On April 18, the Marin Civil Grand Jury released a climate report calling for the establishment of a new county agency to streamline governmental processes in implementing environmental programming. The Grand Jury is composed of Marin residents who applied for the role and members meet each month to investigate and report on government operations, releasing public reports periodically. The objective of the April 18 report was focused primarily on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, specifically in accordance with the State of California’s 2030 goal to reduce carbon emissions from 1990 levels by 40 percent.
The county is currently in the process of reorganizing many of its agencies under the new County Executive, Derek Johnson. Sarah Jones, the Director of Community Development Agency at the County of Marin, believes the Grand Jury’s recommendations cover solutions and concerns that have already been planned to be addressed by the county.
“[The Grand Jury’s] recommendation is consistent with the approach that the county is planning to take,” Jones said. “I think we’re going beyond what the Grand Jury is talking about, because we are going to be creating an office within the County Executive’s office. So a centralized, county-wide function that is for climate and sustainability.”
One of the leading issues mentioned in the climate report was the need for continued electrification of vehicles in Marin. Ken Strong, Director at the Marin Conservation League, believes the county’s plan of reorganization to be positive for the climate cause in Marin County…