greenkitty, May 10, 2017

We watched the iMatterYouth from the our Ventura High Schools go to the City Council Meeting and demand immediate work on a Climate Action Plan. Read about the success of the youth here. http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/ventura/2017/04/25/ventura-moves-climate-change-plan/100872872/

Councilwoman Kristy Weir reported that there are interns funded by CivicSpark (Govern Brown’s version of Americorps) who will help do this and will make it possible for City of Ventura to get busy on parts of citywide emissions reduction goals and targets before the next General Plan Update in a few years. There was widespread agreement that we can’t wait to talk about climate change.

The County Planning Department has refused to fast-track the County Climate Action Planning process. They do not admit that all other goals of the General Plan must serve the non-negotiable mandated goals and the moral call for an ambitious Climate Action Plan. The current background document is extremely disappointing. It fails to convey the urgent necessity to act on climate, the need for comprehensive community-wide education, that we must devise appropriate goals and targets for carbon sequestration and ways to raise funds to reward land-holders that provide this vital service.   We had about a month to learn about it, read, ask questions, and comment on the background document draft. This document is supposed to describe the essential and potential features that will be covered in the plan.

Actions:

1. Read the currently available draft Background Document. Links to the relevant chapters on climate, water and agriculture are provide again below.
2. Send comments to the Planning Department even though it is too late for them to be incorporated in the next draft.Here is the webform for making comments:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeu3GnBwcAsvn-L4dwAmMZP3jDxxxloDiZJ6hFS3ZDX9r4jIQ/viewform
3. Get on mailing list for the release of the draft of the Background Document to the Planning Commission in another month or so. http://vc2040.org/subscribe-for-more-information/
4. Come to the Planning Commission meeting maybe in the summer to see the presentation of the Background Document and make comment.
5. Attend the July 20 Board Meeting of the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance to ask about fast-tracking elements of the Climate Action Plan and suggest what we want in it.
6. Perspective on this timeline: We will not see the first draft of the actual plan until spring 2018.

The Climate Action Plan Background Document:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://vc2040.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/VCGPU_12-BR-Climate_Change_PRD_March_2017.pdf

The Water Resources Background Document:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://vc2040.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/VCGPU_10_BR_Water-Resources_PRD_March_2017.pdf

The Agriculture Background Document: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://vc2040.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/VCGPU_9-BR-Agriculture_PRD_March_2017.pdf