADVOCACY AND BUSINESS GROUPS TO SUPPORT IT, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
>> HAVRDA: I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE A BREAKDOWN OF THE STAKEHOLDERS IN DISTRICT 6.
>> MELNICK: WE'LL GET THAT FOR ALL THE COUNCILMEMBERS, THE BREAKDOWN.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER CABELLO HAVRDA.
THANK YOU FOR THIS COMING TO A BRIEFING SESSION, I UNFORTUNATELY DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN THE COMMITTEE THAT HAS SEEN THIS MULTIPLE TIMES, SO I ALSO APPRECIATE YOU, DOUG AND ROD FOR COMING AND SPEAKING TO ME AND SHARING ALL OF THIS INFORMATION TO ME AND ALL OF THOSE ALSO CONSTITUENCY GROUPS THAT HAVE COME AND SAT DOWN AND MET WITH ME ON THIS.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME AND IT'S ALSO BEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT VERSIONS HERE.
I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, AND I DO WANT TO START BY THANKING MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, DR. ROCHA GARCIA FOR HER THOUGHTFULNESS AND HER INTENTIONS AND HER QUESTIONS, SAME EXACT LIST, THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO SEE THE LIST OF THE -- WHO ARE THESE EQUITY LEADERS AND EXPERTS THAT YOU HAVE USED AND BROUGHT FORWARD, PLEASE.
I WANT TO ALSO THANK YOU AND COMMEND YOU AND THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION, DOUG, FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING WHEN IT COMES TO THE UNESCO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND CLIMATE HERITAGE, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THREATS WHEN IT COMES TO OUR WORLD HERITAGE IN OUR NATURAL AND MANMADE, WE SEE THAT WITH THE ALAMO, WE SEE THAT WITH OUR MISSIONS AND WITH OUR RIVERS.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THAT AND HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER LEADERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND ACROSS THE GLOBE OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
>> I THINK I'D LIKE MORE CLARIFICATION FROM YOU AS WE LOOK AT THIS AGAIN, WHAT IS SAN ANTONIO READY.
WE'VE HEARD THIS USED -- WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF TERMS USED.
IS THIS -- THIS IS AN ADAPTATION, IS IT A PLAN? IS IT A FRAMEWORK? IS IT A STRATEGY? IF WE CAN -- IS IT ALL OF THOSE THINGS? BUT I THINK WE NEED CLARITY AND JUST STREAMLINE OF WHAT IS THIS.
AND IF IT'S THE SAME THING, IF IT'S ALTOGETHER, BUT WE NEED CLARITY TO MARK OUT IF IT'S A FRAMEWORK, IF IT'S A STRATEGY, IF IT'S A PLAN.
SO IF WE CAN HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND CLARITY OF THE DIRECTION OF THIS, I'D REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
BECAUSE I THINK WE'VE HEARD ALL OF THE ELEMENTS IN THIS PRESENTATION AND OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, TOO.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
IN THE -- WHAT IS SA CLIMATE READY, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT SLIDE THAT IS? I'M JUST LOOKING THROUGH THIS, PAGE 11, I THINK, ON THE UPDATED VERSION, IS SA CLIMATE READY SUPPORTS MARKET TRANSITIONS, CONSUMER OPTIONS AND COMPARES RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, INSTITUTIONS FOR AN UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE.
I THINK SUPPORTS MARKET TRANSITIONS, WHEN READY AND AFFORDABLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S AFFORDABLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND TO MANY OF THE SAME THINGS THAT MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED.
ONE OF THE ITEMS HERE, I FORGOT WHAT -- OH.
I'M JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND -- THANK YOU FOR THE ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAD A LAUNCHING PAD AND A, YOU KNOW, A BASIC UNDERSTANDING, SO I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT YOU HAD THAT IN HERE SO WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT AT THE SAME TIME.
[01:50:01]
HIGHLIGHT IS JUST SOME -- WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT INNOVATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATIONS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE COMING IN, WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUTE COMMERCIAL WASTE REDUCTION AND RESIDENTIAL WASTE REDUCTION, TO START -- TO DEFINITELY LOOK AT THOSE NEW TECHNOLOGIES.ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, WE LEARNED ABOUT IT AT THIS WOMEN IN THE WORLD CONFERENCE THAT HAPPENED THIS PAST YEAR, IT'S CALLED BIOSELECTION, AND IT'S A CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY THAT INVENTED A PROCESS TO BREAK THE CHEMICAL BONDS BETWEEN PLASTIC MOLECULES, TURNING PLASTICS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN NONRECYCLABLE INTO CHEMICALS THAT ARE NOW SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE.
