Open letter to Supervisors: Sonoma County Environmental Priorities
A letter spelling out environmental priorities from several key organizations in advance of Supervisor Hopkins’ environmental listening session on Monday, Nov. 9.
Summary Points with Detailed Discussion Document link
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on environmental priorities from organizations and individuals signed on to this letter (logos above and names below) for the Environmental Listening Session scheduled for Nov. 9. 2020. Please see a summary of our priorities below and a detailed discussion to follow. We are also attaching a very similar letter sent to the supervisors in January 2020 about environmental priorities, most of which remain relevant.
Please realize that this letter does not represent every and all environmental and related issues, due to the many diverse organizations and complex range of interlinked and overlapping challenges that we face with climate change, wildfire, loss of diversity and habitat, environmental justice and equity, water and groundwater, public health, transportation, tourism, pesticides, housing crisis and homelessness, and economic imbalances.
We compiled this letter in an effort to lay the groundwork for partnering with the county to develop new environmentally just and climate resiliency policies for the next generation and beyond. There is much to be done in the short-and-long term!
Summary of Environmental Priorities
Uphold and Enforce Protective Land Use Policies in General Plan and Development Code
Fully uphold and enforce existing protective land use policies in the General Plan and Development Codes.
Put on hold all new General Plan Amendments and Development Code Changes until General Plan is updated through a robust public process.
Prioritize update of General Plan as soon as possible to add Climate Action, Environmental Justice, and Wildfire Resiliency and strengthen and revise policies in relevant elements for environmental protection and public health and safety.
Direct Permit Sonoma to stop advancing projects and policies that don’t fully and clearly comply with existing General Plan and Development Code, which require environmentalists to spend precious time and resources to educate elected and appointed officials to deny.
Fully Uphold Voter Approved Community Separators and City Urban Growth Boundaries to Protect Natural and Working Lands and Prevent Sprawl
Affirm policy commitment to legacy land-use policies mandated by the voters to protect community separators, uphold urban growth boundaries and focus new development in city centers and existing urban service areas.
Fully uphold and enhance protective land use policies to preserve natural and working lands for clean air and water, biodiversity, and for production of food and fiber and low carbon farming.
Prioritize and provide incentives for the creation of a "food belt" around urban areas to increase local food security, help diversify our agricultural sector and encourage managed grazing to reduce fire hazards.
Consider putting a county urban limit line to voters to concentrate growth in unincorporated areas in developed areas for the next 20 years.
Halt the ongoing destruction of Sonoma County’s iconic oak woodlands and immediately enact an urgency temporary ordinance prohibiting destruction of oak woodlands, pending study of climate, fire, watershed, habitat and related impacts.
Take Climate Action
Consider a 2022 Climate Measure developed with RCPA, stakeholders and community.
Prioritize, adopt and implement measures from the county Climate Emergency Mobilization Strategy Ten-Year Emergency Policy Package that includes:
•Achieve carbon neutrality in Sonoma County no later than 2030
•All Electric Buildings Campaign
•Carbon-Free Electricity
•Drive Less Sonoma County Campaign
•EV Access for All Partnership
•Sonoma County Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) Bank Zero Waste by 2030
•Carbon Sequestration
•Decarbonization
•Green Communities for All
•Energy Grid for the Future Equity and Community Engagement
•Zero waste and prioritize composting facility in the county
Accelerate Climate-smart City Centered Growth and Affordable Housing
Collaborate with cities and stakeholders from housing, environment, social justice and neighborhood groups to preserve and increase available affordable and middle-missing housing that is energy efficient and powered primarily by renewables.
Utilize multiple tools including through preservation of existing homes, more efficient use of land through innovative rezoning and production of climate smart construction in infill areas as above; and outside of high wildfire risk areas.
Partner with government, non-profit and private sector to create funding streams for preservation, protection and production of homes.