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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZero-Emission New Construction Building Standards - Letter of SUPPORTMarch 14,2024 The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor,State of California 1021 O St.,Room 9000 Sacramento,CA 95814 RE:Local Government Leaders Urgently Request Mandatory Zero-Emission New Construction Building Standards Dear Governor Newsom, Thank you for your leadership in the face of the pressing challenges posed by climate change in California. On September 7th,2023,25 local government leaders from across the state wrote to you calling for statewide zero-emission building standards to safeguard our communities’health and ensure California stays on target to meet its climate goals1.With the recent Ninth Circuit Court decision to deny a petition for rehearing en banc in California Restaurant Association v City of Berkeley, we reaffirm with greater urgency our commitment to healthy,emissions-free homes and urge California to adopt a mandatory zero-emission new construction building standard during the Building Standard Commission’s (BSC)2025 Title 24 California Green Building Standards Code (“2025 CALGreen Code”)process. For more than four years,local governments championed the health and safety of all Californians by passing climate-friendly building codes.2 As stated in the September 7th letter, it’s time for the state to act to ensure our homes and buildings are powered by clean energy and efficient,zero-emission appliances.California cannot hit its 2030 climate targets without ambitious reductions from the buildings sector –including the targets your administration has set –and there is simply no excuse for continuing to construct buildings with outdated equipment that rely on fossil fuels in the 2020s. We appreciate that the California Energy Commission is working hard to reduce emissions from new buildings this code cycle.However,a delay in adopting a zero-emission new building standard would lock in fossil fuel use and infrastructure expansion in California for years,which is misaligned with California’s climate goals.If we do not act now,over the next several years, California is projected to build upwards of half a million housing units,many of which will require retrofitting in the future.3 Fortunately,your agencies have already proposed solutions. 3 https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/10/california-housing-defies-effort-construction/ 2https://www.sierraclub.org/articles/2021/07/californias-cities-lead-way-pollution-free-homes-and-buildings 1 City of Los Angeles,2023,Mayors and local governments call for Gov.Newsom to pursue a statewide zero-emission building code after legal setback threatens climate progress In the 2022 CARB Scoping Plan,CARB explicitly notes the opportunity the State has to move forward with a new construction building decarbonization strategy through the CALGreen Code.4 Since our September 7th letter,the Building Standards Commission (BSC)initiated pre-cycle activities for the 2024 Triennial Code Adoption Cycle to develop and adopt the 2025 edition of Title 24,including CALGreen.As part of that process,we are aware of at least three petitions submitted to BSC that propose zero-emission new construction standards.5 We were disappointed to learn that one of those petitions was rejected on January 25,2024.We request that BSC and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)consider all zero-emission new construction options available to them.We cannot wait until 2029 for the implementation of a zero-emission building standard. Without your administration stepping in before the next code review cycle,California will continue needlessly expanding its fossil fuel system and state and local governments will be left holding an expanding retrofit bill.New York City and the State of New York provide precedent; California should act promptly both to meet our responsibility to present and future generations, and to regain California’s climate policy leadership.6 With this letter,we urgently reaffirm our request for you to direct your agencies to take this action and create a mandatory zero-emission new construction requirement. Thank you, Nithya Raman Councilmember District 4 City of Los Angeles Katy Yaroslavsky, Councilmember District 5 City of Los Angeles Sheng Thao Mayor City of Oakland Todd Gloria Mayor City of San Diego Shannon Parry Chief Sustainability Officer City of Santa Monica Tyrone Jue S.F.Environment Department Director City and County of San Francisco Jessie Lopez Councilwoman City of Santa Ana Sarah Zarate Director,Office of Administration,Policy,and Intergovernmental Relations City of San Jose 6https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4966519&GUID=714F1B3D-876F-4C4F-A1BC -A2849D60D55A&Options=ID%7cText%7c&Search=2317 5https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/building-decarbonization/building-standards-code/zero-emissi on-buildings-calgreen 4 CARB Scoping Plan,Appendfix F https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/2022-sp-appendix-f-building-decarbonization.pdf *Jen Wolosin Councilmember,District 3 City of Menlo Park *signing as an individual *Maria Doerr City Councilmember,District 5 City of Menlo Park Vic Randall Senior Planner City of Sacramento Erica A Stewart Mayor City of San Luis Obispo Zach Hilton Council Member City of Gilroy Tiffany Wise-West Sustainability and Resiliency Officer City of Santa Cruz John Gioia County Supervisor Contra Costa County Alelia Parenteau Sustainability &Resilience Director City of Santa Barbara Barbara Coler Mayor Town of Fairfax Sean Youra Climate Action Coordinator Town of San Anselmo Christine Luong Sustainability Manager City of Palo Alto Michael Ramirez City Manager City of Carpinteria Deniz Ergun Sustainability Program Manager City of Piedmont Paula Perotte Mayor City of Goleta Das Williams First District Supervisor Santa Barbara County Betsy Stix Mayor City of Ojai Sarah Moore Interim Manager,Office of Energy and Sustainable Development City of Berkeley Eli Beckman Mayor Town of Corte Madera Connie Juarez-Diroll Chief Legislative Office County of San Mateo Tony Kranz Mayor City of Encinitas Veronica Tinoco Building Official City of Los Altos Lesa Heebner Mayor City of Solana Beach Kate Colin Mayor City of San Rafael Victoria Morin Sustainability Specialist City of Cupertino Catie Thow Garcia Resiliency &Sustainability Manager City of Sausalito Grace Ledwith Climate Action (Sustainability)Coordinator City of Mill Valley Adrienne Etherton Sustainability Manager City of Brisbane Francisco Contreras Long Range Planning Manager City of West Hollywood Christina Raby Sustainability Coordinator City of Sunnyvale CC:Amy Tong,Chair,Building Standards Commission Gustavo Velasquez,Director,Department of Housing &Community Development Liane Randolph,Chair,California Air Resources Board David Hochschild,Chairman,California Energy Commission Andrew McAllister,Commissioner,California Energy Commission Yana Garcia,Secretary,California Environmental Protection Agency Wade Crowfoot,Secretary,California Natural Resources Agency Lauren Sanchez,Senior Climate Advisor,Office of the Governor Grant Mack,Deputy Legislative Secretary,Office of the Governor Christine Hironaka,Deputy Cabinet Secretary,Office of the Governor