SO IF WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING RG -- AND I KNOW THEY HAVE A PILOT PROGRAM, I BELIEVE IT'S IN THE CITY OF SAN JOSE, TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS OF WASTE REDUCTION IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WHICH IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BY THE WAY, OUR SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT.
SO IN THE -- I WANT TO JUST CONTINUE ON THE CONVERSATION OF SAN ANTONIO'S COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE E E -- EQUITY.
IN PARTICULAR, NUMBER THREE WHERE IT SAYS REDUCE BURDENS AND BAR ADDITIONAL BURDENS TO THESE COMMUNITIES.
I THINK WHAT THIS HELPS ME FOCUS ON IS JUST WHAT WE HAVE IN HER ITED IN THIS CITY, WHAT WE HAVE INHERITED, I THINK IN PARTICULAR IN DISTRICTS 3 AND IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO, IN THE SOUTH SIDE.
WE HAVE INHERITED THE MISSIONS, WE'VE INHERITED THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER, SALADO CREEK, MEDINA RIVER.
WE'VE ALSO INHERITED DOS RIOS, WE'VE INHERITED THE CALUMET REFINERY, WE'VE INHERITED MITCHELL LAKE, WHICH USED TO BE THE WASTE MANAGEMENT AREA FOR SAWS.
WE ALSO HAVE INHERITED CALAVERAS LAKE, BRAWNIC AND FOOD INSECURITY, AND THIS HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF LACK OF REPRESENTATION EVEN BEFORE WE HAD SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS.
THESE AT-LARGE DISTRICTS SAID, YES, WE'RE GOING TO PUT THIS STUFF OVER HERE, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO DESIGN IT, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE IT HERE.
AND SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS HOW ARE WE -- YOU TALK ABOUT KNOWING THE HISTORY, RECOGNIZE THE HISTORY TO ADDRESS THE FUTURE.
AND I APPRECIATE THIS VERY, VERY MUCH, WE ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT -- UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL LEGACY STRUCTURES AND POLICIES THAT HAVE RESULTED AND CONTINUE TO PERPETUATE RACIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUITIES IN SAN ANTONIO.
YOU MENTIONED THE RED LINING, WHICH I'M VERY HAPPY YOU HAVE IN HERE, BUT I THINK WE ALSO -- I WOULD LIKE TO SEMEN SHUN IN HERE THE -- SEE MENTIONED IN HERE THE HISTORY OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH AT-LARGE MEMBERS AND THE POLICY AND HOW IT THEN DID DICTATE WHERE CERTAIN THINGS WERE PLACED IN THIS CITY.
AND HOW WE'RE HAVING TO OVERCOME THAT NOW.
BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW OUR HISTORY AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE -- WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE STARTING FROM IN THIS AREA.
ANOTHER THING THAT YOU MENTIONED IN HERE WAS ABOUT -- I THINK IT WAS THE SOIL OR THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
COUNCILMEMBER GONZALES MENTIONED IT, AND I THINK THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THING OF HOW CLIMATE -- THIS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IS GOING TO HELP IMPACT -- MAKE SENSE OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
BECAUSE OF THE EXPANSIVE SOILS THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO, THE LONGER IT'S DRYER, THE MORE COMPACT OUR SOIL GETS, THEN IT GETS -- THEN THE MORE FLOODS THAT WE HAVE, THEN OUR SOIL EXPANDS.
AND SO THAT, THEN, ONE, WE HAVE TO PUT MORE DOLLARS INTO OUR STREETS FOR FIXING, AND THEN WE HAVE TO PUT -- THEN IT COSTS MORE TO BUILD HOUSES IN OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL.
SO CLIMATE DOES IMPACT EVEN THE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR EYES MOVING FORWARD IN THAT DIRECTION.
BECAUSE THIS IS -- AND, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND AND I SEE ABOUT INCENTIVIZING CERTAIN, YOU KNOW, INVEST IN NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLE, CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
I WOULD LOVE IF WE COULD HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT 3 MAYBE HAVE TESLAS, BUT THEY DON'T.
AND THEN TO HAVE THIS -- YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T -- MANY OF US IN THE DISTRICT CAN'T AFFORD THESE THINGS, SO MAKING SURE THAT IT IS EQUITABLY DISTRIBUTED AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO BALANCE THAT WITH OTHER OPTIONS.
[01:55:01]
MENTIONED IT ON THE COUNCIL DAIS HERE.SO THOSE ARE SOME ITEMS AND ISSUES I WANTED TO BRING UP.
