FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 14, 2019
The City of Petaluma Passes First Climate Emergency Resolution in Sonoma County
Petaluma joins more than 500 jurisdictions worldwide declaring a climate emergency
PETALUMA, Calif. (City of Petaluma and Climate Action Petaluma) May 13, 2019 — On Monday, May 6, the Petaluma City Council became the first city in Sonoma County to pass a Climate Emergency Resolution. Petaluma joins nearly a dozen municipalities in Northern California and more than 500 jurisdictions worldwide—representing about 52 million people—that have passed such a resolution.
“Sustainability continues to be a top priority for the City of Petaluma,” said Mayor Teresa Barrett. “Our City faces a number of challenges including a growing population, an aging infrastructure, and climate change, and this declaration emphasizes that climate action will be part of our decision-making as we prepare Petaluma for our future generations.”
Climate Emergency Resolutions are the brainchild of The Climate Mobilization, an organization that has worked the past five years to spark an emergency response to climate change. The goal of these resolutions is to frame climate as the urgent and existential crisis it is and to spur action at all levels of government and society on a scale, scope, and speed not seen since World War Two.
Inspired by the Climate Emergency Resolution that 350 Petaluma developed, individuals from Work Petaluma, Urban Chat, Lunchette Petaluma, and Daily Acts joined 350 Petaluma to launch the Petaluma Climate Action Campaign, which also received mobilizing support from the Aqus Community. To strengthen the call for equitable climate action, Indivisible Petaluma and the Petaluma chapter of the North Bay Organizing Project then joined the group, now known as Climate Action Petaluma.
More than 50 local businesses and organizations and nearly 450 petition signers endorsed the resolution, which the group brought to the City of Petaluma’s goal-setting session on April 6. There, it asked the City of Petaluma to make equitable climate action the City’s number-one priority and to address three main goals: Adopt the resolution declaring a climate emergency, create a Petaluma Climate Cabinet, and establish accountability for Petaluma’s climate goals.
“It’s been inspiring to see Petalumans strongly engage in addressing the climate crisis and to see a swift response from our City in declaring a climate emergency,” said Trathen Heckman, Executive Director of Daily Acts. “Creating awareness about the crisis is a critical first step toward unleashing bold climate action and building climate resilience.”
In addition to passing Petaluma’s Climate Emergency Resolution, the City Council identified three Council Members—D’Lynda Fischer, Mike Healy, and Kathy Miller—to serve on an ad hoc subcommittee and work with Climate Action Petaluma and other stakeholders to promptly determine next steps.
A top priority of the resolution is formation of a new Climate Cabinet or similar body—comprising stakeholders and community members with climate-related expertise. The Petaluma City Council and Climate Action Petaluma will work to ensure that this entity represents the Petaluma community and includes the voices of frontline communities most impacted by the climate crisis.
Other first steps might include commitment to 100% clean and renewable energy through municipal and community participation in Sonoma Clean Power’s Evergreen program and promotion of and participation in the Sonoma Climate Challenge, recently launched by the Regional Climate Protection Authority and Daily Acts.
To learn more about other Climate Emergency Resolutions, go here. Read Petaluma’s Climate Emergency Resolution here.
For more information about Climate Action Petaluma or Climate Emergency Resolutions, contact Pete Gang at 707.338.7111 or [email protected] or Trathen Heckman at 707.318.9239 or [email protected]. For more information about the Sonoma Climate Challenge, contact [email protected].
About Climate Action Petaluma
Formerly known as the Petaluma Climate Action Campaign, Climate Action Petaluma includes representatives from local organizations and businesses with the aim of accelerating and coordinating climate action in Petaluma and helping to inspire climate action throughout the County of Sonoma.
About the City of Petaluma
The City of Petaluma, located 40 miles north of San Francisco, is a full-service, charter city with a population of 62,000. Petaluma’s unmatched lifestyle, commitment to sustainability, Bay Area access, and global impact make it a city like no other. Petaluma is led by six Council Members and the Mayor in a Council-Manager form of government.