Resolution 15776CITY OF ALAMEDA RESOLUTION NO. 15776
CONTAINING FINDINGS OF LOCAL CLIMATIC, GEOLOGICAL, AND
TOPOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS AS REQUIRED TO ADOPT ALAMEDA
LOCAL AMENDMENTS TO THE 2019 CALIFORNIA ENERGY CODE AND
RESCINDING RESOLUTION 15607 LIMITING NATURAL GAS
INFRASTRUCTURE FOR NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ON CITY
OWNED PROPERTY
WHEREAS, the California State Building Standards Commission approved and published
the 2019 edition of the California Building Standards Code on July 1, 2019, and such code will be
effective 180 days thereafter, which is January 1, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the 2019 California Building Standards Code includes the 2019 California
Energy Code; and
WHEREAS, California Health and Safety Code Sections 17958.7, and 18941.5 provide
that the City may make changes or modifications to the building standards contained in the
California Building Standards Code based upon express findings that such changes or
modifications are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological, or topographical
conditions; and
WHEREAS, on or about September 20, 2016, the State of California enacted Senate Bill
(SB) 32, which added Health and Safety Code Section 38566 to require greenhouse gas
emissions to be reduced to 40 percent below 1990 levels by no later than December 31, 2030;
and
WHEREAS, in September 2019, the City Council adopted the City of Alameda's (City)
Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP), which included policies directing staff to prepare
ordinances requiring all new residential construction to be 100% electric -powered with no gas
hookups; and
WHEREAS, in October 2019, the City Council took a first and significant step in this
direction by adopting a resolution limiting natural gas infrastructure for new residential
construction on City -owned property (Resolution 15607); and
WHEREAS, the proposed local amendments to the 2019 California Energy Code are a
targeted "Reach Code," i.e., a local building energy code amendment that "reaches" beyond the
state minimum requirements for energy use in building design and construction. It would extend
the all -electric requirement adopted for residential construction on city -owned property to new
construction throughout Alameda, including nonresidential development, thereby fulfilling a key
policy recommendation included in the CARP but would render Resolution 15607 redundant; and
WHEREAS, consistent with the CARP, the local amendments to the 2019 California
Energy Code establish requirements to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable
energy, including in particular solar energy, which will reduce demands for local energy and
resources, reduce regional pollution, and promote a lower contribution to greenhouse gases
emissions as evidenced by the statewide cost-effectiveness studies prepared by the California
Statewide Investor Owned Utilities Codes and Standards Program, which demonstrate the
potential for both a reduction in emissions and energy usage; and
WHEREAS, based upon the findings contained in this Resolution, the City Council will be
adopting an ordinance making local amendments to the 2019 California Energy Code that are
reasonably necessary based upon local climatic, geological, topographical, and environmental
conditions; and
WHEREAS, cost effectiveness studies prepared by the California Statewide Investor
Owned Utilities Codes and Standards Program in conjunction with consultants and cities,
demonstrate that the local amendments are cost-effective and do not result in buildings
consuming more energy than is permitted by the 2019 California Energy Code.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Alameda as
follows:
Section 1: RECITALS
The City Council finds the foregoing recitals to be true and correct and hereby incorporates
those recitals into this Resolution.
Section 2: LOCAL CONDITIONS
The City Council makes the following findings regarding local climatic, geological,
topographical, and environmental conditions related to the local amendments to the 2019
California Energy Code described in Section 2 below:
a. Climatic: The City is located in Climate Zone 3 in the 2019 Edition of the California
Energy Code. Climate Zone 3 incorporates mostly coastal communities from Marin
County to southern Monterey County including San Francisco. Alameda is already
experiencing the repercussions of excessive greenhouse gas emissions including
increased temperatures and more extreme weather events, decreased precipitation,
and impacts of increased wildfire risk. From 2012 to 2017, Alameda, like the rest of
the State, experienced one of the worst droughts on record. In addition, Alameda,
along with other jurisdictions in the region and the State of California, experienced
the negative impacts of several of the most destructive wildfires in California history
in 2020. These climatic conditions, along with the greenhouse emissions generated
from structures in both the residential and non-residential sectors, led to severe
environmental impacts and accordingly require Alameda to exceed the energy
standards for building construction established in the 2019 Edition of the California
Buildings Standards Code. The City Council also adopted a Climate Action and
Resiliency Plan that has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50% below
2005 levels by 2030. In order to make progress in achieving and/or maintain this
goal, the City needs to adopt policies and regulations that reduce the use of fossil
fuels that contribute to climate change, such as natural gas in buildings, in new
development. Human activities, such as burning natural gas to heat buildings,
releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and causes an overall increase in
global average temperature. These conditions contribute to sea level rise and
persistent, seemingly omnipresent wildfires, affecting the City's shoreline and
infrastructure, in addition to the health of its residents, which Alameda is particularly
vulnerable to as an island community abutting the San Francisco Bay.