I THINK WE'RE ON A GOOD -- GOOD DIRECTION HERE, AND WHEN IT COMES TO -- I'M JUST GOING TO REITERATE THIS AGAIN, THE FOOD INSECURITY THAT IS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT CERTAIN PARTS OF THE DISTRICT AND IN THE ENTIRE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN.
GREAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOUG, AND THANK YOU FOR THE TEAM PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
LET ME TELL YOU I'VE GOT A TON OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO THAT AT THIS POINT.
WE HAVE A B SESSION SCHEDULED ON THIS, AND THEN WE HAVE A VOTE ON THIS LATER, SO WE'LL GO THROUGH THOSE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL SHARE THOSE QUESTIONS WITH YOU BETWEEN NOW AND THEN SO THAT Y'ALL CAN BE PREPARED AT THE B SESSION FOR ALL THESE QUESTIONS.
BUT SOME OVERALL COMMENTS, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED RIGHT ON THE OUTSET.
MY MAIN CRITICISM LAST TIME WAS WHAT'S THIS PLAN GOING TO COST US? AND THERE WERE SOME BROAD, BROAD PARAMETERS ON POTENTIAL COSTS IN THE PLAN, WHICH I SAID WERE BASICALLY WORTHLESS, BUT THEY WERE SOMETHING IN THERE TO PUT SOME KIND OF A WRAPPER AROUND HOW MUCH THIS STUFF IS GOING TO COST.
WELL, I GUESS THE ANSWER TO THAT IS LET'S TAKE IT COMPLETELY OUT OF THE PLAN.
THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO GO ON THIS.
AND I FIND IT ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING THAT THERE IS A SECTION IN HERE, A VERY DETAILED SECTION IN HERE CALLED THE COST OF DOING NOTHING.
I LOOK AT THIS AS, YOU KNOW, ALARMING.
IT'S AN ALARMIST TYPE OF DOCUMENT IN THIS THING.
BUT GUESS WHAT? THERE'S COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH EVERY ONE OF THOSE ALARMING THINGS, OF DEATHS, WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO TO THE ECONOMY.
YOU KNOW, IT'S SAYING 28 BILLION AND $19 BILLION PER YEAR BY THE YEAR 2090.
I MEAN, IF WE'RE ABLE TO FORECAST THESE COSTS OUT TO 2090, WHAT THE IMPACTS OF THE COSTS OF DOING NOTHING, WHY CAN'T WE PUT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT WE'RE WANTING TO DO OR WHAT THE PLAN IS TO DO? I JUST FIND THAT COMPLETELY FASCINATING, THAT YOU CAN TAKE OUT ALL REFERENCE TO COST ON THIS DOCUMENT.
AGAIN, THAT'S A BLANK CHECK THAT WE'RE GIVING TO THE TAXPAYERS SAYING TRUST ME, HERE, SIGN THIS, WE'RE GOING TO APPROVE THIS, AND WE'RE GOING TO MARCH ON.
WE'LL GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE COMMENTS ON IT ON EACH PORTION OF THAT ON DOWN THE ROAD, BUT HOW MUCH HAVE WE SPENT TO DATE? LET'S SAY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, NOT ONLY IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT ACOG, THE COUNTY, SARAH, -- SARA, ALL THESE ORGANIZATIONS.
YOU DO HAVE SOME THINGS IN HERE, LISTED A TRACK RECORD OF INVESTMENTS FOR OUR FUTURE.
AND YOU HAVE SOME COSTS IN THERE, BUT HOW ABOUT CONVERTING OUR BUSES TO CNG? THAT'S NOT IN THERE.
HOW ABOUT THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER, WHAT WE'VE DONE TO THAT? THAT'S NOT IN THERE.
EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION, THAT'S NOT IN THERE.
AND AIR QUALITY, WHAT ABOUT AIR QUALITY? WHERE ARE WE AT TODAY? ARE WE MEETING -- ARE WE MEETING THE.
>> MELNICK: OZONE STANDARD? NO.
>> PERRY: HOW LONG AGO WERE WE MEETING THAT?
>> MELNICK: THE OZONE STANDARD WAS JUST LOWERED A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
>> MELNICK: WE WERE JUST DESIGNATED LAST YEAR.
THE LEVEL, THE GOAL POST WAS MOVED TO MAKE IT MORE STRINGENT.
WE WERE ON TRACK TO MEET, WHAT WAS IT, 75 AT ONE TIME?
>> PERRY: HOW MANY YEARS AGO DID THEY MOVE THE --
>> MELNICK: IT WAS DOWN TO 70 JUST A FEW YEARS AGO.
