CITY OF SANTA MONICA

TASK FORCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

The meeting was convened at 7:15 p.m. Task Force members in attendance: Sandy Grant, Susan Mearns, Tim Carmichael, Matt Petersen and Tom Nelson. Santa Monica City staff in attendance: Susan McCarthy, Craig Perkins, and Dean Kubani. Others: Council members Paul Rosenstein and Kevin McKeown, MWD Board Member Judy Abdo, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Heather Trim, Louisa Fish and Laurel Roennau.

Minutes

Minutes from the meeting of November 6, 2000 were unanimously approved.

Discussion of SCP Outreach and “Branding”

Sandy Grant led the discussion and noted that there is currently a piecemeal approach to the use of the Sustainable City Program logo. She advised that staff follow recommendations from Rogers and Associates that the logo always be used with the tagline “Santa Monica – A Sustainable Community” and to consistently include the logo on all applicable outreach materials. Dean Kubani indicated that staff will develop usage guidelines for the logo and coordinate with other departments and divisions in the City to encourage them to include it on all applicable outreach materials.

Discussion of Ecological Footprint and Updating SCP Indicators and Targets

Dean Kubani presented results of his research into the use of ecological footprinting as a sustainability indicator. Ecological footprints have proven to be effective tools for public education but are not very effective in guiding policy development, due to approximations inherent in the calculation coupled with difficulty in obtaining reliable data. He recommended that an ecological footprint would be a useful supplement to the SCP indicators, but that it should not replace the indicators. Task Force members concurred with this recommendation.

The Task Force discussed the need to update and revise the current SCP indicators and targets and set a goal to complete the update/revision and develop an ecological footprint for Santa Monica by December 2001. They directed Dean to prepare a proposal on process options the Task Force can take to update the indicators, and to identify potential additional indicators that measure progress toward adopted SCP goals. These will be included in the agenda packet for discussion at the January 22 meeting.

Discussion of Proposed Polystyrene Foam Ban

Santa Monica Parks and Recreation Commissioner Heather Trim initiated the discussion. Heather is the Commission’s new liaison to the Task Force. She asked the Task Force to agendize a discussion about the need for a polystyrene foam ban in Santa Monica. The Task Force agreed to discuss the issue at the January 22 meeting. Prior to that meeting City staff will research the effectiveness of similar bans in other cities and Heather will provide reports of studies completed by the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project highlighting the impact of polystyrene foam on the coastal environment.

Setting of Meeting Dates with Council Members to Discuss Sustainable Schools Proposal

To date Task Force members have been unable to arrange a meeting with Ken Genser to discuss the Sustainable Schools proposal. They decided to attempt to arrange a meeting with him in January and if unsuccessful to meet instead with School Board members to discuss the proposal.

Metropolitan Water District Update

MWD Board member Judy Abdo provided the update. She indicated that the Board will vote in mid-December on a new rate structure. The proposed structure is designed to address anticipated future water shortages by using a two-tiered rate structure. Agencies will contract with MWD to buy a certain amount of water per year at a tier 1 rate. If they require additional water they must purchase it at higher tier 2 rates. Because there is a finite amount of water, tier 2 water may not be available to meet the demand of all who need it. Santa Monica will be allowed to purchase up to 110% of its average water used from 1990 to 2000 in tier 1. Once it enters into a contract the city will be committed to buying the contracted amount. This may present a problem when the city’s wells come back on line, because the city’s need for MWD water will be reduced. Following the vote MWD staff will begin looking into the details of contracts with agencies, which may address this problem. A final vote will be taken in about a year following staff review.

Public Input

Louisa Fish expressed concern about traffic problems throughout the city. She inquired about City requirements for businesses to development Transportation Management Plans and about progress on the update of the Circulation Element of the General Plan.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:40pm