On Sunday May 4, 2025 the League hosted a sustainability event on what local governments are doing to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. League board member Trity Pourbahrami moderated a panel of local council members: George Tyson (Los Altos Hills), Pat Showalter (Mountain View) and Sally Meadows (Los Altos).
The discussion highlighted advancements in sustainability, including carbon footprint reduction, renewable energy promotion, and eco-friendly practices. Key questions addressed by the panelists included the role of local governments, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, and concerns and constraints faced by each city in addressing climate change. For example, Los Altos Hills highlighted concerns about the threat of fires while Mountain View is concerned about sea level rise. The panel also discussed how community members can get involved and what gives hope for the future of sustainability.
Photo on Right:
From left to right: Trity Pourbahrami, George Tyson, Pat Showalter and Sally Meadows,
Highlights:
Council member George Tyson commented on Los Altos Hills’ progress in adding solar panels, battery backup, undergrounding utility lines and NOx based reach codes. Looking forward, he sees the need to change behavior to achieve the switch to clean energy.
Council member Pat Showalter detailed how Mountain View is concerned about sea level rise and coastal flooding and the efforts now to build marsh land from the old salt ponds as important to Mountain View. She mentioned that the city is studying the feasibility of advancing the goal of 80% clean energy by 2050 to 2035. She added that the city just opened an all-electric swimming pool, the biggest one west of the Mississippi.
Council member Sally Meadows talked about the efforts by Los Altos to offer education and incentives to achieve equitable, sustainable and fiscally prudent options. She added that the city has streamlined the solar permitting process, built a backup generator for city operations, and added to its fleet of EVs. Looking ahead, the city will bring the reach codes up to highest State standards within the next year.