>> PERRY: JUST MOVED IT DOWN TO 70.
AND I SAY ARBITRARILY BECAUSE THAT NOW TRIGGERED US TO GO INTO THE NONATTAINMENT, BUT WHAT -- WHAT PROGRESS HAVE WE MADE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS? WHERE WERE WE BEFORE?
>> MELNICK: I DON'T HAVE THOSE EXACT NUMBERS, BUT WE HAVE
[02:00:02]
SEEN A DECREASE.>> PERRY: WELL, WE WERE OVER 90.
SO WHAT INVESTMENTS DID WE MAKE TO GET DOWN TO THAT LEVEL? WE'RE NOT SHOWING THAT KIND OF INVESTMENT AND HOW MUCH WE HAVE DONE TO GET TO THOSE POINTS.
A SUBSTANTIAL, VERY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY.
SO I'M TOTALLY UNWILLING TO SUPPORT THIS PLAN AT THIS POINT UNTIL THESE BASIC THINGS ARE ANSWERED.
HOW MUCH IS IT GOING TO COST? AND TO HAVE THIS DO NOTHING THING IN HERE WITH POTENTIAL COSTS OUT TO 2090, YOU KNOW, HOW DID WE COME UP WITH THOSE FIGURES?
>> MELNICK: THOSE WERE BASED UPON RESEARCH THAT WAS CONDUCTED AND REPORTS FROM THE EPA AS WELL AS THE NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT.
>> MELNICK: AND THOSE -- I THINK THE ONE CLARIFICATION -- I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT -- WOULD BE THAT THOSE ARE FOR -- NOT FOR SAN ANTONIO SPECIFIC, IT'S FOR A REGION THAT BASICALLY SPANS FROM TEXAS TO OKLAHOMA.
SO IT'S -- THE INTENT IS TO PAINT A PICTURE OF THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
>> PERRY: MAN, YOU HIT THAT ON THE NAIL, DOUG.
WE'RE PLANNING, AND IN THIS PLAN TO DO THINGS THAT ARE A REGIONAL APPROACH AND NOT SPECIFIC FOR SAN ANTONIO ON ALL THIS STUFF THAT IS MENTIONED IN HERE IS NOT SPECIFICALLY FOR SAN ANTONIO.
ON ALL OF THESE ESTIMATES ON WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, IF WE DO NOTHING.
SO, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT BEING SPECIFIC FOR SAN ANTONIO AND WHAT THE COST IS GOING TO BE.
NOT ONLY TO SAN ANTONIO, BUT FOR THE COUNTY, FOR THIS REGION, THAT'S ALREADY INVESTING BILLION S.
I MEAN, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS TO DO WHAT'S ALREADY IN THIS PLAN.
HAVE WE ACTUALLY BENCHMARKED WITH OTHER CITIES? HAS ANYBODY ELSE ADAPTED -- ADOPTED THIS PLAN OR A SIMILAR PLAN.
>> MELNICK: YES, I ACTUALLY HAVE A BACKUP DOCUMENT, HOPEFULLY.
WE LOOKED AT THE TOP 11 BY POPULATION, AND THEN HIGHLIGHTED A FEW OTHERS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT EITHER THEY ALL HAVE A PLAN OR HAVE A PLAN IN DEVELOP MMENT.
>> PERRY: WHAT'S THE OLDEST PLAN OUT THERE, DO YOU KNOW?
>> MELNICK: OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I'D HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU.
I BELIEVE -- I'M LOOKING AT THIS LIST.
>> PERRY: I THINK CHICAGO IS ONE OF THE OLDEST.
>> MELNICK: CHICAGO IS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ONES.
>> PERRY: SO HOW MUCH HAVE THEY SPENT ON THIS PLAN AND WHAT'S THEIR RETURN ON INVESTMENT?
>> MELNICK: I HAD ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO THESE CITIES WITH THAT VERY QUESTION TO SEE IF THEY'VE BEEN QUANTIFYING IT, AND BASICALLY WAS INFORMED THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT DATA.
THERE AREN'T CLIMATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS.
I THINK THEY'RE INVESTING IN MOBILITY, THEY'RE INVESTING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD POINT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE -- SO, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN WE START LOOKING AT ALL THAT WE'VE INVESTED IN SAN ANTONIO, WE CAN START TRANSLATING THOSE INTO GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS, BECAUSE CARBON IS THE UNIT OF MEASURE.
BUT I DON'T -- I WASN'T ABLE TO HEAR BACK FROM ANY OF THOSE AS FAR AS HERE'S HOW MUCH WE HAVE SPENT OVER THE LIFE OF THE PLAN.
