Candidate Name: Contact Information: Office Sought:

Javier M. Gonzales (505) 670-7495 Mayor

Northern New Mexico Group Sierra Club 2014 Municipal Election Candidate Questionnaire 1. What do you see as the principal environmental challenge you would face if elected? We live in a world facing the potential devastations of climate change. Our principal environmental challenge is to minimize development that would further deplete our water resources, harm our landscape, and increase greenhouse emissions. We must aggressively pursue policies that further water conservation, protect our watershed, and assure that our forest ecosystems are healthy and free of wildfire threats. We must commit to a sustainability policy that has benchmarks for our current greenhouse footprint, delivers programs to reduce greenhouse emissions and reports our progress to our community. My grandfather always told me, la agua es la vida, and we must protect our water, not only because it is a scarce resource, but also because our community has an obligation to preserve our history of environmental stewardship so future generations can enjoy a healthy and sustainable Santa Fe. This means setting measurable goals and outcomes for the city, just as I did on the County Commission, as well as maintaining healthy forest ecosystems to ensure that our water supply is not threatened by wildfires and contamination. Currently, as the Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Rosemont Realty, I am responsible for managing a sustainability program for a 20 million square foot office building portfolio in 27 states around the country. Our program was built to minimize our environmental impact in the communities we serve while providing green healthy space for our tenants and maximizing returns to our investors. Through collaborative leadership and a commitment to stewardship, we can overcome our most pressing environmental challenges and move Santa Fe forward, so that current and future generations of

Santa Feans have a quality of life second to none. We are a community whose values are based on centuries of coexistence and prosperity through environmental protection. We can move Santa Fe forward while protecting our water and landscape and I have the record and experience to provide the leadership to protect our natural resources for future generations. 2. There is room at the old landfill next to the Buckman Road Recycling & Transfer Station (BuRRT) to place as many solar panels as needed to provide electricity for all City-owned buildings downtown. Would you support this proposal? Absolutely. The city has done a great job of providing solar electricity for around 20% of City-owned buildings and utilities already. I firmly believe that we should make this 100% in the next four years. We should also have a goal to make all City facilities and operations carbon neutral by 2020. As well, we can put a program in place that educates City workers on conservation and trains them to do water and energy audits. We can take the savings that would come from this and re-invest it into a dedicated fund to further efficiency measures. 3. That same site (next to BuRRT) has been identified as a candidate for a community solar site to enable Santa Feans to buy panels and receive a credit on their PNM bills. What is your position on this community solar garden proposal? I believe that we, in Santa Fe, have a unique opportunity to be a model green city and a global leader in renewable energy use and development. Our community believes in responsible energy generation and usage, and we have the solar resources. Santa Fe must take advantage of this and create as many pathways for access to solar electricity production as possible. This would provide opportunities for renters, small business owners, folks restricted by the historic district requirements, and others who believe in responsible energy generation and usage. Community solar needs to be a part of the conversation going forward. Developing capital is key to delivering a community solar garden for Santa Fe. I would propose the development of Santa Fe Verde (SFV), a green investment fund. SFV would be used to own, develop

and operate the community solar garden. Any individual could invest in the fund and receive a market rate return from revenues generated by the solar garden. SFV would generate revenues by selling power to consumers in Santa Fe. This would be important because while distributive solar has become more affordable, many people still can't qualify for solar loans or their homes aren't conducive to solar panels on rooftops. By creating SFV, our community can invest in a renewable energy fund that delivers market rate returns while being able to purchase solar at an affordable price. I am aware that challenges with PNM may be a major hurdle to our success. However, I believe I can lead on the right strategy to bring PNM to the table as a partner, rather than an adversary, and work with the Public Regulatory Commission as a supporter and enabler of the community solar garden. A community solar garden at BuRRT would be a great thing for Santa Fe. We have the political will as a community to accomplish such a visible project and with the right leadership, we could have community solar in the very near future. 4. Some environmental advocates argue that producing significant amounts of renewable energy in the Santa Fe region would require that the region would own its own utility. What is your position on this issue? Everything needs to be on the table. As a community, our number one goal should be to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. That can be achieved by reducing cars on the road, creating programs to retrofit homes and business, and developing renewable energy in our region. If we are serious about generating renewable energy to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel, a municipalized utility is something we must consider. I know that the City has done an outstanding job managing the water utility. I realize it took a while for us to get here, but we plan to make even greater improvements. We are more water secure today than we were 10 years ago, when PNM owned the water utility. Our water management is a great source of pride, and we are recognized nationally for our outstanding education and conservation efforts. At the same time, we must be pragmatic about finding the best path forward for Santa Fe to meet this goal. There are issues still unknown regarding a City/County owned and operated power utility, including:

