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Council set ambitious targets in the Climate Recovery Ordinance, and we are committed to the <br />challenge of meeting them. <br />There are direct and indirect ways of meeting those goals. Fundamental decisions about where <br />and how to build housing and invest in public transit, biking and pedestrian pathways are direct <br />ways -- we make public decisions and investments with tax dollars. But the outcome is indirect. <br />If we create a landscape that allows people to live near transit, their everyday choices will <br />reduce our carbon footprint because we have made it natural and easy for them to do so. It's an <br />excellent example of a drawdown project -- we need to do this work to serve our growing <br />population, and the outcome will help us meet our climate goals. <br />The premise of our climate work is that the city and large institutions lead the way in <br />orchestrating major shifts in energy sources and use. The community engages at many levels -- <br />from understanding the value of reducing food waste to taking advantage of public transit. <br />In so many ways, the framework of our thinking about climate change, the infrastructure work <br />we and our partners undertake, and the public's adoption of climate -responsive actions are also <br />a template for how we prepare the community for a major earthquake and other natural <br />disasters. The two go hand-in-hand -- they are both about how we take care of ourselves and <br />each other. If there is one message that should resonate with all of us, it is this: if we prepare <br />ourselves so that we and our families can be safe, we'll also be able to help our neighbors and <br />others recover more quickly when any disaster occurs -- whether it is an ice storm, a wildfire, or <br />a major earthquake. <br />The sooner we are prepared for climate change and for any emergencies that may occur, the <br />stronger our economy will be both now and in the future. <br />With this urgency in mind, I will host a Mayor's Emergency Preparedness Summit in March. <br />The goal is to bring key partners together to publicly share their plans to coordinate their <br />responses to an earthquake and to raise public awareness of this work. <br />We will not succeed in reaching any of our goals if the public as a whole is not engaged. People <br />need to agree with choices about land use and transportation, and they need to personally <br />invest in solutions. <br />Effective, public outreach reduces trauma and inspires hope. If the public can't see the work, <br />they assume nothing is happening. If you know that good work is being done on your behalf, <br />you feel that your own efforts are worthwhile; that the future is promising. <br />Which brings me to my third major priority: public engagement and government accountability. <br />I have devoted a lot of conversation and thought to community involvement in meetings with <br />neighborhood leaders, councilors and staff. When I took office in 2017, I created an online <br />"dashboard" to help us track ongoing work. It was born out of a recognition that the array of <br />decisions and the lag -time between discussions can lead to misunderstanding, confusion and <br />distrust. <br />It is right that the public should demand clarity, transparency and ease of access to information <br />concerning the expenditure of public funds, and question the public benefit of programs that <br />encourage economic development. I have three proposals to address these challenges. <br />MINUTES — State of the City Address January 3, 2019 Page 3 <br />