California

Food and Justice Coalition

Garrett Fitzgerald
Sustainability Coordinator, Public Works Agency Administration
City of Oakland
250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 4314
Oakland, CA 94612

Dear Mr. Fitzgerald:

Oakland city staff, elected officials, and residents should be commended for their efforts to create a comprehensive Energy
and Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85% below 2005 levels by 2050. The City of Oakland has
the opportunity to reduce emissions while strengthening the local economy and promoting equitable development in low-
income communities of color by prioritizing local food system development and local water security measures.

The industrial agri-foods system is one of the greatest contributors of GHG emissions. Studies1 show that, globally, up to
32% of emissions are related to food system activities including production, transportation, processing, and storage.
Simultaneously, emerging data show that an acre of land used for organic food production, in urban areas and otherwise,
can sequester up to 174 tons of carbon.2 Similarly, water use contributes 19% of GHG emissions in California annually.3
Conserving water, as well as rebuilding a healthy, local food system, offers immense opportunity to reduce emissions
through activities including rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, urban agriculture, and local foods procurement. The
additional benefits are many: creation of green-collar jobs, water security, and increased access to healthy food for low-
income communities.

Oakland must build the infrastructure for its residents to maintain access to fresh, healthy food and water without relying on
fossil fuels to import that food and water. As the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the earth’s climate systems grow,
this will become even more critical.

Movement Generation and California Food and Justice Coalition, and the undersigned organizations and individuals
strongly encourage the City of Oakland to enact policies that will help the City achieve food system localization and water
conservation in Oakland’s Energy and Climate Action Plan.The following document outlines how the City can address the
need to increase water security, reduce stormwater run-off, and support the development of a local, sustainable food
system. We look forward to hearing your response to our recommendations, and we hope to partner with you in order to
implement them.

1 Bellarby, Jessica, Bente Foereid, et al. “Cool Farming: Climate Impacts of Agriculture and Mitigation Potential” Greenpeace. 2008. January 18, 2010.
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/cool-farming-full-report.pdf
2 Hozyash, Krista. “Cropping super-sequestration options pack big carbon wallop.” Global Warming 2009 Rodale Institute. January 18, 2010.

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20100121/gwr_cropping_super-sequestration_options_pack_big_carbon_wallop
3 See California Energy Commission (CEC), 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report, CEC-100-2005-007CMF, Sacramento, November 2005, pg. 150,
Yours Sincerely,

Shereen D’Souza and Michelle Mascarenhas

Director, Acting Director
CA Food and Justice Coalition Movement Generation
510-704-0245 510-649-1475

With the Undersigned:

Here we can include the names, titles and organizations and maybe locations of everyone who wants to sign-on.
Because this is low-tech, I think we should just add the names ourselves of any org that wants to sign-on.

Low-Emission Food System Policies

As the table below indicates, GHG emissions are released in all components of the food system. In this letter we have
chosen to focus on reducing emissions through policies that
reduce food miles and rebuild sustainable, local food
production systems. Opportunities also exist to reduce
emissions within the household storage and preparation,
processing, and packaging sectors of the food system.

Localize Our Food System

Energy Flows in the US Food System 4

A low-emission food system is one that it is localized,

meaning that food is produced, processed and distributed
near where it is consumed, reducing transportation miles.
Local food travels far less - and thus releases fewer
emissions - than non-local food. According to a WorldWatch
Institute study, a typical meal bought at a conventional
supermarket chain consumes four to 17 times more
petroleum for transport than the same meal using local
ingredients5. Despite California’s massive production
capacity, California imports 40% of its food, which translates
into at least 250,000 tons of GHGs, according to an NRDC study of major ports in California.6 A recent academic report
estimated that “organic, sustainable agriculture that localizes food systems has the potential to mitigate nearly thirty percent
of global greenhouse gas emissions and save one-sixth of global energy use.7”

4 Heller, M.C. and G.A. Keoleian (2000) Life Cycle-Based Sustainability Indicators for Assessment of the U.S. Food System (CSS00-04).
5 Hal Walweil, "Home Grown: The Case for Local Food In A Global Food Market" 2002, Worldwatch Institute.
6 NRDC Policy Fact Sheet, "Food Miles: How far your food travels has serious consequences on your health", Page 2, NRDC, 2007
7 El-Hage Scialabba, N. and C. Hattam (eds.). 2002. Organic Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security. Rome: UN Food and Agriculture Organization

(Environment and Natural Resources Service, Sustainable Development Department).

