We, here in the North Bay, are all too familiar with the increasing signs of the Climate Crisis. Today, I read that PG&E is about to implement another Public Service Power Shutdown to prevent wildfires. And the wildfires that are happening right here (thank you to the public servants who have acted so decisively to control them!) And the worsening drought. And the hottest summer on record. 

We, here in the North Bay, also know that we have the power to do something, and, more, to lead in showing others a way out of the crisis. 

This week, the City of Larkspur, our neighbor, passed a Climate Emergency Resolution, becoming the 8th Marin Jurisdiction to do so (Fairfax was the first). 

One of the key things we are going to need to do is to continue to reduce our reliance on natural gas. This is so hard, in so many ways, but we can do it. 

Fairfax has started by saying, lets not make the problem worse; lets ensure that all new buildings in our beloved Town will be powered by electricity, knowing that the California Electrical Grid, and, especially, the MCE electricity, is increasingly derived from renewable sources. 

Fairfax Town Staff are now starting to walk the talk, and they are exploring ways to electrify the operations of our buildings - something we have advocated for years. 

Now, the Bay Area Air Quality District is considering regulations that would prohibit the sale or installation of any appliance that burns natural gas to work. This will essentially force all of us, over time, to move our homes to all-electric. The meeting will be held on Monday, October 18th, at 9 am. (Agenda, with meeting details, HERE). 

Electrification of existing buildings is a huge ask. It will cost us all something to make certain we have electrical Services large enough to support the change (doing so will also provide, in many cases, a significant improvement in fire safety, due to the high failure rate of many older electrical panels). We will need to replace our furnaces, our water heaters, our gas dryers, and our beloved gas stoves. 

The issue of methane in our environment is terribly serious, and we ignore it at our peril. (More HERE). 

Each of us can start to move towards the future we inevitably face by ensuring that, the next time we need to replace any of these (furnace, water heater, gas dryer, stove), we do so with electrical ones. There are many financial incentives out there to help, and we at the CAC will continue to provide information about these incentives and financial supports, and we will continue to fight for more ways to help our people. 

It might soon be the law. It is, today, the right thing to do. Lets be good ancestors. 

A recent report from Bloomberg indicates that the worldwide uptake of Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is encouraging, but that governments need to be doing more to incentivize their development - even if the goal is 100% ZEV by 2050. 

Of course, our goal in Fairfax is 100% by 2030; suggesting that we probably need to be even more aggressive in finding ways to help our people. Frankly, it makes sense that we need a faster adoption curve here, because the real laggards are in countries with few resources, and our doing better will help to continue to drive prices down for everyone. HERE. 

The good news for us is that the pace of adoption for 2- and 4-wheel passenger vehicles is faster than that for commercial and industrial vehicles. And, in Fairfax, we have far more of the former than the latter. 

There are many things that BIG governments, like countries and states need to do, that we just cannot do in our Town. But, there are critical things that we can, and should, do. 

First, the Town needs to walk the talk. The CAC is beginning work to collaborate with the Town Staff to assess our vehicle needs, and to build a plan to decarbonize by the end of the decade. San Anselmo is currently pondering an ordinance to adopt an ordinance to this effect. 

Second, we will continue to seek out sources of funding to help the people here to find ways to economically transition to EVs, when our cars need to be replaced. 

Finally, we need to find ways to make charging stations more accessible to people, especially to people with lower incomes. Unfortunately, the ARPA funds that the Town has been given cannot be used for this purpose, so we will have to look elsewhere. Again, the good news is that both the state and the Federal governments are paying increasing attention to the issue, developing policies that will both help Towns like us, and further driving down the cost of these vehicles. 

EVs are already less expensive, on a life-cycle basis, than gas-powered cars. The problem is affording the up-front costs. 

We will continue to help the Town look for ways to Walk the Talk, and to help all of us make our next car, an EV. 

Thank you for doing your part; together, we can do this. 

Two agencies of the State regularly hold what they call "En Banc" hearings. These are informational exchanges on topics the agencies are focused on. 

