HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-050 - Declaring a Climate EmergencyRESOLUTION NO. 2021-050
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA ANA DECLARING A CLIMATE EMERGENCY,
COMMITTING TO POLICIES OPPOSING FOSSIL FUEL
EXPANSION AND ACCELERATING THE CLEAN ENERGY
TRANSITION AS PART OF THE SAFE CITIES MOVEMENT,
COMMITTING TO POLICIES THAT WILL REDUCE BOTH
NEW AND EXISTING LEAD CONTAMINATION, AND
ENDORSING THE CALL FOR A GLOBAL FOSSIL FUEL
NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY.
WHEREAS, communities across the City of Santa Ana are impacted by the
health and safety risks of fossil fuels, climate change, lack of access to safe and open
spaces and parks, lead, and other environmental toxins; and
WHEREAS, these health and safety risks disproportionately impact those who
also face environmental justice and socioeconomic and health inequities, including
youth, elders, Indigenous people, people of color, low-income people, migrant
communities, those experiencing mental and physical disabilities, those experiencing
houselessness, and people with health conditions; and
WHEREAS, the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure and expanded
reliance on fossil fuels exposes communities to substantial risks to the public's health
and safety at the local and global levels; and
WHEREAS, human exposure to lead via soil and other sources has been directly
linked in children to a number of neurological issues, including smaller brain volume,
lower working memory and processing speed, more limited perceptual reasoning, poor
school performance, and asthma, and in adults to cardiovascular issues, renal
problems, osteoporosis, and cognitive deficiencies; and
WHEREAS, lead levels higher than safely permitted by the state of California and
recommended by experts have been found throughout Santa Ana neighborhoods'; and
WHEREAS, climate change exacerbates prolonged drought punctuated by
unpredictable atmospheric river behavior and flooding, more frequent extreme heat
events, wildfires, stronger Santa Ana winds, and warmer water temperatures that can
result in increased circulation of lead in local environments2; and
t ThinkProgress. "The Toxic Legacy of Lead Storymap."
<https://w .arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=05dd9a8ec7004882b113714e7fe5ee3a>
2 The State of Public Health Lead Policies: Implications for Urban Health Inequities and Recommendations for Health
Equity"<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih,govlpmclarticies/PMC6466291/>
Resolution No. 2021-050
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WHEREAS these risks can be exacerbated by improper zoning and land use
decisions as well as unmitigated urban development. Uncontrolled urban development,
without adequate consideration for climate and health impacts, has threatened residents
with increased traffic and emissions, and thus may foster an increased heat island
effect, elevating heat temperatures, incurring the threat of wildfires and additional health
disparities such as asthma, obesity, heat exhaustion, heat stroke; and
WHEREAS, only 4% of the City of Santa Ana's land is dedicated for parks and
recreation,3 and the City of Santa Ana ranks 88 out of the 100 most populous US cities
due to lack of access to parks, amenities and acreage.
WHEREAS the City of Santa Ana's Open Space Element Policy 1.3 calls for the
City to achieve a minimum park standard of two acres of parkland per 1,000 residents.
The City currently does not meet this per -resident standard, and the parkland deficiency
is projected to increase further: the total "parkland deficiency' would increase from
107.56 acres to 299.48 acres with increased development projected in the General Plan
Update.
WHEREAS parks, playgrounds, greenways, trails, community open spaces and
community gardens help keep people and their communities healthy. Exposure to
nature in parks, gardens, and natural areas can improve psychological and social
health. Parks provide children with opportunities for play, critical in the development of
muscle strength and coordination, language, and cognitive abilities. Parks build healthy
communities by creating stable neighborhoods and strengthening community
development.4
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana is committed to providing and upkeeping
access to clean water and cooling centers to the whole community — and especially to
those experiencing houselessness to stop preventable deaths due to heatwaves; and
WHEREAS, a study from the University of Notre Dame found that the City of
Santa Ana was the city with the highest climate change risks and one of the lowest
climate change readiness in the United States5; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana has a history of entering into partnerships with
university graduate students to further higher education goals and provide robust
professional expertise and analysis to advance City projects; and
WHEREAS, the economic and job opportunities presented by a clean energy
transition far outweigh the opportunities presented by an economy supported by
expanding fossil fuel use and extraction; and
3 Trust for Public Land Park Score. TPL 2020 Park Score. www.tpLorg
4 Gies, Erica, The Health Benefits of Parks: How Parks Help Keep Americans Fit and Healthy
https://www.tp l.org/s ites/default/files/cloud.tpi. org/pubs/benefits_Health Benefits Report. pdf
5 University of Notre Dame, "Climate Vulnerability of UAA Cities." <hLps-//cain-uaa.nd.edu/matrix/>
Resolution No. 2021-050
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WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana government recognizes the importance of any
measures taken to decarbonize the local economy and uplift frontline communities as
being permanent, long term solutions; and
WHEREAS, our community is committed to an equitable and just energy
transition, pursuing plans to reduce exposure to lead and other environmental toxins, as
well as ambitious investments in green infrastructure and industries that will create jobs,
decarbonize our economy, halt and reverse lead proliferation, and reduce future climate
change;and
WHEREAS, the general police powers granted to the City of Santa Ana empower
and authorize the City of Santa Ana to adopt land use controls to provide for the
regulation of land uses within the City of Santa Ana and to provide that such uses shall
be consistent with applicable law; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana government fully recognizes the limits to its
