CA Code Update for EV Charging Infrastructure

On December 16, 2020, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) submitted comments on the proposed changes to Title 24, Part 11 of the 2022 CALGreen Building Code for the 2021 Triennial Code Adoption Cycle.

In our letter, we recommended that the code update include this:

A working and signed Level 1 outlet (110–120 V) shall be installed at each parking space associated with new residential construction.

This simple provision would provide low-cost infrastructure that works for any EV. It would ensure that Californians living in any type of new housing – low-income, high-income, mixeduse, multifamily, single-family — have convenient access to EV battery charging.

Click here to view our letter.

Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sac County Climate Emergency Declaration

December 17, 2020 Update: we are happy to report that the County of Sacramento has passed the declaration!

December 15, 2020

ECOS has submitted a letter asking the Sacramento Board of Supervisors to vote in support of declaring a Climate Emergency. The item is on the agenda for their December 16, 2020 meeting.

From our letter:

The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) supports the County’s proposed Climate Emergency Declaration. As Greta Thunberg has told us,
“Humans are very adaptable: we can still fix this. But the opportunity to do so will not last for long. We must start today. We have no more excuses. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, then maybe we should change the system itself.”
Please demonstrate that our County’s system is up to the task!

Click here to read our letter in full.

Click here to add your voice!

Photo credit: Anders Hellberg, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It Is Time to Appoint Real Climate Leaders…

Op-Ed: It Is Time to Appoint Real Climate Leaders Who Understand Equity and Justice in California

By Amy Yockus Hartman and Nailah Pope Harden | December 2, 2020 | Streetsblog

The impacts of climate change are already visible. With emissions from the transportation sector still growing despite years of policymaking, real action is needed now. We’re proud that California continues to lead the country on these matters. Governor Newsom’s recent Executive Orders that protect and conserve thirty percent of the state’s lands and water, ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, and call for transportation funding to align with the state’s climate goals are putting us on the right track to curb the worst impacts of climate change.
However, we need bold leadership at every level and in every agency to ensure these visionary Executive Orders become reality.

Click here to read the full article.

How this one policy change could lead to housing equity in Sacramento neighborhoods

November 21, 2020 | By Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks | The Sacramento Bee

The city is expected to change its planning and development code to allow more affordable housing — duplexes, townhomes and quadplexes — to be built in neighborhoods that have been zoned for single-family homes, giving residents of all backgrounds more options.

Click here to read the article in full.

Important Sac County Decisions Dec 15/16

On December 15th and 16th, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will be making some important decisions about local actions to save the planet.

The following agenda items are on the consent calendar:

Approve Authority To Apply For Grant Funding From The Sacramento Area Council Of Governments 2021 Funding Round And The Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program
Zoning Ordinance Amendments Related To Accessory Dwelling Unit Standards. Request To Amend Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, And Chapter 7 Of The Zoning Code Related To Accessory Dwelling Units
General Plan Amendment to Adopt SMAQMD Thresholds of Significance for CEQA Analyses of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Declaration Of A Climate Emergency

Click here to view the agendas

Climate Emergency Declaration

Our partners at 350 Sacramento have created a handy letter-writing tool for anyone to use to send a message to the Board of Supervisors expressing your support for the declaration of a Climate Emergency. Please use to button below to help Sacramento county make the right choice.

Click here to send message

Check Before You Make a Fire!

This Holiday Season, Please Remember to Check Before You Burn

With the cold and frosty winter weather upon us, residents across the Sacramento Region might be thinking about using their fireplace to help keep warm. This holiday season, the Sac Metro Air District asks you to please remember to Check Before You Burn, to make sure wood burning is legal.

From November 1 through the end of February, the District will restrict or prohibit the use of all fireplaces, wood stoves, inserts, fire pits, and chimineas when fine particle pollution (PM2.5) is forecast to be high. The law applies to residents and businesses in Sacramento County and the cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento. Remember, if you observe burning on a day when particulate matter air pollution is forecast to be high, and burning is prohibited, you can anonymously file a complaint here. First time violations will result in either a $50 fine, or the option to take and pass a wood smoke awareness exam. Fines for subsequent violations are higher.

Learn more