These hearings are outside of any particular CPUC proceeding, and they deal generally with an important topic. 

On Wednesday of this week, October 13, at 1 pm, these two agencies will be holding a joint En Banc hearing on the issue of Transportation Electrification. 

The State of California has been investing heavily into supporting this issue, especially trying hard to focus money where people have fewer resources and have worse air quality. Often, they are using money from the California Cap and Trade program to fund these efforts. This is really excellent work, in that we are putting a price on carbon, and we are helping people who need help, and we are helping them to take older, more heavily polluting cars off the road, and so, we are helping to move the needle on our state's emissions. 

This Wednesday is your chance to hear more about what the State is doing to help us all, and they will open the floor for public comment. 

This is a fantastic opportunity to voice your opinions on the state's work to help us all. I hope many of us are there to be part of our government. 

​Details HERE. 

Together, we can do what needs to be done. 

When we think about EVs, we often think about Teslas. We all know that Teslas are extremely expensive, and, therefore, available only to the wealthy. 

But, Towns around the country are finding that Teslas for police use out perform gas-powered cars, and out-perform them from a financial perspective, freeing up much-needed funds for other purposes. 

The results in California will likely be different than that in other locations, due to the costs of electricity here, relative to the costs of electricity in other places. Of course, we also pay more for gasoline, so the California towns that have tried them, have found them to yield considerable savings from the perspective of needed fuel. 

And, it is well-known that today's EVs outperform their gas-powered competitors in terms of reliability. The EVs don't need as much service, and, when they do, they take less time to service, meaning they are more available than gas-powered cars. 

And, they last longer. So, in terms of cost per year, they are lower than the cost per year of competing gas-powered cars. 

Bargersville, Indiana, with a population of less than 8.000 (similar to that of Fairfax), has started investing in Tesla's - because they save money by doing so. 

In Westport, Connecticut, the PD found that they paid for the additional first cost of a Tesla within a year. 

In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, their Tesla will pay for itself within four years. 

If you or I were able to buy a Tesla, it might be Gentrification. When a Town invests in one, it's wisdom. 

Scientific American ran an interesting piece today. The article discusses the fact that the world is not moving fast enough to electrify our vehicle fleet. 

The transportation sector creates more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector in the world. We are now on track to have 30% of cars on the road to be electric by 2050. We need to have that number at 60%. HERE. 

The Town of Fairfax has approved a Climate Action Plan that commits us to being 100% carbon free in our Town Transportation by 2030; we will walk the talk. 

I have written before about this topic, and many folks point out, rightly, that the cost of a new electric vehicle is prohivbitive for people on fixed income, and that we need to find a way to help people make this needed transition. 

Help is on the way. 

Last night, Jody Timms spoke at the Town Council meeting about a new cash for clunkers program now available in the Bay Area (details on the home page of this website). 

Tantalizing - Even better for the world, but, unfortunately, not for Fairfax at this point, the Bay Area Air Quality District yesterday announced another new program to help people of limited means to buy electric vehicles. This program is called Clean Cars for All and it was funded as part of the State's new allocation of money to fight climate change. The program will pay a GRANT of up to $9,500 for the purchase of an EV, a plug-in hybrid, or a fuel cell car - even used ones. This is kind of painful for those of us in Fairfax, but we can console ourselves, I guess, with the knowledge that the government is making good use of its Cap and Trade dollars (this is where the funding is coming from) and it will accelerate the uptake of these vehicles, which will ultimately lower their costs and make more used vehicles available - even in Marin. 

The good news, of course, is that there ARE considerable financial incentives available to all of us, and many are targeted at purchase of used vehicles, and for people of lower incomes. 

Here in Fairfax, we can benefit from:

Federal EV Tax Credit - up to $7,500, depending on car's battery capacity; 
Federal Fuel Cell tax credit - up to $8,000.
California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project - up to $4,500 for qualified vehicles, with more available for low-income applicants. 
California Fuel Award - Up to $1,500.
MCE Vehicle Rebate Program - up to $3,500 for low-income customers.
Community Housing Development Corp Incentive - up to $5,000, and including used cars. 
Drive Clean Discounts. 

You can learn more about all of these programs HERE. 

Fairfax has been a leader in uptake for MCE Deep Green in the County. Fairfax has been the first Town in the County to Declare a Climate Emergency. Fairfax has been a leader in adopting the ONLY Climate Action Plan aiming at Carbon Neutrality by 2030. Fairfax has been a leader in passing the first and only all-electric new buildings code in the County. 

Let's show the Town and the world that we, the people will be the leaders in getting to zero with our cars. 

Police departments need cars that will perform. 

Famously, there was an incident in San Francisco where an experimental Electric Police vehicle almost ran out of battery during a high-speed chase. HERE. 

Fortunately, the number of high-speed chases in Fairfax California is not so high. 

And, more and more police departments in California, across the country, and around the world are finding that All-electric vehicles more than satisfy their needs for reliable, cost-effective duty. 

Close to home, the Fremont Police Department ran a pilot program in which they bought a used, 2014 Tesla, and put it into service as a police car. In addition to its excellent performance (even this old one can go two shifts on a single charge), it saves them money. On an annual basis, the Tesla cost them about $3,000 less per year to operate than a NEW gas-powered car. (e.g. if they had tested a new EV, the maintenance costs would have been far less, such that the annual savings would have been more). The Tesla needed much LESS time to be serviced, meaning it was more available than comparable gas-powered cars. And, because it was more reliable, the Tesla is projected to be able to have longer service life than a fossil-fuel powered car, so that its costs can be amortized over more years, making it even more economical. Fremont projects that they will save more than $2M over the next 20 years by shifting to All-Electric Police Vehicles. HERE. 

Westport Connecticut bought a 2020 Tesla 3 for its most recent police car. In addition the advantages discovered by Fremont, they found that the All-Electric vehicle offered "superior performance, 5-star crash ratings, and industry-leading collision avoidance technology." The Tesla also has an additional trunk where an engine would be, allowing the officers to carry needed emergency equipment. The Tesla comes with many standard features that a department would otherwise need to add at additional costs. HERE. 
Hyattsville, Maryland, a small community, was one of the first communities to use an All-Electric police car, in this case, the Chevy Bolt. According to Police Sergeant Harnett of the Hyattsville PD, "when I’m patrolling in the Bolt EV, I’m out there doing all of the things that other officers do,” says Hartnett. “But I’m not polluting the air, and I don’t have any of the other problems that gas-burning vehicles do. It’s clear to me that EVs like the Bolt EV certainly have a place in law enforcement.”

I could go on and on. A simple google search turns up many many jurisdictions successfully making the switch to all-electric police cars - and saving money and getting better performance. 

I am not a police officer. I honor and respect the work our officers do on our behalf. 

Wednesday night, the Town Council will consider a consent item to purchase new HYBRID police vehicles. While hybrid vehicles are certainly better than gas-burning cars, they are not as good - in performance or cost or environmentally - as all-electric vehicles now available. 

The Town of Fairfax has declared a climate emergency. The Town of Fairfax has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. 

Should we begin to walk the car talk?

Whether the Town makes this decision or not, as citizens, we can all make, for ourselves, the determination that we will never buy another vehicle that burns gas. All of us are likely to have to replace our vehicles over the next ten years. There are more and more incentives for going all-electric, and there are more and more options for used cars. 

Let's all Walk the Car Talk. Together, we can do what we must do for the climate and for the world we will leave to our kids. 

A couple of weeks ago, I needed to attend a meeting for work in New Mexico. 

The people of New Mexico, we now know, have been dealing with droughts for literally thousands of years; maybe we can learn from them. 

Being recently obsessed with helping OUR community to save our dwindling resource, I had water very much on my mind, as I spent time there. 

One person told me about something the local newspaper there does. Apparently, every year, they publish the names, and the consumption of the biggest water users in the City. I have no idea whether this makes a difference to that community (example HERE). I do think that paying attention matters. We have talked, here, about how people can use Flume to watch their water consumption every day, every minute. 