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Support Sustainable, Low-Emission Food Production Methods
A low-carbon food system is also one that prioritizes the consumption of organic food over conventional food. Numerous
studies have demonstrated that organic and sustainable farming practices use dramatically lower rates of per acre fossil fuel
inputs than conventional systems, which in turn translates into carbon emissions, as much as 48 to 66 percent lower,
according to one FAO study.

Additional Benefits To Localizing Our Food System

The creation of a local, organic, and sustainable food system will yield a host of other social, economic, and environmental
benefits for Oakland and the surrounding region.

Food system localization creates high quality green collar jobs in production, processing, and distribution. These jobs are
meaningful, stable (because the food sector does not shrink), and don’t require applicants to have advanced degrees to be
eligible for employment.

Food system localization could provide significant community economic development opportunities for Oakland and
surrounding areas. According to a study by the State of California’s Buy California initiative, a 10% shift in annual
purchases, or about $85 dollars per year at the retail level, would generate $848 million in increased revenues to farms,
3,478 more jobs in the agricultural industry, $1.38 billion in communities across the State and about $188 million in taxes for
local and state governments.8

Community gardens and back-yard food production also offer significant potential to reduce poverty and diet related
diseases. Surveys of City Slicker Farm’s Backyard Garden Program participants show that the average family participating
in the program saved $316 per year by growing food on a plot as small as 112 square feet. In a related experiment, Roger
Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International grew $2,200 of produce on 1,750 square feet of backyard space, during the six-
month Maine growing season9. Furthermore, a local food system can reduce food costs by insulating cities from increased
food transportation costs associated with oil price hikes. Increasing access to affordable, healthy food reduces diet-related
diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, which in turn reduces missed days of work and school, as well as the burden
on our health care system.

Let’s Build On Oakland’s Past and Current Food System Reform Initiatives

Oakland already boasts some of the most innovative food system localization programs and policies in the nation. We
encourage the City to promote, integrate and build upon these initiatives in Oakland’s Energy and Climate Action Plan.

The 2006 city-wide food system assessment suggested that up to 30% of Oakland’s food needs could be sourced from
within City limits and the immediate region (referred to as the City’s “Food Shed”). One promising opportunity for growing
more food within the City is on underutilized public land; a recently released inventory of public land suitable for urban
agriculture identified approximately 1,200 acres of undeveloped open space at 495 sites. The majority of these parcels are
arable and located within ¼ mile of public transportation. A third of the parcels are within a quarter mile of a school, and 7.5
percent have an EBMUD meter.10

8 Tootelian, Dennis H (2003/, The Economic impact of shifts in consumer purchasing patterns to more California grown agricultural commodities. Available from the
Buy California Initiative, CDFA
9 Doiron, Roger. “What’s a Home Garden Worth?” Kitchen Gardeners International 2009. 18 January 2010

http://www.kitchengardeners.org/2009/03/whats_a_home_garden_worth.html
10 Nathan McClintock and Jenny Cooper, “Cultivating the Commons: An Assessment of the Potential for Urban Agriculture on Oakland’s Public Land” (2009).

Available at: http://urbanfood.org/docs/Cultivating_the_Commons.pdf

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The recently-seated Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC), created with funding from the City of Oakland, brings together
representatives of the business, labor, public health and education communities, along with local government
representatives and private citizens, to advocate for an equitable and sustainable food system in Oakland. The goals of the
OFPC strongly overlap with an agenda for reducing climate change, including:

 Support local agriculture that is economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.
OFPC will help make Oakland a market for processing and consuming local food, with the objective of having at least
30 percent of Oakland's food needs sourced from within the City and the surrounding region.
 Promote energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption. OFPC promotes local, sustainable food production,
and help Oakland transition to a locally- and regionally-based food system.
 Support the protection of environmental resources. OFPC promotes consumption of locally and sustainably-grown
food, particularly food produced using environmentally-benign and energy-efficient growing, processing and distribution
practices.
 Promote a “closed-loop” food system. OFPC works for a system that eliminates pollution and use of non-renewable
materials, and promotes food scrap composting.

