HomeMy WebLinkAboutEcomment - Caitlin CooperFrom:noreply@granicusideas.com
To:City Clerk; Yasuda, Erica; Woodward, Carrie; E-Comments
Subject:New eComment for Regular Meeting of the City Council/Closed Session-4:30 pm/Regular Meeting-7:00 pm
Date:Tuesday, June 20, 2023 7:36:36 PM
City of Tustin, CANew eComment for Regular Meeting of the CityCouncil/Closed Session-4:30 pm/RegularMeeting-7:00 pm
Guest User submitted a new eComment.
Meeting: Regular Meeting of the City Council/Closed Session-4:30 pm/Regular Meeting-7:00 pm
Item: 11. FISCAL YEAR 2023-2024 BUDGET ADOPTION On May 23, 2023, the City Council
conducted a budget workshop on the Proposed Biennial Operating Budget and Capital
Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, which allocate resources that
reflect the City Council's priorities.
eComment: Hi My name is Caitlin Cooper and I’m a 28 year old Tustin resident and renter. I’m
writing to ask that the City of Tustin implement a Climate Action Plan or CAP. Specifically, I want
Tustin City Council to appropriate funding in the 23-24 budget for a Climate Action Plan. Science
tells us that climate change is already affecting us. Therefore in this letter, I’ll just address
relevant problems I expect to face in Tustin this upcoming summer. Just like last summer, I
expect to experience record heat waves. Even though we’re pretty close to the coast, it's clearly
not enough to prevent record heat that at the very least makes it annoying to go to work in the
morning, go to lunch midday, or do anything outside. I also expect that there will be record
wildfires and who knows what will happen to the smoke from those fires? Will it hang around and
cause our air quality to drop so low that kids can’t play outside for several days like it did recently
in New York? Will the fires threaten homes and neighborhoods? Research shows that even for
people whose houses don’t burn down, PTSD can be a real possibility if they narrowly avert
disaster. For kids, fires are even more of a threat to mental health because they have less
control over their lives and disaster preparedness. Even where I live near the Tustin
marketplace, I was almost in an evacuation zone because of a fire within the last few years, so
it’s not only people on the outskirts of the city who are affected. Similarly, just like last year, I
expect to have high electricity bills from running my air conditioner. And I’m lucky I even have air
conditioning--I have a friend in Dana Point whose cat had a seizure because of heatstroke last
summer. But even for those of us with air conditioning, just like last year, I expect to participate in
Public Safety Power Shut Offs during extreme heat events to avoid blackouts that could mean
death for people who rely on electricity to power things like life-saving medical equipment. Global
average temperature rise means that on average, air is warmer and can therefore hold more
moisture. This has contributed to our lovely rainy winter, but summer is here and extreme heat is
not far off. Extreme fires are not far off. Our cities either need to prevent climate disasters, or we
need to adapt to them. Climate related extreme weather events are not a possibility. They are a
certainty. Extreme heat and fires are now our past, present, and future. So either we prevent
them, get ready for them, or my personal favorite: both. Climate Action Plans are essential for
cities to make meaningful strides to protect their constituents. We need action. We need
accountability. While Tustin is engaged in several eco-friendly initiatives, that’s not the same
thing as having a transparent, legally binding, Climate Action Plan. Creating and implementing a
CAP will allow Tustin to clearly identify areas of climate risk, and propose and implement
strategies to reduce harmful impacts and improve our community. Please prioritize the health
and wellbeing of Tustin residents by choosing to allocate funds for a Climate Action Plan today.
Thank you.
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