Mayors' Climate Change Commission to hold first public meeting Nov. 26

With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly obvious in California’s Central Valley, the mayors of Sacramento and West Sacramento will jointly convene the first meeting of their Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change.

The meeting will be held on Nov. 26 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Sacramento City Council Chambers inside City Hall at 915 I St. It is open to the public, and you don’t need to RSVP to attend. Members of the public will be given time to comment.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon formed the commission to push their cities toward even more aggressive action in reducing the use of fossil fuels.

The Commission has set a goal for the two cities of achieving carbon neutrality — or Carbon Zero— by 2045.

Smoke from the Camp Fire created very unhealthy and even hazardous air quality in the Sacramento region.

At their first meeting, members of the Commission will be introduced to the public. The commissioners will hear about the current state of climate science and the threats to the Sacramento region, and staff members from the cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento will describe what they are already doing to combat climate change.

The Commission’s task is urgent. Climate change is expected to have severe impacts in the Sacramento region, and will hit low-income residents particularly hard.

This November, Sacramento is getting a preview of what the future could look like with longer dry seasons and less rainfall. Smoke from the state’s deadliest fire on record, the Camp Fire, has produced unhealthy air quality for many days on end. Schools and some workplaces have closed, and sports practices are cancelled. The City has handed out thousands of breathing masks.

The most recent California Climate Change Assessment, released in August, predicted that the average daily maximum temperature in the Sacramento Valley would rise by 10 degrees by the end of the century, and the number of extreme heat days, when the temperature is higher than 103.9 degrees Fahrenheit, would jump from four days a year to 40.

More severe and frequent heat waves could raise energy costs or even endanger the lives of those without air conditioning. Conversely, reducing the use of fossil fuels could lower the community’s vulnerability to energy price and supply shocks. Building more developments close to public transit, reducing the use of natural gas in buildings and shifting to electric vehicles could help achieve that goal.

“By working together we can accelerate and shape the transition to a clean energy economy that’s already happening so that it benefits all of our residents,” said Mayor Steinberg. “It’s urgent that we act now in order to attract clean technology investment and jobs and to save our region from environmental catastrophe.”

The Commission will convene for five three-hour public meetings, structured around key sectors including the built environment, mobility, and community health and resiliency. The final result will be a Recommendations Report that highlights priority strategies to achieve Carbon Zero.

Please visit www.lgc.org/climatecommission for ongoing updates and resources for the Commission.

View of the I Street and Tower bridges between Sacramento and West Sacramento on a clear day.