This body will be an important partner in identifying promising food-related policies and programs that will reduce Oakland’s
climate footprint. They will be building on an existing base of supportive policies (such as general plan policies that support
community gardens) and a strong alliance of non-profit community-based organization and collaboratives, including City
Slicker Farms, Oakland Food Connection, Sustaining Ourselves Locally, and HOPE Collaborative.

Food Policies To Insert Into Oakland’s Energy and Climate Action Plan

Production
Support the development of urban agriculture by allowing for long-term and/or permanent access to unused and
underutilized public land (including schools, city land, and park land) within city limits for personal, non-profit, and
commercial, organic and sustainable food production for local consumption. The City should also help facilitate access to
private land. Priority should be given to projects that create green collar jobs by training and employing residents of low-
income communities, especially youth, and/or direct food to low income and underserved communities, through local
markets and institutions, such as local retail, farmers markets, food banks and schools.

This could be achieved by:

o Rezoning residential areas as mixed agricultural and residential areas, which would allow for non-profit and
commercial organic food production for local consumption on private land in urban areas. The process for
securing a non-profit or commercial food production license should be made efficient and affordable.
o Opening up parks and City-owned land to community, non-profit and small-scale commercial food production
for local consumption. Direct city staff to work with other agencies, including East Bay Municipal Utilities
District, Oakland Unified School District, Bay Area Rapid Transit District, and regional open space agencies to
secure access to additional land for food production.
o Helping interested parties access available public land by, for instance, working with existing efforts to
inventory and assess vacant land.
o Easing zoning restrictions to allow and promote food-bearing trees or plants on public land.
o Redirecting the City’s composting program towards generating free compost for urban agriculture programs
within City limits.
o Supporting organizations that train residents and community groups in personal and commercial gardening
techniques, including backyard, container, and rooftop gardening techniques.

Processing and Distribution

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 Support the development of sustainable, local food distribution and processing facilities by:

o Creating five commercial kitchens in underserved areas of Oakland by 2015 in order to stimulate local food
microenterprises. Direct the Office of Economic Development to support the development of food-based
businesses. The Office could provide city grants, food purchasing contracts, liability insurance, free lease-
writing assistance, no and low-interest loans, and marketing assistance to local food microenterprises.
o Providing local food processing and distribution facilities with grants, technical assistance, marketing
assistance, and first priority for city contracts.
o Developing a City-run or supported food-gleaning program, employing residents to collect food from trees and
shrubs on uncontaminated city-land to distribute through food banks, pantries, and other local distribution
channels.

Markets
Support the development of local food markets by:

o Requiring all City institutions, as well as businesses or entities receiving subsidies or contracts to increase
procurement of local, organic and sustainably produced food starting at a base rate of 5% and scaling up each
year to get to 20% by 2020. This would provide an important market for the burgeoning local food system
spurred by access to public lands as well as new commercial kitchens. Conduct a study to determine how to set
the base percentage, as well as to determine incentive, enforcement and exemption mechanisms.
o Encouraging Oakland businesses to procure local foods by incorporating local foods procurement in the Green
Business Certification program.
o Requiring all major distributors and supermarkets to track their product lines and report on which products and
what percentage of products are being produced locally11.
o Granting institutions and businesses that source food locally at set rates the opportunity to join a City-
sponsored sustainable marketing program.
o Instituting a fee on all businesses that don’t abide by these “buy local” targets if locally grown produce /
ingredients are available at prices reasonably comparable to non-local sources. Institute the fee on businesses
larger than a certain size. Develop mechanisms for monitoring, enforcement and exemptions.
o Requiring City-run cafeterias and meal services to prioritize serving a more vegetarian diet made from fresh,
low- or no-packaged ingredients that also create jobs for community residents
o Reviewing and updating Oakland’s laws to ensure that farmers markets, community supported agriculture
programs and other local food distribution measures, such as produce stands, are not unduly burdened by
taxes, permit fees or other laws.
o Directing the Office of Economic Development to provide free or low-cost marketing assistance to community-
controlled retail, such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture programs, produce stands, and
independently owned retail markets.

