Media
July 17th, 2021, CCC Inaugural General Meeting
September 1, 2022, Kat Selm LTE in the Ventura County Star titled “Vote Bill-de la Peña for supervisor”
“Bill-de la Peña is invested in our community, serving two decades on the Thousand Oaks City Council. Claudia is an experienced and accessible representative with a consistent record. She will prioritize our needs over corporate profit every day.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/stop-subsidizing-fossil-fuel-firms/
July 29, 2022, Clint Fultz LTE in the Thousand Oaks Acorn titled “Stop subsidizing fossil fuel firms”
“It is worse, much worse, than you think. The slowness of climate change is a fairy tale, perhaps as pernicious as the one that says it isn’t happening at all. Those are the opening words of David Wallace-Wells’ book “The Uninhabitable Earth.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/to-survive-the-world-must-end-its-oil-addiction/
March 18, 2022, Rose Ann Witt LTE in the Thousand Oaks Acorn titled “Speak out to end nation’s reliance on fossil fuels”
“Gas tax ‘holidays’ are petrochemical subsidies in disguise; they prolong humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels, amplify the greenhouse gases driving global climatic chaos, and perpetuate war, exploitation, conflict, violence, suffering and destruction.”
January 31, 2022, Faith Grant LTE in Ventura County Star titled “Don’t Undermine Local Solar”
“These utilities block local rooftop solar expansion as it decreases their profits, even though solar is more cost-effective for ratepayers along with the benefits of better air quality, GHG reduction, reliability, and resilience when combined with battery storage.”
November 28, 2021, Kat Selm interview on KPPQ show “In the Women’s Room”
Kat talks with KPPQ radio host Kathleen Good about local action on climate change, community organizing, and her background as a biologist.
Now Available! Audio from “The Work Continues: Let’s Turn OFF The Gas!” Presentation by Rose Ann Witt
Justice For All Ventura County
“The Work Continues: Pick Your Passion” - January 23, 2021
https://youtu.be/JT6L6r8yLIU?t=3258
August 31st, 2021, CCC comments before the Thousand Oaks City Council
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/goodbye-gas-hello-wind-solar/
Aug 5th, 2021, Clint Fultz, “Goodbye gas, hello wind/solar” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn: Going all-electric uses less fossil fuels as the grid continues growing greener. Gas is deceptively called “clean and natural.” In actuality, it’s a mix of toxic gases, mostly methane. Methane is 80 times more potent as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Highlighted in Thousand Oaks’ second Climate and Environmental Action Plan meeting, fossil gas accounted for fully 20% of our community’s 2020 greenhouse gas emissions, second only to transportation.
July 16, 2021, CVCCL Member David Gilbertson, “Address the climate crisis now” Letter to the Editor, Ventura County Star: The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, also under consideration in the House, has the support of over 70 representatives. This legislation puts a gradually increasing fee on every ton of fossil fuel produced. As a letter to the editor noted, its cash-back feature will benefit Americans — “the revenue from the tax is put in a fund and gets distributed to households in the form of a monthly dividend check.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/all-electric-is-better-for-planet/
July 8, 2021, Rose Ann Witt “All-electric is better for planet ” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn: All-electric, no-gas building standards improve energy efficiency and lower construction costs and utility bills, benefits that make housing more affordable to build and maintain precisely as California seeks workable solutions to our housing crisis. Electrification also prevents the staggering expense of retrofitting additional obsolete natural gas connections and appliances, and protects our children from the indoor air pollution driving up asthma rates and healthcare costs.
July 8, 2021, Jan Dietrick, “Benefits of all-electric buildings” Letter to the Editor, Ventura County Star: All new buildings in Agoura Hills will soon be all-electric — the latest city to take this major step to meet climate goals and protect residents. Some type of building electrification code will be required statewide next year, but Agoura Hills has taken an early lead in SoCalGas territory. We encourage the nine cities in the county to join the city of Ojai as well as, now also Agoura Hills in L.A. County, and be equally concerned about county residents’ health and the urgency of the climate problem, and follow these leaders with mandatory all-electric building codes.
https://youtu.be/2KpsKqo9guU?t=6095
June 23, 2021, agenda item 18, Agoura Hills City Council votes 3:2 to approve changes to the city's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) to reflect ordinances mandating electrification of all new residential and commercial development:
18. Discussion Regarding Update on Phase 2 of the Draft Climate Action and Adaption Plan (CAAP); Discuss Mandates Versus Incentives for Electrification of New Residential and Commercial Developments and Update on Budget Impacts.
https://youtu.be/CgDKJd91e0c?t=15952
June 22, 2021, CCC public comments to agenda item 8.B., before the Thousand Oaks City Council:
8. PUBLIC HEARING: B. 2020 Urban Water Management Plan Update, 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, Addendum to 2015 Urban Water Management Plan (MI 2594) RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE CITY’S 2020 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN, THE 2020 WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN, AND ADDENDUM TO THE 2015 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN RES. NO. 2021- RECOMMENDATION: Adopt resolution to approve and adopt the City of Thousand Oaks 2020 Urban Water Management Plan, 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, and Addendum to the 2015 Urban Water Management Plan.
