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City of San Leandro <br />Meeting Date: December 2, 2019 <br />Staff Report <br />Agenda Section:File Number:19-633 CONSENT CALENDAR <br />Agenda Number:8.I. <br />TO:City Council <br />FROM:Jeff Kay <br />City Manager <br />BY:Debbie Pollart <br />Public Works Director <br />FINANCE REVIEW:Not Applicable <br />TITLE:Staff Report for a City of San Leandro City Council Resolution to Adopt <br />Resolution Declaring a Climate Emergency <br />SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS <br />Consistent with prior City Council direction, staff recommends that the City Council approve a <br />resolution declaring a climate emergency. <br />BACKGROUND & ANALYSIS <br />The threat of climate change and the need to proactively address it continues to be a policy issue <br />of paramount public concern, as can be seen by the increase in wildfires, floods, rising seas, <br />droughts, and extreme weather patterns. A recent state report, Rising Seas in California, <br />projects the possibility of up to 10 feet of sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay by year 2100, a <br />scenario that is consistent with observed rapid Antarctic ice sheet mass loss. If such a scenario <br />were to happen, it would impose significant negative impacts to the City of San Leandro and <br />virtually every other coastal community in the Bay Area. <br />The City Council has previously taken numerous steps and adopted various actions to protect <br />local residents and wildlife from the consequences of climate change. <br />Coming on the heels of these prior actions, the City Council also expressed a desire to consider <br />adopting a resolution that formally declares a climate emergency, and requests regional <br />collaboration to restore a safe climate. Based on that direction, City staff prepared the attached <br />resolution for the Council’s consideration. The language contained in that resolution is consistent <br />with similar resolutions that were also adopted by neighboring municipalities throughout the <br />region, including the cities of Hayward, Berkeley, and Oakland. <br />The resolution affirms the City’s commitment to proceed with a sense of urgency in carrying out <br />various steps to address climate change, including reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions <br />Page 1 City of San Leandro Printed on 11/27/2019 <br />126