Revenue Generation Options

Generate revenue for the aforementioned projects by

o Levying a regulatory fee on all businesses operating at a profit of $200,000 a year or more who fail to meet the
requirement of buying a percentage of their food locally, as defined by the City.
o Introducing an Oakland unhealthy food tax and directing revenues to local food system programs.
o Requiring all commercial housing developers to pay a fee to be used to support urban agriculture programs or
contribute a portion of their land to food production purposes.

11Precedence for this exists in United Kingdom, where the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requires supermarkets to label products offered
based on where they are produced.
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 Energy Conservation through Water Conservation & Security Measures

Diminishing supplies of water, the need to cut energy consumption associated with pumping water, and the need to
drastically revamp the badly deteriorated sewage infrastructure provide the City of Oakland the opportunity to redesign our
water infrastructure to take us into a new era.

Pumping water long distances consumes large amounts of electricity, generated from the burning of coal or natural gas,
which damages wildlife habitats and costs billions of dollars annually. This is also a large contributor to GHG emissions.
(Source: City of Santa Monica) According to the California Energy Commission, 19% of our energy use in California is
water-related energy use.

Through this set of policies and programs, the City of Oakland will reduce water consumption and import through investment
and promotion of water conservation, greywater use, and rainwater harvesting systems installation and use. We will
transform a looming public health crisis due to an outmoded sewage system into an opportunity to generate new green jobs
to help insure a just transition to a post-carbon/post-waste way of life.

By investing in and requiring the expansion of green and permeable surfaces, including for local food production, the City
will also help replenish local groundwater reserves which have been heavily depleted due to the paving over of natural
surfaces with concrete and asphalt. At the same time, the City will bloom with increased green space, reduced
temperatures, an increase in recreational use of urban streets (thereby promoting walking and bicycling), and food
production.

Policies/Programs to restore a healthier balance between the urban environment and the natural ecosystem, including the
San Francisco Bay, by reducing the pollution in urban runoff and reducing urban flooding while increasing water
conservation, green space, sustainable urban food production, recreation opportunities, and wildlife and marine habitat.
(language adapted from the City of Santa Monica) will address expanded green space and measures to prevent urban
runoff and support recharge of local groundwater.

To reduce water consumption and import in the City of Oakland through water conservation, policies will mandate greywater
use, and rainwater harvesting. This will reduce energy use and GHG emissions associated with water transport and
increase water security for Oakland residents.

Wastewater treatment plants are at sea level. Oakland residents deserve a plan of how to shore up the plants given rising
sea level. Already, residents in the flatlands of Oakland suffer from sewage backup in the streets during storms. On
average, human waste spills into the San Francisco Bay more than five times a day with toxic effects on the Bay’s
ecosystem. The EPA released $283 million in economic stimulus money earmarked for sewage system upgrades in
California. But that is just a drop in the bucket of what is needed to bring the system into compliance with public health and
environmental regulations.

To work towards the elimination of freshwater use for sewage treatment, the City will invest in composting toilets, greywater
flush systems, and other devices to drastically reduce the use of freshwater for sewage treatment. The City will also work
with other local governmental agencies to develop and implement a plan for shoring up & greening wastewater treatment
plants.

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This planning will help ensure that the City of Oakland is able to quickly access potential second and third rounds of federal
stimulus money to boost water infrastructure.

By carrying out these policies and programs, the City of Oakland will help ensure a just transition to a new economy based
on sustainability and equity for Oakland residents. It will help to ensure that low-income communities and communities of
color have the resources they need to survive in times of drought or natural disaster. And it will eliminate the public health
risk from badly deteriorated sewage infrastructure and use new monies allocated for water infrastructure to take Oakland
residents into the post-carbon/post-waste society.
The following policy recommendations focus on how the City of Oakland can conserve and recycle its water through low-
impact design, landscaping, greywater and rainwater systems. Examples of other municipalities enacting landmark
conservation policies can be found in San Diego, Los Angeles, Arizona, and several other arid areas.

