Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to ...

CSEC Members:

Fred Allebach Kimberly Blattner

Sandi Funke Matt Metzler David Morell Jack Wagner

In order to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this Regular Meeting will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of the Governor's Executive Orders N-25-20 and N-29-20, which suspended certain requirements of the Brown Act. The City Council Chambers will be teleconferencing into the meeting via an electronic meeting platform.

The meetings will continue to be live streamed on the City's CivicWeb Portal (sonomacity.civicweb.net) and YouTube Channel. Please see the agenda below for information on Public participation.

REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF SONOMA COMMUNITY SERVICES & ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION

Virtual Zoom Meeting

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

6:00 P.M. Regular Meeting

****

AGENDA Page

6:00 P.M. – REGULAR MEETING CONVENED, CALLED TO ORDER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL (Allebach, Blattner, Funke, Metzler [Vice Chair], Morell)

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

1. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC At this time, members of the public may comment on any item not appearing on the agenda. It is recommended that you keep your comments to three minutes or less. Under State Law, unless otherwise permitted under the Ralph M. Brown Act, the merits of the matters presented under this item cannot be discussed or acted upon by the Community Services & Environment Commission (CSEC) at this time. For items appearing on the agenda, the public will be invited to make comments at the time the item comes up for CSEC consideration. Upon being acknowledged by the Chair, please step to the podium and speak into the microphone. Begin by stating and spelling your name.

2. CONSENT CALENDAR - CSEC 2.1 Instructions for Public Comment Process for Virtual CSEC Meeting

Public Comment Process for Virtual Meetings_CSEC

3 - 4

2.2 Discussion and Possible Action on the Minutes from the August 12,

2020, CSEC Regular Meeting (attachment). 2020-8-12 CSEC Minutes

5 - 8

3. REGULAR CALENDAR – CSEC (Matters requiring discussion and/or action by the CSEC) 3.1 Introduction of New Youth Representative, Alex Antenen 3.2 Election of a new Chair and a new Vice-Chair 3.3 Creation of CSEC Task Force for Creating Non-Profit for Dedicated

Bike/Pedestrian Trail Expansion

Staff is requesting that the task force be created. And, that it will provide updates at each CSEC meeting and submit a draft report by March 10, 2021. Following Staff comments and recommendations, a final report should be provided to the City Council by April 17, 2021. CSEC Item Report - Creation of CSEC Task Force for Creating Non-Profit for Dedicated Bike/Pedestrian Trail Expansion - Pdf

9 - 10

of 14

3.4 Discussion and Possible Action on Public Electric Vehicle (EV)

Chargers in Sonoma

Staff is requesting the CSEC to provide direction on an appropriate path forward to increase the number of available L2 EV chargers in a cost effective manner. Agenda Report - Public Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Status - Pdf

11 - 14

4. CSEC MEMBERS’ REPORTS AND COMMENTS 5. STAFF COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 6. ADJOURNMENT

I do hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing agenda was posted onto the City of Sonoma's Website on October 9, 2020. Travis Wagner, Sustainability Coordinator. ***********************************************************************************************************************************

Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to disclosure that relate to any item of business referred to on the agenda are normally available for public inspection the Friday before each regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall, located at No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA. Any documents subject to disclosure that are provided to all, or a majority of all, of the members of the CSEC regarding any item on this agenda after the agenda has been distributed will be made available for inspection at the Sonoma City Hall, No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA during regular business hours. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Sustainability Coordinator, Travis Wagner, at (707) 933-2204. Notification 48-hours before the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

of 14

of 2

PARTICIPATING IN CSEC MEETINGS HELD IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT IN CONFORMANCE WITH

SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS

In order to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the City of Sonoma is providing multiple alternatives to viewing Community Services and Environment Commission meetings and providing comments on items on the agenda. These alternatives allow the City to adhere to social distancing requirements, follow the Governor’s Executive Order N-29-20 (which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act), and provide numerous ways for the public to provide public comment live during the meeting.

VIEWING MEETINGS ONLINEYou are able to view meetings online here:Live streamed on the City’s CivicWeb Portal (sonomacity.civicweb.net)YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZjUrg2rNLYxTgQHhFy-Tg).

SUBMITTING COMMENTS BY E-MAILIf you choose not to attend the City Council meeting but wish to make a comment on a specific agenda item, please submit your comment via email at [email protected] at any time.

Prior to the Meeting as Public Correspondence -- Per the City’s standard practice, any comments received prior to the commencement of the meeting will be uploaded to the public correspondence folder on the City’s CivicWeb Portal (https://sonomacity.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/25498) and available for review by the public and the City Council. It will not be read during the meeting.

During the Meeting as Public Comment -- If you wish for your comments to be read into the record, please submit an email to [email protected] after the Chair calls the meeting to order and prior to the close of Public Comment on that item on the agenda.

VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION BY ZOOM VIDEO CONFERENCINGThe City of Sonoma is now offering the ability to view and participate in Planning Commission meetings via video meetings and telephonic conferencing via “Zoom” video conferencing computer technology. Instructions for participating via Zoom are provided below.

How do I join the Planning Commission meeting via Zoom Video Conferencing?Please visit: https://zoom.us/j/94943925973 and either sign-up for a free Zoom account or continue as a guest. Once you have downloaded the app on your smart phone, joined from your web browser, or downloaded the Zoom software on your computer you will be ready for the Planning Commission meeting.

If you have previously signed up for Zoom, you can enter the following meeting ID to join the meeting: 949-4392-5973.

Agenda Item #

of 14

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZjUrg2rNLYxTgQHhFy-Tg

mailto:[email protected]

https://sonomacity.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/25498


https://zoom.us/j/94943925973

of 2

I don’t have a computer or smart phone; can I still use Zoom?If you don’t have a smart phone or computer to access the meeting via Zoom, no problem! You can participate on the phone, by calling one of the following numbers: (669) 900-9128 or (253) 215- 8782 or (346) 248- 7799 or (301) 715-8592 or (312) 626-6799 or (646) 558-8656 and enteringmeeting ID 949-4392-5973.

How can I provide Public Comment on Zoom?The Chair will request public comment during the Public Comment period on the agenda and during each Public Hearing and Regular Calendar Item. Once the Chair has announced the public comment period, please do one of the following.

USING A COMPUTER OR SMART PHONE: Click on the “Raise Hand” feature in the webinar controls. This will notify City staff

that you have raised your hand and you would like to speak. City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public

comment. A prompt will appear to confirm you would like to be unmuted. Once you accept the

prompt, you will have three minutes to provide public comment. Once your public comment has ended, you will be muted again.

USING A REGULAR PHONE: Dial *9 (star 9), this will notify City staff that you have “raised your hand” for

public comment. City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public

comment. You will hear “you are unmuted” and then you will have three minutes to provide

public comment. Once your public comment has ended, you will be muted again.

I don’t want to provide public comment live; can I provide my public comment for the record another way?Of course! Please submit all public comments via email at [email protected].

I am having difficulties preparing for the meeting and learning Zoom, do you have any resources to help me?Yes, please visit Zoom’s website support page on helpful tips to prepare for the meeting:https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/201146643

Agenda Item #

of 14


https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/201146643

MINUTESCommunity Services & Environment Commission Meeting

August 12, 2020 City Council Chambers, 177 First Street West 6:00 PM

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:

AllebachBlattnerFunkeMetzlerMorell

COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Wagner

STAFF PRESENT: Associate Planner, Wendy AtkinsSustainability Coordinator, Travis Wagner

6:00 P.M. – REGULAR MEETINGCONVENED, CALLED TO ORDER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCEROLL CALL APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Vice-Chair Metzler called the online meeting to order at 6:01 pm. Vice-Chair Metzler requested a meeting dedication for Jewel Mathieson and a moment of silence in her memory.

