The Healdsburg City Council adopted a climate emergency declaration in 2019 and has taken some isolated actions since then. However, the city lacks a comprehensive Climate Action Plan with deadlines and staff/budget allocations. Healdsburg 2040, a citizen-led grassroots organization, believes the city council must prioritize climate action in its goal-setting session on March 7, 2022.
Such a roadmap and commitment is needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as to engage citizens in climate action. Climate impacts (including fires and drought) have proven costly to the city, local businesses and individual citizens, and swift and decisive action is long overdue. Every action by the council should include an answer to the question “How will this decision impact the city’s contribution to climate change?” Only with adequate budget and staff allocations can Healdsburg make a difference.
The city council must prioritize climate action in its 2022-24 goals. Healdsburg 2040 suggests the following goals are needed, if the city wants to contribute to climate action:
• Adopt a local Climate Action Plan by the end of 2022 and immediately begin executing it. Councilmembers Evelyn Mitchell and David Hagele were among those who unanimously adopted the climate emergency resolution in 2019 and, during the council meeting on Jan. 3, 2022, Mayor Ozzy Jimenez, Vice Mayor Ariel Kelley and Councilmember Skylaer Palacios also underscored the need to take action.
• Council prioritization of climate action to ensure adequate staffing. By including climate action in the council goals, City Manager Jeff Kay will have the direction he needs to appoint a senior staff person to lead on climate action, possibly the new assistant city manager. While all department directors take decisions that can mitigate or exacerbate climate change and resiliency, we lack overarching climate strategies and goals to inform citywide decision-making. A staff member with responsibility for climate action – both mitigation and adaptation – is needed to lead, track and make progress on climate across all departments.
• Establish a Climate Action Committee to support the timely adoption and effective execution of a Healdsburg Climate Action Plan. This would revive the 2020-22 Council Goals outcome “Establish citizen climate change and resiliency action group” (under Goals 2.5 and 5.2), which was eliminated in the 2021 goal setting process. Healdsburg has a wealth of climate science, policy, technology, equity, and mobilization expertise among its citizenry, an asset our City government should take full advantage of.
Healdsburg 2040 encourages all citizens and business owners to provide input on this vital topic on March 7, when the city council considers its 2022-2024 goals. The time for talking is over.
Healdsburg 2040 is a group of interested citizens advising the city on the implementation of the SDAT report. The group is made up of four individual work groups, addressing arts and culture, housing, the General Plan and parks and connectivity. For a list of the members of Healdsburg 2040, visit healdsburg2040.org. The group can be reached at He************@so***.net.