Water Policies to Insert Into Oakland’s Energy and Climate Action Plan

Municipal Water Use

Decrease the water use in municipal operations while increasing the amount of use of alternative water sources for public
landscaped space. This can be achieved by:

• Promoting Low Impact Development to integrate green stormwater management technologies into current stormwater
management. (See SF’s Low Impact Design Toolkit)
• Creating City-wide standards for public space that ensure stormwater retention and water conservation features are
incorporated into landscaping. Increase the amount of municipal open space landscaped with drought-resistant plants
and trees which will serve as integrated stormwater systems and which will reduce the need for energy intensive
stormwater infrastructure projects.
• Adopting California’s greywater code
• Partnering with East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and StopWaste.org to give incentives to conserve water
both inside and outside of municipal buildings. Mandate the replacement of current urinals with waterless urinals in
municipal buildings. Mandate that municipal buildings to follow EBMUD’s best management practices in public works
projects.
o EBMUD’s Water Supply Management Plan (WSMP) for 2040 plans to meet 33% of projected customer
demand through water conservation and recycled water development. They are increasing customer
conservation of water from 22.5 MGD/year to 39 MGD/year, and are increasing the recycled water from 9
MGD/year to 11 MGD/year. These new sources of water can come from on-site systems. This aggressive
plan for meeting water demand through conservation and recycled water means that the City of Oakland’s
planning department and Public Works department should be aggressively facilitating and supporting
EBMUD’s 2040 plan, and begin working with EBMUD to install greywater and rainwater systems.

• Modeling and exemplifying water conservation. The City of Oakland should have at least one functioning rainwater and
greywater system for landscaping in a publicly accessible place in each Council District.
• Enacting water and energy conservation by requiring Bay Friendly landscaping for large municipal landscapes. For
every 1 million gallons of water used for landscaping, 3,950 kWh are used, according to the California Energy
Commission. To conserve energy and irrigation water, the City of Oakland should require developers and landscapers
to follow StopWaste.org’s Bay Friendly Landscaping standards. Plant smaller and more appropriately sized lawns
based on their purpose. Plant drought resistant and native species to reduce irrigation demands. (According to
StopWaste.org, sustainable landscaping can reduce water consumption by 50%.)
http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=964
• Creating a training and certification program for new low-tech/low-cost rainwater and greywater plumbers and food
microenterprises including urban micro-farming, processing and distribution. This program should be facilitated through
the Oakland Green Jobs Corps.

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• Providing broad public education on the importance of greywater and rainwater systems, and their maintenance and
management through workshops at farmers’ markets and other public events. Prioritize access in low-income
neighborhoods.

Residential Water Use

Increase residential access, especially in low income communities, to clean water for outdoor landscaping use, ensure
water security and the necessary tools for water security by:

• Requiring installation of rainwater harvesting, permeable paving, and greywater systems in single and multi-family
buildings for irrigation to meet a required reduction of 33% water use by 2040. Provide educational materials to builders
regarding rainwater and greywater systems which are consistent with Building Codes along with low-energy building
methods.
• Requiring rainwater harvesting for new developments. Provide free rain barrels and installation for rainwater harvesting
for low-income residents. Work to ensure that by 2015, at least 20% of residents in Oakland have rainwater harvesting,
greywater systems, or other water conservation methods to provide for 50% of landscaping or other water use,
including an equitable distribution of equipment with at least 20% in low-income communities. Provide workshops and
educational materials regarding the maintenance and use of rainwater systems and permitting requirements.
• Providing or paying for upgrades to section 8 and public housing in order to improve water efficiency of these housing
units and help residents cut their costs associated with water use, especially as water rates rise (EBMUD is currently
proposing to increase rates by 7.5% each year for the next two years and this is in a “non-drought” year).
o A UCLA greywater study estimates that 60% of the total indoor water use in single family homes can be is
suitable greywater for landscaping. The report claims that approximately 25% of single and multi-family homes’
water demand in the South Coast Hydrolic Region can be met with greywater recycling and reuse.
(http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/reportcard/article.asp?parentid=4870)
• Creating City-wide standards for private residential space that ensure stormwater retention and water conservation
features are incorporated into landscaping. Increase the amount of open space landscaped with drought-resistant
plants and trees which will serve as integrated stormwater systems and which will reduce the need for energy intensive
stormwater infrastructure projects.
o StopWaste.org’s Bayfriendly Landscaping program offers guidelines and standards for drought resistant
landscaping beneficial for stormwater retention.
• Requiring new developments in areas which lack open space and street trees to contribute to open space on site or in
community.
• Encouraging the development of green roofs to reduce stormwater run-off. Provide needed technical assistance and
incentives to build rooftop gardens in low-income areas of Oakland.
o The City of Chicago is a national leader in green roof implementation as the City offers direct incentives in the
form of $5,000 grants for green roof installation on residential and small commercial buildings.
• Encouraging “living roofs”, include living roofs as a FAR bonus. Cities can encourage living roof development by
qualifying living roofs to the density bonus formula. To encourage building owners to incorporate green roof
technologies, the City of Oakland should include a list of benefits and strategies associated with green roofs on all
seismic retrofit permit packages for unreinforced masonry buildings. Federal money allotted for retrofits could
incorporate living roofs as a modest cost requirement to help achieve beneficial environmental effects. Wave
stormwater usage fees for buildings that incorporate green roofs. (http://www.baylocalize.org/projects/rooftop/policies)
• Requiring that new multi-family unit buildings are sub-metered to monitor water consumption for each unit. Provide
subsidies and rebates to low-income homeowners and renters and ensure that low-income residents benefit from cost
savings from municipal water use reductions. Provide access to free water saving devices such as low-flow
showerheads and aerators.