legal issues, cost, bonding capabilities, readiness to manage a power utility, and more. These are all things that must be considered before going forward with a municipally owned utility. I am intrigued by the idea of a local utility and, as we did with the water utility, putting our principles to work for our community. This is a very interesting option. PNM has recently opened discussions with the City about community solar and we need to seize the opportunity immediately. 5. Clothes drying with electric or gas heat has a significant energy impact. Do you support minimizing restrictions and encouraging use of clotheslines? Hang-drying clothes is one of the simplest and most effective individual and collective actions we can take to lower our carbon footprint. If there are restrictions in place that do not make sense for where we are in Santa Fe today, we need to re-visit and modify them. Global climate change is already threatening our community. If we can encourage practices that lower energy use, we need to do so. 6. What is your position on transferring water from the agricultural sector for municipal use? To start, we need to recognize how climate change threatens our water resources. Managing water resources using an integrated approach will be critical to mitigate social, economic and environmental impacts. An integrated approach requires us to quantify how much water we have in our region (Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Rio Arriba) and the allocation between agriculture and domestic. It also requires us to develop policy that manages the conversion from agriculture to domestic. Such a policy would govern what types of domestic use the water would go to support. Uses must be developed utilizing policies built on sustainability principles so that we minimize the amount of water that could be converted. We must ensure that water is being used responsibly, both in agricultural and municipal use. For agricultural uses, a local foodshed will help lower our carbon footprint. We need to give local farmers the opportunity to be successful. I have a concern about exorbitant amounts of water being used for commercial agriculture. This is wasteful and not respectful of our deep rooted conservation history, future obligations, or current goals for development. We need to make sure that water is more responsibly allocated for municipal use. My background as a County Commissioner would help to

negotiate with the County about preserving local farming communities and preserving open space in La Cienega and La Bajada. 7. Downtown park improvements along the Santa Fe River have made the river park more usable and friendly. However, the river is hiding behind a line of parked cars, invisible from streets leading from the Plaza. Would you support removal of the 12 parking meters along Alameda between Don Gaspar and Galisteo? I think we should make the Santa Fe River as accessible and visible as possible. Part of that accessibility requires available parking for people to visit the river, but I dont think 12 parking spots are significantly allowing people to access the river. The Santa Fe River, already designated as a state park, is a treasure to our community. So, I strongly support removing the 12 parking meters along Alameda to make the park and river more usable, friendly, and visible. I also think that just removing the parking spaces will not fully accomplish this. There needs to be a more visually welcoming appearance along the River. This can be accomplished with signs, art installations, more benches, as well as a shade structure. I know that there are some larger issues with the parking in downtown Santa Fe, but 12 meters wont significantly impact parking. We should also look at expanding the pilot project of water harvesting for those parking spaces on Alameda along the Santa Fe River. It has been a great model for how to use permeable pavement to preserve our precipitation and make our watershed healthier. 8. St. Michaels Drive has plans under development to convert it into a four-lane boulevard lined with dwelling units. The goal is to attract the creative class, health care workers, and university students. Would you support such a transformation? Yes, I would. I believe in creating more community and employment hubs that are walkable, bikeable, and accessible by bus. This type of development along St. Michaels would be healthy for our environment by reducing the need for cars on the road. It would be healthy for our economy to attract the creative class, healthcare and tech workers, and university students. It would also make it safer for area residents who need access to the school and the shopping areas. Our community needs to diversify our economy and population. This type of development would bring our community good jobs and attract

(or keep) the type of individuals that support our values of creativity, environmental protection, and smart development in more areas of the City. 9. Food waste in Malmo, Sweden, is separated from its landfill stream to make biogas that powers its bus fleet. Would you support a similar program for Santa Fe? I am excited about some projects that the City has already started. Not only is the City collecting food waste, but they are working with a small private company to collect cooking oil and transform it into biofuel for diesel vehicles. We have a unique opportunity in Santa Fe to be leaders in environmental initiatives, including recycling projects like this one. Our relatively small population makes it possible to explore ideas like this. This novel recycling effort appears to be regenerative, safe, and cost-effective, and we have the infrastructure to make it effective. We can test it as a pilot but I support moving this idea forward. 10. Do you support the initiation of a bike-share program to accommodate daily mobility needs of both Santa Fes residents and visitors? I believe in a Santa Fe that has as many opportunities to commute by biking and walking as possible. We need to reduce the number of cars on our streets, and I think a bike-share program should be considered as we pursue a strong initiative to get people out of cars and into alternative transportation and busses. Bike sharing should be paired with expansion of bus services outside the downtown that accommodate bicycles in all parts of the city. We also need to push harder for an effort to increase bicycling safety. 11. Car sharing as used in Philadelphia has decreased the need by 14 parking spaces for every shared car. Similarly, the City Hall car fleet use dropped by 30%. Would you support car sharing in Santa Fe? Yes, I would support car sharing in Santa Fe. Im not sure it would be as effective as in Philadelphia, because we are a much smaller community, but I think it could really help, especially in regards to the city fleet. Car sharing would allow us to be more environmentally friendly and reduce our costs by cutting the fleet, so I would definitely support it. I also think we need to double the efficiency of our fleet in

