* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:09:57] OKAY, [00:09:57] I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE CLIMATE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE CITY COMMISSION MEETING [00:10:01] TO ORDER FOR APRIL 23RD, 2026. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLE COMMISSIONER BENNETT HERE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER BROWN. HERE. COMMISSIONER GATTEN. 10. COMMISSIONER HANKS. HERE. COMMISSIONER COHERO? [CALL TO ORDER] HERE. COMMISSIONER MARSH? HERE. COMMISSIONER MCCULLOUGH? HERE. COMMISSIONER SERGE. HERE. VICE CHAIR GONZALEZ. CHAIR GAINES. HERE WE HAVE COURT. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND FOR THE RECORD, VICE CHAIR GONZALEZ IS EXCUSED FROM THE MEETING. ALL OTHER COMMISSIONERS ARE UNEXCUSED. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE FIRST ITEM. ITEM NUMBER ONE IS RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE CLIMATE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE CITY COMMISSION MEETING OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26. 2026. MAY I HAVE A MOTION [ROLL CALL] AND A SECOND FOR THIS ITEM? A MOTION. SECOND. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, UH, [1. 26-54891 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Climate Resilient and Sustainable City Commission meeting of Thursday, February 26, 2026.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] UH, MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER MCCULLOUGH, I THINK SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER MARSH. IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH. ARE PEOPLE'S SCREEN. OH, THERE WE GO. MINE'S WORKING NOW. IS YOURS? YEAH, WE'VE GOT SOME DELAYS ON THE SCREEN. YEAH. OKAY. GOOD THING. COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MINUTES? NEGATIVE? OKAY. OKAY. SCENE NINE WILL NOT TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. SEEING NONE. SEEING NONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. COMMISSIONER MARSH, ARE YOU A YES? THANK YOU. AND COMMISSIONER MCCULLOUGH? I CAN TAKE A VERBAL IF YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE ME THAT. I RECEIVED YOUR YES. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM. ITEM NUMBER TWO IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM THE, FROM LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE ON THE CLIMATE READY WORKFORCE. MAY I HAVE A MOTION A SECOND FOR THIS ITEM? IF YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE A VERBAL, I CAN TAKE THAT AS WELL. UM, [2. 26-54892 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from Long Beach City College on a Climate Ready Workforce.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] I THINK I HAVE MOVED BY. OKAY. MOVED BY COMMISSIONER COHERO. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BROWN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, MAYBE HAVE THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU CHAIR. WE HAVE, UH, MELISSA BOUR AND STEVEN MENDOZA FROM LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE HERE TO PRESENT. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. UH, MY NAME'S MELISSA BOUR. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY AT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE. WE ARE A RELATIVELY NEW UNIT WITHIN OUR DIVISION OF WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND WITH ME IS, HELLO EVERYONE. I'M STEVEN MENDOZA, PROGRAM MANAGER OF CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY ON CAMPUS. SO WE JUST WANTED TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT OUR TEAM, UH, IS WORKING ON WITH THE COMMISSIONERS AND THE COMMUNITY. AND I DO WANNA MENTION BEFORE WE GO ON THAT, I'M SO SORRY. I WANTED IN THE MINUTES, WE DO KNOW HOW TO SPELL CLIMATE RESILIENCE. IT, IT IS ENCE, BUT WE DID NOT CATCH THIS IN TIME, UH, AFTER WE SENT IT OUT. SO I, I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT WE, WE DO SEE THAT THERE'S A SPELLING ERROR ON THERE AND IT IS, UH, IT WILL BE CORRECTED IN ALL FUTURE MATERIALS. UH, SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE. WE SERVE A LITTLE UNDER 40,000 STUDENTS. 63% OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVE, UH, FINANCIAL AID. WE HAVE A DIVERSE POPULATION THAT REFLECTS THE POPULATION OF OUR CITY. GO AHEAD. AND OUR MISSION, UH, IN CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY IS TO REALLY BUILD A CLIMATE READY WORKFORCE. AND WE DO THAT BY OFFERING INDUSTRY RESPONSIVE CURRICULUM TRAINING PROGRAMS AND JOB PLACEMENT PATHWAYS THAT MEET BOTH REGIONAL LABOR MARKET AND CLIMATE ACTION NEEDS. AND WE'LL ILLUSTRATE AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS, UH, SHORTLY. UM, SO I KNOW I DON'T NEED TO REALLY, UH, DIVE DEEP INTO THIS PART HERE, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY FACES, UH, INCREASING CLIMATE RISK, SOME OF WHICH INCLUDE EXTREME HEAT, SEA [00:15:01] LEVEL RISE DROUGHT, AND UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN ASKING OURSELVES THE QUESTION OF HOW DO OUR COMMUNITIES PREPARE FOR AND ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND HOW DO WE MITIGATE, UH, THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE? AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS A KEY COMPONENT OF THAT. ACTUALLY, I CAN DO IF YOU WANT, THEN I'LL JUST GIVE IT TO YOU AGAIN. NO, UH, SOME OF THE RESEARCH THAT WE ROOT OUR WORK IN IS OF COURSE, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH'S CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN. THE STATE'S, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE ASSESSMENT AS WELL AS OTHERS. AND WE COMBINE THAT WITH LABOR MARKET INFORMATION THAT SHOWS US WHERE WE CAN SEE, UH, JOB GROWTH REGIONALLY, AND SO THAT WE CAN CREATE PROGRAMS THAT GIVE OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BOTH, UH, GOOD PAYING JOBS CURRENTLY AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SKILLS TO BE PREPARED FOR, UH, THE SORTS OF SKILLS THAT YOU WOULD NEED IN TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE TO HELP, UH, MITIGATE CLIMATE. CLIMATE RISK. THE INDUSTRIES AND SECTORS THAT WE FOCUS ON ARE THE WATER INDUSTRY, CONSTRUCTION, ARCHITECTURE, AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY. AND AGAIN, WE COMBINE THE LOCAL REGIONAL LABOR MARKET NEED WITH CLIMATE ACTION, NEED TO CREATE CURRICULUM AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. UH, ONE OF THE, UH, ENTITIES THAT ALSO, THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT HELPS GUIDE OUR WORK IS THE LA COUNTY CLIMATE READY EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL, UH, OF WHICH THE CITY'S OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION RESILIENCE IS A, UH, MEMBER. AND THIS IS A THREE YEAR ADVISORY COUNCIL THAT HELPS PROVIDE US FEEDBACK ON THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE CREATING THAT MEETS BI-ANNUALLY. AND THIS IS A PICTURE FROM OUR SEPTEMBER IN-PERSON MEETING AT OUR TRADES TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY LEARNING CAMPUS WHERE A LOT OF OUR, UH, CLIMATE RESILIENT WORK ACTUALLY HAPPENS. WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST, UH, URBAN PLANNING LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM. WE HAVE AN EV PROGRAM EMBEDDED WITHIN OUR AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT, UH, CONSTRUCTION, OUR, UH, ROBUST HORTICULTURE PROGRAM. AND SO, UH, WE DID A, A TOUR FOR THE, UH, EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THAT DAY. AND ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE THAT HELPS PREPARE LONG BEACH UNIFIED STUDENTS FOR, UH, FOR CAREERS. AND ACTUALLY THE BUILDING TRADES IS THE BRIGHT PATH SUMMER CAMP THIS YEAR IT'S ACTUALLY CALLED THE BUILD LB SUMMER TRADES CAMP, AND THERE WILL BE TWO PAID CAMPS FOR LONG BEACH UNIFIED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AGED 16 YEARS AND OLDER. ONE IS IN ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE OTHER IS IN CONSTRUCTION. AND STUDENTS RECEIVE, UH, $18 AN HOUR THROUGH THE WHOLE PROGRAM WHILE THEY TAKE COURSES IN CONSTRUCTION AND ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY. AND THEY ALSO GET FIELD TRIPS TO THE TRAINING CENTER FOR IVW LOCAL 11. UH, WE'RE HOPING TO LOOP IN THE CARPENTERS THIS YEAR. AND THIS IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PORT OF LONG BEACH AND HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS AND FOR OUR NEXT PROGRAM, I WILL PASS IT OFF TO STEVEN. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN. STEVEN MENDOZA, CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM MANAGER. UM, SO IN, IN COLLABORATION WITH, UH, OUR CLIMATE READY EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL AND WITH, UH, IN, IN RESPONSE TO, UH, LABOR MARKET NEEDS AS WELL AS CLIMATE ACTION NEEDS THAT THE CITY HAS, UH, CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON, WE'VE CREATED SEVERAL ROBUST PROGRAMS TO HELP, UH, BOOST THE CLIMATE READY WORKFORCE WITHIN LONG BEACH, INCLUDING OUR WATER UTILITY ACADEMY. SO OUR WATER UTILITY ACADEMY IS A NINE MONTH PROGRAM IN WHICH 25 NEW WATER UTILITY WORKERS WE'RE HIRED BY LONG BEACH UTILITIES TO, UH, GAIN FULL-TIME HANDS-ON TRAINING AT LBCC PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED SEVERAL DIFFERENT CERTIFICATIONS, INCLUDING HAS WHOPPER OSHA TEN FIRST AID, A ED CERTIFICATION, UH, AS WELL AS, UM, CLIMATE LITERACY TRAINING, UH, WATER TREATMENT, 36 HOURS OF WATER TREATMENT, UH, TO QUALIFY THEM FOR THE D TWO T TWO TESTS NECESSARY TO BE COMPETITIVE FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT WITH LONG BEACH UTILITIES, AS WELL AS, UH, WATER MATH SUPPORT, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY MUCH NEEDED. UH, WE HAVE ALSO LAUNCHED OUR VIKING CLIMATE ACTION FELLOWSHIP, WHICH IS A PAID 12 WEEK FELLOWSHIP FOR LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE STUDENTS. UH, IN THIS FELLOWSHIP, STUDENTS EARN $22 AN HOUR AND WORK UP TO 20 HOURS A WEEK. UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT EMPLOYER PARTNERS THROUGHOUT LONG BEACH, INCLUDING THE CITY OF LONG BEACHES OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION. AND WE HAVE ONE OF OUR FELLOWS HERE TODAY IN THE AUDIENCE. HEY, GOOD TO SEE YOU, . THERE IT IS. ONE OF OUR FELLOWS IS HERE, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING. UM, YEAH, SO THEY'RE PLACED WITH THE OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION AND SUSTAINABILITY, UH, SEVERAL DIFFERENT NONPROFITS INCLUDING ALITA, ALTA SEA, UH, AND SOME, UH, WATER ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS PARK WATER. [00:20:01] UM, SO THIS IS OFFERED ONCE A SEMESTER, UH, AND A LOT OF STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY BENEFITED FROM IT. I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE. I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR YOU, . UM, WE ARE ALSO A, RAND CORPORATION IS ALSO A SUB AWARDEE OF OUR NOA GRANT, WHICH IS A FUNDING THAT PROVIDES US OPPORTUNITY TO DO A LOT OF THIS WORK. UH, RAND IS CURRENTLY CONDUCTING STUDIES ON THE LABOR MARKET AND WORKFORCE NEEDS WITHIN THE WATER AND EN ENERGY INDUSTRY. UM, OH, RIGHT. AND, AND WE WILL BE, UH, WITH THEM PRESENTING WITH THEM IN PITTSBURGH THIS MAY, AT THE NATIONAL ADAPTATION FORM. SO THAT'S VERY EXCITING. UM, SO WE HAVE THAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO. UM, AND GRID ALTERNATIVES IS ANOTHER SUB AWARD OF OUR NOAA GRANT. SO GRID ALTERNATIVES, AS JUST RECENTLY WITH NOAA FUNDING HAS BUILT A TRAINING FACILITY IN SIGNAL HILL, WHICH IS VERY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL OF OUR LVCC STUDENTS. THEY CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR FELLOWS THAT ARE TRAINING IN, UM, BATTERY TECHNICIAN OPERATIONS, WHICH IS VERY COOL. AND OUR RIBBON CUTTING TOUR OF WELL, OR THE RIBBON CUTTING OF THE FACILITY WILL BE, UH, IN EARLY JUNE. SO HOPEFULLY SOME OF YOU CAN ATTEND THAT. UH, WE'VE ALSO LAUNCHED OUR EV SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, WHICH IS A, UH, SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHO ENTER INTO THE EV PROGRAMS OFFERED AT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE. SO IF YOU ARE ENROLLED AS AN EV STUDENT, AN EV TECHNICIAN STUDENT, EITHER IN AN AS OR A CERTIFICATE PROGRAM, YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR UP TO A THOUSAND DOLLARS IN FUNDING TO HELP OFFSET THE COSTS OF, UH, INSULATED TOOLS AND INSULATED GLOVES THAT ARE NECESSARY TO BE IN THE PROGRAM. UH, AND WE ARE ALSO HOSTING FELLOWS WITHIN OUR ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT, UH, THROUGH OUR BUILDING RESILIENT FUTURES GRANT. SO, UM, THROUGH THAT GRANT ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS GAIN HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE DESIGNING AND BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE TINY HOME. AND BY THE END OF THE PROGRAM, THEY WILL BE LEAD ACCREDITED, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING AND WILL ALSO HELP THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, GAIN OPPORTUNITY. WE'RE ALSO GAINING LEAD ACCREDITATION FOR OUR ARCHITECTURE FACULTY, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING BECAUSE THEN SHE CAN IMPLEMENT THAT WORK INTO ALL OF HER COURSES. UH, AND, AND THIS IS, WELL, WE'VE ALSO BEEN, UH, AWARDED A COLLEGE CORPS AT LBCC, WHICH IS, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING. SO COLLEGE CORPS IS A 10 MONTH PAID PROGRAM. UH, STUDENTS COMPLETE 450 HOURS OF WORK, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP AND PLACED AT VARIOUS HOST SITES THROUGHOUT LONG BEACH, INCLUDING, WE'RE HOPING THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE ACTION HERE, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND WE ALSO HAVE VARIOUS PARTNERS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, NONPROFIT AGENCIES. UM, THERE ARE THREE TARGET AREAS THAT COLLEGE COURSE STUDENTS, UM, WILL BE WORKING ON EITHER CLIMATE ACTION, FOOD INSECURITY, OR K 12 EDUCATION. SO FOR THIS FIRST COHORT, WE WILL BE HOSTING 35 STUDENTS. AND, UH, EVERY YEAR WE ARE EXCITED TO GROW THAT PROGRAM. AND LASTLY, I ALSO WANT TO INVITE EVERYONE HERE TO CLIMATE ACTION DAY. UH, THIS IS LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE'S FIRST CLIMATE ACTION DAY. WE ARE HOSTING IT ON THURSDAY, APRIL 30TH, WHICH IS NEXT THURSDAY. UM, IT'S GOING TO BE A THREE PART EVENT. THE FIRST BEING MEET THE TRADES IN WHICH L-B-U-S-D STUDENTS WILL BE COMING TO LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE SO THAT THEY CAN EXPLORE VARIOUS TRADES, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE ON CAMPUS, LEARN ABOUT OUR DIFFERENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS AND THE SUSTAINABILITY WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. UH, THE SECOND PART OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE THE GREEN WORKFORCE PANEL IN WHICH WE'VE INVITED, UH, WELL, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IS COORDINATING, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING. UM, SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT CAREERS WITHIN THE GREEN WORKFORCE. AND WE'RE GONNA END THE PROGRAM OR THE DAY WITH, UH, CLIMATE RESILIENCE RESOURCE FAIR. SO THERE WILL BE EMPLOYERS AND RESOURCES FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THE LARGER COMMUNITY. AND DID YOU WANT TO YEAH. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. AND WE ALSO, UH, WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT AFTER THE GREEN WORKFORCE, UH, PANEL, WHICH IS BEING, UH, ORGANIZED AND MODERATED BY FERNO RIGHT HERE, UH, WE WILL HAVE LOLAS. SO IF YOU ATTEND THE GREEN WORKFORCE PANEL RIGHT AFTERWARDS, THERE WILL BE TACOS AND APPETIZERS FROM LOLAS, UH, THAT WHERE YOU CAN GRAB A BITE TO EAT AND THEN EXPLORE THE, UH, THE RESOURCE FAIR WHERE WE'LL HAVE THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC THERE, UH, THE CONSERVATION CORE OF LONG BEACH AND OTHER LOCAL PARTNERS, AS WELL AS AN OPEN HOUSE FOR HORTICULTURE AND EARTH SCIENCE EVENT. UM, SO WE INVITE EVERYONE TO JOIN. IT'S ALL AT OUR TRADES, A TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY LEARNING CAMPUS, SO AS SOON AS YOU PARK, YOU'LL, YOU'LL SEE ALL THE CANOPIES AND EVERYTHING. SO JUST A QUICK RECAP OF OUR IMPACT AND NUMBERS. IN THIS PAST YEAR, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SECURE 25 NEW JOB PLACEMENTS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, TRAIN 105 INDIVIDUALS AND AWARD 53 SCHOLARSHIPS IN CAREERS THAT ARE MAKING [00:25:01] AN IMPACT ON CLIMATE ACTION LOCALLY. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR WORK OR JUST WANNA SAY HI OR PARTNER A VISIT, OUR INFORMATION'S, UH, RIGHT HERE ARE EMAILS. AND, UM, YOU CAN ALSO FIND US ONLINE IF YOU JUST, UH, SEARCH LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, UH, CLIMATE, CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY. THAT CONCLUDES OUR REPORT. AND, UM, WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. GREAT. THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION? YES, GO AHEAD. UM, OUT OF THE 25 JOBS, ARE THEY THE FULL-TIME AND DID THEY ALL PASS THE TEST? GREAT QUESTION. THEY'RE ALL FULL-TIME. THEY DID NOT ALL PASS THE TEST YET. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY HAVE SO FAR? IT, SO WATER TREATMENT TO THE STATE EXAM IS, THE MATH IS VERY ROBUST AND THAT'S WHERE WE BROUGHT IN MATH TUTORS TO HELP THEM. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW THAT ARE GOING TO RETAKE IT. UM, SO NOT ALL HAVE PASSED THE TEST YET, BUT WE ARE STAYING IN CONTACT WITH THEM TO SEE WHAT OTHER SUPPORTS WE CAN OFFER. YEAH, I DUNNO. AND, AND I WILL SAY AS OF NOW, THERE HAVE BEEN SIX PEOPLE WHO HAVE PASSED THE TEST, WHICH IS A BIG SUCCESS IN MY OPINION. YEAH, THEY, THEY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE CAME FROM VARIOUS JOBS. A LOT OF THEM CAME FROM WORKING FROM KITCHENS, UM, WORKING, RETAIL, WORKING, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM HAD CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND, BUT THIS IS A CAREER PIVOT FOR, FOR, FOR A LOT OF THESE STUDENTS. SO A LOT OF THEM WERE VERY INTIMIDATED BY WATER MATH. BUT, UH, BY THE END OF THE COURSE THEY WERE ALL REALLY EXCITED TO DO IT. AND IT'S, UH, SIX IS A SUCCESS IN MY OPINION, BUT THERE'S MORE COMING AS WELL. I KNOW IT. YEAH, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU. THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. YOU GUYS ARE WORKING HARD, SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO COME TODAY PRESENT. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. UM, LET'S SEE. UM, WE'LL NOW I'LL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THE SIDE AND PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. SEEING NONE. SEEING NONE. OKAY. UM, LET'S SEE. YOU THINK WE'RE READY FOR THE VOTE? MADAM? MADAME CLERK, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE IF YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE A VERBAL VOTE. I CAN TAKE THAT. COMMISS, I RECEIVED YOUR, I THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM. ITEM NUMBER THREE IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM CITY STAFF ON THE DRAFT URBAN FOREST PLAN. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THIS ITEM? OKAY. WE HAVE, UH, MOVED BY COMMISSIONER BENNETT, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MARSH. OKAY, WE READY FOR THE PRESENTATION? THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, [3. 26-54893 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from City staff on the draft Urban Forest Plan.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] THANK YOU AND GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, CHAIR GAINES AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. UM, WE'RE ABOUT TO HEAR AN OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW WITH OUR URBAN FOREST PLAN DEVELOPMENT. I'M JOINED, UH, BY HANNA ELLIS, UH, SITTING NEXT TO ME, WHO IS OUR URBAN FOREST COORDINATOR THAT JOINED OUR TEAM JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, JUST IN TIME TO HELP, UH, OVERSEE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS. UH, SO, AND ACTUALLY I THINK WELL, WE'RE DIVIDING UP THIS PRESENTATION BETWEEN US AND I THINK HANNAH'S GOING FIRST. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. UM, THIS IS JUST A BRIEF LOOK OVER THE AGENDA THAT WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT. UM, FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST PLAN AND SOME OF THE GOALS WE HAVE. THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TIMELINE AND SCOPE, INCLUDING SUMMARIES OF SOME OF THE PHASES THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND WHAT HAS YET TO COME. THEN WE WILL DISCUSS OUR URBAN FOREST PLAN RESOURCE REPORT FINDINGS, AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO SOME OF THE UFP STRUCTURE. UM, THIS IS THE BASIS OF WHAT OUR PLAN WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN IT'S COMPLETED. AND THEN, UM, SOME NEXT STEPS. AND OUR PROJECT TEAM IS US WITH THE CLIMATE ACTION AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE. OUR, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANTS, OUR CITY FABRIC, AND THEN OUR TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS IS DUD DECK. SO WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST PLAN? AN URBAN FOREST PLAN IS A GUIDING DOCUMENT THAT WILL SHOW US HOW TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN AND GROW OUR URBAN FOREST. AND AN URBAN FOREST IS BASICALLY ANY TREE WITHIN AN URBAN SETTING. SO THIS IS PUBLIC [00:30:01] TREES ALONG STREETS, UM, TREES IN PUBLIC PARKS, AND THEN ALSO TREES THROUGHOUT NEIGHBORHOODS AND PRIVATE LANDS AS WELL. AND THE UFP IS GOING TO GUIDE US ON HOW TO BEST TAKE CARE OF THESE TREES AND, UM, SUPPORT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. SOME OF THE GOALS AND OUTCOMES ARE OUTLINED HERE. UM, THE, PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT IN MY OPINION IS LOOKING AT WHERE, UM, WE ARE RIGHT NOW WITHIN OUR, UH, TREE, TREE CANOPY AND INVENTORIES ACROSS THE CITY. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT A SNAPSHOT OF OUR INVENTORY SYSTEMS, UM, AND THEN ALSO LOOKING AT AERIAL IMAGERY TO REALLY DIVE INTO OUR TREE CANOPY COVERAGE. AND THEN, UM, OTHER THINGS THAT ARE, WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR MAINTENANCE POLICIES AND, UM, SO WE CAN RECOMMEND BEST PRACTICES FOR HOW TO BEST TAKE CARE OF TREES. AND THIS IS ALL TO SUPPORT LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN OUR CITY'S TREE CANOPY. UM, AND RECOGNIZE THAT TREES ARE A VERY CRITICAL AND NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, MY GOAL IS TO GET EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND THAT TREES ARE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THEY ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR ROADS, OUR SIDEWALKS, AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. UM, THEY ARE A VERY GOOD ASSET AND THEY REALLY IMPROVE EVERYBODY'S LIVES. UM, SO THE TIMELINE AND SCOPE FOR OUR PLAN, WE HAD PHASE ONE, WHICH WAS A SERIES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS, INCLUDING A COMMUNITY SURVEY. UM, AND THEN WITHIN THAT WE HAD A FEW REPORTS THAT DU DECK PRODUCED. PHASE TWO IS PRIORITIZATION AND REFINEMENT. THIS TOOK PLACE OVER THE FALL AND TO THE SPRING OF THIS YEAR, WHICH WAS MORE FINE TUNED INTERACTIVE ROUND TABLES. UM, LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR SURVEY RESULTS AND GETTING MORE TEASING OUT, MORE SPECIFIC INPUT FROM DIFFERENT, UM, STAKEHOLDERS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. AND PHASE THREE, WE ARE IN PHASE THREE RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF YOU AT THE COMMISSION. UM, AND THEN THE NEXT STEPS FOR PHASE THREE IS TO GO TO CITY COUNCIL WITH OUR FINAL REPORT, WHICH WE ANTICIPATE WILL BE SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR, PHASE ONE. SO FOR OUR COMMUNITY SURVEY, WE GOT ABOUT 1400 RESULTS. DID I SAY THAT I ALWAYS GET 14,000, LIKE SAYING THOUSAND OR HUNDREDS, BUT 1400 RESULTS. UM, WE COLLECTED THESE ONLINE AND IN DIFFERENT IN PERSON EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY. THEN WE DID LISTENING SESSIONS, WHICH WERE ALL VIRTUAL. WE FOCUSED ON MEMBERS OF LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS, LIKE NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS OR NONPROFITS. WE ALSO FOCUSED IN ON SOME STAFF, UM, LISTENING SESSIONS AS WELL. AND THEN WE HAD OUR PUBLIC KICKOFF MEETING, WHICH WAS FOR EVERYBODY IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC. AND HERE ARE SOME PICTURES FROM OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS. UM, WE WENT TO RESTORATION FRIDAY AT WILLOW SPRINGS. WE WENT TO A TREE PLANTING EVENT. AND THEN, UM, ANOTHER COMMUNITY PARK EVENT. AND NOW I'M GONNA GET INTO SOME OF THE RESULTS FROM OUR COMMUNITY SURVEY. UM, THE TEXT IS QUITE SMALL. HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE THE PRESENTATION AS WELL AND YOU CAN LOOK AT IT. BUT FOR THIS I WILL READ, UM, THE FIRST COUPLE OF RESULTS. SO THIS QUESTION WAS HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TREE CANOPY SHADE, GIVING TREE TOPS AND GREEN SPACE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? THE, UM, OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WANT MORE. UM, THE TOP REPLY IS IT FEELS LIMITED AND COULD USE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT. UM, THE SECOND TOP HIGHEST RESULT IS THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT, BUT MORE WOULD BE NICE. AND THEN AT 11% WE HAD, UM, THERE IS PLENTY. SO THOSE PEOPLE JUST ARE LIKE, THAT'S ENOUGH. AND SOME PEOPLE AREN'T SURE, MAYBE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN OUTSIDE LATELY, I DUNNO. UM, AND THEN OUR NEXT QUESTION ARE, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES FOR TREES IN LONG BEACH? AND SELECT THREE? SO I WILL READ OFF THE TOP FIVE RESULTS. THE FIRST IS INCREASING SHADE AND COOLING. THE SECOND IS IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS AIR QUALITY, UM, WATER POLLUTION, ET CETERA. THE THIRD TOP [00:35:01] RESULT IS ENHANCING BIODIVERSITY. THE FOURTH IS MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE, AND THE FIFTH IS SUPPORTING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING. AND THEN THE NEXT QUESTION WE HAVE SELECTED IS LONG BEACH'S URBAN FOREST PLAN WILL BE A GUIDE FOR THE CITY'S TREE MANAGEMENT. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE CITY PRIORITIZE? AND THIS IS ALSO A SELECT THREE OPTIONS, AND THESE ONES ARE KIND OF HARD TO READ. CAN I BORROW YOUR THANK YOU ? SO THE TOP RESULT IS INCREASED CANOPY COVERAGE TO PROTECT FROM URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECTS. THE SECOND TOP RESPONSE IS PLANT NATIVE TREES THAT ENHANCE NATIVE POLLINATORS AND WILDLIFE HABITATS. THE THIRD TOP RESULT IS BETTER MAINTAIN AND PRESERVE EXISTING TREES. THE FOURTH PRIORITY IS PRIORITIZE PLANTING, DROUGHT TOLERANT AND LOW MAINTENANCE TREE SPECIES. AND THE FIFTH IS INCREASED PUBLIC SAFETY BY REMOVING DEAD DYING AND OTHERWISE HAZARDOUS TREES. AND THE NEXT ONE, UM, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE TREES PLANTED IN LONG BEACH? AND THIS WAS ALSO A SELECT THREE. AND, UM, THE MAJORITY WANTS MORE TREES ALONG SIDEWALKS AND STREETS. UM, THE SECOND TOP PRIORITY AREA IS NEIGHBORHOODS, THEN SCHOOLS, PARKS, AND PARKING LOTS. AND, UM, THERE'S ALSO ONE PER 0.8% THAT SAID, I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE MORE TREES IN LONG BEACH. SO, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S HEARTENING THAT IT'S, UH, THE LEAST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE SELECTED THAT ONE. NOW WE ARE GETTING INTO OUR PHASE TWO SUMMARY WHERE WE TOOK SOME OF THESE SURVEY RESULTS AND THEN BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THESE THEMES? WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THESE THEMES OR WHAT YOU KNOW YOU LIKE OR DON'T LIKE OR YOU AGREE WITH. AND FOR THESE, WE DID SOME INTERACTIVE ROUND TABLES, WHICH WERE VIRTUAL, INCLUDING TWO STAFF ROUND TABLE SESSIONS. AND THEN WE ALSO DID SOME IN-PERSON OPEN HOUSE POPUPS. AND THAT WAS JUST TABLING AT THREE NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, ONE IN NORTH LONG BEACH, WEST LONG BEACH, AND THEN CENTRAL LONG BEACH. AND HERE ARE SOME PICTURES. UM, WE HAD AN INTERACTIVE ELEMENT WHERE FOLKS COULD WRITE DOWN, UM, SOME OF THEIR THOUGHTS AND RESPONSES ABOUT THE URBAN FOREST PLAN AND POST IT ONTO A TREE. SO IT WAS REALLY COOL AND FUN. AND THEN I WILL PASS IT OVER TO LARRY. THANKS, HANNAH. SO WHILE THIS COMMUNITY OUTREACH WAS BEING CONDUCTED, UH, THAT HANNAH JUST GAVE US THE OVERVIEW OF, UH, DUE DECK WAS, UH, GOING THROUGH THE DATA OF OUR TREE INVENTORY, UM, BUT ALSO RESOURCES THAT THEY HAD ACCESS TO. AND SO FOR EXAMPLE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEING DRAWN FROM THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL IMAGERY PROGRAM, UM, FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO CAPTURE A CANOPY COVERAGE PERCENTAGE ACROSS THE CITY. UM, AND SO, AND THEY LOOKED AT TWO DIFFERENT YEARS, UH, 2012 AND 2022 TO MAP CANOPY CHANGE. AND SO THIS, UM, WELL, THE CURRENT CANOPY COVERAGE OF, YOU KNOW, TREES FROM AERIAL, UH, IMAGERY IS 10.1%. SO, YOU KNOW, 10% OF THE LAND AREA OF LONG BEACH IS, HAS, IS COVERED BY A TREE CANOPY. UH, LONG BEACH IS 50 SQUARE MILES. UM, SO IT'S ABOUT FIVE SQUARE MILES OF, OF CANOPY COVERAGE SPREAD ACROSS THE CITY. AND THIS MAP IS, IS HARD TO READ 'CAUSE IT'S SHOWING EXACTLY WHERE THAT CANOPY COVERAGE IS. AND HERE THIS SLIGHTLY ZOOMED IN VERSION, UM, THE, THE GREEN SPLOTCH THAT YOU CAN SEE ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE CITY, THAT IS THE EL DORADO NATURE CENTER. SO THAT'S A PLACE WHERE THERE'S DENSE TREE PLANTINGS AND, UH, LITTLE OR NO BUILDINGS. SO THAT MAKES SENSE. UM, BUT YEAH, UH, HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LOOK AT A, A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THIS TO, TO REALLY TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. BUT THE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE SOME AND, AND WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT SOME DIFFERENT MAPS THAT KIND OF SUMMARIZE THIS A LITTLE BIT BETTER. SO LET'S SEE HOW, WHICH ONE I'M GONNA READ. I GAVE UP WEARING MY GLASSES, UH, MONTHS AGO. SO OKAY, SO THIS IS, UH, BREAKING IT DOWN BY CENSUS TRACT, UM, WHERE THE, THE RANGE IS 0.7 OR YEAH, 0.7% TO, UH, ON THE LOW END TO [00:40:01] 26.7% ON THE HIGH END. SO THAT 0.7 IS THE, ACTUALLY IT MIGHT BE THE PENINSULA, BUT ANOTHER AREA THAT HAS REALLY LOW, UH, CANOPY COVERAGE AND IT MAKES SENSE IS THE PORT OF LONG BEACH. UM, BUT THE, THE HIGHEST, UH, ONES ARE EL DORADO PARK, WHICH IS THAT STRIP ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE CITY. SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, A 600 ACRE PARKLAND THAT'S FULL OF TREES. THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT REALLY STANDS OUT, UH, IN THE, UH, SOUTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE CITY IS THE PARK OF STATE'S NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE NOT ONLY ARE THERE REALLY NICE STREET TREES, BUT LARGE PROPERTIES HAVE LARGE MATURE TREES ON THEM AS WELL. AND AND TO BE CLEAR, CANOPY COVERAGE IS ALL THE TREES IN THE CITY, BOTH IN, ON, UH, PRIVATE PROPERTY ON WHICH IS THE MAJORITY OF THE CITY, YOU KNOW, A LOTS AND PROPERTY PARCELS, BUT ALSO ALONG STREETS, UM, SO, OR STREET TREES AND MEDIUMS. AND SO, UH, WELL, THIS WAS OBVIOUS, BUT THE DARKER COLOR IS, IS MORE LIGHTER COLOR IS LESS. AND THAT WAS OUR ZOOMED IN VERSION. BUT, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY YOU CAN SEE, AND, AND YOU'VE HEARD US TALK ABOUT THIS ALL ALONG AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR TREE PLANTING PROGRAM, BUT HERE'S THE DATA THAT BACKS IT UP THAT THE EASTERN PART OF LONG BEACH IS GEN GENERALLY HAS HIGHER CANOPY COVER PERCENTAGES, AND CENTRAL WEST AND NORTH, UH, HAVE, HAVE LESS. BUT BY HAVING DATA FROM 2012 TO 2022, UH, THEY WERE ABLE TO CALCULATE A CHANGE. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. AND, AND THIS IS PRETTY INTERESTING WHERE IN, IN THIS MAP, AND, UM, LET'S GO. OOPS. THE, UH, REDDISH AND AND ORANGEISH ORANGEISH ARE WHERE THERE HAS BEEN CANOPY UH, LOSS OF UP TO 5%. AND, AND, AND THIS IS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT'S FLIPPING, UM, THE, THE AREAS WHERE EASTERN LONG BEACH IS ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING MORE CANOPY LOSS, UH, OVER THAT 10 YEAR PERIOD. AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GREENER SHADES, UM, ARE MORE VISIBLE IN, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN AND CENTRAL LONG BEACH AND WHICH HAS LOWER CANOPY COVERAGE OVERALL. BUT THE CANOPY COVERAGE IS ACTUALLY INCREASING OVER THAT 10 YEAR PERIOD. AND THIS IS ACTUALLY SHOWING THE SUCCESS OF TREE PLANTING OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS, BOTH IN THE LAST 15 YEARS THROUGH OUR OFFICE AND, AND OTHER CITY EFFORTS. BUT ALL THE WAY BACK TO TREE PLANTING BEFORE OUR OFFICE EXISTED THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES BUREAU. UH, SO THOUSANDS OF TREES HAVE BEEN PLANTED IN THESE AREAS. AND OF COURSE, WHEN TREES ARE FIRST PLANTED, THEY HARDLY HAVE ANY CANOPY AT ALL. BUT IF THEY, UH, MANAGE TO GROW, THEN THAT CANOPY DEVELOPS OVER TIME. AND SO WE ARE SEEING THAT NOW, THE CANOPY LOSS THAT'S APPEARING, UH, IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE CITY. THE, IT'S INTERESTING, THE TWO DARKEST SHADES. UM, THE ONE IN THE, THAT SOUTHEAST QUADRANT IS THE CAMPUS OF CAL STATE LONG BEACH AND THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION, UH, HOSPITAL CAMPUS. AND SO GENERALLY THIS CAN BE ACCOUNTED FOR BY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ON THESE CAMPUSES WHERE, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE BOTH, UH, OLDER CAMPUSES THAT HAD MATURE TREES IN THEM, BUT WHEN THEY WANT TO INTRODUCE NEW BUILDINGS, AS HAS BEEN THE CASE AT THE VA AND ALSO AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH, THOSE OLD TREES GET CUT DOWN, THEY GET REPLACED WITH NEW TREES, BUT THE NEW TREES ARE GONNA TAKE A WHILE TO, TO REPLACE THAT, THAT OVERALL CANOPY COVERAGE. AND THEN WE'RE SEEING THAT AS WELL IN THAT, UH, THE LAKEWOOD VILLAGE LITTLE BUMP IN THE CENTER NORTH. UM, THE LOWER HALF OF THAT IS THE LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, UH, LIBERAL ARTS CAMPUS WHERE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT HAS OCCURRED AS WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S THIS TRADE OFF. WE'RE WE'RE GETTING OUR EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES UPGRADED, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE LOSING SOME CANOPY COVERAGE IN THE PROCESS. SO ANOTHER FACTOR HERE, UH, THAT THAT WAS TRACKED, UH, THROUGH THIS ANALYSIS WAS HEAT EXPOSURE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR, YOU KNOW, ONE OF OUR CLIMATE STRESSORS INCREASED HEAT, AND THERE IS A, A, A DIFFERENT, UM, CONTINUUM WHERE SOUTHEAST LONG BEACH HAS THE, THE, THE LOWER HEAT EXPOSURE, YOU KNOW, CLOSER, UH, TO THE COAST. YOU KNOW, THIS IS BELMONT SHORE, NAPLES AND, AND INLAND FROM THERE. UM, AND, UH, IN THIS CASE, NORTH LONG BEACH, UH, SHOWS THE EXTREME OF, YOU KNOW, BEING THE FURTHEST INLAND AREA OF LONG BEACH THAT HAS THE, THE, THE HIGHER HEAT. AND THEN, UM, YOU SEE A LITTLE BIT OF THE PURPLE HIGHER HEAT AREAS IN CENTRAL LONG BEACH, WHICH EVEN THOUGH THAT IS CLOSER TO THE COAST, IT'S ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE HIGHER LEVEL OR HIGHER DENSITY OF DEVELOPMENT. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THIS CORRELATES WITH THE LOWER TREE CANOPY COVERAGE, BUT ALSO HIGHER LEVELS OF IMPERMEABLE [00:45:01] SURFACES THAT ABSORB HEAT. I'M FORGETTING TO ZOOM IN. AND THEN ANOTHER WAY TO TO LOOK AT THIS INFORMATION IS SOCIAL VULNERABILITY. AND AGAIN, THIS IS STILL BY CENSUS TRACK. THIS IS USING STATISTICS FROM THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY FROM THE US CENSUS THAT INCLUDE, UH, RESIDENTS BEFORE OR BELOW THE POVERTY LINE MEETING HOUSEHOLD INCOME, RACIAL AND ETHNIC COMPOSITION. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE KNOW THESE THINGS ABOUT LONG BEACH, THAT CENTRAL WEST AND NORTH, UH, HAVE THAT, UH, HIGHER VULNERABILITY SCORE. LET'S ZOOM INTO THE MAP AND THE EASTERN HALF OF, OF LONG BEACH LESS SO. SO TAKING ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER, UH, AS SORT OF A COMPOSITE OF, OF ALL OF THOSE THREE THINGS, SOCIAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, CANOPY NEED AND, AND URBAN URBAN HEAT EXPOSURE, THEN AGAIN, WE SEE THE FAMILIAR PATTERN, UM, THAT WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN. BUT AGAIN, NOW WE HAVE THE DATA TO, TO BACK IT UP WHERE CENTRAL AND NORTH LONG BEACH SHOW UP IN THE DARKER PURPLE, WHICH, YOU KNOW, THIS HIGHER NEED, UM, AND THEREFORE A HIGHER PLANTING PRIORITY MOVING FORWARD. AND THEN WEST LONG BEACH AS WELL, BUT AT LEAST A LIGHTER SHADE OF PURPLE BECAUSE OF COURSE WITH WEST LONG BEACH, THERE'S POLLUTION EXPOSURE THERE, BUT THE DENSITY, UH, HOUSING DENSITY IS LESS. THERE'S MORE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES OVER THERE AND, AND AS A RESULT, A LITTLE BIT MORE CANOPY COVERAGE. ALL RIGHT, SO OUR NEXT ONE, UH, YOU KNOW, GIVE, GIVEN ALL THAT DATA AND, AND THE ABILITY TO ANALYZE IT, KNOWING THAT WE'RE AT A 10% CANOPY COVERAGE AND WE KNOW WE WANT TO INCREASE THAT, THIS IS WHAT'S INVOLVED IN WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO, TO GET OUR NUMBER UP, UH, ABOVE 10%. AND, AND BY THE WAY, UH, ONE THING I DIDN'T SAY, THE, THE OVERALL CHANGE IN CANOPY COVERAGE BETWEEN 2012 AND, UH, 2022. IN 2012, IT WAS 10.2% AND IN 2022 IT WAS 10.1, SO IT WENT DOWN, BUT BY A TINY FRACTION. SO IN A WAY THAT'S KIND OF GOOD CONSIDERING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S OCCURRED, ALL THE TREES THAT HAVE BEEN REMOVED, IT'S MOSTLY BEEN OFFSET BY, BY THE PLANTINGS, AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE EVER BEEN ABLE TO MEASURE THAT. ALRIGHT, UM, TO ADDRESS CANOPY COVER, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT WHAT OUR TARGETS ARE. UM, A CANOPY COVER TARGET IS A COMPMAN COMPONENT OF THE URBAN FOREST PLAN. AND THIS SETS US UP TO LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE AND SEE, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN OUR, UM, URBAN FOREST AND HOW, WHAT, HOW MUCH PLANTING DOES IT TAKE TO INCREASE THAT? UM, FOR A MEDITERRANEAN COASTAL CITY CLIMATE, UM, USUALLY URBAN FOREST PLANS OUTLINE EITHER BETWEEN LIKE 13 TO SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, UH, 13 TO 20%, UM, CANOPY COVERAGE OF A GOAL. SO, UM, THIS, WE'RE STARTING AT 10 AND WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT IT TAKES TO GET TO EITHER 11, 12 OR 13%, UM, BEING THE LOWER END OF WHAT IS COMMONLY, UM, LISTED AS A GOAL IN URBAN FOREST PLANS FOR SIMILAR CLIMATES. UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THIS SLIDE, BUT, UM, AS I WAS JOKING WITH LARRY EARLIER, THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO SEND EVERYONE INTO A EXISTENTIAL CRISIS ABOUT HOW MANY TREES WE NEED, UM, TO HIT DIFFERENT TARGETS. UM, SO BASICALLY, UM, WITH JUST A 1% TARGET, WE NEED 13,000 TREES, UM, 12% TARGET, WE NEED 28,000 TREES, AND THEN 13% WE NEED 42,000 TREES APPROXIMATELY. UM, AND THIS IS JUST EVERYTHING ELSE BEING CONSTANT, ONLY ADDING NEW TREES. AND, UM, THE QUESTION IS, WHERE DO WE PUT THIS? WHERE DO WE PUT THESE TREES? UM, LOOKING AT OUR INVENTORY, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 55,000 VACANT SLOTS. SO ESSENTIALLY WE CAN FILL ALL THOSE SLOTS AND HIT, UM, YOU KNOW, A, A POTENTIALLY 13% CANOPY COVER TARGET. UM, THIS IS ANOTHER CHART WITH A LOT OF INFORMATION, BUT WHAT IT IS SHOWING IS THE BREAKDOWN IN, UM, HOW MANY TREES PER YEAR WE NEED TO PLANT TO REACH CERTAIN, UM, REACH A HUNDRED PERCENT STOCKING RATE. AND THAT JUST MEANS EVERY EMPTY SPOT GETS FILLED WITH A TREE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THE SUMMARY OF THIS IS AT A RATE OF 2000 TREES PER YEAR, IT WILL [00:50:01] TAKE OVER 40 YEARS TO FILL ALL 55,000 SLOTS, UM, VACANT SPOTS. UM, RIGHT NOW WITH OUR CAPACITY, WE ARE AVERAGING, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS BETWEEN THE, WHAT, 900, AROUND 900 TREES A YEAR. UM, SO THIS IS SHOWING WHAT IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHAT INVESTMENT IS NEEDED, UM, TO HIT THESE TARGETS. UM, AND HOPEFULLY WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM OUR OFFICE, UM, WE CAN, WE CAN GET TO THIS POINT, UM, WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE INVESTMENT IN OUR, UM, URBAN FOREST TEAM. AND WITH THAT, WE'RE GONNA GO INTO THE BRANCHES OF THE URBAN FOREST PLAN. THIS IS THE BASIC OUTLINE OF WHAT OUR URBAN FOREST PLAN WILL LOOK LIKE, AND IT IS SEPARATED INTO FOUR SECTIONS. WE HAVE EQUITABLE URBAN FOREST, HEALTHY HABITAT, URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR EQUITABLE URBAN FORESTS. THIS IS LOOKING AT, UM, THE DISTRIBUTION OF OUR CURRENT TREE CANOPY. AND THIS IS INCORPORATING ALL THOSE MAPS THAT WE SHOWED YOU EARLIER, ESPECIALLY THE PRIORITY PLANTING MAP. UM, THIS IS SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN GO TO A GREEN SPACE OR EVERYBODY CAN ENJOY A WALK IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND EXPERIENCE SHADE AND, UM, HAVE SOME RESPITE FROM THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT. HEALTHY HABITAT IS OUR SECOND, UM, SECTION OF THE URBAN FOREST PLAN, AND THIS IS LOOKING AT HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, UM, LOOKING AT ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND DIVERSITY. SO SOME OF THOSE MAJOR THEMES FROM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WHERE FOLKS WERE SAYING THEY WANT TO SUPPORT BIODIVERSITY, UM, THIS IS THAT SECTION. AND THE NEXT SECTION IS URBAN FORCE MANAGEMENT. THIS IS THE NITTY GRITTY WHERE WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS, UM, BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND REFERENCE THINGS LIKE THE ANSI A 300 TREE STANDARDS, UM, AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL TREE STANDARDS THAT EXIST OUT THERE SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PUTTING FORWARD THE BEST SCIENCE IN TREE CARE AND HOLDING THE CITY, UM, TO THAT MAINTENANCE STANDARD. UM, SO THAT WILL INCLUDE THINGS LIKE STAFF TRAINING, BUT ALSO STRENGTHENING OUR POLICIES AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, UM, AND INCORPORATING, UM, YOU KNOW, BALANCING NEW CANOPY ESTABLISHMENT WITH EXISTING TREE CARE. SO WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, JUST AS A IS IMPORTANT TO PLANT NEW TREES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT OUR EXISTING CANOPY AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HOLD ONTO THESE TREES THE LONGEST AND HEALTHIEST AND SAFEST WAY POSSIBLE? THE NEXT CATEGORY IS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP. UM, WE CANNOT AS A CITY DO THIS ALL ALONE AND NOR SHOULD WE, UM, THE URBAN FOREST IS FOR EVERYONE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF LAND OUT THERE THAT, UM, WE CANNOT PLANT ON, BUT MAYBE IF WE TAP INTO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, MORE EFFECTIVELY AND WE CAN HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE, THEY CAN INCREASE THEIR URBAN FOREST AS WE INCREASE OURS. UM, AND WE ALSO WANNA BE ABLE TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH THE BEST INFORMATION AND, UM, DIRECT THEM TO THE RESOURCES NECESSARY SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THEIR TREES THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE. AND, UM, WRAPPING UP NEXT STEPS WILL BE THE FINAL REPORT PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER. AND WITH THAT WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS. ELIS. YEP. I WANNA ADD ONE CLARIFYING THING THAT THE FINAL REPORT IS ABOUT TO BE WRITTEN, SO THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY THE NEXT STEP THAT'S GONNA GO ON FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS IS TAKING ALL OF THIS INFORMATION AND TURNING IT INTO A, A PUBLIC PLANNING DOCUMENT. UM, THAT, AND THAT, AND THAT'S WHAT GETS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT YET. WE'RE, UH, INCORPORATING ALL THIS INPUT AND DATA TO GENERATE THAT, UH, RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. SO WITH THAT, WE CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, LARRY. IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WATER REUSE AND HOW THAT LINKS TO THE URBAN PLANNING AND OR, YOU KNOW, INSTALLATION OF THE TREES? HAS THAT ANALYSIS BEEN DONE? RIGHT. SO, UH, TO THE DEGREE THAT THAT RELATES TO LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT, UM, CONCEPTS AND POLICIES. WELL, WHEN YOU SAY WATER REUSE, DO YOU, DO YOU MEAN STORM WATER OR DO YOU MEAN, UH, RECLAIMED WATER? EITHER [00:55:01] OR, YOU KNOW, PLANTING SO MANY TREES IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE USAGE OF WATER FOR KEEPING THEM ALIVE. HOW HAS THAT BEEN CONNECTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PLANT? RIGHT. WELL, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE THING ABOUT TREES IS IF YOU WANT THEM TO GROW TO HAVE CANOPIES, THEY THEY NEED TO BE WATERED. AND I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT IF WE'RE GONNA WATER ANYTHING IN OUR, IN OUR PUBLIC LANDSCAPE, THAT TREES SHOULD BE A PRIORITY OVER TURF. AND THAT CERTAINLY IS THE WAY THAT, UM, BOTH STATE AND LOCAL POLICY IS GOING WITH TURF, TURF REPLACEMENT PROGRAMS. AND SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON WHERE TREES GROW IN MEDIANS WHERE THEY'RE GETTING WATER DUE TO THE IRRIGATION, UH, FOR THE TURF. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BEING WATERED INDIRECTLY WHEN THAT TURF IS REMOVED. YOU KNOW, THERE'S TALK ABOUT REMOVING THE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS THAT SERVE THAT TURF, BUT IT COULD HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON, ON TREES. SO IN A LOT OF, UM, PUBLIC LANDSCAPES IN THE EASTERN HALF OF LONG BEACH, UH, IRRIGATION IS ALREADY PROVIDED BY RECLAIMED WATER, UH, LE THAT'S LESS SO, AND, AND THE WESTERN PART OF THE CITY. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, AND THIS, THIS ANALYSIS IS IN THERE, BUT OVERALL, UH, TREES REQUIRE A LOT LESS WATER THAN TURF DOES. AND, AND SO, UM, IT, IT'S JUST A, A NECESSARY THING THAT SHOULDN'T BE LOOKED AT AS PUTTING A STRAIN ON OUR WATER RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY AS WE, UH, PULL THEM BACK, UH, FROM, FROM BEING COMMITTED TO WATERING LARGE AREAS OF TURF. SO, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING THAT, YOU KNOW, IN INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL IS, UM, CHANNELING STORMWATER RUNOFF. YOU KNOW, THAT'S GOING THROUGH GUTTERS AND STUFF LIKE THAT INTO LANDSCAPED AREAS WHERE TREES CAN UTILIZE THAT. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, BY THINGS LIKE CURB CUTS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, BIOS, SWALES AND BIO RETENTION AREAS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT IS COVERED BY LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT POLICIES THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, ARE REQUIRED FOR ANY KIND OF NEW DEVELOPMENT. BUT IT'S HARDER TO GET THOSE THINGS RETROFITTED IN AREAS WHERE NO NEW DEVELOPMENT IS OCCURRING. SO THAT'S BEEN AN ONGOING THING THAT, THAT OUR OFFICE IS, HAS BEEN TRYING TO PROMOTE, YOU KNOW, FOR 15 YEARS NOW. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE. BUT, UM, AND I DON'T HAVE THIS MATH IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, BUT THE IDEA THAT A NEWLY PLANTED TREE, YOU KNOW, REQUIRES LET'S SAY 10 GALLONS A WEEK, THAT'S 500 GALLONS A YEAR. AND, AND THAT'S AT A MINIMUM, RIGHT? UH, AS, AS LONG AS THE TREE SPECIES CAN HANDLE MORE WATER, MORE WATER IS BETTER FOR FASTER GROWTH, BUT 500 GALLONS A YEAR AT OUR WATER RATES IS $10. SO, YOU KNOW, IT ADDS UP WITH THOUSANDS OF TREES, BUT, BUT WATERING TREES IS ACTUALLY THE, THE COST OF WATER IS THE LEAST EXPENSE. UM, THE, THE LABOR INVOLVED WITH HAND WATERING TREES IN, IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY IS ACTUALLY THE, THE LARGER EXPENSE. WE'LL HAVE, WE HAVE A LOT OF, WE'LL HAVE COMMISSIONER BENNETT GO AND THEN WE'LL GO DOWN THE LINE. . UM, I WAS NOTICING THE AVERAGE ANNUAL TREE REMOVAL OF SEVEN 50, I'M ASSUMING THAT'S FROM ALL CAUSES END OF LIFE DAMAGE, ILLNESS, WHATEVER. UM, IS THERE ANYTHING CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE THAT TO KIND OF, IN TERMS OF, I GUESS AS OPPOSED TO PLANTING MORE TO ALSO JUST KIND OF HAVE, HAVE TO HAVE TO REPLACE FEWER, IS ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE KIND OF BREAKDOWN OF THE CAUSES THERE OR ANYTHING AVOIDABLE? RIGHT. SO, UH, HOPEFULLY THE MAJORITY ARE DEAD DYING IN DISEASE TREES THAT REPRESENT, UH, A, A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK. AND SO THEY HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND, AND THAT'S FINE BECAUSE THEY'RE NO LONGER, UH, PROVIDING THAT BENEFIT OF CANOPY IF, IF THEY'RE, UH, NOT ALIVE OR ON THEIR WAY TO NOT BEING ALIVE. UM, AND, AND THERE'S A MITIGATING FACTOR THERE, UH, THAT INVOLVES AN OPPORTUNITY THROUGH OUR CONSERVATION CORPS OF LONG BEACH, OF MILLING THAT WOOD AND THEREFORE PRESERVING, UH, THE CARBON THAT'S STORED IN, IN THE, YOU KNOW, THE TRUNK OF THE TREE. BUT THE TIMES WHEN HEALTHY TREES GET REMOVED HAVE TO DO WITH, UM, STREET PROJECTS SOMETIMES WHEN, UM, STREETS AND SIDEWALKS ARE REDONE AND THE ROOTS, UM, ARE INTRUDING ON THE HARDSCAPE AND THEY DECIDE THAT TRIMMING TOO MANY OF THE ROOTS WILL COMPROMISE THE TREE. SO THAT'S A, A, A TRICKY ONE IN TERMS OF BALANCING THAT. UM, AND THEN ANOTHER ONE IS, UH, THE CITY IS DOING LOTS OF, UM, A DA IMPROVEMENTS TO PROVIDE BETTER ACCESSIBILITY, AND SOMETIMES TREES GET REMOVED TO PUT IN RAMPS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO IT'S NOT THAT THE CITY HAS LOTS OF EXTRA MONEY TO REMOVE TREES, UH, IT IT MOSTLY REMOVES [01:00:01] ONLY WHAT IT NEEDS TO, UM, AND, AND SO, AND, AND IT VARIES YEAR BY YEAR, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THAT, THAT SEVEN 50 IS AN AVERAGE. IT'S BEEN HIGHER IN YEARS WHERE THERE ARE, UH, TREE PESTS AND DISEASES THAT ARE AFFECTING A CERTAIN SPECIES, FOR EXAMPLE. UH, AND THIS WAS TRUE OF MAGNOLIA TREES A FEW YEARS AGO WHERE MANY OF THEM HAD TO BE REMOVED, AND IT CREATED A SPIKE IN OUR REMOVALS. AND, AND LATELY IT'S BEEN LESS. UM, SO YEAH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA KEEP AN EYE ON AND, AND, UM, PROVIDING PUBLIC EDUCATION, BECAUSE AGAIN, MOST TREES EXIST ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S TREE LOSS WHEN ADUS ARE BUILT AND, AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO POLICIES THAT REQUIRE REPLACEMENT ARE KEY, UM, TO, UH, MITIGATING THAT. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HOLD OUR EXISTING CANOPY WHERE IT'S AT. UH, CAN YOU SPEAK TO, I MEAN, MAINTENANCE IS ALSO A CAUSE OF DEATH AND DISEASE, AND SO THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE PLAN? RIGHT? SO GENERALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TREE TRIMMING THAT GOES ON CONSTANTLY IN THE CITY, UH, THEY SAY IT'S ON ABOUT A SEVEN YEAR CYCLE. SO WHEN A TREE GETS TRIMMED, IT WON'T BE VISITED AGAIN BY A TREE TRIMMING CREW FOR APPROXIMATELY SEVEN YEARS. AND THIS, YOU KNOW, VARIES, UH, PALM PALM TREES SOMETIMES ARE VISITED MORE OFTEN, UH, BECAUSE THEY DROP THEIR FRONDS ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND YOU KNOW, THIS SYSTEMATIC TREE TRIMMING IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK ON THE HEALTH OF A TREE. UH, AND THAT COULD TRIGGER REMOVALS, UM, PRIOR TO THEM BECOMING DANGEROUS. UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE GENERAL REASONS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STRUCTURE OF THE TREE IS, UH, SAFE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, LIMBS AREN'T GONNA BE LOST. UM, AND SO IDEALLY, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FOLKS AT TRIM TREES WOULD LIKE TO DO IT MORE FREQUENTLY BECAUSE THEN IT IMPROVES OVERALL TREE HEALTH AND, AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT IS THE SINGLE MOST EXPENSIVE LINE ITEM IN OUR URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT, YOU KNOW, WAY HIGHER THAN, THAN THE AMOUNT THAT WE PUT INTO PLANTING TREES. IT'S, IT'S TAKING CARE OF THE 92,000 TREES THAT ARE ALREADY OUT THERE THAT'S JUST ON STREETS AND ANOTHER 17,000 IN PARKS. SO OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND TREES HAVE APPROXIMATELY A BUDGET OF TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, UH, OVERALL. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS WE GO INTO AT SOME TIGHT BUDGET YEARS COMING UP, IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO EXPAND THAT. BUT ONE THING THAT THIS PLAN WE'RE HOPING WE'LL DO IS HAVING A BRAND NEW URBAN FOREST PLAN POSITIONS A, A CITY REALLY WELL TO GO AFTER ADDITIONAL GRANT FUNDING BECAUSE IT IDENTIFIES, YOU KNOW, VERY PRECISELY THE OPPORTUNITIES AND, UM, AND, AND, AND THINGS THAT NEED HELP. AND SO YOU CAN POINT TO YOUR PLAN AND SAY, HEY, CAL FIRE, YOU KNOW, HELP US OUT HERE. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, GRANT FUNDING IS ANOTHER WAY TO AUGMENT THE, THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR, FOR TREE STUFF. THANKS, COMM. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO WAS NEXT, BUT DO YOU HEAR COMMISSIONER, UM, GAETAN? ARE YOU NEXT? I'M NOT SURE. OH, OKAY. OKAY. YEAH, WHO I HAVE, I HAVE, UH, HI. THE PRESENTATION WAS AMAZING. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I CAN SEE ACTUALLY NUMBERS AND ALL THOSE THINGS. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR MANY YEARS AND WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING AND EVERYTHING, BUT NOW IT, IT IS MORE VISIBLE. AND I WANNA THANK FOR THE PRESENTATION. NOW, ONE THING THAT I WANNA ASK ON YOUR QUESTIONS, YOU HAVE ONE QUESTION THAT IT SAYS WHERE YOU WANNA TREES AND IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STREETS AND NEIGHBORHOODS, WHAT IS THAT? IT'S NOT THE SAME THING. IT IS THE SAME THING. I MEAN, SO, WELL IT'S NEIGHBORHOODS IN CONTRAST TO COMMERCIAL AREAS, FOR EXAMPLE. SO THAT, THAT WAS, UH, A, A ANOTHER POSSIBLE ANSWER THAT WE DIDN'T MENTION BECAUSE IT WAS FURTHER DOWN THE LIST. PEOPLE DIDN'T PICK THAT, ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, PARKING LOTS WAS I THINK NUMBER FIVE. AND THAT IS A KEY AREA TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S DECENT TREES IN PARKING LOTS BECAUSE ALL THAT BLACKTOP, YOU KNOW, CREATES A LOT OF HEAT. AND, AND, UM, AND, AND SO THAT'S A, A POLICY THING. AND AS IT IS RIGHT NOW IN PLANNING POLICY, UH, TREES ARE REQUIRED IN, IN NEW PARKING LOTS, BUT THAT AGAIN, DOESN'T NECESSARILY CAPTURE THE CONDITIONS OF OLDER PARKING LOTS. NOW, YOU ALSO SAYS ABOUT THAT IF WE PLANTED CERTAIN AMOUNT, YOU'RE GONNA GO TO THE 12%, WHATEVER. WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL OF THE CITY? I MEAN, IF WE COUNTED, IF WE PULL TREES EVERYWHERE THAT IS POSSIBLE, WHAT WILL BE THAT COMPARING TO THE WELL, RIGHT. SO PLANTING 45,000 TREES, WHICH IS A LOT, UM, JUST GETS US, UH, THREE PERCENTAGE POINTS, YOU KNOW, FROM, FROM 10% TO 13%, [01:05:01] WHICH DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT, BUT IT IS, UM, AND, AND THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD FOCUS THOSE PLANTINGS IN THE AREAS OF THE HIGHEST NEED, YOU KNOW, ALSO MAKES A BIGGER DIFFERENCE. UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE CENSUS TRACKS IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE WELL ABOVE THAT AVERAGE. AND SO WHILE WE WOULDN'T TURN PEOPLE DOWN THAT REQUEST, YOU KNOW, TREES TO BE PLANTED THERE, WE WOULDN'T BE, YOU KNOW, PROACTIVELY, UH, UM, LOOKING TO PLANT OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING NOW. AND WHAT WE EXPECT TO BE DOING IS, UH, PLANTING IN ALONG CORRIDORS, UH, MEANING STREETS, YOU KNOW, UP AND DOWN MAJOR STREETS, UM, BECAUSE IT MAKES IT EASY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE LOTS OF NEW TREES IN A ROW, IT MAKES IT EASIER TO WATER THEM. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALREADY BEEN PUTTING THAT FOCUS ON LONG BEACH BOULEVARD AND PACIFIC AVENUE AND ATLANTIC, AND, UH, BUT WE NEED AND SANTA FE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO IDENTIFY OTHER MAJOR CORRIDORS WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF TREE PLANTING OPPORTUNITIES THAT, AGAIN, MAKE IT EASIER TO WATER. NOW, ON ONE OF YOUR PRESENTATION ALSO, YOU SAID THAT THE, THE GREEN PART ON SAN ON DOWNTOWN HAS INCREASED, RIGHT? BECAUSE NOW THEY ARE MORE NEW TREES. DID YOU JUST CONSIDER THE AMOUNT OF TREES, OR YOU MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE OF THESE SMALL TREES ARE GIVEN TO THE COMMUNITY? LIKE, UH, A SMALL TREE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW, POUNDS OF A OC OR COAC O2 IS GETTING, COMPARING TO ANOTHER ONE. SO NO, THAT, THAT MEASURE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF TREES PLANTED. IT HAD EVERYTHING, WELL, IT WAS A MEASURE OF, OF ACTUAL CANOPY COVERAGE OBSERVED THROUGH AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. UM, OKAY. AND, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S A DIRECT CORRELATION TO THE AMOUNT OF TREES PLANTED, BUT, UM, BUT NO, THAT WAS ACTUALLY MEASURING THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, SHADE THROUGH THE CANOPY SHADE COVER ONLY. OKAY. UM, I MEAN, LOS ANGELES USED TO GIVE, I KNOW THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED THAT ONE OF THE PROBLEM IS THE LABOR, RIGHT? THE PUTTING THE TREES ON THE, ON THE, ON THE GROUND. LOS ANGELES USED TO GIVE SHADE TREES TO THE COMMUNITY. HAVE YOU BEEN THINKING TO HAVE SOME PROGRAM LIKE THAT SO PEOPLE CAN PLANT IT? I MEAN, IF THEY GET IT, IT'S BECAUSE MAYBE THEY WANT IT AND THEY MIGHT HAVE A PLACE FOR THEM. RIGHT. SO THAT IS HOW LOS ANGELES HAS DONE IT AND STILL DOES IT, WHERE, UM, THEY GIVE AWAY SMALLER TREES, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, UH, WHEN WE PLANT TREES IN THE, IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY, WE DO 15 GALLON TREES AT A MINIMUM, AND WE GENERALLY DON'T DO LARGER TREES BECAUSE THEY'RE MORE EXPENSIVE. AND ID, YOU KNOW, 15 GALLON TREES ARE THE SWEET SPOT OF EXPENSE AND ADAPTABILITY, UH, TO, TO BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AND, AND GROW RAPIDLY IF THEY'RE, UH, WELL CARED FOR. UM, SO THAT'S THE STANDARD, I BELIEVE, IN LOS ANGELES. THEY GIVE AWAY FIVE GALLON TREES, OR EVEN SMALLER TREES BECAUSE, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CHEAPER, THEY'RE EASIER TO GIVE AWAY. UM, AND THEN THEY'RE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF, OF THE PROPERTY OWNER OR THE HOMEOWNER TO, TO TAKE CARE OF AND, AND GROW. UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT CITY OF LOS ANGELES IS LARGELY FUNDED THROUGH THEIR DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER, UH, THEIR, THEIR TREE PLANTING PROGRAMS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE HAVE OUR OWN WATER AND NATURAL GAS UTILITY, WE DON'T HAVE OUR OWN ELECTRIC UTILITY THE WAY THAT LOS ANGELES DOES, BUT RATHER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON. SO THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THAT ASK, UH, TO SAY, CAN YOU SUPPORT OUR URBAN FORESTRY? AND IN PAST PRESENTATIONS THAT WE'VE SEEN FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON ABOUT ELECTRIFICATION OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS, UM, TREE PLANTING IS PART OF THEIR OVERALL PICTURE. SO, UM, WE NEED TO, UH, GET ON THEIR CASE WITH THEM. NOW THE LAST QUESTION, I PROMISE. UM, THE PROS, THE, THE REQUIREMENTS WHEN YOU PLAN THE TREE IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, I HAVE TO SAY YES. HAVE YOU CHANGED THOSE? BECAUSE WE TALKING ABOUT, AS I SAY BEFORE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT IS AFFECTING EVERYBODY, NOT JUST THE PERSON WHO LIVES IN, IN FRONT OF THE TREE. AND I'VE BEEN ASKING YOU GUYS TO MAYBE JUST PLANTED THE TREE, AND IF YOU GONNA TAKE CARE OF OUR, WE FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN TAKE CARE OF THE TREE, BECAUSE I, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT THEY JUST DON'T WANT IT BECAUSE OF THE LEAVES, BECAUSE WHATEVER. SO I WANNA KNOW, YOU HAVE CHANGED OR HAVE YOU PLANNING TO CHANGE THE REQUIREMENTS PLANTING? WELL, I MEAN, WE, WE HAVE CHANGED IN THE SENSE THAT ORIGINALLY OUR TREE PLANTING PROGRAM REQUIRED PEOPLE TO REQUEST THE TREE, AND THAT'S ALL, ALL WE PLANTED FOR, BUT IN CERTAIN AREAS. AND, AND, UM, BECAUSE OF THE 91 FREEWAY PROJECT, THE HAMILTON NEIGHBORHOOD IN PARTICULAR, WE GOT FUNDING TO PLANT 200 TREES. AND WE DID THE THING WHERE, UM, WE LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE WERE GONNA BE PLANTING TREES IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE AND DIDN'T [01:10:01] ASK THEIR PERMISSION, BUT RATHER GAVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPT OUT WHILE ALSO SAYING, DON'T WORRY, WE WILL WATER THESE TREES. AND, AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING IS, UM, I FORGET WHAT WE'RE UP TO. WE'VE PLANTED AT LEAST 60 TREES IN HAMILTON NOW THAT, THAT WE'RE WATERING. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ADJACENT HOMES WE'RE NOTIFIED AND IN MOST CASES, THEY ALLOWED THE TREES TO BE PLANTED. UM, AND IN A HANDFUL OF CASES, THEY'RE LIKE, ABSOLUTELY NOT. AND, YOU KNOW, CAME OUT AND SAID, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THEY DIDN'T OPT OUT THROUGH OUR NOTIFICATION, THEY OPTED OUT THE DAY OF WHEN WE WERE ABOUT TO PLANT A TREE IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE. BUT LUCKILY, UM, I'D SAY THAT THAT'S LESS THAN 10% OF, OF THE CASES THAT MOSTLY WE ARE ABLE TO PLANT TREES AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT WHILE WE'RE TAKING ON THE WATERING INITIALLY, WE CAN'T TAKE IT ON PERPETUALLY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THROUGH INTERACTION THROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND DIRECT CONTACT WITH, WITH THE RESIDENTS THEMSELVES AND, AND, YOU KNOW, BUILDING THIS AWARENESS THAT WATERING A TREE ISN'T THAT EXPENSIVE, YOU KNOW, UH, NOT MUCH MORE THAN $10 A YEAR, UH, HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL START TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR TREE, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE, UM, ENCOURAGEMENT OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP OR THEIR NEIGHBORS. ARE YOU, OH, LAST THING. I'M SORRY. I, I, I LIED. IT'S NOW WAS NOT MY LAST QUESTION. UH, QUESTION. DURING THE LAST 10 YEARS OR FIVE YEARS, THEY WERE PLANTING TREES THAT ACTUALLY ARE NOT GROWING. THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT TREES. YOU KNOW, THE CREB MURAL AND I, IT IS EVERYWHERE. AND THOSE TREES ARE NOT, ARE NOT GROWING, JUST NOT GROWING IS ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN COM START COM REPLACING THEM BECAUSE PEOPLE ALREADY TAKING CARE OF THE THREE PEOPLE ALREADY SEE THE TREE IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE. IT'S JUST NOT GROWING ANYWHERE. I MEAN, NOT GOING ANYWHERE AND IT'S TOO MANY. RIGHT? AND, AND SO THAT CAN HAPPEN FOR A COUPLE DIFFERENT REASONS. USUALLY IT HAPPENS DUE TO LACK OF CARE AND, AND WATERING. UM, SOMETIMES YOU GET A BUM TREE OR BAD SOIL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE, AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE OVER WATER THEIR TREES AND, AND HAVE, THERE'S A BAD OUTCOME THERE. UM, SO WHEN WE PLANT TREES, SOMETIMES WE DO REPLACE TREES THAT, THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TAKING CARE OF AND THEY SAY THEY'RE NOT, NOT THRIVING. SO WE DO DO SOME OF THOSE REPLACEMENTS, BUT WHAT WE SEE MORE OFTEN IS TREES THAT AREN'T DYING, BUT THEY ALSO AREN'T THRIVING. AND, YOU KNOW, IN PARTICULAR IN TREE WELLS ALONG, UH, COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS AND, AND WE'VE PLANTED NEW TREES UP AND DOWN THESE STREETS AND WE'RE WATERING THOSE, BUT WE'RE IGNORING THE TREES THAT WERE PLANTED, YOU KNOW, FIVE TO 10 YEARS AGO THAT AREN'T REALLY DOING VERY GOOD. AND I'VE BECOME VERY AWARE OF THAT, OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DRIVING RIGHT BY THIS TREE AND NOT GIVING IT ANY WATER 'CAUSE IT'S NOT ON OUR RECENT PLANTING LIST. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, WELL, SHOULD WE JUST WATER 'EM ALL? UM, BUT THEN THAT'S A LOT MORE TIME. AND, UH, AND, AND YOU KNOW, AND, AND SO I DO WANNA DO THAT AND, AND YOU KNOW, FIND WAYS IN FUNDING AND PARTNERS AND, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, INCREASING OUR ABILITY TO USE THE CONSERVATION CORPS TO DO, TO HELP US WITH SITUATIONS LIKE THAT. AND WHILE THERE'S MANY CORRIDORS THAT ARE DESERVING OF THAT, WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT LONG BEACH BOULEVARD IN PARTICULAR, WHERE THERE'S ALL OF THESE, OH NO, WHAT ARE THEY? TABIA, UM, ANYWAY, OH YEAH. THAT ARE JUST ALL SPINDLY AND YOU KNOW, I DRIVE UP AND DOWN ALL THE TIME AND YOU KNOW, THIS TREE THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR SEVEN YEARS HAS LIKE 15 LEAVES ON IT, . AND IT'S NOT DEAD, BUT IT'S BARELY ALIVE. YEAH. NOW, THE LAST ONE, PROMISE. WHEN YOU PLANTING TREES ON HAMILTON, ARE YOU PLANTING A FAST GROWN, UH, TREE? BECAUSE THE 91 IS RIGHT THERE, IT'S NOT GONNA WAIT. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO PLANT IN THE TREES LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO AND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. ARE YOU SELECTING TREES THAT THEY HAVE FAST GROWING? UM, YEAH. I MEAN, YES. BUT, UM, ALTHOUGH I DO BELIEVE WE PLANTED SOME OAKS, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO MEET, MEET THIS IDEA OF, OF GETTING MORE NATIVE TREES OUT THERE. BUT OAKS, EVEN IF THEY'RE WELL WATERED, I MEAN, THEY GROW FASTER THAN NOT, BUT THEY ARE SLOWER GROWING THAN MANY OTHER, UH, TREE VARIETIES THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY NATIVE. MOSTLY GROWTH IS RELATED TO THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT THEY GET. UM, AND, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ADJUSTED BY DIFFERENT SPECIES. AND I, I WAS AT WILLOW SPRINGS THIS, UH, THIS WEEK AND NOTED A SYCAMORE TREE THAT WE PLANTED IN 2017 IS A 15 GALLON TREE, AND IT IS 50 FEET TALL, BUT IT'S ON OUR BIOSWALE, AND SO IT GETS ALL THE WATER IT COULD POSSIBLY WANT. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO REPLICATE THAT IN PLACES THAT DON'T HAVE A BIOSWALE. UM, BUT YEAH, WE'RE DOING OUR BEST. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND [01:15:01] THANK YOU EVERYBODY. THANKS. COMMISSIONER BROWN. GO AHEAD. HI, I THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE SO MUCH COMMUNITY INPUT WENT INTO, UM, THE PLAN AND THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM FOR TREES. I'VE BEEN WORKING ON SOME SCHOOL-BASED, UM, TYPES OF SERVING OF PEOPLE TOO, AND WE SEE A, A SIMILAR ENTHUSIASM WITH ALSO ABOUT 1% THAT ARE LIKE, NO, WE'RE GOOD . BUT I WANTED TO KNOW, UM, WHAT, HOW YOU GUYS IDENTIFIED AND WHAT YOU DEFINE AS A VACANT SPOT. AND, UM, DO ANY OF THOSE, ARE THEY ALL TREE READY OR IS, IS ANY OF THE OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED SWAPPING OUT A SURFACE LIKE ASPHALT, UM, FOR NEW TREES? AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S JUST SUCH A, A, A HIGH PRIORITY AND EASY, BUT NOT SIMPLE, UM, LEVER OF A NATURE-BASED SOLUTION FOR PARTICULARLY THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECTS THAT WE SEE. SO ALL THE VACANT SITES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED, UH, IT, THEY'RE ALL IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY, SO IT'S NOTHING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. UM, OR EVEN ON A, UM, A, A A PUBLIC PROPERTY. UH, SO IT DOESN'T INCLUDE PARKS. UM, THE 45,000 VACANT TREE SITES. UM, IT'S EMPTY TREE WELLS AND IT'S SPACE ON A GRASSY PARKWAY WHERE A TREE COULD BE PLANTED BASED ON THE DISTANCE FROM THE OTHER TREES. UM, SO IT DOESN'T INCLUDE PLACES WHERE A NEW TREE WELL, UH, COULD BE CREATED. UM, AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES THAN THOSE 45,000 IN PARTICULARLY IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT NEED IT, THAT ARE OVER PAVED. UM, BUT THEN THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL EXPENSE TO, TO GET A CREW OUT THERE TO REMOVE, UM, CONCRETE. BUT IT WAS DONE SO MEANING, UM, JUST FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES WAS PLANTING TREES, THEY HAD A CAL FIRE GRANT THAT, UH, IN ADDITION TO PLANTING IN CURRENT VACANT SPOTS, WE WERE, UM, HAD ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO CREATE NEW TREE WELLS AND SO MANY NEW TREE WELLS WERE, UH, CREATED AND PLANTED IN. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR THAT TREE BECAUSE THAT SOIL UNDERNEATH THE CONCRETE HAD BEEN, YOU KNOW, NOT LIVING SOIL FOR 50 YEARS. UM, SO THEY MAYBE NEED A LITTLE EXTRA CARE, BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, WE'D BE LOOKING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THAT AS WELL. YEAH, GO FOR IT. OKAY. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FOCUS ON THE TREES. I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT WHILE THE TREE GROWTH IS GREAT, THE PLANT MATERIAL IS ALSO SO IMPORTANT. AND THAT IS BECAUSE SOIL WILL ONLY LIVE IF THERE IS PLANT MATERIAL IN THAT SOIL. AND IF WE LET OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S JUST BARE SOIL, WE'RE GONNA KILL THE SOIL AND IT'S NOT GOING TO SEQUESTER CARBON OR ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE WANT OUR SOIL TO DO. SO, UM, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT IN SOME WAY. UM, THE MAINTENANCE PRACTICES, I AM CURIOUS ABOUT WHO IS THE SOURCE THAT YOU'RE GONNA GO TO, OR, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS, BECAUSE THE MAINTENANCE PRACTICES THAT ARE TRADITIONALLY DONE ARE HORRIBLE FOR PLANT HEALTH. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO THE RIGHT PLACES FOR YOUR EXPERT ADVICE. WELL, ARE, ARE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT PLANTINGS OUT UNRELATED TO TREES OR LIKE COMPANION PLANTINGS AT THE BASE OF TREES AND TREE WELLS AND ALONG PARKWAYS WITH THE FIRST PART? SO, UH, IT, ANY PLANTS ACTUALLY REALLY HELP KEEP THE SOIL ALIVE. UM, IT DOESN'T MATTER, BUT COMPANION PLANTING WOULD BE COOL, BUT, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT OUR HAND HANDS FULL WITH TREES. UM, UH, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND, AND IT'S INTERESTING, AND I MIGHT PUT A QUESTION BACK TO YOU WHEN I DRIVE AROUND AND I LOOK AT THE, UM, THE TREES THAT WE PLANTED IN, IN TREE WELLS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE STARTED DOING THAT WE DIDN'T DO BEFORE IS WE'RE ALWAYS ADDING MULCH, UM, TO AROUND A NEWLY PLANTED TREE, UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, HELPS WITH WATER RETENTION, BUT IT ALSO HELPS BUILD THE SOIL OVER TIME AS, AS THE MULCH AND THE WOOD CHIPS BREAK DOWN. YES. YOU KNOW, UH, IMPROVING SOIL QUALITY. BUT, UM, WEEDS GROW INSIDE THE TREE BASINS. AND, UM, WHILE [01:20:01] SOMETIMES THEY GET PULLED, USUALLY THEY DON'T. AND ON THE ONE HAND, I THINK, OH, NO, THESE, THESE WEEDS ARE GROWING THERE. THEY'RE TAKING WATER AWAY FROM THE TREE, BUT ARE THEY IMPROVING SOIL HEALTH AND THE WAY , YOU KNOW, SHOULD WE NOT PULL THE WEEDS BECAUSE SO ACTUALLY, SO WEEDS DEVELOP IN SOIL AS A DIRECT WAY OF HEALING THE SOIL. SO IF IT'S, UM, YOU CAN TELL WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE SOIL BY LOOKING AT WHAT WEED IS GROWING. SO IF YOU DON'T WANT IT TO BE, UM, LIKE VISIBLE, YOU CAN CHOP AND DROP. AND THAT WOULD BE LIKE, SO YOU'RE FEEDING THE SOIL AND, YOU KNOW, FIXING THE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE MULCHING WITH THE WEEDS, RIGHT? YEAH. SO IT'S, IT'S MORE LIKE A NATURAL SITUATION. YES. IT'S LIKE DUFF. YEAH. UM, BUT IT, IT, HOW ABOUT THE EXPERTISE WITH THE MAINTENANCE AND PRUNING? AND BECAUSE SEVEN YEARS IS LIKE SHAMEFUL FOR PRUNING TREES, UH, IT SHOULD BE LIKE EVERY YEAR OR EVERY COUPLE YEARS. SO IT'S SO EGREGIOUS THAT WE WOULD THINK THAT THE, THAT OUR PRUNING WOULD MITIGATE ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT WE SEE. SO, I MEAN, YES, BUT OKAY. UM, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES, AND, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, SEVEN YEARS MAY SEEM LIKE A LOT, BUT IT'S WAY BETTER THAN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, WHICH IS MORE LIKE 20 YEARS , YOU KNOW, AND, AND MAYBE NOT AS GOOD AS, AS SMALLER CITIES THAT HAVE MORE RESOURCES TO PUT TOWARDS IT, LIKE PERHAPS LIQUID. RIGHT. BUT, UM, HANNAH MIGHT HAVE A THOUGHT HERE. SO IN TERMS OF PRUNING PRACTICES, UM, NOT EVERY TREE NEEDS TO BE PRUNED YEARLY. UM, SOMETIMES THE MORE YOU PRUNE A TREE YES, THE MORE IT GROWS IN RESPONSE AND IT'LL SOMETIMES GROW WEAKER ATTACHED BRANCHES. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, A SEVEN YEAR CYCLE, IT'S FINE. UM, YOUNG TREES, THAT'S WHERE THEY DO NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE INTERVENTION IN LIKE THE SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH YEAR, UM, TRAINING. THAT'S I THINK ONE OF THE GAPS IN OUR MAINTENANCE, UM, IS THAT IMMATURE TREE PRUNING, UM, JUST TO SET THAT TREE UP FOR SUCCESS LATER ON IN ITS LIFE. SO YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOU RETAIN THE STRONG BRANCH ATTACHMENTS AND GET RID OF STRUCTURAL DEFECTS EARLY ON SO IT DOESN'T GROW AND THEN BECOME A HAZARD LATER ON. UM, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, FOR WHERE WE ARE LEANING FOR OUR EXPERTISE IS DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF OUR BORDER CULTURE. UM, THOSE BMPS ARE INDUSTRY STANDARD, THE ANZ A 300, UM, TREE STANDARDS. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING ALWAYS, I ALWAYS LOOK AT, 'CAUSE I USED TO WORK FOR THEM, BUT I ALWAYS DO LOOK AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES, UM, THEIR EXTENSIONS AND THEIR, UM, YOU KNOW, RESEARCH AND EXTENSION WORK IS, UH, SUPERB AND IS ALWAYS INCLUDING THE LATEST SCIENCE AND RESEARCH AND PUTTING IT IN WAYS THAT, UM, IS EASY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND AS WELL. UM, SO THOSE ARE ALL THE RESOURCES THAT WE WILL BE GOING TO. AND, UM, PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO BEEF UP OUR, UM, STANDARDS IN POLICY AND OUR STANDARDS IN OUR MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CONTRACTORS DO HAVE A, A STANDARD OF CARE, UM, AND, UM, A STANDARD OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL, SO THAT WE GET FOLKS THAT ARE ISA CERTIFIED, UM, PREFERABLY MORE FOLKS THAT HAVE A TRACK AS WELL. SO THAT'S TRUE RISK ASSESSMENT QUALIFICATIONS, UM, YEAH, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. UM, ESPECIALLY LOOKING AT MATURE TREES AND BEING ABLE TO RECOGNIZE STRUCTURAL DEFECTS AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO MITIGATE THOSE THINGS. UM, I, YEAH, I THINK THAT ANSWERS SO, SO ONE OTHER THOUGHT, AND I'M GLAD HANNAH BROUGHT IT UP, IS WE'VE NOTICED THE NEED, AS I MENTIONED OF JUST, YOU KNOW, WATERING THESE, THESE TREES THAT HAVE NOT, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE THREE TO SEVEN YEARS OLD MM-HMM . UM, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE, FOR A NEWLY PLANTED TREE TO NOT BE VISITED FOR SEVEN YEARS ISN'T GOOD. RIGHT. SO WE NEED A YOUNG TREE CARE, UH, UH, WAY TO VISIT THEM MORE FREQUENTLY. AND SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR THAT AND, AND ARE NOW TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THAT MIGHT HAPPEN. AND ONE THOUGHT HAD ALWAYS BEEN, AND, AND, UM, HILDA WILL REMEMBER THIS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THIS IS PART OF, YOU KNOW, OUR, [01:25:01] UM, SECTIONS IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS, UM, UH, HAVING COMMUNITY FORESTERS THAT GET A CERTAIN LEVEL OF TRAINING AND CAN REPORT TREES, YOUNGER TREES THAT NEED HELP ANY TREE, BUT YOUNGER TREES IN PARTICULAR, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE CAN GET CALLED IN AND, AND, UH, GIVE THAT YOUNG TREE WHAT IT NEEDS, UM, BEFORE IT GROWS WRONG AND HAS TO BE TAKEN OUT AFTER WITHOUT REACHING MATURITY. SO THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. YEAH. UM, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT, UM, JUST DON'T LET THEM, UM, SHAPE TREES, PRUNE FOR HEALTH. THAT'S ALL. I'M, YOU KNOW, LAST THING, UM, NOT LAST ISSUE. UM, WHAT IS THE GOAL FOR YOU TO ASK FROM CITY COUNCIL? SO LIKE, BUDGET AND WHAT ARE YOU YEAH. WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GET FROM IT? EVENTUALLY BUDGET, BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY BUDGET. SO IF WE'RE, OUR TIMING FOR TAKING THE CITY COUNCIL IS MID-SEPTEMBER, WHICH IS RIGHT AFTER THE BUDGET GETS ADOPTED. AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE WON'T BE ANY O OPPORTUNITY FOR BUDGET AUGMENTATION UNTIL THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE, IF EVEN THEN GIVE, GIVEN THE PROJECTIONS OF, OF DEFICITS FOR THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS. UM, BUT, BUT AGAIN, UM, RAISING THEIR AWARENESS, UH, ABOUT THE, THE VALUE OF TREES AND HOW IT FITS INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE OF CLIMATE ACTION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH. RIGHT. UM, ALTHOUGH I THINK GENERALLY MOST OF THEM ARE AWARE OF THAT, BUT THIS, YOU KNOW, PUTS A FINER POINT ON IT ALL AND GIVES THEM A RESOURCE DOCUMENT TO LOOK AT BECAUSE, UH, MANY OF THEM, PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, ALSO WITH THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS MIGHT BRING THEIR OWN FUNDING, YOU KNOW, PACKAGES OR PROPOSALS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK IF STAFF ASKS FOR IT, BUT IT WORKS MORE OFTEN IF, UH, THE COUNCIL OFFICE ITSELF, YOU KNOW, GETS, UM, UM, OTHER COUNCIL OFFICES TO, TO BRING FORWARD A PROPOSAL. UM, SO THAT, THAT'S THE GOAL OF, IN, IN, IN TERMS OF, UM, GIVE, GIVING THEM A DOCUMENT THAT WILL, UH, GIVE THEM A REASON, UH, AND, AND A IMPERATIVE TO, TO GIVE TREES MORE ATTENTION. OKAY. I, THE LAST THING IS, I HAVE AN IDEA FOR YOU AND THAT IS, UH, SIMILAR TO HOW PEOPLE WOULD ADOPT FREEWAYS. LIKE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COULD, WELL, I'M THINKING THAT BUSINESSES CAN ADOPT NEIGHBORHOODS TO, AND THEY WOULD GET A PLAQUE OR WHATEVER, BUT THEY WOULD HELP FUND SOME OF THE PLANTINGS AND THE MAINTENANCE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS. OH, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. UM, I, I WILL MENTION THAT ONE OF OUR BIGGEST SUCCESSES IN OUR TREE PLANTINGS HAS BEEN THE BIXBY KNOWLES NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION THAT'S THERE. WELL, WE'VE PLANTED A BUNCH OF ORNAMENTAL PEARS, UM, UH, AND WE WATER THEM. THEY WATER THEM TOO. AND SO THEY'RE GETTING DOUBLE WATER. AND, AND I'VE THOUGHT, WELL, MAYBE WE DON'T NEED TO WATER THEM, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING SO WELL THAT IT, IT, IT, IT'S HARD TO PULL BACK ON THAT. SO WE'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, AMAZING GROWTH WITH, WITH SOME OF THESE TREES ON ATLANTIC AVENUE. YOU OKAY, AGAIN, SORRY. YOU MENTIONED NEW DEVELOPMENT, UM, IS A REASON FOR TAKING TREES DOWN. RIGHT. DOES THE CITY HAS ANY POLICY, UH, THAT THEY CAN PUT IT ON THE DEVELOPERS AT LEAST TO MATCH THE SAME GREEN AREA THAT THEY ARE TAKING DOWN? I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS, LARRY, AND SOMETHING THAT I HAVE IN HERE, HERE IN THIS PRESENTATION IS THE ROOFTOP. THE ROOFTOP. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN INCREASE THE GREEN IN THE, IN THE CITY WITHOUT BEING A TREE. AND IT CAN BE MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IF YOU GUYS PUT A POLICY, AND I BELIEVE IT IS ALREADY IN THE, IN THE, WHAT IS IT, IN THE PLAN THAT WE FOLLOW HERE? SO, I DON'T KNOW, DO YOU HAVE ACTION PLAN? ACTION PLAN? YEAH. SO DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT OR NOT YET? RIGHT. I MEAN, SO LANDSCAPE STANDARDS EXIST FOR, FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT'S PART OF THE ZONING CODE AND, AND ARE CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL. SO THEY CAN'T GET THEIR DEVELOPMENT APPROVED. IT'S NOT DIRECTLY TIED TO WHAT'S LOST, IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, THE NEW SITE PLAN NEEDS TO HAVE A, A, A CERTAIN STANDARD, A APPLIED, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GONNA EQUAL, UH, WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LOST, UM, DIRECTLY. SO THERE'S NOT A, A TWO FOR ONE REPLACEMENT POLICY IN A PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT NECESSARILY. [01:30:01] UM, BUT THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS WHOLE PROCESS HAS GIVEN US AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND BUILD THESE RELATIONSHIPS AND FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE LIKE-MINDED FOLKS ARE. AND, AND PLANNING IS A PLACE THAT WANTS TO SEE MORE TREES. AND, AND SO THAT, THAT'S AN EASY ONE. NOW, POINTY YOUTH HELP THE CITY FOR THE, UM, COMPOSTING AND RECYCLE AMBASSADOR FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS. AND IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. AND THESE PEOPLE REALLY IS READY TO SERVE. IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE CAN PUT SOMETHING FOR THE TREES AND MAYBE CREATE THAT AMBASSADORS WITH YOU AND EVENTUALLY IT CAN BE SO MANY JOBS THAT WE CAN CREATE BY TAKING CARE OF THE TREES, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT IS DEFINITELY AN ASPIRATION. UM, IT'S, IT'S JUST A, A BIG PROJECT. YES. IT'S, BUT THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OKAY, GO AHEAD. YEAH, I'LL BE VERY BRIEF. UH, A PLUS ONE FOR COMMISSIONER SERGE'S IDEA OF MAYBE, UH, COORDINATING WITH THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS THAT FEELS LIKE, UH, REAL STRONG PROMISE, UM, HAVE SEEN SIMILAR THINGS AND, UH, JUST, UH, ALSO APPRECIATION FOR, UH, DETAILED BRIEFING AND GOOD STUFF HERE. THANK YOU. UM, WE'LL NOW TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. THANK YOU. OKAY. HI, UH, MY NAME'S DOUG MULLIN. I'M A RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH. UM, THANKS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THAT WAS REALLY AWESOME. UM, I, I LIKE TREES. I'VE GOT THREE WONDERFUL TREES IN MY BACKYARD. UM, I'M WONDERING WHAT IS THE CITY POLICY ON TREES THAT ARE DAMAGING INFRASTRUCTURE? AND AT WHAT POINT WOULD YOU REMOVE A TREE? SO PUBLIC COMMENT IS, UM, NOT A BACK AND FORTH. SO YOU HAVE YOUR THREE MINUTES TO MAKE YOUR COMMENTS, AND IF THE CHAIR DECIDES TO RESPOND, SHE CAN DIRECT THE QUESTION TO STAFF. OKAY. THAT'S IT. ARE YOU DONE WITH YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT? YEAH. PERFECT. YOU HAVE IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. OR MAYBE YOU'D LIKE TO ASK, TELL US WHY YOU'RE ASKING. SO I'VE BEEN IN, UH, MY HOUSE FOR 26 YEARS NOW, AND, UM, THEY'VE HAD TO REPAIR THE SIDEWALK THREE TIMES, UM, AND THE ENTIRE CURB, AND, UH, IT'S STARTING TO DAMAGE IT AGAIN. AND SO I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THAT TREE REMOVED AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO WANNA DO IT. SO WE CAN DIRECT THE QUESTIONS. RIGHT. ONCE HE HAS CONCLUDED HIS PUBLIC COMMENT, THEN THE QUESTION CAN BE DIRECTED TO STAFF. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO DIRECT THAT QUESTION TO STAFF. THANK YOU. SURE. SO I'M LESS WELL VERSED IN THE PARTICULARS OF THAT. YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY THAT IS A THING THAT'S GOING ON ALL OVER THE CITY AND, AND TREES CAUSE ISSUES IN, IN THAT WAY. AND GENERALLY THE ARBORISTS, UM, UH, THAT INSPECT TREES, UM, WANT TO KEEP ANY HEALTHY TREE, ANY LARGE HEALTHY TREE. AND THERE'S BEEN LOTS OF, UM, EFFORTS TO, IN THE PAST AT LEAST, UM, CURVE THE SIDEWALK AROUND THE TREE. THEY DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE, BUT THEY, THEY USED TO, UM, AND, AND MAKE REPAIRS SO THAT THE, THE TREE CAN BE KEPT. UM, IT'S INTEREST, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THEY ARE RESPONSIVE TO, UM, RESIDENTS REQUESTS TO REMOVE THE TREE. AND, AND, BUT I CAN'T, CAN'T REALLY SPEAK TO WHAT THEIR THRESHOLD LEVEL IS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S THE CITY THAT'S PAYING THE EXPENSE OF, OF, YOU KNOW, FIXING THOSE SIDEWALKS AND CURBS AND GUTTERS, AND IT AFFECTS, YOU KNOW, UH, STORM WATER FLOWS AND, AND ALL KINDS OF CASCADING, UH, THINGS. UM, BUT THEY, IT, IT, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHAT YOUR PRIORITY IS IN A PARTICULARLY CASE, IT IT'S HEARTENING THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY DO FAVOR THE TREE OVER THE CONCRETE A LOT OF THE TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING. I I AM PART OF THE COM IT'S A COMMITTEE, RIGHT? UM, URBAN, URBAN FOREST COMMITTEE. AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS YOU NEED TO, UH, COMPLAINT OR SEND THE COMPLAINT THE PUBLIC WORK, AND THEY WILL GO, GO AND CHECK THE TREE, AND THEN THEY GONNA CALL THE, [01:35:01] THE, THE PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT THE THREE. SO IN, IN THIS CASE, THE COMMITTEE AND YOU, YOU HAVE TO PROVE THAT THAT IS FOR, FOR THE BENEFIT FOR EVERYBODY TO, TO HAVE THE THREE. BUT IT, IT IS, IT IS A LOT. I MEAN, WHAT I'M GONNA TELL YOU IS IT'S JUST YOU HAVE TO BRING, UH, COME PREPARE TO DEFEND YOUR, YOUR SIZE AND WHY YOU WANNA CUT THE TREE. BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU WANNA, PEOPLE WANT TO CUT TREES OF 70 YEARS OLD AND OR BIGGER AND WITH A LOT OF VALUE. AND IT IS HARD TO AGREE WITH, WITH EVERYTHING THAT NEED TO BE CUT DOWN. DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? GO AHEAD. IT'S NOT A COMMENT. I WAS JUST GONNA SAY IT'S A HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE. AND IT, THEY WILL NOT TAKE IT OUT IF IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL REPAIR THE SIDEWALK AND THE CONCRETE. UM, THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS IF THE ROOT SYSTEM IS GETTING INTO THE SEWER, UM, LINE AND DAMAGING CITY PROPERTY. UM, AND IF IT'S ON YOUR SIDE, LIKE FROM YOUR PROPERTY LINE, YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE. THAT'S, THAT CONCLUDES COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE? I'M SORRY. THERE WAS ONE MORE PUBLIC COMMENT. OH, MY APOLOGIES. UM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTE MINUTES TO SPEAK. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ANALYSIS. THIS WAS REALLY INSIGHTFUL. UM, I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS. ONE OF THEM WAS, UH, IF YOU COULD GIVE A LITTLE INSIGHT ON TREE SELECTION AND HOW YOU DECIDE WHAT SPECIES TO PLANT IN A CERTAIN AREA AND YOUR, UH, CONSIDERATION OF NATIVE SPECIES. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO FOLLOW UP AND, UM, EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR ANY, UM, PLANS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, ESPECIALLY WITH, UM, PLANNING AND PERMITTING AND LANDSCAPE PLANNING TO TRY AND PRESERVE THOSE OLDER TREES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 'CAUSE I'M, I'M SURE IT'S TAKES A LONG TIME FOR THOSE TO THEN REGENERATE. UM, THAT'S ALL MY COMMENT. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, DO I HAVE A COMMENT FROM STAFF FOR RESPONSE? SURE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE OF THE MANTRAS OF, OF URBAN FORESTRY IS RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZING THAT THERE CERTAIN TREES AND AND PARTICULAR SPECIES DO DO DAMAGE OUT OF PROPORTION, YOU KNOW, TO OTHER TREES. AND, UM, SO LIQUID AMBER IS ONE THAT PUSHES UP SIDEWALKS A LOT AND IS NO LONGER ON THE APPROVED STREET TREE LIST, BUT IT'S STILL OUT THERE. UM, THE TREES THAT WE PLANT, OR THE APPROVED STREET TREE LIST HAS ABOUT 120 TREES ON IT, UM, THAT INCLUDE PALM TREES, RIGHT? SO IN OUR, IN OUR TREE PLANTING PROGRAM, WE HAVE A MUCH SMALLER SUBSET OF TREES THAT WE PLANT THAT ARE THE MORE BOTH FAVORED TREES, APPROPRIATE TREES, AND AVAILABLE TREES, BECAUSE MANY TREES ON, ON THE APPROVED STREET TREE LIST, YOU CAN'T REALLY GET FROM A NURSERY. UM, SO THERE IS, I DON'T KNOW, 30 TO 60 TREES THAT ARE MORE COMMONLY, UM, PLANTED AND, AND AVAILABLE. AND EITHER WE WORK WITH A RESIDENT TO, UM, HELP THEM SELECT FROM THE AVAILABLE LIST, OR IF WE'RE DOING OUR PROACTIVE PLANTINGS, WE TALK TO THE ARBORIST. AND, AND THAT IS ONE THING IS WHEN IT COMES TO THE RIGHT, UH, RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, UH, THE CITY ARBORIST APPROVES EVERY TREE THAT WE PROPOSE TO PLANT, UH, WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, DECIDING IF IT'S APPROPRIATE. AND ONE OF THE CRITERIA IS THE SIZE OF THE SPACE THAT THE TREE'S BEING PLANTED IN. SO MEASURED BY PARKWAY WIDTH. SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU START TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS, PARKWAYS VARY FROM LIKE TWO FEET TO SEVEN FEET. AND THE STATURE OF THE TREE THAT THE, THE MATURE STATURE OF THE TREE, UM, YOU DON'T WANNA PUT A REALLY LARGE STATURE TREE IN A TWO FOOT PARKWAY. SO THAT'S WHERE THE SMALLER STATUE TREES, LIKE GREAT MYRTLES AND OTHERS END UP. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS THIS GOAL FOR DIVERSITY. WE DON'T WANNA PLANT TOO MANY OF THE SAME THING IN INCLUDING NATIVE TREES. YOU KNOW, THERE'S THIS DESIRE TO, WE SHOULD BE PLANTING MORE NATIVES. WELL, THE NATIVE TREES THAT ONCE LIVED IN LONG BEACH WERE PRETTY LIMITED IN THEIR SPECIES, YOU KNOW, UH, THREE OR FOUR RIPARIAN TREES. AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THE EVER OAKS GREW IN LONG BEACH HISTORICALLY. UM, UH, SO THE ACTUAL LOCAL APPROPRIATE NATIVE TREES AREN'T NECESSARILY THE RIGHT TREES FOR, FOR PARKWAYS, BUT WE TRY TO PUT THEM IN WHERE WE CAN. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS IS FINDING NEW TREE SPECIES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN COMMONLY USED IN THE PAST THAT REPRESENT, UH, OR, OR GROW IN HOTTER CLIMATES, [01:40:01] UM, LIKE LOOKING, UH, AHEAD TO, YOU KNOW, CLIMATE FORWARD TREES, OR I FORGET HOW, HOW THEY'RE TERMED, BUT, UM, AND CAN YOU THINK OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD OF, OF ONE OF THOSE? UM, I'M DRAWING A BLANK RIGHT NOW. I'M, I'M THINKING OF TREES THAT I MESQUITE, YOU KNOW, LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT GROWS IN THE DESERT. SOUTHWEST, I, WE'VE SEEN A LOT MORE PALO VERDE BEING, BEING GROWN, UM, THAT REQUIRES, UH, THEY ALMOST DON'T LIKE WATER, RIGHT? THEY, YEAH. THEY GROW WITHOUT IT. SO ANYWAY, A A LOT OF THOUGHT IS GIVEN TO THIS AND, AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE LATEST AND GREATEST. I THINK YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT MANZANITA. WELL, UM, NO . UM, I DON'T THINK THAT'S ON OUR, UM, WE HAVE OUR BEUS ON OUR LIST, UM, WHICH IS A RELATIVE TO MANZANITA, BUT WE DON'T HAVE, UM, MANZANITA SPECIFICALLY. UM, AND THEN ANOTHER CONSIDERATION THAT WE LOOK AT IS UTILITY LINES. UM, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANNA PUT A TALL MATURE TREE UNDER UTILITY LINES. WE SELECT, UM, TREES THAT ONLY GROW, YOU KNOW, 25, 20 FEET MAX FOR THAT SPACE AS WELL. GREAT. ANY COMMENTS ON COMMISSIONERS? THANK YOU. OKAY. OKAY. SEEING, UM, NO OTHER QUESTIONS, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. COMMISSIONER HANKS, I CAN TAKE A VERBAL VOTE. AYE. SO I HAVE YOU THANK YOU. AND COMMISSIONER MARSH MARSH. AYE. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, UM, THANK YOU. PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS RECOMMENDATION TO REVIEW THE AD HOC COMMITTEE REPORT ON AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY REUSE AND RECYCLING HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY, AND DETERMINE WHETHER TO FORWARD IT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION. MAY HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THIS ITEM. I, UH, WE HAVE, UH, THE MOTION MOVED BY COMMISSIONER BENNETT, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SERGE. OKAY. UM, OKAY. COULD WE PLEASE HAVE THE REPORT, I THINK COMMISSIONER HANKS IS GOING TO PRESENT TODAY? UM, YES. I FIRST WANNA THANK THE COMMISSION AS WELL AS STAFF FOR YOUR PATIENTS. IT'S TAKEN A LONG TIME TO GET HERE, BUT I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMITTEE, PARTICULARLY PETE, FOR HIS TIME IN TAKING CALLS AT [4. 26-54894 Recommendation to review the Ad Hoc Committee report on an Electric Vehicle Battery Reuse and Recycling Hub Feasibility Study and determine whether to forward it to City Council for consideration.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] ODD HOURS, ESPECIALLY ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL, EVEN WHILE HE WAS IN SURGERY. SO THAT'S A LEVEL OF DEDICATION THAT I'M GRATEFUL FOR, FOR THE COMMITTEE. UM, AS, UM, RE GAINES AS WELL AS FE ELOQUENTLY POINTED TODAY ON EARTH DAY, THAT OUR MISSION FOR THE COMMISSION IS TO ADVISE THE COUNCIL, AND IT'S LINKING TO THE SEVEN CAPS THAT WE FOCUS ON. SO LEVERAGING THE TRANSPORTATION AND THE WASTE CAP, WE WANTED TO FOCUS AND ASK THE COMMISSION TO EVALUATE AND AUTHORIZE A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE LONG BEACH EV BATTERY REUSE AND RECYCLING HUB. THE FOCUS FOR THIS CAME ABOUT WITH THE OPPORTUNITY OF LEVERAGING THE FACT THAT LONG BEACH CONTAINER TERMINAL HAS IN, YOU KNOW, HAS, UM, INVESTED ABOUT $2.5 BILLION IN PORT ELECTRIFICATION WITH NO END LIFE BATTERY AT ALL. CURRENTLY, THE BATTERIES ARE BEING TRANSPORTED 400 MILES TO NEVADA WITH NO CAPTURE OF COST HERE IN LONG BEACH. SO THIS FEASIBILITY WILL STUDY, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LONG BEACH TO BE A HUB TO COLLECT THESE BATTERIES. REVENUE WILL BE COLLECTED FROM BATTERY FEES ALONG WITH REUSE OF MATERIALS, AND THIS WOULD POTENTIALLY GENERATE ABOUT 10 TO 15 JOBS SUPPORTING THE WEST SIDE PROMISE BY MEIR RICHARDSON. UM, THIS WOULD THEN ALSO BE A FEASIBILITY STUDY. THIS RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE FOR A FEASIBILITY STUDY, WHICH WOULD COST ABOUT $25,000 TO $50,000, BUT THAT'S ROUGHLY AN AVERAGE ABOUT 0.8% TO ABOUT A MAXIMUM OF 5% OF REVENUE THAT WOULD GENERATE THE REVENUE ANTICIPATED IS ABOUT $860,000 TO ABOUT $3.5 MILLION A YEAR. THIS WOULD BE TO SUBSTITUTE AND HELP LONG BEACH FOR THE TITLE FUNDS THAT'S BEING CHANGED OUT. AND THEN ALSO THE DEFICIT THAT, UH, MERITED HAD PRESENTED TO US DURING OUR, UM, UH, IN JANUARY. SO AGAIN, UH, WE'RE REQUESTING THE AD HOC COMMITTEE IS REQUESTING THAT THE COMMISSION APPROVES THAT, THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, THE, THAT APPROVES THAT WE AUTHORIZE A FEASIBILITY STUDY WITH COUNCIL. AND THEN THIS WOULD ACTUALLY PUT LONG BEACH [01:45:01] IN A POSITION AS TO BE THE FIRST CITY IN CALIFORNIA TO CLOSE THE EV BATTERY LOOP AND POSITION AS WELL TOWARDS THE OLYMPICS, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY. I WANNA SEE IF PETE OR, UH, COMMISSIONER KIRK WOULD HAVE ANY COMMENTS. NONE PETE. SURE. YEAH, JUST BRIEFLY. UH, THANKS VERY MUCH, UH, GREAT TO WORK WITH YOU ON THIS, COMMISSIONER HANKS. UM, AND I'VE, I CAME INTO THIS, UH, WONDERING, GEE, IS IS THERE REALLY, UH, A VALUABLE ROLE FOR GOVERNMENT TO PLAY IN THIS? OR IS THE PRIVATE SECTOR ALREADY GOING TO BE, UH, TAKING CARE OF IT? 'CAUSE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES AROUND THE COUNTRY. UM, I'VE, I'VE READ RECENTLY AT LEAST SEVEN COMPANIES, UH, UH, ACTIVELY STARTING UP BATTERY RECYCLING PROGRAMS NATIONWIDE. AND, UH, AND THAT MIGHT BE THE RESULT OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, BUT I THINK THERE'S, UH, ENOUGH HERE TO, UH, TO SUPPORT A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL THAT, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS AND SEE IF THERE'S A ROLE FOR THIS CITY TO PLAY AND, AND MAYBE BE A FIRST MOVER. UM, I LIKE THE, THE FACT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT A PROGRAM THAT COULD REINFORCE THE CONCEPT THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT CLASSIC TENSION THAT WE CAN EITHER HAVE A STRONG ECONOMY OR A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, BUT NOT BOTH. UM, I, I DIS UH, DISPUTE THAT NOTION IN MANY CASES, BUT HERE'S ONE WHERE MAYBE A PROGRAM TO HELP IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ALSO HELP IMPROVE THE ECONOMY. SO, UH, I THINK IT'S WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT. THANK YOU TO OUR AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR YOUR HARD WORK. UM, AT THIS TIME, WE CAN TAKE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSION REGARDING THE REPORT. I JUST WANNA, UM, AND HOPEFULLY CITY STAFF, CORRECT ME IF I'M INCORRECT, BUT WE'LL BE VOTING OVER TO FORWARD THIS RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TODAY. BEFORE THAT, I WANNA THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO THE COMMISSIONERS FOR THE GREAT JOB. I GUESS IT WAS WORTH AWAY FOR IT. THANK YOU, . I JUST HAD A QUICK CLARIFICATION QUESTION. UM, ARE THESE BATTERIES USED IN PORT OPERATIONS AND COMING FROM VEHICLES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PORT, OR IS IT, ARE THE BATTERIES COMING FROM OTHER SOURCES AS WELL? SO THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THIS WOULD BE EVALUATED IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDY. JUST THE OPPORTUNITY WAS EVALUATED WITH THE BATTERIES FROM THE LONG BEACH TERMINAL. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSION? OKAY. I THINK, UM, HEARING, UM, NO OTHER ONES WE CAN, I GUESS WE'RE READY TO TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. SING NONE. OKAY. NONE. OKAY. UM, LET'S SEE. MADAM, UH, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE AND I CAN TAKE A VOICE VOTE FROM COMMISSIONER BENNETT AND COMMISSIONER MARSH, AS WELL AS COMMISSIONER HANKS A AYE MARSH. AYE. THANK YOU. APPROVE. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. GREAT, THANK YOU. UM, PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM. ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT FROM CURRENT AD HOC COMMITTEES. DISCUSS ANTICIPATED AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS, AND IF APPROPRIATE TO TAKE ACTION TO DISSOLVE OR CREATE AD HOC COMMITTEES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THIS ITEM? OKAY. MOVED BY COMMISSIONER COHERO. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER [5. 26-54895 Recommendation to receive and file a report from current Ad Hoc Committees; discuss anticipated Ad Hoc Committees for upcoming projects; and, if appropriate, take action to dissolve or create Ad Hoc Committees.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] SERGI. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, SINCE WE JUST GOT THE REPORT IN THE LAST, UM, AGENDA ITEM, THIS IS THE TIME NOW WHERE WE CAN, UM, TALK ABOUT ANY POTENTIAL AD HOC COMMITTEES THAT WE'D LIKE TO CREATE. UM, AND WE CAN ALSO TALK ABOUT THE DISSOLUTION OF OUR, UH, CURRENT AD HOC COMMITTEE. UM, GIVEN THE LAST AGENDA ITEM , AND THAT WE'RE FORWARDING IT TO THE COUNCIL, COUNCIL, CAN WE PLEASE DISSOLVE SO MUCH TIME? UM, DO WE NEED YOU TO CALL FOR A VOTE? I HAVE A QUESTION WHEN WE SAY, IF YOU COULD TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON, PLEASE. NO, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT, OKAY. WHEN WE SAY THIS [01:50:01] COMMITTEE, THIS THE SOLVING FOR THIS CORRECT. COMMITTEE AND, AND THEN WE CAN GO FOR UPCOMING. YES. OKAY. YEAH, WE CAN CREATE NEW COMMITTEES AS WELL. YEAH. DO WE VOTE? I NEED TO LEAN ON CITY STUFF TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS CORRECTLY, THE, THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT? YEAH. SO WE CAN, WE CAN DO EVERYTHING AS ONE DISCUSSION AND THEN AT THE END, BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED, WE CAN AMEND THE MOTION IF NECESSARY. SO, UH, YOU'RE PROBABLY ALL ON THE SAME PAGE THAT YOU'LL DISSOLVE THE, THE CURRENT AD HOC. SO NOW IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO TALK ABOUT ANY AD HOC COMMITTEES YOU'D LIKE TO FORM, AND THEN WHO WOULD POTENTIALLY BE ON IT? UM, 3, 2, 4 PEOPLE IS, IS THE IDEAL NUMBER. UM, AND IF YOU'RE HAVING MULTIPLE AD HOC COMMITTEES, THREE OR PROBABLY THREE IS THE MAX WOULD BE GOOD. AND THEN JUST A REMINDER, UM, THE TOP IDEAS THAT CAME OUT FROM THE, THE WORK PLAN RETREAT, I'LL READ THEM OUT SO THAT YOU HAVE THOSE, UH, PARKWAYS AND MEDIANS IMPROVING BUS SHADE STRUCTURES AND PHASE OUT OF GAS APPLIANCES AND EXISTING BUILDINGS WITH THE THREE PRIORITY ONES. AND THEN THERE WAS A NUMBER OF OTHER ONES THAT WERE, UH, LISTED BUT NOT PRIORITY. CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? WHAT WAS THE PRIORITY? YEAH, SO I'LL READ, I'LL READ ALL OF THEM. UH, SO THE, AGAIN, THE THREE PRIORITIES, PARKWAYS AND MEDIANS, IMPROVING BUS SHADE STRUCTURES, AND THEN PHASE OUT OF GAS APPLIANCES AND EXISTING BUILDINGS. AND THEN THE OTHER ONES THAT WERE BROUGHT UP IN THE, AT THE RETREAT AND IN THE WORK PLAN REVIEW, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, LA RIVER, LITTER ACCUMULATION, ORGANIC WASTE, PUBLIC ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER, PUBLIC CHARGING STATIONS, AND PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AMBASSADORS. AND THEN ONE MORE REMINDER, JUST PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS, UM, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT PRIORITIZING ONE AT A TIME JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE COMMISSION HAS TIME TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING GOING FOR A FEW MONTHS AND THEN REDISCUSSING IT. BUT YOU'RE WELCOME TO DISCUSS ANY OPTIONS THAT YOU'D LIKE TONIGHT. I JUST HAD A SIDE QUESTION. UH, YOU HAD SAID THAT CITY COUNCIL HAD ASKED US TO DEVELOP A, YOU, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT? MAYBE YOU CAN SPEAK TO THAT. YEAH. THE ITEM IN DECEMBER CAME UP AT COUNCIL THAT WAS, UH, AN ITEM TO TALK ABOUT GREEN, UM, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN, UH, RIGHTS OF WAYS PARKWAYS FOR BOTH THE COUNCIL COMMITTEE AND THIS COMMISSION. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL COME BACK AT A FUTURE TIME FROM STAFF. SO THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DO ON YOUR OWN. THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BRING TO YOU WHEN THE TIME, UH, IS THE KIRK TIME COMES ALONG. OKAY. ANY OTHER, UM, I GUESS FOR, IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN STARTING AD HOC COMMITTEE SPEAK NOW AND WE CAN MAYBE DISCUSS THAT? YEAH, GO AHEAD. SO WHILE I REALLY WANNA DEVELOP A AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR MY ISSUE, IT'S ALSO THE BUSIEST TIME OF YEAR FOR PEOPLE IN THE GREEN, YOU KNOW, AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO TABLE THAT AND MAYBE WE COULD GO, UM, WORK ON ONE OF THE OTHER PRIORITIES FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. I HAD ONE OF THE IDEAS, IT WAS, UH, IN THE, UH, TOP FEW THAT'S THE PHASING OUT GAS APPLIANCES FROM EXISTING BUILDINGS, UH, INTERESTED IN PURSUING THAT WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. I HAVE TALKED WITH CITY STAFF RECENTLY IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND THEY HAVE SOME, UH, INTERNAL RESEARCH GOING ON. SO I DON'T KNOW WHETHER OUR, UH, OUR INVOLVEMENT AT THIS TIME WOULD BE A HELP OR A HINDRANCE. AND, UH, SO I'LL, UH, HOLD ON THAT RECOMMENDATION FOR RIGHT NOW AS WELL. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, I HAVE A SIMILAR COMMENT ABOUT BUS SHELTERS. UM, I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING I'M INTERESTED IN. IT'S PART OF THE, THE CAP FOR DEALING WITH, UM, EXTREME HEAT IN THE CITY. UM, AGAIN, NOT SURE IF TODAY'S THE DAY TO CREATE IT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT AS ONE. I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE TOP ONES THAT CAME OUT FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS AS WELL. YEAH. CAN YOU DEVELOP THE IDEA? HOW WAS IT EXACTLY? I'M SORRY. ABOUT THE ONE THAT, THE IDEA THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED. YEAH. IT'S HELPING TO IMPROVE, UM, SHADE STRUCTURES AT, UH, CITY BUS STOPS. SO IT'S WORKING WITH PROBABLY CITY TRANSIT, UM, TO DEAL WITH EXTREME HEAT. WE'VE HAD SOME PUBLIC COMMENTS, UM, EXPRESSING A, A DESIRE FOR IMPROVEMENTS. UM, SO BASED ON KIND OF FEEDBACK FROM OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS IN CITY AND GIVEN THAT IT'S PART OF, UM, PART OF, IT'S ONE OF THE CAP ITEMS, UM, THAT, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION AS AN IMPORTANT ITEM TO ADDRESS. I RECEIVE A, AN EMAIL FROM A LADY, DORIS, I BELIEVE SO, I THINK YOU HAVE MORE INFORMATION THAN ME, PETE, UM, ABOUT THAT. SHE, SHE, I MEAN, IN ORDER FOR US TO PUT SOMETHING FORWARD, MAYBE WE NEED TO SEE [01:55:01] WHAT PEOPLE IS DOING. UM, DO A PRE UM, STUDY TO COME, YOU CAN COME UP, WE CAN COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING OR WHAT THE DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING. AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF THE SHADE FOR THE BUS, BUS STOP. BUT, UM, DO WE HAVE ANY BACKGROUND THAT WE CAN HOLD ON AND START MOVING OR WE GONNA NEED TO START ALL OVER. AND PART OF THE AD HOC, IT SHOULD BE A PART OF THE AD HOC, IT SHOULD BE THAT, UM, AMOUNT OF WORK LIKE, UH, START FINDING OUT WHAT IS GOING ON OR WHAT HAPPENED OR WE NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING IN THE WORLD OR AN EXAMPLE TO MOVE FORWARD. WHAT IS THE, WHAT DO YOU THINK WHICH WILL BE THE BEST FOR US WHEN PUTTING A COMMITTEE? AHA COMMITTEE? WHAT DO YOU THINK GUYS? I MEAN, I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW MORE THAN ANYBODY. YEAH. SO FOR US IN PARTICULAR, IT WAS A CONCEPT THAT WE HAD TO START FROM SCRATCH. SO IT TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF TIME IN TERMS OF RESEARCH. YOU KNOW, PETE WAS REVIEWING YOUTUBE VIDEOS AND ARTICLES AND SENDING IT BACK AND FORTH. WE MET A COUPLE TIMES AS WELL. UM, I ALSO HAD, YOU KNOW, I HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING MY STAFF REVIEW A BUNCH OF THE DATA, SO IT DOES TAKE SOME TIME, BUT IT DOES DEPEND ON, YOU KNOW, MAYBE LEVERAGING STAFF AND SEEING IF THEY HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF DATA THAT YOU COULD BUILD ON. BUT THIS WAS SORT OF SOMETHING THAT NEEDED A LITTLE BIT OF WORK SO THAT IT, THAT'S WHY IT TOOK SOME TIME. I MEAN, EVEN TOOK SOME TIME TO, UM, MEET WITH SOME RECYCLING FACILITIES HERE IN LONG BEACH AS WELL AS OUTSIDE IN LOS ANGELES. AND MET WITH SOME OF THE CEOS TO SEE WHAT THEIR THOUGHTS WOULD BE FROM A PRIVATE SECTOR, WAS THIS PUBLIC SECTOR OPPORTUNITY. I ALSO MET A FEW DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SEE WHAT THEIR THOUGHTS WERE, WHICH DISTRICT WOULD BE MOST AFFECTED. SO IT DID TAKE A LOT OF, IT WASN'T AS SIMPLE AS JUST A DESK REVIEW, IT WAS A FEW BIT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND. BUT I DID HAVE THE ADVANTAGE TO HAVE MY STAFF DO A LOT OF THE LEGWORK SO THAT WHEN WE CAME UP WITH SOME OF THESE NUMBERS, IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS SOME RESEARCH BEHIND IT. BUT I DON'T KNOW AS TO WHAT DEPTH YOU'D WANNA TAKE IT. I THINK THAT WOULD DEPEND ON WHAT TOPIC YOU PICK AND HOW MUCH RESEARCH THERE IS AVAILABLE OUT THERE. YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT MY QUESTION. YEAH. SO, SO YOU STARTED FROM SCRATCH. WE STARTED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. THAT'S A GOOD, THAT'S A GREAT, IT'S A LOT OF WORK. SO, UM, I'M TOTALLY INTERESTED, BUT I GONNA BE DONE ON JUNE AND SO I DON'T WANNA TAKE ANY OF THOUGHT, BUT I CAN SUPPORT ANYTHING BECAUSE YEAH, I MIGHT NOT GONNA BE HERE FOR TOO LONG, BUT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA DISCOURAGE ANYBODY. IT WAS, IT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, GET TO KNOW PEOPLE'S STRENGTHS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THE STAFF AS WELL, UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST HAVE TO DETERMINE ON HOW YOU WANNA TAKE YOUR MINDSET. IT IS TIME, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE, RIGHT? SO YEAH. AND WE, WE DECIDED THAT WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ON THE MONTHS, BECAUSE BEFORE IT WAS EVERY MONTH, AND NOW IT'S EVERY OTHER MONTH. SO WE THOUGHT THAT HAVING THOSE MONTHS TO GETTING TOGETHER, THAT WILL BE SOMETHING FOR US TO INVEST ON. YEAH. AND THEN REMEMBER, YOU COULD RECOMMEND THAT A STUDY CAN BE DONE FURTHER JUST BASED ON AN INITIAL REVIEW BECAUSE THIS WAS SO NEW. BUT YOUR RECOMMENDATION COULD BE JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD TAKE A FEW HOURS AND JUST MAKE THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO STAFF THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO PUT IN THIS MUCH INVESTMENT IN TIME. SO IT'S NOT THAT WE HAVE TO DO THE RESEARCH 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT EXPERTS. IT JUST SO HAPPENED I PICKED A TOPIC THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PRETTY GOOD SKILL SETS IN MM-HMM . UM, I THINK SEVERAL COUNCIL PEOPLE, OR SORRY, COMMISSIONERS WERE, UM, CONTACTED BY A WOMAN WHO IS INTERESTED IN PHASING OUT GAS POWERED, UM, TOOLS IN, YOU KNOW, UM, BOTH GRAVITY, NO, WELL, GAR, YEAH, SO MAINTENANCE AND, UH, COMMERCIAL AND, UH, RESIDENTIAL MAINTENANCE. SO THAT I THINK WAS WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO. AND THEN, UM, THE OTHER THING IS, OH, THE, THE, THE SHADE STRUCTURES. I THINK THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP LIKE ARTIST SCULPTURES, UM, THAT CREATE SHADE. AND THERE MIGHT BE SOME MONEY THAT WE CAN GET FOR GRANT, YOU KNOW, GRANTS FOR IF WE'RE DOING ART INSTALLATIONS, THAT DOUBLE AS I LIKE THAT IDEA. SOUNDS LIKE YOU'D BE GREAT ON THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. . I THINK I CAN SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT YOU DECIDE, BUT YEAH, DEFINITELY. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS [02:00:01] YOU WANNA MOVE ON THE SHADE? I DON'T HAVE A, AFTER MAY, I CAN BE ALL YEARS RIGHT NOW SO OUTTA CAPACITY. BUT IF SOMEONE WANTS TO LEAVE, I MEAN, WE CAN ALL WORK. I MEAN, YEAH, WE HAVE FOREVER. I MEAN, WE CAN BE HERE NOW. THE, THE, THE PROPOSAL THAT DO IS SEND IT. SHE ALREADY HAVE, UH, EVERYTHING, THE RESEARCH AND WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING FOR THAT. UM, THAT WILL BE EASIER. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ANOTHER THING. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW THE, I AGREE, THE, SHE, SHE HAS ALMOST EVERYTHING, SO MAYBE THAT CAN BE JUST TO PUSH HER A LITTLE BIT. BUT YOU WOULD THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS WORTH TO DO. IT, IT'S JUST TO PUSH IT NOT TO START, NOT START OVER, OVER, YOU KNOW, ON THE SCRATCH. I AGREE WITH THAT. AND I WOULD RELUCTANTLY BE INTERESTED IN THE . SO I'LL JUST ADD IN, IF I MAY, UH, TO THAT DISCUSSION AROUND, UH, COMING UP WITH A PLAN FOR LONG BEACH TO MOVE FASTER THAN STATE LAW ON PHASING OUT, UH, FOSSIL POWERED LANDSCAPING TOOLS. THAT'S ONE OF THE DISCUSSION ITEMS. AND FIRST I'LL APOLOGIZE. I, UH, I PROVIDED SOME CONTACT INFO AND, UH, ALLOWED A FRIEND TO CONNECT SOME OF US, AND I OVERSTEPPED AND SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT. SO APOLOGIES. BUT, UH, I KNEW, UM, I THINK IT IS A REALLY VALUABLE, UH, APPROACH, UH, OR A VALUABLE, UM, POLICY TO START PHASING OUT GAS POWERED LANDSCAPING TOOLS. IT IS, IN MY MIND, LESS ABOUT CLIMATE BECAUSE THE GREENHOUSE GASES COMING FROM THOSE, UH, ARE RELATIVELY MODEST, BUT THE, UH, CRITERIA POLLUTANTS ARE HUGE AND THE NOISE AND THE, UH, THE HARM TO LANDSCAPER EMPLOYEES, UH, IS A BIG DEAL. UM, SO THERE'S, AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S AT LEAST ONE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER WHO IS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN, UH, LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS. UH, AND A NUMBER OF CITIES HAVE MOVED AHEAD. SO I'D BE IN FAVOR OF SETTING UP SUCH A COMMITTEE IF WE WANT, AND, UH, WOULD BE HAPPY TO SUPPORT OTHER MEMBERS IN DOING THAT. I DO KNOW WE HAVE A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC IN THE AUDIENCE WITH MORE DETAIL, UH, WHO CAN PROVIDE COMMENT DURING PUBLIC COMMENT LATER. UH, IF WE WANT TO DO, DO THAT. UH, I LIKE IT ALSO BECAUSE IT CAME FROM THE PUBLIC. YES, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HERE REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE AND IF THEY FEEL THAT SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE AND IF THEY GIVE US ALMOST EVERYTHING, I MEAN, I DON'T SEE WHY NOT. I MEAN, I'M BUSY. I WOULD LIKE TO START SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH, BUT I DON'T HAVE THE TIME. SO FOR ME, IT IS EASIER TO MOVE THAT. AND IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT SOMETHING BRAND NEW AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT MAYBE LONG BEACH IS GONNA NEED TO DO IT NOW OR LATER. RIGHT. SO I TOTALLY AGREE AND I CAN SUPPORT. SO I HAVE A, A QUESTION FOR STAFF ON HOW WE HANDLE, I GUESS, MULTIPLE ITEMS WITH THIS AGENDA ITEM, I GUESS MULTIPLE, UH, REQUESTS. YEAH. HOW WOULD WE, UH, AS FAR AS IF WE WERE TO CREATE A COMMITTEE AND THEN ALSO VOTING FOR A DISSOLUTION AS WELL. SO I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT ANYONE WANTS TO PROPOSE A COMMITTEE TONIGHT AND THAT THERE'D BE THREE PEOPLE WHO'D WANNA BE ON IT. IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYONE'S SAYING WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING, BUT MAYBE NOT TONIGHT. SO I THINK SOMEBODY SHOULD, IF THEY WANT TO, SHOULD EXPRESS THAT NOW. UM, AND THEN IF SO, THEN WE COULD, YOU KNOW, SAY WHO ELSE WOULD WANT TO BE ON THAT AD HOC COMMITTEE, AND THEN WE COULD GIVE YOU LANGUAGE FOR HOW TO AMEND THE MOTION. AND IT WOULD BASICALLY BE TO CREATE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR, AND THEN WHO THE MEMBERS ARE AND THEN, AND THEN DISSOLVE THE CURRENT, UH, EV BATTERY OR RECYCLING AD HOC COMMITTEE. COULD WE CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST BEFORE VOTING OR ORDER OF OPERATIONS? THE REASON BEING THE PERSON IN THE AUDIENCE IS THE EXPERT WITNESS, SO TO SPEAK. AS LONG AS THE COMMENT IS RELATED TO THE CREATION OF AN AD HOC COMMITTEE OR THE DISILLUSION OF ONE, IT CAN BE MADE DURING NOW. OR IF THEY PREFER GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, THEY CAN. OKAY, I THINK SHE COULD DO IT NOW. THEN IF YOU WANNA CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION. OKAY. AND SO THEN THIS PUBLIC COMMENT WOULD BE, UH, INFORMATION AS A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE, THE COMMISSION TO FORM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE ON WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT. OKAY. [02:05:01] UM, YEAH. THANK YOU. AND WE'LL NOW TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. WHEN I STARTED THIS, UH, COMMENT, IT WAS AFTERNOON, BUT I THINK WE'RE ON EVENING NOW. UM, MY NAME IS DORY CHANDLER. I'M A RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH'S CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK HERE IN LONG BEACH TO MAKE THIS CITY A CLEANER, SAFER CITY FOR ITS RESIDENTS AND HAPPY EARTH WEEK. UM, I'M ALSO A PARENT OF TWO CHILDREN, ONE OF WHOM HAD AN ASTHMA ATTACK THIS LAST SUMMER. AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT LOCAL AIR TOXINS AND POLLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION'S CLEAN AIR REPORT UPDATE THIS WEEK, THE LA LONG BEACH AREA REMAINS THE NUMBER ONE CITY FOR MOST OZONE POLLUTING. AND NUMBER SEVEN, FOR BOTH YEAR ROUND AND SHORT TERM PARTICLE POLLUTION IN THE COUNTRY. THIS IS BAD NEWS. ONE WAY WE CAN REDUCE OUR CITY'S ASTHMA CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RATES ARE TO PHASE OUT THE USE OF DIESEL AND GAS POWERED LAWN EQUIPMENT. THIS EQUIPMENT IS A LOCAL CONTRIBUTOR TO POLLUTION, ONE THAT HAS ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE, AND ONE AREA THAT YOU ALL AND OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN DIRECTLY IMPACT. ACCORDING TO THE CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD, COMMERCIAL LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 20% OF OFF-ROAD SMOG FORMING EMISSIONS DURING THE SUMMER WITH RESIDENTIAL LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT, CONTRIBUTING ANOTHER 33% OPERATING A COMMERCIAL LAWN MOWER FOR ONE HOUR, AMIDS AS MUCH SMOG FORMING POLLUTION AS DRIVING A NEW LIGHT DUTY PASSENGER CAR FROM HERE TO LAS VEGAS AND OPERATING A COMMERCIAL LEAF BLOWER. ONE HOUR AMIDST THE SAME SMOG FORMING POLLUTION AS DRIVING FROM HERE TO DENVER WHILE A 2024 CARB ROLL REQUIRING MOST NEWLY MANUFACTURED LEAF BLOWERS, LAWNMOWERS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT BE ZERO EMISSIONS. CALIFORNIANS CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE OLDER MODELS OF GAS POWERED EQUIPMENT. THERE IS A HUGE NEED TO SHIFT LOCAL USAGE. I HOPE YOU WILL FOLLOW THE EXAMPLES OF THE CITIES OF IRVINE, SOUTH PASADENA, BUENO PARK, AND OTHERS THAT HAVE ALREADY ENACTED LOCAL ORDINANCES TO PHASE OUT THE USE OF THESE EQUIPMENT. THERE ARE CONSIDERABLE FUNDING AVAILABLE AT THE SOUTH COAST AIR DISTRICT TO HELP US MANAGE THAT TRANSITION AND BOLSTER THIS EFFORT. OUR CITY CAN BEGIN BY RECOMMENDING TO FORM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TONIGHT. UM, TO STUDY THIS ISSUE, I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AS NEEDED. I BELIEVE WE SHOULD NEGOTIATE THE USE OF ZERO EMISSIONS EQUIPMENT INTO THE CITY'S UPCOMING CONTRACTS WORKING ON OUR PARKS AND CITY BUILDINGS. AND LB UNIFIED AS WELL SHOULD FOLLOW SUIT THROUGH A THREE-TIERED APPROACH, EDUCATION INCENTIVES AT AN ORDINANCE. WE CAN ASSIST BOTH RESIDENTS AND COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPERS IN MAKING THIS TRANSITION. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER WITH YOU ALL AND OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN, OUR WORKERS, AND LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS I WOULD LIKE TO CREATE, BUT, UM, I APPOINT IT TO BE THE CHAIR IF IS POSSIBLE. , I SAY I WANNA CREATE IT. HOW COME YOU I AM APPOINTING YOU AS THE CHAIR . I, I WISH I CAN DO IT, GUYS, BUT I THIS IS DELEGATION AT ITS BEST. . NO, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, I MEAN, THE CHAIR CAN BE DECIDED. I JUST JOKING. BUT YEAH, I WOULD LIKE TO START A COMMITTEE, THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. I MEAN, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS A INTEREST ON, ON, ON THE COMMISSIONERS. SO THIS IS, TO ME, THIS IS A, A VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT, UH, THING. I'D BE HAPPY TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE AND TO ARM WRESTLE WITH OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THE CHAIR. WE NEED ONE MORE, RIGHT? IT HAS TO BE THREE I WHY YOU GONNA BE THERE? OKAY. I I BELIEVE TH A MAXIMUM OF FOUR IS RECOMMENDED, BUT THREE TO FOUR, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, THERE'S, UH, NO MINIMUM. OUR RECOMMENDATION WAS THREE TO FOUR, JUST BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE COMMISSION. AND IF, UH, COMMISSIONER GATON IS ONE OF THEM. AND YOU'RE TERMING OUT IN JUNE, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER. EXACTLY. YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE, UH, THE THIRD THAT WOULD LEAVE JUST TWO . YEAH. SO WE NEED ONE MORE. I WAS JUST SAYING THAT MAKES SENSE TO DO THIS ONCE YOUR REPLACEMENT HAS BEEN SEATED. I PRETTY SURE I GONNA SAY A LITTLE BIT LONGER. A FEW MONTHS. I MEAN, THIS IS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS KIND OF DONE RIGHT? IF WE PUT IN [02:10:01] NO WORK, I THINK THAT CAN BE DONE SOON BECAUSE THEY HAVE EVERYTHING. IF YOU SEE, I DON'T KNOW, YOU RECEIVED THE EMAIL? WE HAVE, WE HAVE A PHONE CALL, A FEW. WE HAVE A VIDEO CALL A FEW WEEKS AGO. OKAY. SO I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF WORK. I'M TALKING ABOUT I GONNA BE HERE UNTIL JUNE OR JULY. SO OUR NEXT COMMISSION MEETING IS JUNE 25TH, I BELIEVE. AND THAT WOULD BE, UH, YOUR LAST COMMISSION MEETING UNLESS THERE IS A REPLACEMENT, UNLESS THE REPLACEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPOINTED. AND YOU AGREE TO CONTINUE YOUR TERM OR CONTINUE PAST YOUR TERM UNTIL YOUR REPLACEMENT IS FILLED. YEAH. ARE THERE ACTIVE, UM, I KNOW THAT I GOT INTERESTED IN THIS BECAUSE THE MAYOR SENT OUT A, AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE NEED FOR COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS. IS IT? SO THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ARE AWARE THAT WE HAVE, UH, VACANCIES NOW IN UPCOMING AND THEY PLAN ON DOING MORE APPOINTMENTS, UM, PRIOR TO THE JULY 1ST START, UH, START DATE OF THE NEXT TERM. SO HOPEFULLY ANY VACANCIES WILL BE FILLED BY JULY, BUT IF NOT, AGAIN, WE CAN HAVE PEOPLE CONTINUE ON UNTIL THEIR, THEIR POSITION IS FILLED IF THEY CHOOSE TO DO THAT. SO THAT'S WHY ALSO WE NEED THREE PEOPLE. SO WHEN I STEP BACK SOMEWHERE ELSE STAY. SO MAYBE JUST A SUGGESTION, SINCE WE ARE STILL SORT OF EVALUATING THE TIME CONSTRAINTS, MAYBE WE TAKE A LOOK AND SEE HOW MUCH DATA THERE IS AND, YOU KNOW, WORK TOGETHER TO SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AS OPPOSED TO HAVING THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW. WE TABLE IT FOR HAVING THE COMMITTEE AT THE NEXT TIME. SO YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THE EMAIL, WHAT DATA THERE IS, AND THEN EVALUATE HOW MUCH TIME CONSTRAINTS THERE IS. SO THIS HELPS, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA THANK A PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THAT. AND SHE HAS A LOT OF DATA ALREADY, SO MIGHT WANNA TAKE A STEP BACK AND SEE HOW MUCH DATA THERE IS AND HOW MUCH WORK THERE, THERE REALLY IS FOR US TO DO. AND THEN MAKE A DECISION AT THAT POINT. 'CAUSE THEN THERE'LL BE AN INFORMED DECISION. JUST A THOUGHT. I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE A REVIEW OF WHO IS INTERESTED IN BEING ON THE COMMITTEE. JUST HILDA. SO ONE, TWO, AND WE NEED ONE. AND THAT'S OKAY. I WOULD NOT SAY THE CHAIR, BUT I PARTICIPATE. OH, OKAY. AND IF YOU COULD TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON PLEASE. MAYBE. SO WE HAVE FOUR. PERFECT. THEN THAT'S IT. SO MY VOTE IS TO CREATE THE AD HOC, TO CREATE THE AD HOC AND TO DISSOLVE THE OLD. YEAH. AND FOR THE RECORD, WHO ARE THE MEMBERS THAT WE ARE POINTING TO? THE AD HOC. I HAVE GAAN, I HAVE MARSH, I HAVE BENNETT NOW, AND SERGE ALSO. CHAIR GAINES. IF I COULD JUST, UH, JUMP INTO IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE WAS AN EMAIL THAT WAS SENT OUT. I'M NOT SURE WHO IT WENT TO, BUT, UM, IF IT WAS SENT OUT TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, WE WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE WE AVOID ANY POTENTIAL BROWN ACT VIOLATIONS AND, AND DON'T HAVE ANY DISCUSSIONS UNLESS IT'S AT A MEETING. BUT NOW THAT WE HAVE AN AD HOC FORMED, ANYONE ON THE AD HOC COMMITTEE WOULD BE ABLE TO DISCUSS IT OUTSIDE OF THE MEETING AS LONG AS IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE THREE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. GREAT, THANK YOU. WE WERE ALREADY WARNED VIA EMAIL OR NOTIFIED MM-HMM . GREAT. UM, DO WE NEED LANGUAGE TO AMEND, UM, TO CREATE THE AD HOC COMMITTEE? SO WHAT I'LL NEED NOW IS, SINCE WE'RE DOING A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, THE MAKER OF THE MOTION, WHICH IS COMMISSIONER COHERO, DO YOU AGREE TO DISSOLVING THE, UM, ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY AD HOC COMMITTEE AND CREATING THE, UH, PHASE OUT OF THE DIESEL AND GAS POWERED AD HOC COMMITTEE WITH SERGE BENNETT GAAN AND MARSHA POINTED. I DO AGREE. PERFECT. THANK YOU. OKAY, IF THERE'S NO, UM, FURTHER, UH, DISCUSSION MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. MARSHA, UH, COMMISSIONER HANKS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE VERBAL THANK YOU AND OH, PERFECT. UH, MOTION CARRIES. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, PLEASE READ THE NEXT ITEM. ITEM NUMBER SIX IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM CITY STAFF ON EARTH MONTH AND ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES FROM THE OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION AND SUSTAINABILITY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THIS ITEM? OKAY. THIS MOTION'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER BENNETT, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BROWN. [6. 26-54896 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from City staff on Earth Month and announcements and resources from the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] THANK YOU. AND I'LL, I'LL NOW TURN THINGS OVER TO THE STAFF. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, UH, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS. UH, SO I BELIEVE THIS IS OUR LAST ITEM. UM, IT'S GONNA BE OUR USUAL ANNOUNCEMENTS, BUT THEN ALSO SOME UPDATES, UM, ON, UM, THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. SO, SO FIRST THE EARTH [02:15:01] MONTH OVERVIEW VIEW. AND SO WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UH, SOME EVENTS LAST MONTH, THE EARTH MONTH COMMUNITY CALENDAR, AND SOME UPCOMING EVENTS. SO OUR USUAL, YOU KNOW, PREVIOUS MONTH EVENTS RECAP, UM, THESE ARE EVENTS THAT OUR OFFICE PARTICIPATED IN ARE PUT ON. UM, SO WE HAD A TREE PLANTING IN WEST LONG BEACH WITH, UM, STAFF FROM THE LONG BEACH CONTAINER TERMINAL, WHERE WE PLANTED, I BELIEVE 32 TREES ALONG 25TH STREET, UH, WHICH REPRESENTED A HUNDRED TREES PLANTED THIS YEAR, UM, IN WEST LONG BEACH. UM, SO THAT, THAT WAS A GOAL RELATED TO THE WEST SIDE PROMISE THAT WE'VE MET. AND, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO PLANT MORE TREES THERE. UM, THE VERY NEXT DAY WE HOSTED OUR MONARCH DAY OF ACTION AT WILLOW SPRINGS PARK, AND THAT'S WHAT THESE PHOTOS ARE FOR. IT WAS OUR FIFTH, UH, MONARCH DAY OF ACTION, AND THEY KEEP GETTING BIGGER AND, AND BETTER. UH, WE PLANTED ALMOST 200 PLANTS, INCLUDING, UH, 75 NARROW LEAF MILKWEED TO HELP MONARCH BUTTERFLIES. AND THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER BONUS, UM, WELL, IT WAS A LOVE YOUR BLOCK EVENT, WHICH IS A, UH, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DEPARTMENT INITIATIVE WHERE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCKS CANNED APPLY FOR A, A LITTLE MICRO GRANT FUNDING TO, TO DO PROJECTS AND CLEANUPS. BUT THIS ONE INCLUDED TREE PLANTING, UH, THROUGH OUR OFFICE THAT, UM, ADDED ON TO THE, THE CLEANUP AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES TO ADD IN ADDITIONAL 10 TREES. SO OF COURSE, THIS IS EARTH MONTH AND EVERY YEAR WE PUT TOGETHER A COMMUNITY CALENDAR. AND THIS TIME IT HAD MORE THAN 75 CITY AND, UH, COMMUNITY EVENTS, UH, FROM NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUPS TO RECYCLING DRIVES TO FARMER'S MARKETS AND SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOPS AND CRAFT ACTIVITIES. THREE OF OUR EVENTS WERE FEATURED, UH, TREE PLANTING THAT HAPPENED LAST, UH, FRIDAY, A UM, EARTH DAY AT CITY HALL THAT HAPPENED, UH, EARLIER TODAY. AND THE CITY NATURE CHALLENGES ARE OTHER BIG SPRING EVENT AT WILLOW SPRINGS PARK, UH, COMING UP THIS SATURDAY. UM, AND HERE IT IS AGAIN. UH, OUR FIFTH ANNUAL. UM, AFTER THAT NEXT WEEK, THIS WAS, UH, MENTIONED IN THE CITY COLLEGE PRESENTATION, BUT CLIMATE ACTION DAY AT, AT THE CITY COLLEGE WITH A, A GREEN JOBS PANEL AND, AND SORT OF JOB FAIR. AND THEN, UH, MOVING ON INTO, UH, MAY OUR MONTHLY RESTORATION, FRIDAY AT WILLOW SPRINGS ON THE MAY 8TH. UM, ANOTHER, UH, OUR SECOND TO LAST COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING IN WILMORE CITY ON, UH, SATURDAY MAY 9TH. AND THEN THERE'S A COUPLE OF CITY SURVEYS, UH, THAT ARE OUT THERE. THE YOUTH POWER, UH, PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING, UM, SURVEY THAT'S, THAT'S OUT RIGHT NOW. AND A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UM, ACTION PLANNED, UH, COMMUNITY SURVEY THAT, UM, I ARE THESE DUE DATES, IS IT THE OPEN UNTIL DATES OPEN UNTIL DATES, YES. SO, UH, THE SURVEY'S OPEN UNTIL MAY 2ND IN THAT CASE. AND MOVING ON TO ANDRE FOR SOME CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. UPDATES, MY TIME TO SHINE. UM, HI COMMISSIONERS. GOOD EVENING. I'M JUST GONNA DO A QUICK, UH, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN UPDATE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE RELEASING TO SHOW THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. UH, SO OUR 2022 AND 2024 MUNICIPAL GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY REPORTS ARE ALMOST COMPLETE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. WE'LL BE RELEASING THOSE. UH, WHAT THAT IS, IT'S OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS. SO IT'S ANYTHING AS FAR AS LIKE CITY FLEET, UM, THE GAS AND ELECTRICITY USED IN OUR CITY BUILDINGS THAT WE OWN AND LEASE. UM, AND JUST, UM, TRYING TO THINK EXACTLY WHAT IS, UH, OUR FUGITIVE EMISSIONS. UH, SO JUST ALL THE REPORT THAT'S GONNA BE RELEASED WILL SHOW ALL, UM, ALL THESE THINGS AND WHY WE DO THIS. IT'S ONLY A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE WHOLE, IT'S CLOSE TO PROBABLY LIKE 2% OF OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY WIDE, UM, INVENTORY. BUT THIS KIND OF SHOWS US WHAT WE'RE DOING. UM, INEFFICIENTLY, IT KIND OF LED US LEAD BY EXAMPLE 'CAUSE WE CAN'T ASK OTHER, UH, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO DO THINGS THAT WE OURSELVES ARE NOT DOING. SO THIS REPORT, UM, WE'RE GONNA BE RELEASING, UH, FOR 22 AND 24, AND THEN, UH, NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE RELEASING OUR COMMUNITY WIDE ONE. SO BI-ANNUALLY WE DO, UM, WE ALTERNATE WITH OUR COMMUNITY WIDE AND OUR MUNICIPAL, OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS. UM, SO ALL THIS INFORMATION, UH, WE WANNA MAKE IT PUBLIC SO IT'LL BE UPDATED ON OUR LONG BEACH, UH, CLIMATE PORTAL, UH, WHICH CURRENTLY SHOWS OUR COMMUNITY WIDE INVENTORY OF, OF 2021 AND 2023 AND 2015. SO IT WILL BE UPDATED TO SHOW 2024 AND 2022 LONG. UH, OUR, UH, GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND ADDITIONAL DATA WILL INCLUDE, UH, ACTION ITEM UPDATES AS, UH, WE GO OUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AND AS ALWAYS, WE HAVE OUR ANNUAL REPORT. UH, SO, UH, THIS SHOWS OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS OUR OFFICE, UH, FOR OUR CLIMATE ACTION SIDE, OUR SUSTAINABILITY SIDE, UM, AND ALL THE OTHER CLIMATE CHAMPIONS THAT WE USE, THE DEPARTMENTS, UH, THEY GIVE US INFORMATION OF WHAT ALL THE HARD WORK THAT [02:20:01] THEY'VE DONE AND WE WANNA, UH, TOWARDS CAP GOALS AND WE WANNA EXEMPLIFY THAT AND SHOW, UM, EVERYONE. AND IT'LL BE AN UPDATE, UH, FOR, UM, INVENTORIES AND OUR CLIMATE PORTAL THAT WE JUST SPOKE ABOUT. AND BACK TO YOU, LARRY, TO BRING US HOME. JUST OUR LOOK AHEAD. HERE WE ARE. WELL, OUR NEXT MEETING, UH, IN JUNE IS GONNA, UH, FEATURE, UH, DROUGHT. AND IT'S ALSO THE TIME OF YEAR WHERE WE DO CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR ELECTIONS. SO, UH, GET PREPARED FOR THAT AND, AND THAT'S IT. GREAT. YEAH. THANK YOU. UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? NO. OKAY. . OKAY. UM, WE'LL NOW TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. SNA SEEING THAT. OKAY. UM, LET'S SEE. UM, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. YEAH, APPROVE. MARSHA. THANK YOU. AND COMMISSIONER GE I CAN ALSO TAKE A VOICE, VOTE FOR YOU IF YOU'D LIKE. AYE. MUCH APPRECIATED. MOTION CARRIES. GREAT, THANK YOU. UM, LET'S SEE. UM, AT THIS TIME WE'LL NOW TAKE, UH, NON AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENTS. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, UM, ON ANY ITEM NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. SEEING NONE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, LET'S SEE. I CAN MOVE ON TO ANNOUNCEMENTS. UM, ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? YES, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. UM, I'M ANNOUNCING THAT THIS IS MY LAST [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Climate Resilient and Sustainable City Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] MEETING, UH, AS A COMMISSIONER. UM, I'M RESIGNING MY POSITION. I HAVE, I'LL BE, UM, OUTTA THE COUNTRY FOR A FEW MONTHS IN THE SUMMER, SO I'M READY TO PASS MY POSITION ON. UM, BUT [ANNOUNCEMENTS] IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE AND, UM, A PLEASURE TO SERVE ON THE COMMISSION WITH EVERYONE. IT'S BEEN A VERY IMPRESSIONABLE EXPERIENCE TO HEAR FROM ALL THESE, UH, CITY STAFF EXPERTS AND CITY PARTNERS, UH, AT EVERY MEETING. I'M CONSTANTLY KIND OF BLOWN AWAY AT ALL THE THINGS GOING ON IN THE CITY, AND IT'S BEEN REALLY COOL TO, UM, GET THAT INSIGHT INTO ALL THE THINGS THE CITY'S DOING TOWARDS, UH, MEETING THEIR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS. SO, THANK YOU ALL. YEAH. I'LL JUST SAY THANK YOU COMMISSIONER COHERO FOR YOUR WORK ON THE AD HOC COMMITTEE AND BRINGING YOUR EXPERTISE TO THE COMMISSION. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME SERVING YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? IT WAS A PLEASURE TO SHARE THIS TABLE WITH YOU, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS VERY HARD FOR ME TO, TO SAY YOUR LAST NAME. . I GONNA MISS YOU. . THANK YOU. I, UM, IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, I DECLARE THE MEETING ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.