City Council Recap – March 30, 2021

March 30, 2021, 6PM
EXCERPTS (Eco-related Items only)

Council Comments:

• Council member Najarian announced Metrolink is committing to zero emissions by 2028. They will however use biofuels.

Action Items:

• Hazard pay passes! Yay for our frontline grocery workers!

   

• Ascend Analytics’ 100% Clean Energy by 2030 analysis was very well received. [@1 hr. 2 mins on the video] Thanks to Paula Devine for requesting the report. Lots to listen to – the recording is embedded below. Essentially, using conservative modeling, The Ascend report shows that Glendale can get to 89% by 2030, which is great! This was a note and file item, but many good comments from Councilmember Dan Brotman and GWP Commissioner Ted Flanigan (especially re: taking an aggressive approach and building more local capacity),

  Two members of GEC Steering called to thank Ascend and GWP staff for their work on the report and request follow up motions from council for (1) a policy goal for 100% Clean Energy by 2035, (2) speedy issuance of new Request for Proposals (RFP) for more clean energy projects, especially a Commercial clean energy RFP and (3) annual updates re: progress towards 100% goals. You can read GEC’s full letter here. Joanna Pringle called with a heartfelt statement.  Also, thanks to several other GEC members that wrote in to express their desire for a 100% clean energy goal, it is very much appreciated!

  Brotman asked (and Kassakhian seconded) a request for staff to bring back an “other pathways to 100%” report based on a less conservative outlook – including increased solar (e.g. from a larger commercial program than the one proposed) a higher level of energy efficiency, new technologies on the horizons, anticipated changes to energy we get through LA turning partially green, vehicle to grid technology – to reach 100% – just so we can see WHAT it would take to actually get us there in a slightly more aspirational way. After he sees that report, Brotman will motion to make a policy decision that the city will commit to a 100% by 2035 goal (and sooner if possible.) Devine did not think it was needed to put this goal in writing as the city is looking seriously at reaching the goal ASAP no matter what, (she also said she was not quite ready to abandon her original 2030 date.)

  Staff Report: https://glendaleca.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=2054&type=0
  Ascend Analytics Full Report: https://glendaleca.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=2735&type=2

• The ordinance for a ban on polystyrene and single use plastics for city sponsored events and city facilities [@3 hr. 24 mins on the video] saw it’s first reading tonight. This item will be brought back for a vote, incorporating some direction from council as to where exactly the policy would apply and a few other ordinance details. Take a look at Santa Monica’s city-wide ordinance to see pretty much what we will do here. One thing is for sure, the next CRUISE NIGHT will look a lot greener! Reusables are the ultimate goal – followed by foods that have their own edible wrappers, followed by compostables that actually get composted – but this is a good first step to address the plastics scourge. Lots of details on this one. The ordinance will come up again very soon for a vote and seems to have the full support of council, who are on board with the idea that the city should WALK THE WALK and then extend this ban city-wide. Bravo. They decided to stick to city facilities and city sponsored events at facilities for now (so renters are not required to follow the ordinance at this stage. It will apply to them when they move to a city-wide ban.) Why does this matter? Check out John Oliver’s recent video on the Plastic Crisis.

   

• The city is getting electric buses! Five of them. Instead of Natural Gas buses. This is exciting. They have just voted to accept funding that will go to the charging infrastructure and have shifted the focus of their Metro grant from CNG powered buses to electric. The electric busses still need to go through Metro approval (but there’s no reason to think they won’t approve, and our council member Dan Brotman represents Glendale on the JPA which recommends programming of Measure M funding for the Arroyo Verdugo cities, so that can’t hurt.) It is of note that this is IN PART thanks to the request from council (introduced by Brotman) for an Electrification Feasibility Study for the city fleet. Now they will know the range they need – from this study and these buses will help reach the potential future goal of fleet electrification. Councilmember Devine also expressed her prior interest in going electric with our buses- noting she was glad that things that formally she was told weren’t yet feasible, are now possible. PHEW!

GEC

GEC