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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Comment - January 2025 (1) City of Palm Springs, Office of Sustainability To: Sustainability Commission From: Lindsey-Paige McCloy, Director, Office of Sustainability Re: January Updates to the Sustainability Commission Meeting Date: 21 January 2025 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: February 4 at 1:00pm o Climate Action: February 12 • Recurring events o Next Farmers’ Market table: tbd to align with a program launch o Next shredding and e-waste event: April 5 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 Staff will begin planning for the San Rafael turf conversion project this month. Events We have two events this January, Shredding, and Community Clean Up Waste and Foodware PSDS and Benito will be hosting a shredding event on April 5th 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 are working on grant agreements for the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program and waiting to hear back from CalTrans to start the 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.