APPROVAL OF AGENDAMotion to approve the Agenda by Comm. Metzler and seconded by Comm. Blattner. The motion carried unanimously 5-0. Comms. Allebach, Blattner, Funke, Metzler, and Morell voting yea, with Comm. Wagner absent.

Agenda Item #

of 14

Community Services & Environment CommissionAugust 12, 2020

2. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLICAt this time, members of the public may comment on any item not appearing on the agenda. It is recommended that you keep your comments to three minutes or less. Under State Law, unless otherwise permitted under the Ralph M. Brown Act, the merits of the matters presented under this item cannot be discussed or acted upon by the Community Services & Environment Commission (CSEC) at this time. For items appearing on the agenda, the public will be invited to make comments at the time the item comes up for CSEC consideration. Upon being acknowledged by the Chair, please step to the podium and speak into the microphone. Begin by stating and spelling your name.

No public comments were received.

3. CONSENT CALENDAR - CSEC3.1. Discussion and Possible Action on the Minutes from the June 10,

2020, CSEC Regular Meeting.

Motion by Comm. Funke and seconded by Comm. Morell to approve the Minutes from the June 10, 2020, CSEC Regular Meeting. The motion carried unanimously 5-0. Comms. Allebach, Blattner, Funke, Metzler, and Morell voting yea, with Comm. Wagner absent.

5. REGULAR CALENDAR – CSEC(Matters requiring discussion and/or action by the CSEC)5.1. Acceptance of the report, “Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

from City of Sonoma Municipal Operations for 2018,” presented at the June 10, 2020 CSEC meeting

Motion by Comm. Blattner and seconded by Comm. Funke to accept the report, “Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from City of Sonoma Municipal Operations for 2018.” The motion carried unanimously 5-0. Comms. Allebach, Blattner, Funke, Metzler, and Morell voting yea, with Comm. Wagner absent.

5.2. Presentation by the Regional Climate Protection Authority, “Sonoma County Green House Inventory: 2018 Update.”

The presentation was made, no action taken.

Consideration of a Requirement for Events at the Plaza and Depot Park for a Simplified Format for the Estimation of Modes of Travel to Allow the CSEC to Calculate Estimated GHG Emissions.

Motion by Comm. Funke and seconded by Comm. Morell to endorse the City’s proposal for a data collection process through a request of event organizers to provide a best estimate of attendee data broken down by origin (as possible) as outlined in

Agenda Item #

of 14


the attached Post Event Attendee Summary as part of the post event review process. City staff will compile the data and present a report to the CSEC annually. The motion carried unanimously 5-0. Comms. Allebach, Blattner, Funke, Metzler, and Morell voting yea, with Comm. Wagner absent.

4. CSEC MEMBERS’ REPORTS AND COMMENTS

Comm. Funke noted that a majority of visitors wore masks in County Parks, especially the Sonoma Valley Regional Park.

Comm. Morell noted the collaborative effort between the City and the Sonoma Ecology Center on a grant proposal to help address food waste though backyard composting coupled with the use of biochar for carbon sequestration with results of the proposal expected at the end of August.

Comm. Allebach requested that a discussion and consideration to recommend to the City Council a modification to the CSEC’s mission statement or description, to include the issue of climate action policy, be added to the CSEC’s next meeting agenda.

Motion by Comm. Allebach and seconded by Comm. Funke to place on the CSEC’s next meeting agenda, the issue of CSEC’s mission statement/description. The motion carried unanimously 5-0. Comms. Allebach, Blattner, Funke, Metzler, and Morell voting yea, with Comm. Wagner absent.

Comm. Funke requested that the City should consider budgeting $60,000 specifically for the installation of Electric Vehicle charging stations on city property.

