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Home My WebLink AboutDecember Agenda Packet SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA www.palmspringsca.gov/services/sustainability-and-recycling December 17, 2024 5:30 PM MEETING AGENDA Palm Springs City Hall Large Conference Room Ken Alexander Don Barrett Erin Boyd Roy Clark, Chair Kathy Cohn Max Dirdah Andrew Forster Michael Frick Bernard Rottner, Vice Chair Prema Walker City of Palm Springs Vision Statement: Palm Springs aspires to be a unique world-class desert community where residents and visitors enjoy our high quality of life and a relaxing experience. We desire to balance our cultural and historical re- sources with responsible, sustainable economic growth and enhance our natural desert beauty. We are committed to providing responsive, friendly, and efficient customer service in an environment that fosters unity among all our citizens. To view/listen/participate in the meeting live, please contact Benito Villa at benito.villa@palmspringsca.gov or the following telephone number ((760)322-8312) to register for the Zoom meeting. There will be an email with Zoom credentials sent after registration is complete to access the meeting and offer public comment. Any person who wishes to provide public testimony for an item on the agenda is requested to file a speaker card before the Public Testimony portion of the meeting. You may submit your public comment to the Subcommittee electronically. Material may be emailed to benito.villa@palmspringsca.gov. Transmittal prior to the start of the meeting will help ensure that your correspondence is fully considered. Any correspondence received during or after the meeting will be distributed to the Sub- committee and retained for the official record. Office of Sustainability staff representatives: Lindsey-Paige McCloy, Director; Christian Wheeler, Climate and Sustainability Specialist; Benito Villa, Senior Program Coordinator; Juliet Shane Agtang, CivicSpark Fellow Please MUTE OR TURN OFF all audible electronic devices for the duration of this meeting. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS (5 MINUTES) ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA PRESENTATION (15 MINUTES) Year in Review – Department Staff PUBLIC COMMENTS: This time is for members of the public to address the Commission on agenda items and items of general interest within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission. The Commission values your comments but it cannot take action on items not listed on the posted Agenda. Three (3) minutes are allowed for each speaker Sustainability Commission Meeting December 17, 2024, 5:30 PM - Page 2 CHAIR’S COMMENTS (5 MINUTES) Chair Clark SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS (10 MINUTES) 1. Standing Subcommittee on Waste Reduction – Vice Chair Rottner 2. Standing Subcommittee on Climate Action – Chair Clark 3. Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Bird Strikes – Commissioner Frick 4. Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Leaf Blowers – Chair Clark, Commissioners Cohn and Frick 5. Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Measure J Projects – Commissioners Alexander and Boyd, and Vice Chair Rottner DIRECTOR’S REPORT (10 MINUTES) Director McCloy APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES – Regular meeting(s ) (10 MINUTES) OLD BUSINESS (20 MINUTES) 1. Food Ware Ordinance – Director McCloy 2. Smoking Ordinance – Director McCloy NEW BUSINESS (0 MINUTES) 1. None COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND JANUARY AGENDA ITEMS (10 MINUTES) Commissioners have two (2) minutes to provide requests for future agenda items or input on other Commis- sion-related items of interest. ADJOURNMENT - The meeting of the Sustainability Commission will adjourn to January 21 , 2025, at 5:30 pm, unless otherwise noted . It is the intention of the City of Palm Springs to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in all respects. If, as an attendee or a participant at this meeting, you need special assistance beyond what is normally provided, the City will attem pt to accommodate you in every reasonable manner. Please contact the Office of the City Clerk at (760) 323-8204 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to inform us of your needs and to determine if accommodation is feasible. Pursuant to G.C. Section 54957.5(b)(2) the designated office for inspection of records in connection with the meeting is the Office of Sustainability, City Hall, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262. Agenda and staff reports are available on the City’s website www.palmspringsca.gov. If you would like additional information on any item appearing on this agenda, please contact the Office of Sustainability at (760)322-8312. AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING: I, Lindsey-Paige McCloy, Director, Office of Sustainability of the City of Palm Springs, California, certify this Agenda was posted at or before 5:30 PM on Thursday, December 12, 2024 as required by established policies and procedures. This amended agenda has been posted on December 15, 2024, to reflect a change in guest speakers. Lindsey-Paige McCloy, Director, Office of Sustainability City of Palm Springs, Office of Sustainability To: Sustainability Commission From: Lindsey-Paige McCloy, Director, Office of Sustainability Re: December Updates to the Sustainability Commission Meeting Date: 17 December 2024 The Office of Sustainability would like to provide this update on activities since the last Commission meeting to help speed discussion at the in -person meeting. The following items can be discussed in more depth at the meeting, if desired by the Commission. Upcoming Meetings and Events • Next Council meeting topics: o TBD: Tree ordinance, buildings reach code, greenhouse gas emissions update, expanding foodware ordinance to include styrofoam coolers; update