Santa Rosa, CA – March 24, 2021 – The County of Sonoma will host a virtual climate action and resiliency town hall from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6. Community members are invited to participate in this town hall to provide input on how the County should move forward to achieve its vision of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
"Bold countywide actions are needed to combat our new climate reality," said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. "We invite the community to join us in advancing the County's plan to tackle climate change head-on."
This virtual town hall event, which will be a Special Meeting of the full Board of Supervisors, is organized by the Board's Climate Ad Hoc Committee consisting of Fifth District Supervisor Hopkins and First District Supervisor Susan Gorin.
The event will be facilitated by Dr. B.J. Bischoff, a meeting facilitation expert with more than 25 years of experience enabling effective group discussions and planning for public policy development. After presentations about current climate initiatives in the County, particularly related to transportation, vegetation management, energy & built environment, zero waste and adaptation and social resilience, participants will be invited to give feedback, voice concerns, identify priorities and brainstorm future initiatives.
Individuals should register in advance to participate in the Zoom town hall, which will also be live streamed on the County Facebook page. Spanish interpretation will be provided in Zoom, and the Spanish live stream will be posted on the County's YouTube channel.
This town hall builds on the work of the County's Climate Ad Hoc Committee and the County's recently completed five-year strategic plan. One of the five pillars of this strategic plan is Climate Action and Resiliency, with the following goals:
- Continue to invest in wildfire preparedness and resiliency strategies.
- Invest in the community to enhance disaster resiliency and become carbon neutral by 2030.
- Make all County facilities carbon free, zero waste, and resilient.
- Maximize sustainability and emissions reductions in all County Fleet vehicles.
- Maximize Carbon Sequestration through land conservation work and land use policies.
A summary of recommendations and ideas from the April 6 town hall will be presented to the Board of Supervisors and the community during a two-hour workshop, which will take place during the April 20 Board meeting. Board members will then deliberate and consider recommendations for next steps in prioritizing actions for the County's climate work. Any questions related to the town hall may be sent to climate@sonoma-county.org.