b. Seismic/Geologic: Alameda is subject to earthquake hazard caused by its proximity
to both the Hayward and San Andreas faults. Both of these faults are considered
active faults which may rupture at any time. The USGS estimates that an earthquake
greater than magnitude 6.7 has a 72 percent chance of occurring in the Bay Area
before 2043. An earthquake on one of these faults will likely result in widespread
liquefaction damaging buildings and buried infrastructure. Reducing the reliance on
natural gas in new construction will decrease the risk of fires when gas lines rupture
and break or gas appliances topple in earthquakes. Restoring full natural gas
service following a major earthquake may take up to six months, compared to about
two weeks for electricity.'
c. Topographic: The City of Alameda is a low-lying island in the San Francisco Bay,
resulting in high groundwater table, particularly during winter storms, which can
damage buried infrastructure.
d. Geographic: The City of Alameda is an island community with access dependent
upon bridges and underwater tubes that could make access in the event of a disaster
a challenge.
Section 3. LOCAL AMENDMENTS
The City Council expressly finds that the following modifications and changes to the 2019
California Energy Code are reasonably necessary because of the local geological, climatic,
topographical, and/or environmental conditions, and that the local conditions detailed in Section
1 above apply to the following modifications and changes to the 2019 California Energy Code, as
follows:
No.
Code Section(s)
Justification
Amendment Summary
from Section 1
1.
100.0 (SCOPE)
Requiring all newly constructed
Subsections (a)
buildings to be "All -Electric
! through (d)
Building[s]"; establishing certain
limited exceptions to this
requirement, in addition to
establishing a prewiring
requirement for those projects
excepted; providing for
discretion of the Building
Official to approve alternative
materials, design and methods
of construction or equipment
per California Building Code
section 104.
2.
SECTION 100.1
Adding definition of "All -Electric
Subsections (a)
(DEFINTIIONS
Building" to facilitate the
through (d)
AND RULES OF
foregoing all -electric
CONTRUCTION)
requirement for new
construction
' https://onesanfrancisco.o[g/sites/default/files/inline-
files/Lifelines%20Restoration%2OPerformance%2OReport%2OFinal-03-02-21.pdf
Local
Conditions j
Climatic,
seismic/geologic,
topographic, and
geographic
Climatic,
seismic/geologic,
topographic, and
geographic
3.
SECTION 140.0
Imposing certain mandatory
Subsections (a)
Climatic,
(PERFORMANCE
measures, including a solar
through (d)
seismic/geologic,
AND
voltaic system equipment in
topographic, and
PRESCIPTIVE
size to 15% of the roof or
geographic
COMPLIANCE
overhang for nonresidential,
APPROACHES
high-rise residential and
hotel/motel buildings
Section 4: EFFECTIVE DATE
This Resolution shall be in effective immediately upon its passage and adoption.
BE IT FURHTER RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Alameda that City of
Alameda Resolution No. 15607 is hereby rescinded.
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly
adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a regular meeting assembled
on this 18th day of May 2021, by the following vote to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers Daysog, Knox White, Vella and Mayor Ezzy
Ashcraft — 4.
NOES: Councilmember Herrera Spencer — 1.
ABSENT: None.
ABSTENTIONS: None.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of
said City this 19' day of May 2021
I -e, '? !
Lara Weisiger, City (#k
City of Alameda
Approved as to form: