Petaluma Starts Climate Conversations
The Petaluma Equitable Climate Action Committee (PECAC) helps bring diversity and equity to an arena of public policy otherwise dominated by white voices as the city continues to advance its ambitious climate goals.
Petaluma made international news earlier this year for enacting the nation’s first ban on new gas stations. The city of 60,000 in southern Sonoma County also moved this year to prohibit natural gas in nearly all new construction, and hasn’t allowed new drive-thrus since 2008. It aims to be carbon neutral by 2030.
But mitigating climate change involves more than just ending old habits; it also requires building new ones. That’s part of the impetus behind PECAC, pronounced “peacock” in the local parlance, says Kerry Fugett of the Petaluma-based nonprofit Daily Acts. Her organization is helping to coordinate the new committee, which was established in the wake of the city’s passage of a Climate Emergency Framework in January. “We designed the PECAC to help advance the implementation process of this framework so that it had more voices of color in that process,” Fugett says. Six residents with past experience in community and social activism (but not directly tied to climate) were chosen from among 30 applicants to serve on the committee for six months.
Representing Black, Latinx, and Asian-American communities in Petaluma, and a range of socioeconomic perspectives, the committee members — half of whom are under 25 — are supported by a small stipend and tasked with reviewing the Climate Emergency Framework for relevance to their own community, leading outreach and listening circles, and reporting back to the city council with recommendations for prioritizing policies and addressing climate equity issues.
Though modest, the program is one step toward bringing more people into the climate conversation, “which historically has not always felt inclusive,” Fugett says. “We are hoping that this can feed into how [the Climate Emergency Framework] is woven into the general plan process, and potentially future budgeting decisions.”
Other Recent Posts
ReaderBoard
Once a month we share reader announcements: jobs, events, reports, and more.
CEQA Reforms: Boon or Brake for Adaptation?
California Environmental Quality Act updates may open up more housing, but some are sounding alarms about bypassed environmental regulations.
Repurposing Urban Lots & Waterfronts: Ashland Grove Park, Palo Alto Levee, and India Basin
In this edition of our professional column, we look at how groups are reimagining a lot in Ashland Grove and shorelines in San Francisco and Palo Alto.
Backyard Harvests Reduce Waste
A Cupertino Rotary Club program led by Vidula Aiyer harvests backyard fruit and reduces greenhouse gases.
Digging in the Dirt Got Me Into Student Climate Action
A public garden at El Cerrito High School in the East Bay inspired my love of nature and my decision to study environmental science at UCLA.
King Kong Levee: Two Miles Done, Two To Go
Two miles of levee are now in place as part of the project to protect Alviso and parts of San Jose, but construction will last much longer.
Making Shade a Priority in LA: An Interview with Sam Bloch
After witnessing fire disasters in neighboring counties, Marin formed a unique fire prevention authority and taxpayers funded it. Thirty projects and three years later, the county is clearer of undergrowth.
Without Transit Rescue Measure, Bay Area Faces Major Climate Setback
BART, Caltrain, Muni, and AC Transit could face devastating cuts, pushing thousands more cars onto Bay Area roads, unless voters intervene.
