Home Contra Costa County Contra Costa County Passes Resolution Declaring a Climate Emergency

Contra Costa County Passes Resolution Declaring a Climate Emergency

by ECT
Contra Costa County

Martinez, CA – On September 22, 2020, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed Resolution No. 2020/256 that endorses the Declaration of a Climate Emergency in Contra Costa County. The resolution demands accelerated actions on the climate crisis and calls on local and regional partners to join together to address climate change.

The resolution states: ”WHEREAS, the COVID-19 crisis could mark a turning point in progress on climate change and there will be a need for a resilient recovery after the pandemic, and Contra Costa County’s capacity to act depends largely on our ability to work together in solidarity to build the bridge between fighting COVID-19, biodiversity loss, and climate change.”

“It is our hope and vision that Contra Costa County dedicates itself to making important and significant progress to address climate change now and in the years ahead,” said Board Chair, Supervisor Candace Andersen. “We must continue our work to be good stewards of the environment for future generations.”

The Declaration of a Climate Emergency resolves to achieve a range of initiatives, including:

  • Contra Costa County establishes an interdepartmental task force to focus on urgent implementation of the Climate Action Plan.
  • The County considers its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and can incorporate the County’s climate goals.
  • The County seeks input from the community (with a special focus on highly impacted Environmental Justice communities), workers, and business/industry to help the County plan for a “Just Transition” away from a fossil-fuel dependent economy.
  • The County will prioritize the implementation of its Climate Action Plan in order to achieve greenhouse gas reductions.
  • The County considers impacts on residents, especially the young, the elderly, low-income or communities of color, and other vulnerable populations.

“Contra Costa County has a plan to transition toward a better environment and continue to affect change that has already begun,” said Supervisor Federal Glover, Chair of the County’s Sustainability Commission. “We can not wait to take further actions. I thank my fellow Board members, the Sustainability Commission, and all of the community members who contributed to an urgent resolution for action on climate change.”

“The Climate Crisis is real and we’re feeling its impacts now. That’s why bold action is needed today. Our County intends to be a leader in addressing the Climate Crisis and preparing for the transition to a fossil free future,” said Supervisor John Gioia. “By acting now, we can have a healthier environment, a safer and more resilient community, and a stronger economy with good well-paying jobs.”

The resolution was developed by the County’s Sustainability Commission, which is made up of community members, and the Sustainability Committee composed of Supervisors Glover and Gioia.

The Climate Emergency resolution further calls for “a unified Countywide voice around climate change and strengthen the call for state and federal actions and funds to address the economic, social, public health, and national security threats posed by the climate crisis.”

Read the full Resolution No. 2020/256. For more information on Contra Costa County Climate Action plan, visit Envision Contra Costa 2040.

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18 comments

Medussa Escarlata de Ross Sep 25, 2020 - 4:11 pm

The sun controls the climate.

Teresa Sep 25, 2020 - 4:14 pm

OMGosh!! can we get any more PC!! What the heck does Covid-19 have to do with climate change?!!

If you want to Affect climate change, THE MOST IMPACTFUL thing you can do is figure out how to prevent fires in Contra Costa County, which would eliminate all that smoke!!

It used to be that logging companies would build roads in the forest to access trees for lumber and the Fire Dept’s (State & Local) would use the roads to access & fight fires and use as fire breaks.

Maybe Contra Costa County can spend some of its money doing solutions like that instead of wasting money on staff time on bureaucratic, unproductive, Climate Change Committees, reports, etc!!!

The County wants us to pass Measure X (a Countywide .5% sales tax increase), because they don’t have enough money to fund Fire Dept’s, Hospitals and First Five Child development.

So the County DOES NOT have enough money for hospitals and firefighters, but they have no problem trying to figure out ways to spend money on climate change.

How about if you STOP looking for ways to spend money and START prioritizing where you spend what is budgeted. And try doing this without burdening the county’s citizens with an additional .5% sales tax called Measure X!!

And while you’re at it, Why don’t you DO YOUR JOB and figure out how to open up the County. We’re all tired of COVID-19 & would like to get back to work and would like our kids to go back to school!!

If you OPEN UP THE COUNTY and get people back to work, people would have more disposable income to spend and you would get more sales tax revenue, which would increase the County’s income and you wouldn’t have to ask us for Measure X .5% sales tax increases!!

Stop trying to jump on the PC bandwagon and just do your job!!

Pete Defroscia Sep 28, 2020 - 10:13 am

nice comment, they cant prove the climate will improve by any means but they will throw money at it to show they are attempting something..put burdens on the residents to adjust for their shortfalls.
They will move from fossil fuels to battery production and battery waste. Which is a more evil of the 2.
and their solution to the fires is to let mother nature take care of it, no money for forrest management

Teresa Sep 25, 2020 - 4:16 pm

OMGosh!! can we get any more PC!! What the heck does Covid-19 have to do with climate change?!!

