Calistoga council directs Green Committee to review county Climate Action preliminary draft

The Calistoga City Council voted unanimously to direct the Green Committee to review the Napa County Climate Action Committee (CAC) preliminary draft and to provide recommendations to the council when feasible.

Antoinette Mayard, chair of the Green Committee, summarized the committee’s 2024 goals, including a Blue Zones grant of about $2,500 for bike‑parking racks, ongoing work on the city’s foodware and waste reduction ordinance (passed March 2023, effective March 20, 2024) and outreach efforts to vendors. The committee noted it will submit a short list of proposed amendments to the foodware ordinance to reflect practical lessons in implementation and recent changes in regional recycling streams.

Mayard also reported the committee was reviewing the county preliminary draft climate measures — a long document that contemplates measures such as electrification requirements, EV charging standards, composting rules for food vendors, and potential retrofit triggers. Council members noted the county public comment window runs August 9–30 but stressed that the county’s process will include additional drafts and that Calistoga’s input need not be final by August 30.

Councilmembers and staff discussed realistic expectations for committee workload and staff time. Planning staff and code enforcement will provide limited support; council asked the green committee to do as much substantive review as feasible and to return recommendations to the full council (noting staff review would be needed for implementation and that not all committee proposals require immediate staff involvement). The council asked for a September follow‑up if significant recommendations are ready for consideration.