The Healdsburg Climate Mobilization Strategy (CMS) is requesting the City Council rubber stamp tens of millions of dollars for programs that exceed the climate goals set by the State - which are some of the most far reaching in the country.  Community feedback indicates a majority of residents do not support the cost and social engineering proposed by the CMS.

Our local government is funded by the people for the day-to-day management of our city to the benefit of the people.  It does that by focusing on the problems we face today such as public safety, fire and infrastructure maintenance.    The scope of local government does not include imposing arbitrary and unnecessary costs and restrictions on residents. 

The CMS proposes radical changes to all aspects of our lives.   It exceeds what is legally mandated by the state, will require expensive expansion of government spending that will have no tangible benefit to residents, and introduce burdensome regulations that will raise the cost of living and the cost of doing business in Healdsburg.   The proposal will require ongoing funding that promise to divert city resources in perpetuity.    

These measures will:

·         Increase utility bills beyond the currently planned steep increases

·         Mandate biennial smog tests 

·         Ban gas stoves in all new homes and businesses (commercial kitchen exemptions considered not guaranteed)

·         Require all new builds and significant remodels be 100% electric – eliminating choice and increasing the costs of construction.

·         Mandate expensive electric retrofits in 10% of existing buildings by 2030.

·         Restrict freedom of movement:

o   Reducing downtown parking and implementing parking fees

o   Reducing traffic lanes including on Healdsburg Avenue

o   Measure T-3 shall wield authority to exert “the use of disincentives for less favorable choices, such as making it less convenient to drive a gasoline-fueled single passenger vehicle”   

·         Require trash policing that will increase costs of service (despite widespread, voluntary  organic waste diversion) 

·         Increase taxes, fees and intrusion of government  

·         Increase the cost of living and the cost of doing business across all sectors

·         Many other broad measures in the 140+page document proposed 

Healdsburg is already on track to meet California’s ambitious climate goals via voluntary adoption of pragmatic climate conservation measures.  

The State established a 100% clean energy goal for 2045.   Without the proposed measures, we’ve increased our renewable energy use by 50% in less than 10 years.   We are currently at 65% renewable while the State trails us at only 36%.    At this pace, we will easily meet the mandate without the proposed large scale government intervention and without sacrificing more community resources.   

Healdsburg has actual problems.  10% of us live in poverty.  Less than half of Healdsburg High School students are math proficient.   Many lack reading proficiency.    People on fixed incomes are having to make hard choices in today’s high inflation and high interest rate economy.  Our sewers are getting old.  We still have not resolved the water supply problem that led us to have more severe water restrictions than any of our neighboring towns.

Indications of gang activity such as graffiti are increasingly evident and crime is an issue.  We had a recent murder on the Plaza and now an attempted kidnapping of two 12-year-olds girls.   Healdsburg needs the City Council to bring the city together by putting their constituency first.    

Most residents don’t have the desire to or the luxury of doing their grocery shopping on foot or buying an electric vehicle.   They do not support wasteful spending and government overreach.   We need to meet State mandates but not early, not in excess and not at high personal cost to many of our neighbors.

By signing this petition, I’m asking City Council members to represent the majority of the residents and vote no on the CMS measures.

 

Source documents:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cbLuQ_tkGmCbZD23IXdJEcgfR7tx7974/view?usp=drive_link