DEPARTMENT: Office of Sustainability
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Douglas R. Melnick, AICP, ISSP-SA, CNU-A
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
SUBJECT: A briefing on the selection process for the SA Climate Ready Advisory Committees and the recommended candidates.
SUMMARY:
In accordance with the SA Climate Ready Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), the Technical and Community Advisory Committee and the SA Climate Ready Climate Equity Advisory Committee will provide input on implementation and help engage the community, among other actions. Interviews with the candidates for both committees were carried out in late June, early July, and mid-August 2020 by a Community Heath and Equity (CHEC) Sub-committee with a goal of convening the inaugural quarterly meeting for both committees in Fall 2020.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On June 22, 2017, City Council passed Resolution No. 2017-06-22-0031R in support of the Paris Climate Agreement; directing city staff to develop a plan to help San Antonio meet the objectives of this agreement. On October 17, 2019, City Council adopted the SA Climate Ready Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) by Ordinance 2019-10-17-0840.
In order to continue to receive community input for CAAP strategy prioritization and implementation, two externally recruited committees are being established: a Technical and Community Advisory Committee and a Climate Equity Advisory Committee. Members of both committees will be selected based on technical expertise in elements related to climate mitigation and adaptation or other important areas related to plan implementation; representation of important perspectives; and an interest in collaboration to bring about successful outcomes. The process and structure for the committees were approved by City Council on December 12, 2019 through Ordinance 2019-12-12-1066. Applications for both committees were released on January 21, 2020.
ISSUE:
The Technical and Community Advisory Committee will be comprised of twenty one (21) representatives, fifteen (15) at-large and six (6) organizational members appointed by the Mayor and City Council, as recommended by the CHEC sub-committee, the City Manager’s Office, the Office of Equity, and the Office of Sustainability. Organizational members include CPS Energy; San Antonio Water System; VIA Metropolitan Transit; San Antonio River Authority; Joint Base San Antonio; and the Chair or Vice-Chair of the SA Climate Ready Climate Equity Advisory Committee.
The Climate Equity Advisory Committee will be comprised of eleven (11) representatives; ten (10) from community-based organizations and other key stakeholders representing the interests of low-income populations, communities of color, and other marginalized populations, and the Chair or Vice-Chair of the SA Climate Ready Technical and Community Advisory Committee. Members will be appointed by the Mayor and City Council as recommended by the CHEC sub-committee, the City Manager’s Office, the Office of Equity, and Office of Sustainability. The ethical framework grounding the CAAP is climate equity, prioritizing the communities burdened the most by climate change, those that contribute the least to climate change, and those most socially vulnerable to it. Climate equity ensures that these communities play a central role in the just transformation of the systems that have established, and continue to perpetuate, the unequal burden of climate impacts.
The CHEC sub-committee, with support from the Office of Sustainability and the Office of Equity, conducted interviews with candidates for both committees in late June, early July, and mid-August. Once the initial slate of candidates was finalized, the Office of Sustainability assessed the current selections and identified a gap in representation from the energy and transportation industries in the Technical and Community Advisory Committee. Due to the level of involvement that these sectors have in achieving the goals in the CAAP and because they are an integral part of the San Antonio business community, it is essential that they be represented in the advisory committees. The initial slate of candidates and a recommendation to add two (2) seats for the energy and automotive industries was presented to and approved by CHEC on August 28, 2020.
The CAAP includes a “climate equity framework [that] prioritizes the communities burdened the most by climate change, those that contribute the least to climate change, and those most socially vulnerable to it. Climate equity ensures that these communities play a central role in the just transformation of the systems that have established, and continue to perpetuate, the unequal burden of climate impacts.”
As a result of this equity commitment, the ordinance establishing both committees states that “committees shall represent those that live and work within the City of San Antonio, inclusive of indigenous persons, communities of color, low-income residents, LGTBQIA+ persons, persons of varying ages, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized communities who hold diverse expertise, identities, and/or perspectives,” an extensive equity analysis has been and will continue to be conducted to ensure that the resulting committees have the most diverse representation possible, while maintaining the needed technical expertise.
All selected committee members will be required to attend a series of racial equity training and orientation webinars prior to the initial committee meetings.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this briefing item.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a briefing, however, staff seeks guidance on the potential amendment to Ordinance 2019-12-12-1066 to allow for the addition of two (2) dedicated seats to the Technical and Community Advisory Committee for representatives of the energy industry (1) and the automotive industry (1), as well as the addition of Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) as a research partner.