Sacramento City Council embraces 'slow streets,' electrified buildings to fight climate change
Screen displayed by Commission Chairperson Anne Stausboll during the Council’s Zoom meeting.
Members of the Sacramento City Council Tuesday embraced the recommendations of the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change and voted to move forward immediately on 10 first-year action items, including creating ‘slow streets’ for pedestrians and people-pedaled vehicles only and crafting an ordinance to require future buildings to run entirely on electricity.
“After days on end of insufferable heat and unbreathable air, I feel hope for our city,” Commission Chairperson Anne Stausboll said Wednesday. “When the commitments the council made to reducing emissions and to social justice come to fruition, we’ll look back on last night as a milestone.”
The commission was jointly launched in November 2018 by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon. Its 19 members include leaders from the business, government, non-profit and academic sectors. Hundreds of Sacramentans participated in its effort to craft strategies to make the cities carbon neutral by 2045.
The commission finished its work in June and unanimously adopted its final recommendations, which included prioritizing active transportation, electrifying buildings, and identifying climate vulnerabilities and adaption strategies — all with a focus on equity and protection of vulnerable communities.
Kate Wilkins, board member of 350 Sacramento, said she’s “excited that the Council directed city staff to work on many of the first-year recommendations, including the electrification ordinance. Electrifying new construction under four stories is a great climate win for Sacramento — it’s safer and healthier for occupants and cheaper to build and operate.”
Mayor Steinberg kicked off the discussion Tuesday night by saying that the City can’t afford to wait. “The call for urgency is obvious,” he said. “Just as the City has elevated inclusive economic development as a main staple and priority of what we do as a City, climate change must be elevated to the same status. Look at what we are living through now.
“We can’t do it all alone as a City, but we can show the way, and proudly say that we did more than our part in the coming months and years to try to turn around what is catastrophic if it doesn’t change.”
Here are the items adopted Tuesday:
Climate Lead Staff Person
The City Council directed City Manager Howard Chan to appoint a high-level leader within 30-45 days to oversee the City’s climate effort across all departments. While recruitment for a permanent position may take longer, Mayor Steinberg asked that Chan make an interim appointment.
Electrification of New Construction.
Council directed staff to begin the process of adopting an ordinance requiring all new low-rise construction to be all electric by 2023. Council members said they would like the city to begin outreach in the next few months, not a year or longer.
Retrofit of Existing Buildings
Council directed the City to work with PG&E and SMUD to develop the schedule and determine the resources needed to retrofit existing buildings to meet the Commission strategy of 25% of all existing buildings retrofitted to all electric by 2030.
Electric Vehicle Ready Infrastructure.
Council directed staff to change the building codes to ensure that new infrastructure is EV ready
Free Transit for Youth
City staff directed to find a funding source to continue offering free transit passes to Sacramento youth. Current funding expires on Sept. 30.
Slow Streets
Directed staff to lead effort in identifying a number of streets that can be closed to motor vehicle traffic.
Economic Development
Directed staff to create an Economic Development Strategy for green jobs.
Environmental Justice Governance Board.
Directed staff to work with the community to create an Environmental Justice Governance Board and provide $25,000 to a nonprofit to begin the work.
Urban shade trees
Directed staff to complete the Urban Forestry Master Plan and bring it back to Council.
Work program
Asked staff to create a work program and identify the resources needed to implement the recommendations.
The Council action drew praise for not just putting the Climate Commission report on a shelf, a possibility commissioners were determined to avoid.
“I applaud Mayor Steinberg and the City Council for not wasting this pandemic and the concurrent economic, social, and political crises,” said former Councilmember Steve Cohn, who co-founded the SMART/SacMoves Coalition for sustainable transportation.
“By acting decisively upon the recommendations of the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change and turning them into near-term programs and policies, Sacramento can show the rest of the world how to integrate bold climate change action into a comprehensive strategy to build a strong, equitable and sustainable economy that leaves no neighborhood behind.”
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