Motion by Comm. Metzler and seconded by Comm. Blattner to place on the CSEC’s next meeting agenda, a request to the City Council to include $60,000 in the City’s upcoming budget specifically to install electric vehicle charging stations on city property.The motion carried unanimously 5-0. Comms. Allebach, Blattner, Funke, Metzler, and Morell voting yea, with Comm. Wagner absent.

5. STAFF COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

An update of City climate action and environmental sustainability activities and actions was made by the Sustainability Coordinator. No update available by the Special Events Coordinator.

Agenda Item #

of 14


6. ADJOURNMENTRegular meeting was adjourned at 7:46 PM.

I do hereby certify that these minutes were approved at a regular meeting of the Community Services and Environment Commission on xxxx xx, 2020. Travis Wagner, Sustainability Coordinator. ***********************************************************************************************************************************

Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to disclosure that relate to any item of business referred to on the agenda are normally available for public inspection the Friday before each regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall, located at No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA. Any documents subject to disclosure that are provided to all, or a majority of all, of the members of the CSEC regarding any item on this agenda after the agenda has been distributed will be made available for inspection at the Sonoma City Hall, No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA during regular business hours. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Sustainability Coordinator, Travis Wagner, at (707) 933-2204. Notification 48-hours before the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

Agenda Item #

of 14

City of Sonoma

Community Services and Environment Commission Meeting: Community Services & Environment Commission - 14 Oct 2020

Department

Planning Staff Contact

Travis Wagner Agenda Item Title Creation of CSEC Task Force for Creating Non-Profit for Dedicated Bike/Pedestrian Trail

Expansion

Summary According to the Regional Climate Protection Authority’s 2018 greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions inventory, 73% of GHG emissions in the City of Sonoma were from transportation. Decreasing the use and/or reliance on motor vehicles for local transportation is a priority action. The City Council’s approved environmental sustainability and climate action work plan called for the support of the creation of a local non-profit focusing on creating bike and pedestrian trails. This action also is consistent with policy 8.6 of the 2008 (updated in 2014) Sonoma Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which called for the seeking of opportunities for acquisition of abandoned rights-of-way, natural waterways, flood control rights-of-way, utility rights-of-way, and lands for the development of dedicated bicycle and pedestrian paths. Sonoma currently has 3.91 miles of Class I pathways (paved rights-of-way completely separated from streets). Dedicated, multi-use bike and pedestrian paths have been shown to significantly increase the safety of riders and walkers by separating users from automobiles. The risk of accidents and injuries is a barrier to increased people-powered transportation. While a critical component of supporting people-powered local commuting, increased availability of dedicated walking/biking trails has also been shown to increase tourism. In addition to increased visitors, retail sales tax of tourists (and residents) related to bicycle and non-bicycle related purchases are direct benefits to the community. Finally, people-powered transportation increases physical activity, which has demonstrable health benefits. There is a need to connect existing and future paths to form an interconnected network of dedicated paths, paved and unpaved. For example, to increase local people-powered commuting, the population centers areas in West Sonoma and The Springs need to be connected to downtown, better connection of paths to schools needs to occur, and efforts need to be undertaken to increase connections of lodging with downtown Sonoma. An additional effort to serve recreation and tourism would be to connect pathways to the existing Sonoma Overlook and Montini Preserve trails. The CSEC is being requested to form an ad hoc task force (Sonoma Trails Task Force) to produce a blueprint on creating a non-profit organization (e.g., a land trust) focused on creating a connected pedestrian and bicycle trail system/network in Sonoma—Sonoma Trails. The task force’s blueprint should identify a potential mission statement and framework for moving forward to identify potential policy, funding, and design needs. The task force may have a maximum of two CSEC members, but is encouraged to include other appropriate members of the public. For example, additional task force members could include bicycle advocates, trail builders, individuals with land trust experience, tourism and

Agenda Item #

of 14

hospitality representatives, and individuals with grant writing/fundraising and non-profit management experience. Selection of the two CSEC task force members will be made by the CSEC Chair.