authority over fossil fuel transport imposed by the federal government, and finds that
this action is within the City's authority.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AS
FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines
and declares as follows:
A. That it incorporates by reference the Recitals set forth above in its findings,
determinations and declarations; and
B. That a climate, environmental justice, public health, and ecological
emergency threatens our city, region, state, nation, humanity and the natural world; and
C. The City of Santa Ana endorses the call for a global Fossil Fuel Non -
Proliferation Treaty6 that will end new fossil fuel exploration and expansion, phase out
existing production in line with the global commitment to limit warming below 1.5°C
above pre -industrial levels, and accelerate just and equitable energy transition plans;
and
D. The City of Santa Ana urges the State of California and the United States
Federal Government to support the initiative for a Fossil Fuel Non -Proliferation Treaty;
and
E. The City of Santa Ana commits to investigate and implement policies limiting
or preventing fossil fuel expansion as part of the SAFE Cities movement because of the
6Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty. Fossilfueltreary oro
Resolution No. 2021-050
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inherent dangers to the public's health and safety in extraction, production, transport,
storage, and combustion of fossil fuels; and
F. The City of Santa Ana intends to investigate and implement policies limiting or
preventing exposure to lead and other environmental toxins from new and existing
sources and consider implementing policies to remediate lead and other environmental
toxins, in tandem with renter protections to ensure that remediated households are not
displaced as a result of environmental clean-up efforts; and
G. The City of Santa Ana, in their commitment to environmental justice and in
reducing the impact of climate change on low-income communities and communities of
color, support land use that will accommodate more park space that would mitigate
environmental pollution including carbon emissions, especially in areas where open
space is threatened to be eliminated due to urban development; and
H. The City of Santa Ana will investigate and implement policies promoting
decarbonization and electrification of buildings and transportation, and other
development to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and achieve maximum energy
efficiency, water efficiency, and safety, including the use of Reach Codes; and
I. The City of Santa Ana seeks to achieve 100% of electricity power supply
through clean, renewable, and zero carbon emission energy sources before the year
2045; and
J. The City of Santa Ana will investigate the feasibility of building microgrids to
ensure safe and reliable access to electricity by providing services such as community
renewable energy programs; and
K. The City of Santa Ana intends to continue to investigate Community Choice
Aggregation such as the Orange County Power Authority as a means to meet the City's
100% clean, renewable zero -emission equitable electricity by 2045 goals; and
L. The City of Santa Ana will explore how to achieve a just transition to a clean
energy economy through job creation goals centering frontline and vulnerable
communities, including labor strengthening projects, education, and job retraining
programs to spur clean energy investment, decarbonize the City of Santa Ana's local
economy, benefit local ecosystems, access to nature, boost biodiversity, end poverty,
and tackle systemic injustices; and
M. During the just transition to a decarbonized economy, the City of Santa Ana
will support the rights of workers to organize, unionize, and collectively bargain free of
coercion, intimidation, and harassment, and strengthen workplace health and safety
protections, anti -discrimination protections, and wage and hour standards across all
employers, industries, and sectors as required by state and federal law; and
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N. The City of Santa Ana will work with the labor and business communities, as
well as the state and federal government, to investigate how to achieve a just climate
transition and zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 across all industries, sectors,
and communities; and
O. The City of Santa Ana's 2015 Climate Action Plan be updated, improved, and
expanded by the end of 2023 to maximize the City's public and private contributions to
reaching zero emissions as soon and as socially equitable and possible; and
P. The City of Santa will aggressively pursue state and federal funding, and
other agency resources to help achieve the objectives within this resolution; and
Q. The City of Santa Ana shall determine the appropriate advisory body to assist
City Council and City Staff with carrying forward the commitments of this resolution; and
R. The City of Santa Ana, in their commitment to transparency, will make any
and all findings of such a body publicly available, as well as the actions they are
planning to take in response to such findings; and
S. In furtherance of this resolution, the City of Santa Ana shall submit a copy of
this resolution to federal, state, regional, county, city, tribal and other relevant agencies
and request that all relevant support and assistance in effectuating this resolution be
provided.
Section 2. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by
City Council and the Clerk of Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting this
resolution.
ADOPTED this 7th day of September, 2021.
Vicente Sarmiento
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney
By: X,. A. Rya
Laura A. Rossini
Chief Assistant City Attorney
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AYES: Councilmembers Hernandez Lopez Mendoza Phan,
Penaloza Sarmiento (6)
NOES: Councilmembers Bacerra (1)
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers None (0)
NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers None (0)
CERTIFICATION OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, DAISY GOMEZ, Clerk of the Council, do hereby attest to and certify the attached
Resolution No. 2021-050 to be the original resolution adopted by the City Council of the
City of Santa Ana on September 7, 2021.
Date: 0 q - C'�Va I
Daisy Gomez
Clerk of the Council
City of Santa Ana
Resolution No. 2021-050
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