April 12, 2021, CCC “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally” Interview, Branching Out with the Acorn Podcast: CCC’s Kat Selm introduces our group of environmentally-minded residents trying to provoke change at the local level and explains that natural gas in your home is a health and safety issue , so “you don't have to be an environmentalist to be concerned about your apartment exploding, or your child getting asthma, or being poisoned by carbon monoxide in your sleep.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/village-centers-are-the-answer/
May 20, 2021, Rose Ann Witt “Village centers are the answer” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn: Village Centers “can revitalize aging commercial space and provide neighborhood gathering centers and affordable housing, and create anchor points for walking, cycling and public transit near where most residents live so we can do daily errands without driving.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/remember-to-celebrate-earth/
April 22, 2021, Rose Ann Witt “Remember to celebrate Earth” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn: A reminder that “Earth is a living, breathing, dynamic superorganism of which we are but one small part,” together with a “b-earthday wish that we wake-up, rise up, restore our earth and save ourselves … while we still have time.”
https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/readers/2021/04/16/letter-parks-recall-unreasonable/7245918002/
April 16, 2021, CCC “Parks recall is unreasonable” Letter to the Editor, Ventura County Star: The recallers have targeted Supervisor Parks, threatening an expensive special election (estimated to cost $500,000) that wastes taxpayer funds better invested in safely reopening schools, small business assistance, mitigating wildfire risk, and many community needs more pressing than ousting a popular, responsible and admired public servant. She consistently leads on clean energy, air, and water; open space; public parks; and more.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/consider-climate-when-building/
March 4th, 2021, CCC “Consider climate when building” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn The climate crisis will soon affect nearly every aspect of society, including agriculture, jobs, transportation, manufacturing and housing construction. This web of interconnectedness is why many climate advocates apply a social justice lens to climate mitigation and adaptation.
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/climate-coalition-has-a-plan/
February 25, 2021, CCC “Climate coalition has a plan” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn: Describes the Conejo Climate Coalition’s vision for the City’s 2045 General Plan Update to “reduce traffic, congestion and pollution by approving a land-use map that zones affordable housing near jobs in neighborhood town squares so more residents can shop, dine, work and play within a 15-minute walk/bike ride of home.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/city-should-prioritize-climate/
February 18th, 2021, CCC “City should prioritize climate" Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn Residents and city leadership need to address several issues that will affect our health and well-being for generations to come. The city needs to build affordable housing and adopt reach codes that go beyond statewide building codes, making sure buildings are all-electric.
February 15th, 2021, CCC “New housing must be affordable, safe and all-electric” Guest Column, Ventura County Star Like most residents, the Conejo Climate Coalition values affordable housing that enables our adult children to live and work in their hometown and seniors on fixed incomes to remain close to family; easy access to safety in an emergency; and the outdoor activities our temperate natural surroundings afford. City staff and councilmembers must ensure that future planning contributes solutions to housing insufficiency and safety risks associated with climate destabilization to ensure long-term prosperity for all our community members, including students, seniors and workers. Quality, multi-family mixed-use can enhance housing supply and affordability, ensure safety, improve energy efficiency and mitigate intensifying heat ... IF city leaders require these essential community benefits as conditions of approval for all new construction in Thousand Oaks.
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/bring-town-squares-to-t-o/
January 28, 2021, CCC “Bring town squares to T.O.” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn, in agreement with 1/21/21 Letter to the Editor arguing “there are better solutions to our community’s housing challenges than concentrating development along Thousand Oaks Boulevard.”
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/new-buildings-need-solar/
January 28, 2021, CCC "New buildings need solar" Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn, in response to 1/21/21 articles "Fires, winds wreak havoc on residents" reporting on the Erbes Fire, and “Developer to present plans for 300 apartments on T.O. Boulevard” reporting on the anticipated prescreening of the latter project at the 1/26/21 Thousand Oaks City Council meeting
https://youtu.be/A4d2s8gYN3o?t=4387
January 26, 2021, CCC public comments to agenda item 8.A, before the Thousand Oaks City Council:
8. PUBLIC HEARING: A. Microgrid Development at Hill Canyon Treatment Plant. RECOMMENDATION: 1. Award an Energy Services Agreement for design, construction, and operation of a battery energy storage system and microgrid infrastructure at the Hill Canyon Treatment Plant under Government Code section 4217.10 et seq. procurement process to EDF Renewables Distributed Solutions, Inc. (EDF), a Delaware corporation, to be funded through Southern California Edison’s Self Generation Incentive Program.
