DEPARTMENT: Office of Sustainability
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Douglas R. Melnick, AICP, ISSP-SA, CNU-A
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
SUBJECT: This item approves an amendment to Ordinance 2019-12-12-1066 to change the composition of the Technical and Community Advisory Committee by adding three dedicated seats for representatives of the energy industry and the automotive industry, adding Southwest Research Institute as a research collaborator, and approving the full slate of recommended candidates for the Technical & Community Advisory Committee and the Climate Equity Advisory Committee.
SUMMARY:
In accordance with the SA Climate Ready Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), the Technical and Community Advisory Committee and the 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, mid-August, and early October by a Community Heath and Equity (CHEC) Sub-committee with a goal of convening the inaugural quarterly meeting for both committees in November 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 by Ordinance 2019-10-17-0840.
In order to continue to receive community input for CAAP strategy prioritization and implementation, two externally recruited committees were established: a Technical and Community Advisory Committee and a Climate Equity Advisory Committee. Appointees to both committees were 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 committees were approved and established by City Council on December 12, 2019 through Ordinance 2019-12-12-1066.
ISSUE:
With the addition of the three new members, the Technical and Community Advisory Committee will be comprised of 24 representatives, 17 at-large and seven 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; Southwest Research Institute, and the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Climate Equity Advisory Committee.
The Climate Equity Advisory Committee is comprised of 11 representatives; 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 Technical and Community Advisory Committee. Members are 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, mid-August, and early October. 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 seats for the energy and automotive industries was presented to and approved by the CHEC on August 28. The recommendation to add two seats for the energy and automotive industries and one seat for SWRI was presented to and supported by City Council during the B-Session on September 30.
The selection committee recommends the following candidates for the Technical and Community Advisory Committee:
• DeeDee Belmares | At-large
• Ashley Bird | At-large
• James E. Cooper | At-large
• Estella Cota-Trevino | At-large
• Matt Cox | At-large
• Dr. Neil Debbage | At-large
• Ashley Harris | At-large
• Stephen Lucke | At-large
• Dr. Kelly Lyons | At-large
• Francisco Manon | At-large
• Richard McDonald | At-large
• Dr. Jimmy Perkins | At-large
• John Plescia | At-large
• Rosalinda Sanquiche | At-large
• Ryan Webber | At-large
• Rick Cavender | Automotive Industry
• Stephanie Moreno | Energy Industry
• Melissa Bryant, San Antonio River Authority | Organizational Member
• Karen Guz, San Antonio Water System | Organizational Member
• Kammy Horne, VIA Metropolitan Transit | Organizational Member
• Marvin Pair, Joint Base San Antonio | Organizational Member
• Angela Rodriguez, CPS Energy | Organizational Member
• Miriam Juckett, Southwest Research Institute | Research Collaborator
• The Chair or Vice-Chair of the Climate Equity Committee
The selection committee recommends the following candidates for the Climate Equity Advisory Committee:
• Aaron Arguello | At-large
• Dr. Adelita Cantu | At-large
• Anacua Garcia | At-large
• Jesus Garcia-Gonzalez | At-large
• Harjot Kaur | At-large
• Diana Lopez-Perez | At-large
• Eloisa Portillo-Morales | At-large
• Joshua Scott | At-large
• Dr. Joe Simpson | At-large
• Tristan Tovar | At-large
• The Chair or Vice-Chair of the Technical and Community Advisory Committee
As 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 are 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 item.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of an Ordinance to amend Ordinance 2019-12-12-1066 to allow for the addition of three dedicated seats to the Technical and Community Advisory Committee for one representative of the energy industry, one of the automotive industry, the addition of SWRI as an research collaborator, and recommends approval of the full slate of selected candidates to the Technical & Community Advisory Committee and the Climate Equity Advisory committee.