Recommended Commission Action We are requesting that the task force provide updates at each CSEC meeting and submit a

draft report by March 10, 2021. Following Staff comments and recommendations, a final report should be provided to the City Council by April 17, 2021.

Alternative Actions CC: n/a

Agenda Item #

of 14

City of Sonoma

Agenda Item Summary Meeting: Community Services & Environment Commission - 14 Oct 2020

Department

Planning Staff Contact

Travis Wagner Agenda Item Title Public Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Status

Summary Crucial to supporting the growth of electric vehicle (EV) sales and usage is a sufficient public

charging infrastructure, which is defined as EV chargers available for public use. Most EV owners have private, home-based chargers[1] because of their convenience and cost-effectiveness and the prevalence of workplace charging, which has been increasing. However, public EV chargers are not as prevalent, especially in Sonoma. A public charging system is important to support employee commuting, shopping, and tourism. There are three major types of EV chargers: Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2), and Level 3, more commonly known as DC Fast Chargers (DCFC). Level 1 chargers are the least expensive charger to purchase, operate, and charge and can be plugged into an ordinary 110-volt household electrical outlet. However, they charge vehicles at a slow rate (about 4-5 miles for each hour of charge)and are best for overnight charging and can only be used by a single vehicle during a standard work day. Level 2 stations are the most commonly used chargers to “top off” a charge including at workplaces, hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas. They are capable of charging multiple vehicles per day. L2 chargers consume 240 VAC and provide between 11-25 (and higher) miles of electric range per hour of charging depending on the charger and vehicle. They are appropriate for a recharge for visits in the two hour range. L2 chargers requires installation of a 240-volt, wall-mounted or bollard style charging unit next to parking spots and located as close as possible to the subpanel or electrical room. DC fast charging stations are capable of charging up to 80 percent of an EV’s capacity in about 30-60 minutes depending on the vehicle, thus, they are destination chargers. They are the most expensive to purchase and install. However, a DCFCs can cost upwards of $100,000 to install limiting their numbers. They use multiple connector configurations although Tesla uses a proprietary connector to access its Supercharger network, which is limited to its own vehicles although Tesla owners can use other public chargers via an adaptor but the opposite is not true. Currently, there are three publicly available L2 ChargePoint charger stations in Sonoma. Two stations, with one charger port each, are located at the City public parking lot at 152 East Napa Street. However, one of them is currently inoperable, but repairable and parts have been received. A single ChargePoint station with two charge ports is located in the parking lot at 112 W. Napa Street. There are 4 DCFS chargers owned by ElectrifyAmerica located at the Bank of America’s parking lot at 35 West Napa Street. These chargers are expected to be operational in the fall of 2020.

