Question 8: What changes, if any, would you advocate to reduce the use of fossil fuels in city-operated buildings and vehicles?

Pamela Drake

We use electric vehicles in some departments of the city but could convert more over time. Randy Hayes is the Sustainability Director who is well-intentioned although I have not seen enough on the programmatic level from his office

When I was chair of the Oakland Alliance for Community Energy, we lobbied the city for more efficient energy uses some of which were embraced. Scott Wentworth, a very valuable city employee, has overseen the replacement of most incandescent lighting with flourescent or the even more frugal use of LEDs (in stop lights). We also proposed the building of solar panels and training of installers at the old army base. Solar now receives less subsidy and, though it is less expensive than it once was, it is still too high for many residents. We should demand a reduction in energy use by Oakland builders (in private building, we could reduce permit costs, in public as a requirement) by promoting, in descending order, solar panels, solar water heaters, or on demand water heaters.

Oakland could make it an infraction to idle your engine (over a certain number of minutes) on spare the air days and not permit the building of any more drive-in commercial facilities, phasing out the old ones. While it is difficult to enforce many low level infractions, if we had community officers on the beat in our commercial areas (as we do not in the Lakeshore/Grand Lake areas, no response from Danny‘s office); it would be easy to ticket cars parked outside of coffeehouses, banks, etc for lengthy periods.

David Kakishiba

The City of Oakland could reduce the number of city fleet vehicles by partnering with City CarShare to reserve their cars during the day for official business use and allowing residents to use the vehicles on nights and weekends. I believe we should follow the City of Berkeley 's example and begin converting city fleet vehicles from gasoline to hybrid power. The City should assess the feasibility of using solar energy to assistin the powering of our office buildings.

Shirley Gee

City needs to do a top down inventory of equipment and upgrade as needed to reduce emissions. With older city-operated buildings, we need to be particularly pro-active since many of the heating, ventilations systems are antique systems and are very inefficient.

With regard to vehicles, we should explore the San Francisco taxi fleet and see how they converted from gas to hybrids cars. We should also try to install a zero and/or low emission vehicle program within City and gradually retire some of the gas vehicle fleet. We can use a combination of hybrids and electric cars around town to save fuel costs. A zero emission car can run on 7 cents/day of energy or <50 cents/week. Charging stations and preference parking can be arranged to increase electric car participation. The City of Davis and Palo Alto have either gone electric or are doing electric conversion reviews to try to adopt a zero emission program.

If elected, I would like to explore the inclusion of a zero-emission vehicle program and provide employees with a preference parking program if they use the zero emission car. This is worth reviewing for possible adoption in Oakland because of the tremendous cost savings. The electric cars now go about 25-35 mph and have a range of about 30 miles. With readily available charging stations, the range is even higher.

I have done a research paper on electric cars (zero emission) and using them on college campuses (like UC/Davis) and can make this report available to the City as a starting point.

Todd Plate

We need to start to move city vehicles toward gasoline-electric hybrids.  Also, we need to start to look at zero-emission vehicles.  Both of these solutions will help to guide Oakland in the right direction.  Further, Oakland should be looking for ways that we can develop new, and improve existing, buildings to conform to green building standards, including everything from the doors and windows we use to solar panels.  Each step we take reduces our use of fossil fuels.  As these are long term goals, we need to make sure that we don't get stuck reacting to current problems without acting proactively toward long term solutions.

Paul Garrison

As the Councilmember for District 2, I would advocate that the City explore ways to convert from use of fossil fuels to more efficient energy sources in the buildings that it owns or leases.  In terms of new development and the purchase of new vehicles I would advocate that the City over time begin to incorporate energy efficient requirements into community benefit agreements and that it would establish a fleet of vehicles that burn efficiently and cleanly.  Under my leadership, establishing Oakland as a model as a "green" city would be a priority. 

