The NRC held a special meeting to discuss results of the CAAP actions analysis requested by City Council, which includes Cost Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction potential and other factors for each prioritized action in the draft 2020-2040 CAAP (in progress). This meeting was intended to continue the NRC discussion on CAAP recommendations from the April 25 regular meeting. The purpose was to  either generated a summary recommendation motion from the NRC to City Council, or alternatively, to determine that it does not have agreement on a summary recommendation to City Council and a staff report summarizing the discussion will be used instead. Commissioners Meg Slattery (Chair), John Johnston, Richard McCann, Nayelie Quezada, Thomas Rost, and Keara Tuso were present; Michelle Byars and Jacob Byrne were unable to attend, but were able to send comments in advance of the meeting.  Representatives appointed from other City commissions were invited to attend and participate in the discussion on behalf of their commission.

The current actions and analysis shows that it is possible to achieve (or nearly meet) 2030 interim targets. However, the analysis does not show that 2040 carbon neutrality will be met with currently prioritized actions. There was a general understanding that regular monitoring, review of progress and additional items will need to be adopted between now and 2040 to achieve carbon neutrality. Kerry Loux reminded the group that “all the +/- 100 actions identified through community engagement and professional input will be included in the CAAP but that approximately 30 prioritized actions are slated to have an Implementation Roadmap developed.”

Many commissioners including Tom Rost, Richard McCann, and Keara Tuso were especially supportive of items B5 “Subsidize public transit so it is free for all to use and promote expansion of public transit routes and increased operation frequency within Davis to support day-to-day travel needs” and B7 “Coordinate with regional transit agencies and cities to promote cohesive transit interconnections, including express buses to Woodland, West Sacramento, Sacramento, etc.”

Leilani Buddenhagen of the Senior Citizens Commission called for more focus on collaboration and different types of collaboration around transportation, for example, door-to-door or other specialized transportation, including medical transportation, which could mean collaborating with healthcare partners. She pointed out that some residents, especially older adults, need to travel to Sacramento, Woodland, or Vacaville for health services. She shared examples of other communities that have implemented rural on-demand ride sharing with electric vehicles.

Stephen Streeter (Planning Commissioner and YoloBus representative) reported that there are still pandemic related constraints on driver availability and that new drivers are being trained to remedy the situation. He added that the “L” line is pulling back and Davis Community Transit is currently down to 3-4 drivers from 11 pre-pandemic. Jim Cramer from the Tree Commission commented that there could be a focus on synergies among items, for instance, that item D2  (“Expand urban forest in parks, greenbelts, and open space with climate-ready species that provide shade, and develop a tree replacement plan for street trees for all neighborhoods”) has positive impacts by cooling streets and making them more friendly for active transportation.

Trisha Ramadoss from the Unitrans Advisory Committee addressed item B11 as one that would give the “biggest bang for the buck,” citing high ridership from West Village to campus as an example of transit-oriented development. Item B11 reads “Develop incentive options to increase housing construction in the city, including high-density, mixed-use (especially office space and food service), transit-oriented, and affordable options.”

Chair Meg Slattery echoed Commissioners Keara Tuso and Nayelie Quezada’s prioritization of rental unit retrofits (items A3 and D3). Commissioner John Johnston suggested prioritizing actions by those that save money, those that are within the City’s control, those that affect new construction, and those that take a long time to implement. Meg Slattery agreed that items within the City’s control should be prioritized and ended the meeting by creating and sharing a bulleted list summarizing the commissioners viewpoints shared during the meeting to be shaped by a newly appointed sub-committee. The commissioners agreed to offer to present the finalized priority recommendations at the next City Council meeting. Commissioner John Johnston suggested that Sustainability program staffing should be increased, which might be included as a side recommendation to council.

Comissioner Jacob Byrne added comments afterwards in support of building electrification, electric vehicle charging (B8), and item A3 (a and b) rental efficiency and weatherization.

The meeting was staffed by Dianna Jensen, CAAP Project Director, PWET City Engineer and Kerry Loux, CAAP Project Manager, CDS Sustainability Coordinator. Commissioners from Bicycling, Transportation and Street Safety Commission (BTSSC), Civic Arts Commission (CAC), Open Space and Habitat Commission (OSHC), Planning Commission (PC), Senior Citizen Commission (SCC), Tree Commission (TC), the Unitrans Advisory Committee and the Utilities Commission (UC), participated in the discussion, provided feedback as needed, and are able to report back to their respective Commissions on recommendations by the NRC to the CAAP process. Council member Dan Carson was present as well.

LINK TO WORKBOOK WITH LIST OF POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS

LINK TO POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, April 25, 2022

LINK TO CAAP STAFF REPORTS TO NRC, April 25, 2022 and May 9, 2022

City of Davis Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) webpage

 

City of Davis Commissioners, Staff, and Council Members looking tired but dedicated during a late evening meeting May 9, 2022. Screen capture May 9, 2022.