Agenda Item #

of 14

The City has established the installation of EV charging stations as a climate action step. On July 8, 2020, applications could be submitted to the EV rebate program (CALeVIP) administered through Sonoma Clean Power. The program offered a maximum reimbursement of up to $5,000 per charge port (a single station typically has two charge ports). The City was provided an estimate of $8,750 to purchase an L2 dual charger. This price does not include the site preparation charges, which includes the potential upgrading of the electrical panel, the location/distance of the panel in relation to the possible location of the chargers, the surface type as trenching for electrical lines is required, and the parking accessibility and configuration. State law requires a van accessible parking space if there are 4 or fewer chargers and when there are 5 or more chargers, a fully compliant ADA parking spot in addition to the van accessible spot are required. Site preparation costs also include the construction of the concrete pads for the chargers, allocation of parking spots, new striping, and new signage. Prior to the application date, City staff reached out to the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, and local non-profits to promote the existence of the rebate program. According to Sonoma Clean Power, they received 14 applications in the Sonoma zip code, which includes The Springs, comprised of 3 combination stations (DCFC and L2), 5 L2, and 6 DCFCs. (It is unclear if these chargers are for workplaces, apartment buildings, or commercial establishments and the degree to which they allow for public charging although the rebate program stated that DCFC chargers had to be publically available, but not L2 chargers.) The City also reached out to Sonoma County for possible collaboration on siting EV chargers on County property including the Depot Park parking lot owned mostly by the County and the large Veterans parking lot, but these efforts were unsuccessful. Similar attempts were made to collaborate with Sonoma County Parks (Maxwell Park) and the Sonoma State Historical Park (Casa Grande Parking Lot and the Vallejo’s Home Parking Lot), but these efforts also were unsuccessful. In the beginning of 2020, City staff identified three public parking areas as potential candidates to site L2 chargers: Depot Park, the Police Station, and the Fire Station. The Fire Station was not deemed economically feasible because of the location of the electrical panel in relation to the station’s aboveground fuel tanks and the underlying concrete pad coupled with the small number of publicly available parking spaces. In addition, the significant slope of these parking spots would need to be addressed. Regarding the Police Station and Depot Park, the estimated costs to upgrade electric panels, supply electricity, the extensive trenching, and the cost of purchasing the chargers all greatly exceeded the allowable reimbursement. For the Police Station, the electrical panel is on the opposite side of the building from the public parking lot, which makes the supply of electricity highly problematic and very costly. Regarding the Depot Park parking lot, the only feasible option to supply the electricity would be from the Depot Park Museum building. Although the City owns the museum building, the electric meter serves the tenant who pays for utilities. The installation of a new electric meter would also require a new panel, but the location of the gas meter adjacent to the panel precludes this action without the costly moving of the gas meter. However, the gas line and meter may have to be relocated due to a recent construction incident, which could make this an economically viable option. As a result, the City was not able to submit an application for siting of an EV charger on City property in July for the CALeVIP rebate program for FY 2020. At this point, there are three primary options:

1. Instead of funding the purchase, construction, and operation of EV chargers, the City

Agenda Item #

of 14

could budget the same amount to fund a local grant program for the siting and construction of publicly available EV chargers on non-City property. This grant funding could be used in conjunction with the CALeVIP FY 2021 rebate program or as a matching grant. This action could also eliminate the need for the incurring operational and maintenance charges and power costs while achieving the goal of increasing the number EV chargers.

2. For Depot Park, the City could take over responsibility of the existing electric meter. In doing so, the installation cost to supply the electricity to the chargers would be substantially lower. By installing two L2 stations with 4 chargers, only 4 spaces would be required for charging (there are currently 17 spaces and 1 handicap space on the City-owned portion of the parking lot).

3. The City could install workplace chargers for City employees. As presented in the 2018 GHG inventory of municipal operations[2], pre-Covid City employee commuting was responsible for 28% of the City’s 2018 GHG emissions. Given that public transportation and ride shares are not viable options for City employees, supporting the use of EVs is the most cost effective approaches to reducing GHG emissions from employee commuting. Installing chargers limited to employees at workplaces (i.e., the Corp Yard, City Hall, and the Police Stations) would cost much less than for public EV stations because of reduced features to track and process payments.

[1] It should be noted that in 2017 the City adopted an expedited permitting process for private EV chargers and in 2010, the City adopted the CA Green Building Code, which requires EV charging infrastructure requirements (conduit and circuit sizing) for new construction. [2] Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from City of Sonoma Municipal Operations for 2018. Prepared by the Sonoma Valley Climate Coalition, June 10, 2020.

Recommended Council Action Staff is requesting the CSEC to provide direction on an appropriate path forward to increase

the number of available L2 EV chargers in a cost effective manner.

Alternative Actions Financial Impact Environmental Review Status Environmental Impact Report

Negative Declaration Exempt Not Applicable

Approved/Certified No Action Required Action Requested

Alignment with Council Goals: Compliance with Climate Action 2020 Target Goals: CC:

Agenda Item #

of 14

n/a

Agenda Item #

of 14

Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to ...

Documents

Transcript of Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to ...