March 2023 Newsletter

Strategic Plan Climate Action and Resiliency Pillar Implementation

Staff from across County departments and agencies have been working hard to implement the Climate Action and Resiliency Pillar of the Strategic Plan. Recent milestones range from publishing a bi-lingual Home Resilience Guide for property owners and renters to electrifying our fleet with EVs and plug-in hybrids. Read more details below!

Above: A graphic from the Home Resiliency Guide showcasing elements of a wildfire-prepared home.

CAR Goal 1: Continue to invest in wildfire preparedness and resiliency strategies

• With Strategic Plan funding, CAO staff published the bilingual Home Resilience Guide, which is available in print and digital. The guide discusses big and small updates a homeowner or renter could make to a home to make it more resilient. It covers a broad range of topics, including home assessments, home hardening and wildfire safety, insulation, HVAC, water heating, indoor air quality, financing and incentives, and more. An interactive online version is available here!

CAR Goal 2: Invest in the community to enhance resiliency and become carbon neutral by 2030.

• Congressman Mike Thompson secured funds in the 2023 Federal Budget to locate portable electric vehicle infrastructure in underserved areas, like Andy’s Unity Park in Southwest Santa Rosa.  The solar powered chargers can be transported to support response teams during emergencies.  The project will also build a workforce development program around the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP). EVITP provides training and certification for electricians installing EV infrastructure. CARD is partnering with the Economic Development Board and Sonoma County Job Link to develop this workforce development program.

CAR Goal 3: Make all County facilities carbon free, zero waste, and resilient.

• The County is embarking on a new effort to quantify and assess all waste that is produced at County facilities. County staff, with support from Zero Waste Sonoma, are working with SCS Engineers who will evaluate the County’s municipal waste streams and make recommendations on making county operations zero waste.

CAR Goal 4: Maximize sustainability and emissions reductions in all county fleet vehicles.

• County staff are working hard towards making the transition to an all-electric fleet. Despite multiple vehicle cancellations due to supply chain constraints, the Fleet Division was able to acquire its first Ford F-150 Lightning Pro (all-electric light-duty truck) in February 2023 and Ford E-Transit cargo van (all-electric cargo van) in November 2022, to replace similar gas-powered vehicles that were due for replacement. Since August 2022, Fleet has also added two Ford Escape Plug-Ins, five Toyota Prius Primes, eight Toyota Rav4 Primes, and one Chevrolet Bolt. To date, the county's light duty fleet is 7% electric or plug-in hybrid electric.

Above: Fleet's new Ford F-150 Lighting Pro, an all-electric light-duty truck! Photo Credit: Vincent Mulligan

• Additionally, the Board of Supervisors awarded an agreement with Proterra for the purchase of 10 all-electric buses for Sonoma County Transit in January 2023. The new 40-foot coaches will be the largest electric buses introduced into the county fleet. The new buses are in addition to three 30-foot coaches currently in service and an additional three 30-foot and three 35-foot all-electric coaches that will be delivered this calendar year. The new 40-foot coaches will be the first all-electric coaches to be deployed on the County’s intercity routes which crisscross the county north/south and east/west.  The new coaches replace 10 coaches powered by compressed natural gas.  At a cost of $1.029 million each, the new buses are expected to arrive in July and August 2024.

CAR Goal 5: Maximize opportunities for mitigation of climate change and adaptation through land conversation work and land use policies.

• Last fall, the Board of Supervisors approved the Sonoma County Climate Resilient Lands Strategy.  The Strategy is a blueprint for building resilience to climate hazards on a landscape and watershed scale.  It has project templates and funding opportunities, and can be used by County departments and agencies, and other public sector, private and non-profit land managers.  You can read the full report, or a Critical Concepts summary (also available in Spanish), here.  If you are interested in natural and working lands resilience and would like to be contacted for future engagement opportunities,  to sign up.