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Commission for the Environment

Orange County · Commission for the Environment
Monday, August 10, 2026

Regular meeting Environment and sustainabilityWater and sewerHealth and human servicesAppointments and personnelFarmland and open spaceFees and utility ratesGrants and outside fundingParks and recreationSchools and education

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Received VIIIHeat Action Cohort Presentation Received

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

The night the commission finishes the report it has been writing for more than a year. The State of the Environment Report comes back as a final draft with a vote to accept it, ending work the commission was still struggling to draft in June 2025 when members were asked to write their sections over the summer break.

Also on the agenda: a presentation from the water and sewer authority on what PFAS is doing to its operations, with the commission asked to comment on draft guiding principles; a review of the community climate action grant and its scoring tools; and an update on a summer heat action cohort.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

OWASA's deputy executive director Stephen Winters and community relations director Mary Tiger briefed the commission on what PFAS is doing to the utility's operations, and asked for input on OWASA's draft guiding principles. The commission discussed them and gave its input; no vote was taken.

The only motion of the night was on membership: the commission voted 10-0 to recommend Mark Turner to the Board of Commissioners for a seat, and met a second applicant, Lauren Resnick. Members also talked through the final draft of the State of the Environment Report without voting to accept it, reviewed the Community Climate Action Grant's mission and scoring tools with sustainability staff, and heard intern Addison Vlastnik on the Heat Action Cohort's summer work.

In announcements, Jeff Ryan said he is arranging a PFAS tour at Hexavon for September, and Kristie Mather raised her concerns about the proposed Orange County Land Use Plan. The trail plan update was dropped from the agenda at the start. Ten of eleven members attended and the meeting ran just over two hours.

How the votes went

Two votes, both 10-0 with one member excused. The June 8 minutes were approved on a motion by Lily Schacht seconded by Matthew Ferguson. Recommending Mark Turner to the Board of Commissioners for membership was moved by Chair Regina Baratta and seconded by Mark Randall.

From the published minutes.

Who spoke

No members of the public spoke.

The minutes record no public comment.

Read from the records the government published after the meeting. Members of the public are private residents and are not named or indexed.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (11)

Procedural · 3Discussion item · 3Presentation · 2Minutes approval · 1Appointment · 1Staff or committee report · 1
  1. I Call to Order
    Procedural
  2. II Additions or Changes to Agenda
    Procedural
  3. III Approval of DRAFT Meeting Summary – June 8, 2026
    Minutes approval
    The draft summary of the June 8, 2026 meeting, up for approval.
  4. IV CFE Membership and Recruitment
    Appointment Appointments and personnelEnvironment and sustainability
    New applicant Lauren Resnick is introduced and the commission votes on June's applicants.
    Voted 10-0 to recommend Mark Turner to the Board of Commissioners
  5. V Impacts of PFAS on OWASA's Operations
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilityFees and utility ratesHealth and human servicesWater and sewer
    Stephen Winters and Mary Tiger of OWASA present on what PFAS contamination means for the utility's operations and ask the commission for input on OWASA's draft guiding principles.
    Discussed; input given
  6. VI State of the Environment Report
    Discussion item Environment and sustainabilityFarmland and open spaceWater and sewer
    The final draft of the county's State of the Environment Report.
    Discussed; no vote to accept recorded
  7. VII Community Climate Action Grant Review
    Discussion item Environment and sustainabilityGrants and outside funding
    Sustainability staff review the Community Climate Action Grant's mission, its past awards and the scoring tools the commission uses.
    Reviewed
  8. VIII Heat Action Cohort Presentation
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilityHealth and human services
    Sustainability intern Addison Vlastnik reports on the Heat Action Cohort's progress over the summer.
    Received
  9. X Sub-Committee Breakouts
    Discussion item Environment and sustainability
    Committees wrap up State of the Environment input and set goals for the next four months.
  10. XI Updates and Information Items
    Staff or committee report Environment and sustainabilityParks and recreationSchools and educationWater and sewer
    Committee summaries, a PFAS tour, a report on the July clothing, art and school supply swap, trails plan updates, and an urban sustainability solutions workday on 19 August.
  11. XII Adjournment
    Procedural
    Next meeting 14 September 2026.

Agenda changes

What moved between published versions of this agenda. Item numbers shift constantly as things are inserted, so only genuine additions and removals are listed.

Other recent meetings of this board