>> PERRY: WELL, I WOULD CERTAINLY BE INTERESTED IN THAT.
HOW MUCH HAVE THEY SPENT AND WHAT'S BEEN THEIR RETURN ON INVESTMENT? I GOT TO WORK THAT IN THERE, RETURN ON INVESTMENT HERE.
WE BENCHMARK WITH OTHER CITIES ALL THE TIME -- I MEAN, EVERY DEPARTMENT WE BENCHMARK, BUT WE'RE NOT BENCHMARKING HERE, AND I THINK THAT'S A MISTAKE.
SO, AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO SIGN A BLANK CHECK FOR OUR CITIZENS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND WHEN I LOOK AT THE GOAL, THE GRAND GOAL IS TO BASICALLY BE -- LET'S SEE, WHAT IS THE GRAND -- WHAT IS YOUR GRAND GOAL SAY, DOUG?
[02:05:02]
2050.>> PERRY: CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050.
AND, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER STUFF IN HERE THAT DOESN'T DEAL WITH BEING CARBON NEUTRAL, AND THAT'S FINE.
BUT WE'RE NOT QUANTIFYING IT, HOW MUCH WE HAVE SPENT ALREADY AND WHAT WE'RE PLANNING ON SPENDING TO DO THIS.
AND, YES, WE CAN FIND THAT DATA.
AND I'M SURPRISED THAT THE CONTRACTOR DIDN'T PULL THAT DATA TOGETHER.
WEREN'T THEY REQUIRED IN THE CONTRACT TO PROVIDE DATA?
>> MELNICK: BASICALLY WHAT THEY WERE ABLE ELECTROPROVIDE WAS USING SOME EXISTING GREEN HOUSE GAS ACCOUNTING TOOLS THAT USE DATA INPUTS SUCH AS OUR POPULATION, OUR POPULATION GROWTH PROJECTIONS AS WELL AS OUR ENERGY MIX TO ESTIMATE WHAT THE POTENTIAL INVESTMENT WOULD BE BASED UPON THESE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES.
BUT AS FAR AS DETAILED LEVEL STRATEGY COSTS THAT WE HAVE A DEGREE OF CERTAINTY WITH, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT.
WELL, SO THEY DIDN'T -- THEY DIDN'T -- THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE THAT THEN IN THE CONTRACT? DID WE GET A REDUCTION ON THE CONTRACT.
>> MELNICK: WELL, I THINK THEY PROVIDED US WITH THOSE INITIAL COST ESTIMATES.
>> PERRY: IS THAT WHAT WAS IN THE FIRST DRAFT.
>> MELNICK: AND THERE IS ADDITIONAL DETAIL BEHIND THAT AS WELL.
WELL, AGAIN, I'VE GOT A TON OF OTHER QUESTIONS.
I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THAT NOW.
AGAIN, MY COST IS FOR THE RATE PAYER AND TAXPAYER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND EVEN THOSE OTHER CITIES WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE COUNTY AND OUR REGION, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T JUST AFFECT -- TO MY COLLEAGUES' COMMENTS, WE'RE NOT IN A BUBBLE HERE.
YOU KNOW, I CAN GO ON AND ON, HOW MANY COAL PLANTS ARE WE OPERATING IN THE U.S.? HOW MANY ARE BEING BUILT? ZERO.
HOW MANY ARE BEING BUILT IN INDIA? HOW MANY ARE BEING BUILT IN CHINA? WE'RE NOT IN A BUBBLE.
AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO AFFECT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO BY DOING THAT? SO LOTS MORE COMMENTS, DOUG.
GREAT TRY, BUT IT'S NOT THERE YET IN MY BOOK.
SO WITH THAT, SIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER PERRY.
DOUG, I'VE PUSHED HARD ON YOU OVER THE PAST YEAR OR TWO JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THIS RIGHT.
MOST OF ALL, MY PUSHING ON YOU HAS REALLY BEEN FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT EVERY STAKEHOLDER HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON THIS.
YOU TOOK MY CHALLENGE VERY SERIOUSLY AND YOU WENT OUT AND YOU TALKED TO EVERY STAKEHOLDER.
I AM ALSO AWARE THAT, YOU KNOW, A DOCUMENT THAT IS A CONSENSUS DOCUMENT LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU'VE PUT TOGETHER IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE AN IMPERFECT DOCUMENT, BUT THE TRUE TEST OF WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A GOOD DOCUMENT IS IF YOU TAKE ALL OF YOUR STAKEHOLDERS, THEIR NEEDS AND THEIR POSITIONS AND ALL OF THEM WALK AWAY FROM THAT DOCUMENT JUST A LITTLE BIT UNHAPPY, YOU KNOW YOU DID THE RIGHT THING.