on foodware ordinance compliance • Next Subcommittee meeting dates: o SSCOWR: Rescheduled due to proximity to New Year’s Day o Climate Action: January 8 • Recurring events o Next Farmers’ Market table: tbd to align with a program launch o Next shredding and e-waste event: January 18 o Upcoming special events ▪ Community Cleanup – January 25, 2024 • Office note o LP will be out of the country from January 1-20. The office will be in the very capable hands of the rest of the team! Commission Administrative Matters • We are no longer permitted to email personal email addresses for Commission matters. If you are still having trouble with the email address, please email ithelp@palmspringsca.gov and let them know that you are a Sustainability Commission member. • A reminder from our City Clerk’s office: Commissioners are encouraged to minimize absences. Commissioners with three consecutive absences are subject to removal from the Commission. Updates on Ongoing Work I am presenting an abbreviated version of this list this month since we’ve been highly focused on a few major topics. Water, Turf Conversion, Batteries, GHG Inventory, Air Quality No updates this month. Events Due to the number of Citywide events this month, it was a quiet month for Sustainability events! Waste and Foodware PSDS and Benito will be hosting a shredding event on January 18 at the Convention Center. Airport We recommend that Commissioners check out the documentation from the latest Open House on the Master Plan website! EV Charging Stations All good so far. Scheming continues! Transportation Final rounds of outreach meetings for the road reconfiguration will be taking place in the early months of 2025. We will be working on grant agreements for the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program and our Heat and Shade study this month. Urban Environment Tree ordinance and supporting programs – schemes are also afoot! Stay tuned for Q1. Staff participated in the kickoff meeting for Blue Zones in the first week of December. We highlighted work on transportation, food, urban environment, and health. Community Garden No updates this month. Buildings and Energy Efficiency We have been working hard on the energy efficient reach code this month . A quick summary is as follows: • Working on stakeholder outreach, including with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians/Tribal staff and with the Desert Valley Builders’ Association • Identifying paths for implementation with City departments (primarily Building and Safety) • Performing cost and scenario analysis to understand how different projects might be impacted Upcoming work will include: • Creating support documentation to help building owners and professionals navigate the ordinance Stakeholder outreach needs and results will delay the Ordinance’s trip to the City Council. We anticipate that the earliest date for an informational presentation will be in February to the Council. We will keep the Commission posted. Fleet Electrification and City Emissions Reductions Also schemes. Team Updates Our positions are still posted for hire! We will begin to review resumes this week. Members of our team, two Commissioners, and staff from Housing/Community Development and Public Works attended the REACH IE Conference in Morongo in early December. Ariel Tolefree-Williams, the City’s Housing Administrator, and LP presented on housing and transportation, respectively. City of Palm Springs Sustainability Commission December 2024 Upcoming Agenda Items for City Council, Commission, and Subcommittees - Targeted Food Ware Ordinance (styrofoam coolers prohibited) City Council – TBD Commission – December 17 SSCOWR – November 6 Energy-Efficient Upgrade Ordinance City Council – TBD Smoking Ordinance City Council – tentative tFebruary (first reading) Commission – December 17 (discussion); January 21 (vote) Tree Ordinance City Council – tentative March (first reading) Commission – February Greenhouse Gas Reduction City Council – April Commission – February and March Commission December • Food Ware Ordinance • Measure J projects (ad hoc subcommittee report) • CV Link Status SSCOWR December • Clarification about composting pails (Commissioner Alexander’s suggestion) • Parks/Recreation and Sustainability – collection of landfill, recycling, organics • Battery recycling TBD • Review of reuse projects and policies across CA/region • CA water regulations Climate Action December • Fulfillment Center Upcoming Agenda Items and Guest Presentations - Unscheduled Commission • Tree ordinance (to City Council) • Food ware ordinance (to City Council, before end of 2024) • Turf conversion statistics (from DWA) • Cool roof • Pool heaters • Dark Sky ordinance • Scholarships provided by the City (e.g., leaf blowers) • Solar on/in City buildings; Director McCloy’s report • Shade structures and trees; collaboration with Parks and Recreation Office/Commission • Cannabis/large building ordinance update (staff request) • Air quality • Digital media/education • Ban on use of glue traps and rodenticides—Prescott Reserve request • Dog/waste pickup stations SSCOWR • Waste enforcement Climate Action • Heat and shade study and “Safe Routes for All” study (Sustainability Specialist Wheeler) • Greenhouse gas emissions analysis • Social media – Air Quality Monitoring • Airport expansion, regional connectivity to PSP • City buildings – emissions reduction Additional suggested agenda items from Feb 20 Commission meeting • Collaboration with other cities on sustainability; form committee (Commissioner Walker) • Increased effort with respect to community gardens (Vice Chair Barrett) • Trash container labeling (Commissioner Cohn) • Shade structures and trees; work with Parks and Recreation Office/Commission (Commissioner Dirdah) • Getting away from natural gas; education of companies doing work (+ CivicSpark Fellow Agtang’s work) (Commissioner Rottner)  Climate action subcommittee