If you want to Affect climate change, THE MOST IMPACTFUL thing you can do is figure out how to prevent fires in Contra Costa County, which would eliminate all that smoke!!

It used to be that logging companies would build roads in the forest to access trees for lumber and the Fire Dept’s (State & Local) would use the roads to access & fight fires and use as fire breaks.

Maybe Contra Costa County can spend some of its money doing solutions like that instead of wasting money on staff time on bureaucratic, unproductive, Climate Change Committees, reports, etc!!!

The County wants us to pass Measure X (a Countywide .5% sales tax increase), because they don’t have enough money to fund Fire Dept’s, Hospitals and First Five Child development.

So the County DOES NOT have enough money for hospitals and firefighters, but they have no problem trying to figure out ways to spend money on climate change.

How about if you STOP looking for ways to spend money and START prioritizing where you spend what is budgeted. And try doing this without burdening the county’s citizens with an additional .5% sales tax called Measure X!!

And while you’re at it, Why don’t you DO YOUR JOB and figure out how to open up the County. We’re all tired of COVID-19 & would like to get back to work and would like our kids to go back to school!!

If you OPEN UP THE COUNTY and get people back to work, people would have more disposable income to spend and you would get more sales tax revenue, which would increase the County’s income and you wouldn’t have to ask us for Measure X .5% sales tax increases!!

Stop trying to jump on the PC bandwagon and just do your job!!

Board of Stupes!! Sep 25, 2020 - 6:31 pm

The only emergency is that we have a group of do nothing, fat ass supervisors that dont do their jobs and have allowed this county to slide farther and farther down the toilet!
Worthless and overpaid!!

tom Sep 27, 2020 - 8:22 am

they are coming after your freedom of market choices and the wallet… during the drought, they passed a water bond, maybe they want to legislate a climate bond, proving that smog checks were just a money grab all along, if it did work, then why outlaw cars?

Frank Sep 25, 2020 - 8:05 pm

So are we now connecting climate change t o covid? Now I am wondering if they would really want to stop covid. Feels like politics has taken over. Al Gore made a fortune on climate change and makes me believe we’re going down the same path with people’s lives.

FakeManufacturedSystemicLiberalLies Sep 25, 2020 - 9:30 pm

They’re right ya know.
The “NEWSOM FIRES” this year – were really changed the climate considerably

FakeManufacturedSystemicLiberalLies Sep 25, 2020 - 9:31 pm

Always SPELLCHECK before posting

FERNANDO C NAVARRO Sep 25, 2020 - 9:51 pm

What climate change ya moronic denier of REAL SCIENCE. you commie b.s. pushers are the flat earthers. YA DEMON (WOODEN HEADED) RATS have CO2 on the brains from all that seltzer water! co2 is a fertalizer, dunce. IT IS NOT A TOXIN, NOT DANGEROUS GREENHOUSE GAS.

OK. ONCE AGAIN BOYS N GIRLS, HUMANS BREATH IN OXYGEN AND EXPELL OUT CO2.

PLANTS BREATH IN CO2 AND EXPELL OXYGEN ,

GOT IT CHUCKY?

FakeManufacturedSystemicLiberalLies Sep 26, 2020 - 7:58 am

Today’s forecast Hot
(Because it’s summer)

Tonight’s forecast colder than today
(Because it’s night time)

GOT IT ASSHAT!!!!!!!!

FERNANDO C NAVARRO Sep 25, 2020 - 9:59 pm

so cats and kumquat. CLIMATE FLU AND COVID WARMING are now the same thing. they are both planks in the communist manifesto. Its all street theater, A WAY TO A MEANS.

wake THE HELL UP AND VOTE THESE “THINGS” OUT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQPsKvG6WMI

FERNANDO C NAVARRO Sep 25, 2020 - 10:02 pm

“The Climate Crisis is real and we’re feeling its impacts now…..” said Supervisor John Gioia

YEAH KEEP UP THAT MANTRA. IT’S TELLING THAT YOU DUNCES HAVE TO REPEAT IT.

One mans opinion Sep 26, 2020 - 4:28 am

All we have to do is get China and India on board. The garbage and homeless drug addicts is what needs to be addressed.

Patriot Sep 27, 2020 - 3:01 pm

AMEN!!

Robert C. Sep 26, 2020 - 5:30 am

The connection between climate change and Covid-19 is idiotic. They are letting ideology overwhelm logic.

mimzee Sep 30, 2020 - 9:04 pm

Some may say these negative comments do not help, but they give me a small spark of hope to see there are still rational people in this county! Thank You!

Ernie Lau Oct 5, 2020 - 2:54 am

The Chinese military developed and weaponized the virus and brought it here via airline passengers! They also did this to Italy and and other countries as a warning. They did this to get back at Trump for going after them to stop them from screwing the living daylights out of us with their crappy merchandise aka, Made in China! He put a tariff on their exports and told them to stop stealing our intellectual property. The Chinese got mighty pissed! People should listen to what their military leadership is saying about how they plan to eradicate our economy and more.

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