AND IN THIS INSTANCE, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS GOING TO SAY THIS IS A PERFECT DOCUMENT, AND THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET PERFECTION BE THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD IN THIS INSTANCE.
I WILL TELL YOU, I HAD A CHANCE, AND IT DIDN'T TAKE ME VERY LONG, TO GO LOOK UP OTHER CLIMATE AD ADAPTATION PLANS, BECAUSE I SAW THE LIST OF OTHER CITIES, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT ALSO TO POINT OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, TONIGHT ALL OF US ARE GOING TO DRIVE HOME AT AROUND 5:30, YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR THE AM RADIO SHOCK JOCKS DECRYING THIS CITY COUNCIL'S CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLAN AS SOMETHING VERY EXOTIC, OUT OF THE ORDINARY, ABSURD OR CHOOSE YOUR HYPERBOLIC ADJECTIVE, AND, YOU KNOW, BAD FOR BUSINESS, BAD FOR BUSINESS, BAD FOR BUSINESS.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO READ OFF A LIST AND, YOU KNOW, AND SEE IF ANY OF YOU GUYS RECOGNIZE THESE NAMES.
TOYOTA, MICROSOFT, BRITISH PETROLEUM, UNITED AIRLINES, IBM, MARRIOTT HOTELS, CHEVRON, UNION PACIFIC, GENERAL MOTORS, EXXON/MOBIL, COST CO, SHELL OIL, AT&T, THESE ARE SOME OF THE LARGEST CORPORATIONS ON THE PLANET AND THEY ALL HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON.
THEY ALL HAVE CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLANS.
AND THE MAJORITY OF THEM HAVE AS A GOAL CARBON NEUTRALITY WITHIN THIS NEXT 5 YEARS.
SO APPARENTLY THEY DIDN'T GET THE MEMO THAT THIS IS TERRIBLE FOR BUSINESS OR PEOPLE WHO ARE DECRYING THIS AS JUST, YOU KNOW, BAD FOR BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE BOARD WITH THE VERY BROAD BRUSH HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO I'M GOING TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF WHAT EXPERTS AT THESE VERY LARGE COMPANIES WHO HAVE
[02:10:01]
TO ANSWER TO THEIR INVESTORS AND HAVE FIDUCIARY DUTIES TO MAKE SURE TO MAINTAIN, YOU KNOW, RESPONSIBLE OPERATIONS, I'M GOING TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF TRUSTING THEM AS OPPOSED TO PEOPLE WHO REALLY JUST READ BUMPER STICKERS TO INFORM THEIR WORLDVIEW.AND SO WITH THAT SAID, I'LL -- YOU'VE GOT MY SUPPORT ON THIS ONE.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER PELAEZ.
AND I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES AND COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND EQUITY FOR THE GREAT WORK AND, OF COURSE, YOU AND YOUR TEAM, DOUG.
I DID WANT TO MAKE A FEW STATEMENTS, THOUGH.
AND IT WAS STRATEGIC AND IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME IN MY FIRST DAY WITH YOU-ALL AS MY COLLEAGUES AS MAYOR FOR US TO SIGN ONTO AND DECLARE OUR SUPPORT FOR THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD.
IN RECOGNITION OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY NOT JUST TO OUR CITIZENS HERE AND FUTURE GENERATIONS, BUT ALSO OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD AS WE WORK TOGETHER WITH GLOBAL COMMUNITIES, 400 PLUS OF THEM, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON THE WORLD WE LEAVE BEHIND TO OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.
WE ALSO SIGNED ONTO THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION.
AND BOTH OF THOSE TWO THINGS HAVE FUELED WHAT HAS COME AFTER.
AND SO THIS WAS A LONG-TIME COMING, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS THE EASY PART.
PASSING AND RATIFYING OUR FIRST CLIMATE ACTION ADAPTATION PLAN IS THE EASY PART.
THE DIFFICULTY IS GOING TO COME IN ALL THE DISCUSSIONS AND ANALYSES THAT LEAD TO ACTION OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS TO ACHIEVE OUR ULTIMATE GOAL.
THERE IS NO FINISH LINE WITH CLIMATE ACTION ADAPTATION.
