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across the land we now refer to as Oregon. We express our respect to all displaced indigenous <br />people who call Eugene home. <br />I want to express my gratitude to my Council colleagues. Each of them is hard working and <br />brings their considerable talents, knowledge and insights to do the public's work week after <br />week. I have learned from each of them and I value their public service. It is difficult work and <br />often deeply controversial; the path forward is not always clear; finding agreement on complex <br />issues is challenging. They work their way through a constant cascade of demands with grace, <br />respect and dedication. On behalf of all Eugene residents, I thank you. <br />I also want to thank City staff who consistently prepare council for discussions and decisions <br />with well -researched and expertly prepared materials. Staff are always ready to answer <br />questions and respond to Council needs. At the top of this list is the City Manager. Once again, I <br />express my appreciation for Jon Ruiz for his professionalism and dedication to our city; and my <br />gratitude to Sarah Medary for stepping into her role as City Manager Pro -Tem. <br />Finally, I also want to recognize all of the citizens who serve on our appointed boards and <br />commissions, many of whom spend many hours in challenging meetings, reviewing mountains <br />of material to guide and advise council actions. We have a citizen government in the best sense, <br />and our civic life and decisions reflect that shared commitment to providing the services and <br />infrastructure that sustains us and reflects our values of safety, inclusiveness, stewardship, and <br />social justice. <br />As I reviewed my blog from the past year, I was struck both by the enormity of the work we <br />accomplished as well as the challenging pace at which things move. Many of our core concerns <br />demand urgency. The public is impatient for solutions, and the pace of creating policy to <br />respond to these challenges is sometimes interpreted as a lack of passion or commitment. <br />This could not be farther from the truth. <br />Let's take stock of the progress we've made in five major areas—which are among the most <br />vital challenges of our time: <br />Climate change, homelessness, housing affordability, public safety and economic development <br />On Climate: Council is in the final phase of approving the Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0, the <br />roadmap guiding our decisions to meet the goals of our Climate Recovery Ordinance. Built with <br />a wide range of collaborators, it reflects a powerful commitment to equity as we seek to help <br />our community both mitigate and adapt to climate change. <br />The City cannot do this work alone. In 2019, members of the Eugene Climate Collaborative -- <br />which includes representatives of school districts, higher education, business, public transit and <br />utilities -- defined their individual plans that collectively take us part-way to meeting our <br />climate goals. When Council approves the final version of the CAP 2.0 this year, we will commit <br />to a dozen additional strategies to push us farther and faster.All of them are challenging -- they <br />include decisions about our decarbonization from natural gas; our rate of adoption of electric <br />vehicles, improved efficiency in heating and cooling buildings; and commitments by all of us to <br />reduce consumption at the household level. <br />Reducing carbon emissions will make our community a better, fairer, safer place to live. And, it <br />will require a strong and consistent public commitment to change our thinking, our habits and <br />our assumptions. CAP 2.0 connects the dots. It's built on foundational agreements about how <br />and where we grow. Envision Eugene and the Transportation System Plan steer us to greater <br />MINUTES — State of the City Address January 8, 2020 Page 2 <br />