The Ukiah City Council on Wednesday night adopted a comprehensive climate action plan and environmental review, aiming to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades in accordance with state mandates.
The council voted 3-1 to approve both the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and the associated environmental study, known as an initial study and negative declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Councilmember Mari Rodin was absent. Mayor Doug Crane cast the lone dissenting votes.
Blake Adams, Ukiah’s resilience officer, presented the plan, calling it a strategic document rooted in best practices from around the world. “The climate action plan is essentially a strategic planning document that attempts to do one primary thing — reduce greenhouse gas emissions that result from human activities and contribute to global warming,” Adams told the council.
California law requires Ukiah to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Adams said the plan offers policy strategies to meet those targets while streamlining future environmental reviews.
“There will be time savings,” he said, noting that future projects aligned with the CAP will not require separate greenhouse gas analyses. “It also reduces consultant fees and technical time for CEQA compliance. On a legal front, it mitigates risk.”
In addition to emissions reduction, Adams said the plan includes co-benefits such as improved air quality through phasing out fossil-fuel appliances, expanding tree planting, and encouraging walking and biking.
But not all councilmembers were convinced. Mayor Crane criticized the plan as overly ambitious and underfunded.
“What is the carrying capacity of the community to carry what sort of load?” Crane asked. “I don’t think the group has any idea what it will take in the way of resources to meet this entire list. It is at best a fool’s errand.”
Councilmember Susan Sher was among those who supported the plan, saying its adoption was long overdue. “It’s taken us about 15 years to get this document together,” she said. “The longer we wait and the worse climate change gets, the more the economy goes into a tailspin... Things are just getting worse, more dramatic, more devastating.”
In other action, the council approved the consent calendar, which included the minutes from its regular meeting on May 7th, and adopted a resolution to amend the joint powers agreement between the city and the Mendocino Council of Government to add energy and related programs as specific powers. This will enable things like rebate programs.
During the meeting, the council also proclaimed June as mountain bike month, honoring local organizations including the Ukiah Valley Trail Group, Ukiah High Composite Mountain Bike Team, and the Rusty Bowl BMX League for their contributions to maintaining trails and parks.
During public comment, residents raised concerns about the city’s recreation department, particularly the softball program. Jamie Rose Shoemaker, speaking on behalf of parents and coaches, described a lack of support from the city’s recreation sports coordinator and cited issues with outdated equipment and limited field space.
City staff acknowledged the concerns and indicated that further discussions would be held to address them.