2. Delegate authority to the City Engineer to approve the design, plans, specifications, and working details of the project.
https://youtu.be/A4d2s8gYN3o?t=5764
January 26, 2021, CCC public comments to agenda item 9.A, before the Thousand Oaks City Council:
9. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: A. Residential Capacity Allocation and Initiation of General Plan Amendment for a Project Located at 500 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard (RCA 2019-70236/LU 2019-70238); Applicant: MCRT INVESTMENTS, LLC. RESOLUTION DECLARING INTENTION TO CONSIDER AMENDMENT TO LAND USE ELEMENT OF GENERAL PLAN AND ALLOWING CONCURRENT PROCESSING OF ENTITLEMENT APPLICATIONS FOR LAND LOCATED AT 500 EAST THOUSAND OAKS BOULEVARD (RCA 2019-70236/LU 2019-70238: MCRT INVESTMENTS, LLC) RES. NO. 2020- RECOMMENDATION: Receive request and provide direction. Options include:
1. Adopt resolution to initiate a General Plan Amendment to allocate 235 dwelling units from the Thousand Oaks Boulevard Specific Plan (SP-20) and Citywide Measure E capacity, and authorize concurrent processing of legislative actions and project entitlements for a proposed project located at 500 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard; or
2. Deny the initiation of the General Plan Amendment and allocation of residential units for the proposed project
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/take-bold-stand-on-emissions/
January 21, 2021, CCC “Take bold stand on emissions” Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn, in response to 1/12/21 Thousand Oaks City Council meeting, Agenda Item 9., to consider and adopt working greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets: “Thousand Oaks can, and must, get to the IPCC targets.”
https://youtu.be/soyZqfOYppw?t=8662
January 12, 2021, CCC public comments to agenda item 9.A, before the Thousand Oaks City Council:
9. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: A. Climate and Environmental Action Plan (CEAP) - Emissions and Engagement. RECOMMENDATION: Adopt working greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets of 40 percent below 2010 levels by 2030 and 80 percent below 2010 levels by 2050, aligned with those of State of California, for development of City’s Climate and Environmental Action Plan. This recommendation is to be incorporated into CEAP, which will be subject to final review and approval by City Council in late 2021
https://www.toacorn.com/articles/building-green-benefits-residents/
December 24, 2020, CCC "Building green benefits residents" Letter to the Editor, Thousand Oaks Acorn, in response to 12/17/20 article "Ahead of GP update, council agrees on changes to residential review process" reporting on the 12/15/20 Thousand Oaks City Council meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_TPmbJlbfE.
December 15, 2020, CCC public comments to agenda item 9.A. before the Thousand Oaks City Council:
9. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: A. Community Development Department Update; Prescreening Process for General Plan Amendments. RESOLUTION AMENDING POLICY FOR PRESCREENING GENERAL PLAN LAND USE MAP AMENDMENTS THAT REQUIRE ALLOCATIONS OF RESIDENTIAL CAPACITY AND RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 2018-015 RES. NO. 2020- RECOMMENDATION: Adopt resolution to modify process for prescreening amendments to the General Plan that require allocations of residential capacity
The Washington Post, 12/2019, “2°C: Beyond The Limit - Fires, floods and free parking: California’s unending fight against climate change” - https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/cfrog/pages/609/attachments/original/1581544066/California_climate_change__Fires__floods_and_a_fight_over_free_parking_-_Washington_Post.pdf?1581544066
Life in Southern California, once as mild and predictable as the weather, is being transformed as the climate grows hotter, drier and in some regions windier, fueling more intense wildfires, deadly mudslides and prolonged extreme drought. The changing natural world is in turn forcing a fundamental social reckoning, altering the choice of crops on some of the nation’s most bountiful farms, erasing the certainty of electrical power in some of its wealthiest homes and exposing the limits of environmental activism among some of its most liberal voters.
The VCReporter, 11/2019, “Into The Red | Climate Research Indicates 20 YEARS OF CONTINUOUSLY RISING TEMPERATURES IN VENTURA COUNTY” - https://vcreporter.com/2019/11/into-the-red-climate-research-indicates-20-years-of-continuously-rising-temperatures-in-ventura-county/
Ventura County’s climate is changing. To better understand what it will look like in the near future, two researchers for the Desert Research Institute (DRI), under a grant administered by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy in 2018 and using an ensemble of 32 climate models, projected our future climate for the years 2020-40.
The Union of Concerned Scientists, 7/2/2019, “Killer Heat in the United States, Climate Choices and the Future of Dangerously Hot Days” - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/killer-heat-united-states-0
The United States is facing a potentially staggering expansion of dangerous heat over the coming decades. This analysis shows the rapid, widespread increases in extreme heat that are projected to occur across the country due to climate change, including conditions so extreme that a heat index cannot be measured. The analysis also finds that the intensity of the coming heat depends heavily on how quickly we act now to reduce heat-trapping emissions.