Climate Action Committee recommends shrinking panel to seven, prioritizes climate expertise

At a public meeting, the Sebastopol Climate Action Committee voted to recommend that the city council reduce the advisory panel’s size from the currently framed 11–13 seats to seven and to prioritize appointees with climate backgrounds.

Planning staff explained the immediate need for clarity. John, a planning department staff member, said the city clerk’s current reading of the adopted composition means “we need to appoint 1 member for each role until the city council has formally approved a change to the group composition,” and asked the committee to tell staff which positions it wants to recruit for now. That interpretation, staff warned, limits how flexible recruitment can be without a council vote.

The committee spent more than two hours weighing two approaches: keep a longer list of named seats to guarantee certain stakeholders (youth, a business owner, an environmental-justice seat, rights-of-nature, inside/outside residents), or pare the body down to a smaller, more flexible seven-member panel. Council Member Sandra Mauer argued for the smaller board, saying “I think the total should be 7 member board,” and other members proposed a compromise that would keep two specifically named seats — one city council member and one 0-waste representative — while making other qualifications aspirational.

After discussion, the chair moved that the CAC recommend to the city council reducing membership to seven, including seats for one council member and one 0-waste representative, and that a majority of appointed members have a climate background. The motion called for recruitment to seek applicants with desired characteristics (youth, business owners, local climate-group representatives, environmental-justice or equity backgrounds, rights-of-nature, energy or transportation experience) and for staff to emphasize applicants who live locally (the group discussed residency within ZIP code 95472). The motion was seconded and approved on a roll-call vote; one member who had left the meeting abstained.

Committee members and staff stressed the urgency: several terms are expiring at the end of the year and, under the clerk’s interpretation, the committee risks falling below the quorum threshold if vacancies are not filled. Mary (city staff) recommended proceeding with recruitment for currently vacant positions while advising applicants that the council will consider any formal composition changes in December. Planning staff confirmed an informational item and a composition discussion are on the city’s December agenda, and said staff will move forward with recruitment for the vacancies defined under the clerk’s reading unless council directs otherwise.

Members also chose not to take up a separate fleet-electrification letter because of time; the author withdrew the item and said they would pursue it as a private citizen. Planning staff invited committee members and the public to an upcoming downtown sustainable-transportation workshop at the art center (3–7 p.m.) to review draft proposals for pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

The committee is expected to forward its recommendation to the Sebastopol City Council for consideration in December. The Climate Action Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for December 10.