Pat Kernighan

I strongly support the use of solar power wherever possible.  The City of Oakland has undertaken a survey of all public building to assess the possibility of installing photovoltaic (solar) equipment to generate power.  Those that could convert efficiently have done so.  I would also propose the issuance of a revenue bond to install photovoltaic equipment on public and participating private buildings, to be paid from energy saving dollars.

The City needs to institute incentives, such as providing transit vouchers,  for employees to take transit or bike to work.  The City currently provides free parking to some employees, which is an incentive in the wrong direction.

I would also recommend undertaking a cost-benefit analysis of the use of City vehicles powered by alternative fuels, including vegetable oil.  Any new vehicles purchased should be extremely fuel efficient.

Peggy Moore

Our city should be using the cleanest-possible vehicles, to reduce air pollution and to protect public health.  If we want the public to make healthy choices, then our government needs to be a better role model in those choices.  We should be using solutions like solar panels on our buildings, cleaner vehicles including hybrids, and promoting walking, bicycling, and public transit.

Justin Horner

The City of Oakland is a leader in environmentalism, and I am proud to have the support of Vice Mayor Jane Brunner and Councilmember Nancy Nadel, the Council's strongest voices for environmental sustainability.  I will pursue the following to reduce the use of fossil fuels in City operated buildings and vehicles:

1. Reduce the City's fleet of vehicles: the City of Oakland has far more vehicles than it needs.  I will reduce the fleet to cut down on maintenance costs and free up parking spaces in lucrative downtown parking lots to increase City revenues.
2. Green the City's fleet: My family owns one hybrid car, and it's the most reliable car I've ever owned.  I will bolster the City's commitment to only purchase hybrid, natural gas and other environmentally-sound vehicles.
3. Environmentall-friendly construction: I have coauthored the City's Green Building Ordinance, which requires City buildings to be designed and constructed using methods that minimize environmental harm and maximize the use of recycled materials, passive solar and non-toxic materials.  The construction and operation of buildings have serious impacts on our environment.  The City will be a leader in "green building" practices.
4. Installation of solar energy infrastructure on City facilities: Both the main Maintenance Services Building near the Coliseum and the Ice Rink downtown will soon have solar panels on their roofs.  Using public space for solar is a great way to ensure that City facilities run on clean energy, and it's also a possibility for the City to eventually sell the energy it generates.  I want to expand such a program to other City facilities.  I would particularly like to see the Port of Oakland install solar alongside its runways at the airport.
5. Explore Community Choice: I support Oakland utilizing Community Choice provisions that allow public agencies to aggregate demand and negotiate on behalf of their residents to get greener and more competitive sources of energy.  In a city with such a high level of environmental consciousness, we can certainly mobilize Oaklanders who currently pay PG&E to reconsider and pay for cleaner, more reliable source of energy.

Aimee Allison

The oil shortage is imminent, and Oakland 's policies should advance long-term sustainability and ecologically-friendly energy, water, and transportation policies. Global warming will have a direct impact on Oakland 's and the entire region's water supply, sea level rise, and air quality. To start with, Oakland should answer Seattle Mayor Greg Nickel's call for American cities to individually comply with work to implement the Kyoto treaty on climate change. There are many actions that Oakland could take to reduce its share of emissions of global warming gases. The principal use of fossil fuels for the city is in the form of electricity.  Therefore, the city should move as aggressively as possible to implement community aggregation of electricity that maximizes renewable energy sources, take control (from PG+E) of local energy efficiency programs, and maximize opportunities for distributed generation through local solar electric power.

In addition, the city should aggressive bring biodiesel to city-owned vehicles.  This low-cost effort will reap tremendous benefits for the health of Oakland residents and the health of the planet.  In addition, the city should launch an educational effort to inform trucking companies that operate in business districts and the port of the benefits of biodiesel.  

Further, retired city vehicles should be replaced with hybrid or other environmental-friendly transportation. In addition, there should be a strong mandatory Green Building Ordinance for civic, commercial and residential buildings that will reduce the use of toxic materials, maximize reusability of materials, and make buildings energy efficient.

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