R115831
City Council Meeting: April 23, 2024
RESOLUTION NUMBER 11583 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA MAKING
FINDINGS REGARDING LOCAL CLIMATIC, GEOLOGICAL, TOPOGRAPHICAL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS PURSUANT TO PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE
SECTIONS 17958.7, and 18941.5
WHEREAS, the State Building Standards Commission has approved and
published the 2022 edition of the California Building Standards Code on July 1, 2022; and
such code will be in effective 180 days thereafter, which is January 1, 2023; and
WHEREAS, the 2022 California Building Standards Code includes the 2022
California Green Building Standards Code; and
WHEREAS, California Health and Safety Code Sections 17958.7, and 18941.5
provide that the City may make changes or modifications to the building standards
contained in the California Building Standards Code based upon express findings that
such changes or modifications are reasonably necessary because of local climatic,
geological, or topographical conditions; and
WHEREAS, Section 101.7.1 of the 2022 California Green Building Standards
Code provides that for the purposes of local amendments to the 2022 California Green
Building Standards Code, local climatic, topographical, or geological conditions include
local environmental conditions as established by the City; 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
Santa Monica, California
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greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to 40 percent below 1990 levels by no later
than December 31, 2030; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica is committed to reducing greenhouse 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
(“CAAP”), the City of Santa Monica is committed to establishing requirements to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by achieving zero net carbon buildings; and
WHEREAS, based upon the findings contained in this Resolution, the City Council
will be adopting an ordinance making local amendments to the 2022 California Green
Building Standards Code that are reasonably necessary based upon local climatic,
geological, and environmental conditions.
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 Green Building Standards Code described in Section 2 below:
General Findings
(a) It is expected that climate change will result in more severe and frequent
drought and extreme heat events, intensifying local heat islands and putting vulnerable
populations at health risk. (Climatic)
(b) Due to changes in rainfall patterns expected with climate change, the City of
Santa Monica is likely to be subject to more severe weather events, including droughts
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as well as more intense storms that increase the risks of wildfire, erosion, overland
local flooding and landslides. (Climatic and Environmental)
(c) The greater Los Angeles region 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. (Climatic and Environmental)
(d) Failure to address and significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
could result in rises in sea level that could put at risk Santa Monica homes, businesses, and
public facilities. (Climatic and Geological)
(e) The State of California enacted Senate Bill (SB) 32 to require greenhouse gas
emissions to be reduced to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
(f) The City of Santa Monica is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in
accordance with the United States’ original commitment to the Paris Climate Accord.
Specific Findings
(g) As noted in the CAAP, in February 2019, the Clean Power Alliance of Southern
California started serving Santa Monica residents with electricity sourced from a higher
content of renewable energy sources, with the result that as of May 2019 Santa Monica
residents and businesses receive a default 100% renewable electricity. (Climatic and
Environmental)
(h) The local amendments to require the use of low-carbon concrete will encourage
the substitution of carbon intensive Portland cement for less carbon intensive alternative
cementitious materials, promote a lower contribution to
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GHG emissions, and increase resilience to ongoing climate change. (Climatic and
Environmental)
(i) On August 15, 2022, the Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice,
and the Environment met to consider recommendations to the City Council regarding adopting
the 2022 California Building Standards Code, local amendments to that Code and local
climatic, geological and topographical conditions. The Commission on Sustainability,
Environmental Justice, and the Environment unanimously recommended that the City Council
adopt a resolution making necessary local findings and adopt the 2022 California Buil ding
Standards Code with local amendments.
SECTION 2: The City Council expressly finds that the following modifications and
changes to the 2022 California Building Standards Code are reasonably necessary because
of the local climatic or geological conditions and that each and every one the local conditions
detailed in Section 1 above apply to the following modifications and changes to the 2022
California Building Standards Code, as follows:
No. Municipal
Code
Section
Amendment Summary Justification
from Section
1 of this
Resolution
Local
Condition
1 8.106.130 In addition to current 2022 California
Green Building Standards Code
requirements:
All plain and reinforced concrete
installed for residential projects
must meet compliance with either
the Cement Limit pathway or the
Global Warming Potential pathway.
Sections (a)
through (i)
Climatic,
Geological,
Environmental
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Section 3. 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 23rd day of April, 2024.
__________________________
Phil Brock, Mayor
I, Nikima S. Newsome, Interim City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby
certify that Resolution No. 11583 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of the Santa
Monica City Council held on the 23rd day of April, 2024, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Torosis, Parra, Zwick
Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock
NOES: None
ABSENT: Councilmembers Davis, de la Torre
ATTEST:
_____________________________________
Nikima S. Newsome, Interim City Clerk
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