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Commercial Water Use
Decrease the amount of fresh water use for Commercial outdoor use by increasing water security using tools such as
greywater and rainwater harvesting, and water conservation tools by:

• Installing rainwater harvesting, permeable paving, and greywater systems in commercial buildings for irrigation to meet
a required reduction of 33% of commercial water use by 2030.
• Requiring rainwater harvesting for new developments. Provide free rain barrels and installation for rainwater harvesting
for low-income residents. Work to ensure that by 2015, at least 20% of residents in Oakland have rainwater harvesting,
greywater systems, or other water conservation methods to provide for 50% of landscaping or other water use. Provide
workshops and educational materials regarding the maintenance and use of rainwater systems and permitting
requirements.
• Providing educational materials to builders and plumbers regarding rainwater and greywater systems which are
consistent with Building Codes along with low-energy building methods.
• Creating City-wide standards for commercial properties that ensure stormwater retention and water conservation
features are incorporated into landscaping.
• Providing incentives for landscapers to use energy saving irrigation systems, pursuant to AB 1881, California’s new
landscaping ordinance
• Using standards set by StopWaste.com’s Bay Friendly Landscaping program, increase the amount of open space
landscaped with drought-resistant plants and trees which will serve as integrated stormwater systems and which will
reduce the need for energy intensive stormwater infrastructure projects.
• Requiring new developments in areas which lack open space and street trees to contribute to open space on site or in
community.

Industrial Water Use

Decrease fresh water use in Industrial operations by using more greywater and recycled water. This can be achieved by:

• Supporting policy which requires greywater systems to be installed in new industrial buildings, and encourages
installation in retrofitted industrial buildings. This will reduce stormwater runoff and decrease landscaping water
demands. Provide free installation for low-income residents and small business owners.
• Installing rainwater harvesting, permeable paving, and greywater systems in industrial buildings for irrigation to meet a
required reduction of 33% of industrial water use by 2030.
• Working to ensure that an additional 25% of current water used by industrial users in Oakland is recycled through
greywater systems by 2015.
• Requiring new developments in areas which lack open space and street trees to contribute to open space on site or in
community.

Conclusion – Include Food and Water Policies in ECAP

Oakland City Council members acted responsibly in voting to reduce GHG emissions by 85% below 2005 levels by 2050. In
order to meet this goal, as well as annual targets, food system localization and water conservation policies must be included
in Oakland’s Energy and Climate Action Plan. GHG emissions related to the food and farming sectors can be greatly
reduced by rebuilding the local food system. Simultaneously, the significant sequestration benefits associated with using
vacant land for organic food production must also be considered. Oakland needs to increase its water security and
decrease its fresh water consumption by using alternative and low-energy water sources, and by mandating water
conservation in the municipal, residential and commercial sectors.

The City of Oakland is poised to become a national leader in addressing global climate change in an equitable manner. The
inclusion of food system localization and water conservation policies, in addition to reducing GHG emissions, will also
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increase access to healthy food and clean water, strengthen Oakland’s economy and provide stable, green-collar jobs. We
urge you to include the aforementioned policies in the Energy and Climate Action Plan.

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