Sonoma County sending 7 people to climate conference in Denmark

<p>Sonoma County is sending seven people to Copenhagen, Denmark, for next month's international conference on climate control to tout the county's environmental programs, participate in educational panels and have a voice in the debate.</p><p>“When you get to a U.N. conference, countries get dealt with, sometimes cities get dealt with and counties get left out of the mix,” said county Supervisor Valerie Brown, in discussing the push for participation.</p><p>But the conference comes at a time of budget cuts, increased rates and employee furloughs at the water agency and in the county and that has some questioning why six people from the agency and one from the county's Transportation Authority need to make the trip.</p><p>“I think since the Water Agency has taken such a lead in climate protection, we really do stand out in the United States and maybe the world. It makes sense to send two people,” said Windsor Councilwoman Debora Fudge, who also sits on the agency's Water Advisory Committee.</p><p>The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen runs Dec. 13 to 18 and is expected to draw 30,000 people from 192 nations. President Obama is expected to attend.</p><p>“We have made an inroad with the White House folks who have asked if we want to be in on the president and negotiators' briefings,” Brown said. “This is an important meeting.”</p><p>The Board of Supervisors has allocated $22,500 to send four people and two consultants for the Sonoma County Water Agency. The money is from the agency's recycled water fund.</p><p>The cost is being somewhat offset by $5,000 from the Association of California Water Agencies, and $11,300 from the National Association of Counties and the International Council of Local Environmental Issues — a mix of public and private money.</p><p>The Sonoma County Transportation Authority separately has allocated $2,000 to send Suzanne Smith, executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority.</p><p>They defend the trip as a necessity, even during tough economic times.</p><p>“You can't stop all activity or education or demonstration of what we are doing in this county,” said Suzanne Smith, executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority. “We all have budgets and we are living within our budgets ... you make decisions on what to spend it on.”</p><p>Officials said they are cutting costs as much as possible by sharing rooms, staying with friends and paying some of the cost themselves.</p><p>Smith said she is sharing a room with Brown and she will pay the costs not covered by the $2,000 allocation. Airfare alone is more than $1,000.</p><p>Water Agency officials said consultant Tod Brilliant, a videographer and educator, will be staying with friends.</p><p>Brown said the cost is small compared to the importance of the conference and the money the networking will eventually bring back to Sonoma County.</p><p>“Money is an issue, and what we are doing is tantamount for three years of lobbyists for a fraction of that cost,” Brown said. “We have the opportunity to network and be with people and it will eventually mean money into Sonoma County.”</p><p>Even as conservation measures were enacted this summer, the Water Agency raised the cost of water to Santa Rosa and Windsor by 20 percent, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Marin County and North Marin by 10.5 percent and Sonoma and Valley of the Moon by 26 percent. Those entities will be passing at least some of that increase along to the ratepayers.</p><p>The Water Agency, in the meantime, reduced its budget by $8 million, to $217 million, for the current fiscal year by reducing operations, taking two pumps off line, not filling vacant positions, implementing a hiring freeze, not paying cost-of-living increases this year and furloughing employees for a week without pay at Christmas.</p><p>Officials of the North Bay Labor Council and Service Employees International Union, the two major labor groups representing county workers who are being required to take mandatory time and have had wage freezes, did not return calls to comment on the trip.</p><p>Michael Allen, former president and member of the North Bay Labor Council and chair of the Accountable Development Coalition, said it would be easy to write off the trip as a junket and a waste of money.</p><p>“In these tough times people could react negatively, but people have to recognize that Sonoma County is leading the world on environmental practices,” Allen said. “In my experience you make important contacts and find out best practices. I really do see it as a positive.”</p><p>Randy Poole, the Water Agency's chief executive officer and chief engineer, said the number of people they are sending is necessary.</p><p>“We will be spread out running all over the place,” Poole said. “We have been invited to have Valerie Brown meet with five governors, including ours and Washington state, to explain our energy independence program. Everyone is trying to copy what we are doing.”</p><p>The Sonoma County attendees included Brown, who is representing Sonoma County, the National Association of Counties and the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives.</p><p>Also attending will be board of supervisors President Paul Kelley, who is president of the California Association of Water Boards, Brilliant and Smith.</p><p>Others are Rohnert Park Councilman Jake Mackenzie, a member of the Water Agency's advisory committee, Tim Anderson, the agency's governmental affairs director, and UC Santa Barbara Professor Robert Wilkinson, an expert on environmental policies.</p><p>“Wilkinson is one of the foremost authorities on climate change and water resources and he is well connected with people,” Anderson said. “He is the person to take you to meetings, introduce you to people. We work very closely with him.”</p><p>Brilliant, who has produced videos for the Water Agency, will be writing a weblog and streaming video from the conference to the Water Agency's internet site and to other sites nationwide, Anderson said.</p><p>“You have to compare the cost to the benefits, and we think the potential benefit to the county from exposure is immense,” Anderson said. “The thing to worry about is the U.N. will adopt binding language that will affect local governments. If you are not at the table, you are on the table. We believe you have to be there.”</p><p>Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt, who is also president of the Bay Are Quality Management District, said she considered paying her own way, a minimum of $3,100 for airfare and hotel, because she believes those trips are valuable for elected officials. But she said the number attending from Sonoma County may be excessive.</p><p>“I see both sides of it. There is great value, it is a unique opportunity,” Torliatt said. “And I was going to go to participate in panels and personally pay for the trip myself. Do I want elected officials to represent us? Sure.”</p><p>Sonoma County has enacted a unique energy independence program, which loans money to property owners for such things as solar power, energy saving windows and even water-saving appliances.</p><p>So far $35 million in loans have been approved, but Poole believes that it will grow to $100 million.</p><p>Poole said the agency has also been meeting the White House staff and members of Congress on expanding the program nationwide.</p><p>“Twenty states have passed legislation but no one knows how to start the program, and we are working with Napa, Marin, Lake and five counties north on their programs,” Poole said.</p><p>“We are trying too ramp up and try to get this program as quickly as possible, it is about lowering the carbon foot print, creating jobs and it is the right thing to do.”</p>