the next four years. 12. Tell us about your vision for coordination/cooperation between the City Council and County Commission on environmental and resource issues. What happens in the County affects the City and vice versa. It is important to work together for the benefit of the whole region, especially on environmental issues. As a former County Commissioner and President of the National Association of Counties, I am in a unique position to work with and understand the County Commission. The City and the County need to sit down and develop a common environmental mission and resource plan. I plan to facilitate this collaboration as much as possible. A good place for us to continue to work is the open lands program I sponsored as a County Commissioner COLTPAC. Even though it is a County program, we preserved land in the urban area such as the Dale Ball Trail, the Santa Fe River and other areas inside the City limits. The next immediate place for the City and County to work together is on community solar. The natural world does not know the boundaries of the county/city line and many of the issues that I worked on in the County Commission affect the natural resources and quality of life in the City of Santa Fe. I was very proud to work on things like an aggressive land development policy, the preservation of Atalaya Peak, and a dramatic change in water usage regulations while on the County Commission. I also sponsored and championed the Regional Planning Authority which has resolved many land use disputes. A huge recent success for New Mexican families and business is the permanent protection of the Rio Grande del Norte, which encompasses 242,000 acres of magnificent wilderness area and an important watershed. Senators Udall, Bingaman, and Heinrich, along with Representative Lujan, Mayors, City Councilors, Pueblo and other leaders along the watershed supported this effort. It was truly a coalition of many types of people- environmentalists, sportsmen, outdoor businesses, faith-based communities, and individuals in Northern New Mexico. This is an example of the power of collaborative leadership in regards to environmental issues, and it is in this spirit that I will lead, if given the opportunity to be the next mayor of Santa Fe.

13. Please describe your public service record on environmental issues. (Please be as complete as possible, including specific programs, projects and dates.) Some of my proudest moments in public service and in the private sector are my accomplishments on environmental issues. As Chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, I helped the party take a stand against fracking, and helped elect environmental stewards like Senators Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall. I also currently serve on the Board of Directors for American Rivers, which protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature While serving on the Santa Fe County Commission, I was able to fight for several important environmental gains. In fact, some of the development that was happening on the outskirts of the city motivated me to run for office to make a difference. I noticed that there was a lot of development occurring on two-acre lots that were being split into multiple residences. For a time, this was the answer to provide affordable housing in the Santa Fe area. There were several issues with this. First of all, these unsanctioned developments did not have the proper infrastructure to support the families that resided there. Environmentally, this development was not smart and did not plan for responsible water use. During my terms on the Commission we were able to develop the most aggressive terrain management program in the state of New Mexico. This ensured that our hillsides and landscapes were not scarred by spontaneous development that was not properly planned out. We developed a highway corridor plan that preserved open lands on the corridors into Santa Fe. We adopted the Santa Fe County Land Use Growth Management Plan that recognized the importance of preserving and empowering traditional historic communities in Santa Fe County to guide future growth. We established areas suitable for new growth, and emphasized the need to guide all future land use policy decisions through a public participatory planning program. Another proud accomplishment was developing an anti-mining ordinance that preserved San Pedro Hills.

While on the County Commission, I developed the Santa Fe County Water Company. I also helped pass water regulations that reduced the allowable water usage from wells from 3 acre feet per year to .25 acre feet. One of my greatest successes was when we worked with Shirley MacLaine to prevent the development of Atalaya Peak. The peak is now public land with beautiful trails for the people of Santa Fe to enjoy. I am also supporting Mayor Coss efforts to ensure a full cleanup of waste at LANL. I used my relationships with legislators to draft letters to U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, U.S. Representative Ben Ray Lujan, State Representatives Brian Egolf, and State Senator Peter Wirth to help with this effort. Nationally, I also lobbied to add money to the Land and Water Conservation Fund through the Farm Bill. I was also able to help in the development of the Dale Ball trail and I authored the first ever Open Space, Parks, and Trails Program (COLTPAC) in Santa Fe County. I led the effort to present a voter referendum for COLTPAC. Today, Santa Fe County owns 6,610 acres of open space, 155 acres of parks, and 34 miles of trails. We were able to preserve 50% of the open space in the Community College District, provide proper affordable housing, and conserve water. Our open spaces and beautiful landscapes are part of what makes Santa Fe special, and I will continue to fight to protect the environment if I am given the opportunity to lead Santa Fe as Mayor. I am attaching my biographical information as to the relevant dates.