R11612City Council Meeting: September 10, 2024 Santa Monica, California
RESOLUTION NUMBER 11612 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
MAKING FINDINGS REGARDING COST EFFECTIVENESS AND ENERGY
CONSUMPTION PURSUANT TO THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION
REQUIREMENTS TO ADOPT LOCAL REACH CODES
WHEREAS, the California Energy Commission approved and published the
2022 edition of the Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) on July 1,
2022; and such code took effect January 1, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 25402.1(h)(2) and the
California Energy Code, Title 24, Part 6, Section 10 -106 establish a process by which
local jurisdictions may adopt more stringent standards to the energy efficiency and
conservation provisions in the California Energy Code, Title 24, Part 6, provided that
the standards have been determined to be cost effective and will require buildings to
be designed to consume no more energy than permitted by the California Energy
Code; and
WHEREAS, on or about September 20, 2016, the State of California enacted
Senate Bill (SB) 32, which added Health and Safety Code Section 38566 to require
greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced 40 percent below 1990 levels by no later
than December 31, 2030; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica is committed to reducing greenhouse
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gas emissions in accordance with the United States’ original commitment to the Paris
Climate Accord; and
WHEREAS, consistent with its May 2019 Climate Action & Adaptation Plan,
which aims to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030, the City of Santa
Monica is committed to establishing requirements to increase energy efficienc y,
support carbon-neutral construction and reduce regional pollution; and
WHEREAS, cost effectiveness studies prepared by the California Statewide
Energy Codes and Standards Program demonstrate that the local amendments are
cost-effective and do not result in buildings consuming more energy than is permitted
by the 2022 California Energy Code (Tile 24, Part 6); and
WHEREAS, the incentivization of electric building design benefits the health,
welfare, and resiliency of Santa Monica and its residents; and
WHEREAS, the most cost-effective time to integrate electrical infrastructure is in
the design phase of a building project because building systems and spaces can be
designed to optimize the performance of electrical systems and the project can take full
advantage of avoided costs and space requirements from the elimination of natural gas
piping and venting for combustion air safety; and
WHEREAS, staff has reviewed the "2022 Cost-Effectiveness Study: Single Family
New Construction Study" and associated study data, the “2022 Cost -Effectiveness Study:
Multifamily New Construction Study” and associated study data, and the “2022 Code:
Non-Residential New Construction Reach Code Cost-Effectiveness Study” and
associated data developed for the California Energy Codes and Standards Statewide
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Utility Program, and find them sufficient to illustrate compliance with the requirements set
forth under California Administrative Code Chapter 10 -106;
NOW, THEREFORE, the City of Santa Monica does resolve as follows:
SECTION 1. The City Council makes the following findings regarding local ,
Climatic, geological, topographical and environmental conditions related to the local
amendments to the 2022 California Energy Code below:
(a) Santa Monica is situated in Southern California, which has extreme
arid conditions and periods of severe drought. (Climatic and Environmental)
(b) The greater Los Angeles region, including Santa Monica, is a densely
populated area having buildings constructed within a region where environmental
resources are scarce due to varying and occasional immoderate temperatures and
weather conditions. This local condition also challenges the demand and need for
energy resources from the local utilities. (Climatic and Environmental)
(c) Where climatic conditions in Santa Monica create demands for higher
usage of energy and natural resources, measures that allow conservation and
efficiencies in construction will promote practices to achieve these goals. (Climatic and
Environmental)
(d) As set forth in the CAAP, as a result of climate change, extreme heat
events in California and the Los Angeles region are becoming more frequent, more
intense, and longer lasting, with the trend expected to continue as climate change
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worsens. Extreme heat can exacerbate heat-related illnesses and deaths, particularly
among vulnerable populations such as the homeless, elderly, infants, and individuals
with chronic illnesses, while also affecting communities indirectly through energy
disruption and spikes in energy prices, impacting affordability. (Climatic and
Environmental)
(e) The local amendments to require highly-efficient new buildings will
reduce demands for local energy and resources, reduce regional pollution, promote a
lower contribution to GHG emissions, and increase resilience to ongoing climate
change. (Climatic and Environmental)
SECTION 2. The Ordinance is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15308 of
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. Section 15308 exempts
actions taken by regulatory agencies for protection of the environment (Class 8). The
Ordinance would help to achieve the intended outcome of low-emission new buildings,
and therefore, is exempt pursuant to Section 15308. In addition, this Ordinance is
exempt from CEQA under Section 15061(b)(3), which states that CEQA does not apply,
“where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in
question may have a significant effect on the environment.” These standards are more
stringent than the State energy standards, and as such, there are no reasonably
foreseeable adverse impacts, and there is no possibility that the Ordinance in question
may have a significant effect on the environment.
SECTION 3. The City Council expressly finds that the following modifications
and changes to the 2022 California Energy Code are reasonably necessary because
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of the local climatic and environmental conditions, and that the local conditions detailed
in Section 1 above apply to the following modifications and changes to the 20 22
California Energy Code as follows:
No. Municipal
Code
Chapter
Amendment Summary Justification
from Section 1
of this
Resolution
Local
Conditions
1 8.36.010 Requiring higher levels
of energy performance
and electric-readiness in
new buildings reduces
carbon emissions and
provides health and
safety benefits to
building occupants
(a) through (e) Climatic and
environmental
SECTION 4. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution and
thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________
DOUGLAS SLOAN
City Attorney
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Adopted and approved this 10th day of September, 2024.
__________________________
Phil Brock, Mayor
I, Nikima S. Newsome, Interim City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby
certify that Resolution No. 11612 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of the Santa
Monica City Council held on the 10th day of September, 2024, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Zwick, Parra, Davis, Torosis, de la Torre,
Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST:
_____________________________________
Nikima S. Newsome, City Clerk
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