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Task Force presents nine priority measures from Climate Emergency Response Plan; public urges immediate funding and board action
Summary
The Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force presented nine early-action priorities from the 2024 Climate Emergency Response Plan, including tree-canopy expansion, electrification, transit and EV infrastructure. More than a dozen public speakers urged the board to fund and implement the full plan and suggested revenue options such as a climate superfund.
Josh Lathan, the county's sustainability manager, and Sharon Merker, chair of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force, delivered an annual update on the task force's work and proposed nine early-action priorities drawn from the Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP). The priorities highlighted cleaner energy in buildings, solar at public facilities, low-interest financing for efficiency upgrades, increased bicycle infrastructure, equitable electric-vehicle charging, and measures to expand urban tree canopy.
Merker said the task force prioritized measures that are "relatively more implementable" because they already have public visibility and can deliver community and county facility benefits. She requested that county departments provide regular staff updates to the task force and that the board support outreach to broaden participation and recruit task-force representatives in finance, transportation and environmental justice.
More than a dozen public speakers representing environmental, public-health and community groups told the board the CERP should move from a receive-and-file item to funded, prioritized action. Speakers urged a range of responses: immediate investments in nature-based resilience (soil restoration and flood-absorbing landscapes), co-located resiliency hubs with solar microgrids for heat/flood events, expanded tree canopy to reduce heat, and programs to make electrification and clean transportation affordable for low-income residents.
Some public commenters recommended new revenue mechanisms to pay for implementation. Ruth Hodson and others referenced a proposed "California Polluters Pay Superfund" concept and county-level options such as a regional public bank, a climate finance office with grant-writing capacity, vehicle-mile travel fees or other dedicated funding streams. Dr. Harry Wang and physicians emphasized public-health harms to children and older residents and asked the board to prioritize actions that reduce air-pollution and extreme-heat exposure.
Board members thanked the task force and the many speakers. County staff and the task force framed the update as a receive-and-file presentation; the board did not adopt the CERP or allocate funding during the meeting. Task-force leaders asked the board for additional department support and for consideration of funding paths in upcoming budget discussions.
Sources: presentations by Josh Lathan and Sharon Merker; public comments from community organizations and medical professionals.