SO LONG AS THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET, THERE IS NO FINISH LINE IN THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
THE GOAL OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND THE PRIMARY FOUNDATION FOR OUR CLIMATE ACTION ADAPTATION PLAN IS TO LIMIT THE GLOBAL TEMPERATURE INCREASE TO ONE AND A HALF DEGREES CELSIUS THIS CENTURY RATHER THAN THE PROJECTED 2.0-DEGREES.
IF WE DO NOTHING, AND WE CAN COUNT WHAT THAT MEANS BECAUSE IT WOULD MEAN WHAT WE'RE DOING CURRENTLY, WE MAY EXPERIENCE DOUBLE THE GLOBAL HUMAN POPULATION EXPOSED TO SEVERE HEAT AT LEAST EVERY FIVE YEARS.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I SIMPLY CAN'T IMAGINE SAN ANTONIO SUMMERS ANY HOTTER FOR OUR RESIDENTS OR OUR VISITORS.
THE DEATH RATE FOR ELDERLY POPULATIONS WITH CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS RISES WITH TEMPERATURE AS MUCH AS FOUR% FOR EVERY 1° CELSIUS.
POLLUTANTS RESULTING IN EXCESS, GROUND LEVEL OZONE LEVELS WHICH HAVE THRUST US INTO NONATTAINMENT STATUS RECENTLY, MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ESTIMATED 19 ADDITIONAL DEATHS PER YEAR IN BEXAR COUNTY, AND THAT'S ON TOP OF THE DEATHS WE KNOW ARE ASSOCIATED THROUGH THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY PRESENT AND FOLKS BEING AFFECTED BY EXISTING POLLUTION LEVELS.
HOW MANY 100-YEAR FLOODS ARE WE PREPARED TO HAVE AS STORMS INTENSIFY.
THERE WAS AN ITEM ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, IT PASSED ON CONSENT, I'M NOT SURE MANY PEOPLE NOTED, BUT IT HELPED RESTORE TREES LOST DURING THE BRIEF YET FIERCE STORMS THAT TORE THROUGH OUR REGION PARTICULARLY IN THE WOODLAWN LAKE AREA.
THAT CONCRETELY SHOWS HOW MUCH A RAPIDLY CHANGING CLIMATE COULD COST SAN ANTONIO IN TERMS OF DOLLARS AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND WITHIN OUR CITY LIMITS, THERE ARE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMES AND AREAS OF FLOOD OR WILDFIRE RISK.
A FEW YEARS AGO, WE ACTUALLY CLEARED TITLE ON A NUMBER OF THOSE HOMES, SO THAT THEY COULD BE MOVED TO SAFER PLACES.
AND SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD FOR US TO DO NOTHING.
SAN ANTONIO -- AUDIO] -- GOAL OF MAKING OUR CITY CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050, ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHER COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES AND BEYOND.
AND THE CITY IS ALREADY DOING INCREDIBLE WORK ON THIS FRONT.
61% OF OUR STREETLIGHTS ARE ALREADY POWERED BY LED BULBS.
UTILIZING AN ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUND, WE'VE DECREASED ELECTRICITY USAGE BY 16% OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS IN MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS.
AND THE CITY IS HEADED TOWARDS SWITCHING OUR MUNICIPAL FLEET TO CLEANER ALTERNATIVES ENTIRELY BY 2025.
WE'RE IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF BENCHMARKING AND TRACKING ENERG USAGE ACROSS LARGE BUILDINGS, ACROSS OUR CITY, AND EVALUATING POTENTIAL CODE CHANGES TO INCLUDE HOOKUPS FOR SOLAR PANELS AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
BUT I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR: THE MOST AGGRESSIVE STRATEGIES IN THIS PLAN WILL COME FROM POLICIES THAT THIS COUNCIL CAN CONTROL AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL.
[02:15:02]
COUNCILS.WE DO NOT SET POLICY FOR ANY OTHER PUBLIC ENTITIES.
SO I DO HOPE, AND THIS IS THE HARD PART, THAT AS WE WORK THROUGH MORE OF THE PUBLIC INPUT PROCESS AND AS WE NEAR RATIFICATION IN OCTOBER, OTHER MAJOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES WILL ENDORSE CLEARLY THIS FRAMEWORK SO THAT WE CAN ALL COLLABORATE ON MAKING SAN ANTONIO A CLEANER, HEALTHIER, AND MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITY.
IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERPATH OF PASSING THIS PLAN THIS FALL, WE'LL INSTALL PERMANENT CITIZEN OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO REMAINS COMPLIANT AS WE WORK ON OUR POLICIES TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS.
