Sonoma City Council will disband one of its most influential local committees and replace it with two new committees charged with splitting the responsibilities of the defunct Commissions.
The council voted 5-0 in favor of the proposed change at its March 2 meeting.
The Community Services and Environment Commission, which is currently responsible for overseeing the enhancement and preservation parks, recreation facilities and open space, will be disbanded. The Parks Recreation and Open Space Committee, also known as PROS by city staff, will take its place. It will focus on the enhancement of parks and open space.
The council will also set up a Climate Action Committee. This committee will recommend policies to help the city reach its climate-action goals. In the past, a subcommittee of the city council members and CSEC deliberated on ways to mitigate climate change at city services and events.
The council is reviewing the responsibilities and oversight of several city commissions at the same time as the commission changes, including CSEC and Design Review & Historic Preservation Commission.
David Storer, Sonoma Planning Director, stated that the CSEC has become more of an environment commission in recent years. This is dedicated to climate action. Storer stated that it was clear from the review of the CSEC’s purpose that they don’t just have (climate changes) to deal. Staff is of the view that we should have a separate committee for climate action and that the CSEC should be refocused.
Storer said that the new Parks, Recreation and Open Space commissioner should focus on the Plaza, preservation and tree protection, and any other policy direction provided by the city council.
He stated that the rebranding allows the city’s to call it what they are and lessen its focus on the environment. This can be subjective and may explain why they have drifted in this direction.
The city’s Recreation Taskforce is a 15-member group of residents charged with creating a parks and recreation masterplan for the city.
The PROS Committee will also assume the duties of Tree Committee. This subcommittee was part of the CSEC.
According to city staffs recommendation, the PROS Committee will consist of five voting members with an at-large student member and at-large arborist member. The Climate Action Committee will only have five members. Both committees will be chaired by applicants who are appointed by the City Council. They meet quarterly.
The current CSEC members are invited to apply to one of the new commissions.
Vice Mayor Kelso Barrnett applauded rebranding of committees and urged a renewed focus area such as the Overlook Trail or the Montini Preserve, cemeteries, and the development of a master plan to the Plaza.
Barnett said that he is looking forward to hearing what the committee has to say about the new recycling bins in Plaza.
Bob Felder, a Councilmember, stated that the committees are heading in the right direction.
Felder stated that we should improve our committees to meet the needs of the moment.
Fred Allebach, the current chair of CSEC, spoke during public comment. He urged the Climate Action Committee to move beyond greenhouse gas emissions and put more emphasis on equity.
Allebach cautioned that while you can reduce greenhouse gases, if you don’t address the needs of the bottom two billion people on Earth, the effects of those people will cause havoc.
David Morell, a long-standing member of CSEC, stated that the commission had served a vital function for many years and that having two committees is a good thing.
He said he might be interested in applying to the climate committee, but he hopes it is given more authority than what the CSEC was. Morell described City Hall’s attitude towards climate action as “business as usual”.
Morell stated that his personal hope was that we become more aggressive and take climate-change actions more seriously. That is great, if the new committee does that.
At the next council meeting, city staff will be back with next steps for filling two new committees.
Email Jason Walsh at [email protected].