February 14, 2024
Sunnyvale City Council
456 W Olive Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
RE: February 15 Study Issues and Budget Proposals Workshop
Dear Mayor Klein and Sunnyvale City Councilmembers,
The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter submit this letter for your consideration for the February 15th Study Issues and Budget Proposals Workshop. Together, our organizations represent tens of thousands of members in Santa Clara County, including Sunnyvale. Our members care deeply about wildlife and protecting our environment, including the night sky and Bay ecosystems.
Over the past decade we have supported Dark Sky in Sunnyvale. A Light Pollution Study Issue was prioritized in 2019, but was never budgeted and eventually dropped from the priority item list. Since then, light pollution has intensified in Sunnyvale and elsewhere in the region. Throughout the Moffett Park Specific Plan process, the Sierra Club Bay Alive Campaign focused on reducing light pollution and protecting our community from sea level rise with nature-based solutions. Our organizations provided recommendations for the Bird-Safe Design and Dark Sky standards in the recently adopted Moffett Park Specific Plan. Our interests in protecting the environment extend to other issues of public and environmental health, and to the protection of habitat and wildlife in Sunnyvale and beyond.
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society support the following items.
CDD 24-02: Explore the Creation of a Dark Sky Ordinance for all Private Property
- Light pollution is a threat to both human health and the health of our ecosystems, as artificial light at night can affect key biological behaviors. Since Sunnyvale already has robust light pollution standards in the Moffett Park Specific Plan, it would be an efficient and worthwhile priority to expand and adjust these standards to apply citywide.
LRS 24-01: Examine the Permanent Closure of the Interior Levees Surrounding Sunnyvale’s Wastewater Treatment Ponds
- Closing these interior levees to public access could help protect habitat used by waterfowl. The interior levees mentioned in this item could be closed without adverse impacts to the mobility or recreation of residents due to the parallel trails that are available.
ESD 24-01 Evaluate the Use of Artificial Turf Versus Living Groundcover
- Artificial turf releases harmful plastic pollution that seeps into groundwater and nearby ecosystems, while also posing a health risk to people who use the turf.
We are concerned about the following items.
We are concerned about item DPW 24‐04 “Evaluate Late Night Lights at Public Parks” and item DPW 20-13 “Lighting of Current and Future City Owned Dog Parks”. Both of these items could increase light pollution in Sunnyvale in parkland habitat.
Sincerely,
Dashiell Leeds
Conservation Coordinator
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter
Shani Kleinhaus
Environmental Advocate
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society