Better than public shaming; let's all do the right thing; let's all get our water consumption as low as we possibly can. Even IF we can, individually, afford to use more. The alternatives are not something any of us want. 

Together, we can do what needs to be done!

This weekend, we are fortunate to have Drive Clean Marin hosting an EV show at the College of Marin. They will feature all kinds of Electric Vehicles, and E-Bikes. 

Fairfax's very own Mitch Greer will be there demonstrating a Trek E-bike. 

Each one of us needs to commit to never buying another fossil-fueled vehicle. My go-to vehicle now is an e-bike, followed by a zero emission car. I still have a 4WD Subaru, and, when it is time to replace it, I will replace it with an electric vehicle. 

The Drive Clean folks will have discounts for cars, and information on the various incentives and tax rebates to help make them affordable. Even if you can't afford it now (I can't), it will be fun to learn more about them, and about the new e-bike opportunity. 

​Join us!

I think we all know that we are now in a megadrought worse than anything in recorded history. HERE. 

In July, the Governor passed an Executive Order asking the people of the state to reduce our water consumption by 15%. HERE. 

Because of the unique circumstances in OUR county, Marin Water District (MWD) asked those of us in Marin to reduce our water consumption by 40%. HERE. 

In a recent meeting of the Fairfax Town Council, one resident asked, "If I am using 100 gallons per day per person, is that ok?" The answer, at that time, was yes, that was a reasonable number. 

But yesterday, the California Water Resources Control Board released data that shows us that we are not meeting ANY of the needed reductions, as a state, or as a County. HERE. Even if we are using only 100 gallons per day per person. 

Some of us may not believe that the climate is changing. But, go look at our reservoirs; your eyes will show you that we are in a water crisis. 

Friends and neighbors, we are running out of water. We are not doing what we need to do to make the needed difference. 

Maybe it will rain a lot this year, and all of this will, temporarily, recede from view. And maybe not. And, even if we do get some rain, it will take about 140% of normal rainfall to get us back to "normal." And, all signs point to the fact that dryness will be our new norm. And, pressures for the town population to grow are mounting. 

Let's not put our heads in the sand.

Let's take a clear-eyed view of our reality, and let's accept our responsibility to do what is right for our community, for our County, for our state, for our world. And, unfair as it might be, there are going to be people who won't stop watering their lawns, and who think they can afford to pay for more water, so they will not heed the call; putting an even greater burden on the rest of us. 

I am using about 100 gallons per per day. I am going to heed the call of MWD, the call of the state, the call of nature, the call to serve all of you, my friends and neighbors; I am going to try to get my consumption down by 40% - more, if I can, to make up for people who refuse to do so. 

So, let's all work to cut our consumption as low as we can. Let's also urge the Town Council to use 10% of our ARPA money to help us. Together we can do what we must do.

Thank you.   

Last week, Time Magazine ran an article titled "We're in a Water Crisis: We need to act like it." 

You can find the excellent article HERE. 

And, last night, the Fairfax Climate Action Committee spent two hours working, with the public, on a proposal to take a small (about 10%) portion of the ARPA funds allocated to the Town to use to help the people of this Town make needed progress towards protecting our dwindling and most precious of resources. 

In the end, the CAC voted to recommend that the Town Council move forward with this ambitious proposal. 

It is important to note that, while the money is from Fairfax's allocation of ARPA, and while the program is directly targeted to help the people of Fairfax with their water consumption, the CAC designed the program to be able to link with other jurisdictions and to share strategies, materials, efforts. A gallon saved anywhere in the County is a gallon available to all of us. 

As one member of the CAC said during the meeting, "Nothing is more important than this; no other use of the money is as important; in truth, we can't do too much to deal with this crisis."

While we wait to see what the Town Council will do, please continue to do all that you can to reduce your consumption. Our reservoirs are less than half of normal for this point in a year. We have less than one year of capacity in the reservoirs. They are less than 35% full. 

Don't flush. Take short showers. Stop irrigating. Stop washing cars. Join us. 

We're in a Water Crisis; We need to act like it. 

Thank you, CAC, thank you, Fairfax.