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City Manager Office <br />https://www.santa-ana.org/cm <br />Item # 19 <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> Staff Report <br />May 18, 2021 <br />TOPIC: Climate Resilience <br />AGENDA TITLE: <br />Receive and File Informational Report Relating to Climate Resilience Policies <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />Receive and file an informational report relating to climate resilience policies. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Introduction <br />At the March 2, 2021 City Council meeting, Councilmember Lopez added a discussion <br />item to the meeting agenda: Discuss and Consider Directing City Manager to Direct <br />Staff to Research and Bring to the City Council within 60 Days a Resolution Declaring a <br />Climate Emergency, Committing to Policies Opposing Fossil Fuel Expansion and <br />Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition as Part of the SAFE Cities Movement, and <br />Endorsing the Call for a Global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. While members of <br />the City Council engaged in a thorough discussion about this topic, there was not a <br />consensus among the City Council to move forward with a resolution for consideration. <br />However, there was substantial discussion on this item and questions were posed to <br />staff, including the following: (1) If cities not to use fossil fuels, what is the proposed <br />energy material to be used to meet the City’s energy needs? (2) What are the City’s <br />current energy costs for electricity and natural gas, on a yearly basis? (3) What is the <br />cost to upgrade the City’s existing utility infrastructure, to replace natural gas and other <br />fossil fuels with electricity? (4) Where would the City look to pay for these initiatives? (5) <br />What is the plan for resiliency in case of an emergency or natural disaster that disrupts <br />the delivery of energy? <br />Considering and responding to such questions would require a substantial amount of <br />City resources (for example, funding to hire a series of third-party consultants to <br />conduct a study and use relevant data to produce meaningful findings). At this time, <br />there is no staff direction to conduct such a study. However, staff has prepared the <br />following information to respond to the inquiries posed by members of the City Council.