AND AS TECHNOLOGIES AND MARKETS EVOLVE, WE'LL COME BACK EVERY FEW YEARS TO REFINE THIS DOCUMENT, A LIVING DOCUMENT, CLARIFYING OUR POLICIES AND STRATEGIES TO OBTAIN CARBON NEUTRALITY BY THE YEAR 2050.
SO, AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED ON THIS PLAN.
IT WILL BE FOR A WHILE, EVEN THROUGH THE LIFE OF IMPLEMENTATION, BUT THANK YOU, ESPECIALLY TO OUR OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AS WELL AS THE CAPS TECHNICAL WORKING GROUPS AND STEERING COMMITTEE AND ALL OF THE AREA STAKEHOLDERS WHO HAVE HELPED WORK THIS PLAN INTO A DOCUMENT THAT WE CAN ALL BE SERIOUSLY PROUD OF.
WE ARE AT A CRITICAL POINT IN OUR HISTORY, AND THE TIME FOR ACTING IS NOW.
I'M CONFIDENT WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
IN CLOSING, THERE IS AN ADAGE, AN OLD ADAGE AND MANY TRADITIONS SAY IT DIFFERENTLY, BUT IT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS: WE DID NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR FATHERS, WE'RE BORROWING IT FROM OUR CHILDREN.
AND I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT AS POLICYMAKERS AND AS REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR PUBLIC, IT WOULD BE ENTIRELY RECKLESS TO IGNORE THE REALITY OF THE CHANGING CLIMATE CHANGING CLIMAE , AS WE WORK TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF OUR CITIZENS AND THOSE WHO COME AFTER US.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY AS WE GET TOWARDS RATIFICATION IN OCTOBER.
>> THAT'S ALL THE ITEMS WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA FOR
[28. City Manager's Report]
BUSINESS TODAY.IS THERE A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT ?
>> WALSH: JUST ONE ITEM MAYOR, I WANTED TO LET YOU AND THE REST OF THE COUNCIL KNOW THAT THE CITY LAST WEEK AS AN ORGANIZATION KICKED OFF THE 2020 CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN, WE ARE ONE OF EIGHT PACE SETTER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, SO WE START THE CITYWIDE, THE COMMUNITY-WIDE CAMPAIGN FOR UNITED WAY AND CONTRIBUTIONS, AND WE HAD AN EVENT LAST FRIDAY AT THE ALAMODOME.
WE HAD OVER 1300 EMPLOYEES COME TO THE ALAMODOME LAST FRIDAY MORNING, AND PARTICIPATED IN A NUMBER OF EVENTS.
OUR GOAL AS AN ORGANIZATION IS TO RAISE $1,060,000 FOR THE COMMUNITY, AS AN ORGANIZATION, AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT THERE AT LAST FRIDAY'S EVENT WITH THE 1300 EMPLOYEES, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYEES TO SIGN UP AN EPLEDGE AND WE RAISED $123,000 TOWARDS NEXT YEAR'S CAMPAIGN.
AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT THE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE CONSISTENTLY AND HISTORICALLY BEEN PART OF THAT, IT WAS A GREAT TURNOUT LAST FRIDAY.
SO WE'LL BE GOING THROUGH THAT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT THE EMPLOYEES THAT PARTICIPATED LAST FRIDAY, WE WENT OVER 10% OF OUR GOAL JUST IN ONE MORNING, SO THAT'S A GREAT -- THAT'S A GREAT HONOR, AND I'M PROUD.
THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE PACE-SETTER ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE THE VALERO, USAA, CPS -- CPS AND THE CITY ARE THE ONLY TWO PUBLIC ENTITIES IN THAT PACE-SETTER CATEGORY.
SO I WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU.
>> VIAGRAN: CONGRATULATIONS, ERIK, AND ALL THE CITY STAFF, BUT WE AS A CITY COUNCIL HAVE OUR UNITED WAY AUCTION TOMORROW, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY CAN COME TO THE PLAZA DEARMES GALLERY. I KNOW IF YOU BID FOR DISTRICT 3, YOU'LL GET A ROUND OF GOLF AND SOME OF THE BEST BARBECUE IN ALL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WITH 2M SMOKEHOUSE AND BIG LOU'S PIZZA.
[LAUGHTER] PEREZ PER LET'S DO IT.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: PERRY WANTS TO MEET.
BEFORE WE RECESS AND WE WILL RECONVENE AT 2:00 P.M. FOR OUR ZONING AGENDA, WE DO HAVE A BIRTHDAY TO CELEBRATE.
IT IS OUR COLLEAGUE ADRIANA ROCHA GARCIA'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW, AND WE HAVE CAKE IN THE BACK TO CELEBRATE HER BIRTHDAY, SO LET'S SING HER HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.