Forum warms to a $32,000 electric mower — and maybe a second one

Larkspur's Climate Action Forum spent a good chunk of Wednesday's meeting on a piece of equipment: an electric ride-on mower for the city's maintenance crew. Staff reported that a John Deere-affiliated manufacturer has offered a discount of roughly $6,000, bringing the price to about $32,000 before tax, to replace gas mowers now in the fleet.

“I am I'm interested in potentially... if you're going to buy one and they have some that they're trying to move, let's see if we can get a better deal for two.”— Council liaison Sarah Margulies, on the electric mower purchase

Because the city has to build charging infrastructure for the mower regardless, Council liaison Sarah Margulies floated doubling the order — potentially by reallocating an existing $30,000 budget line item plus surplus Forum funds for FY 2026-27.

Members were broadly supportive but not ready to sign off. Tom asked about the capacity factor — how many hours a week the mower would actually run — warning that low utilization would shrink the greenhouse gas savings. Katie backed the idea for its visibility and co-benefits, quieter and cleaner than gas equipment, but said she wanted the county analyst's emissions analysis and full lifecycle costs before committing to a second machine. Staff member Shannon flagged practical limits: the battery is rated for eight hours but delivers about four real hours, and the equipment overheats and needs cool-down time.

Shannon also noted that no other Marin jurisdiction has bitten on a joint purchase despite outreach, though neighbors are watching Larkspur's pilot. No vote was taken; the Forum signaled general support for at least one mower pending more data.

PG&E asks Larkspur's climate panel to hear out a Diablo Canyon extension — members say wrong room

PG&E government affairs representative Mark Van Gorder asked the Forum to consider hosting a presentation on, or endorsing, a "Diablo Canyon 2045 Coalition" campaign to lobby Sacramento to extend the nuclear plant's operation from 2030 to 2045.

The reception was polite and skeptical. Paul Silva questioned whether this forum was the right venue and said he'd be wary of diverting the panel from its Larkspur-focused mission. Robin argued current alternatives to nuclear deserve consideration and was reluctant to bless an extension given the plants' age. David said that if a pro-extension speaker comes, someone from the other side should come too.

Tom offered the counterweight, noting nuclear is a non-greenhouse-gas-emitting source of more than 2,000 megawatts, that it doesn't count as "renewable" under state definitions (neither does large hydro), and that deferring the shutdown could keep additional fossil fuel plants offline. Katie said she'd rather the Forum stay focused on what Larkspur residents can do, but would personally attend a session elsewhere.

No decision was made to invite the speaker. Consensus leaned toward steering the topic to a larger venue such as the Marin Conservation League, with balanced pro and con presenters.

Native-plant landscaping resolution headed to the Forum's August agenda

Resident Paul Silva pitched a statewide, bottom-up campaign that followed the failure of AB 1573, the native plant bill he said was gutted in the Senate Appropriations Committee. The campaign asks cities to pass local resolutions forming working groups that would draft native-plant landscaping ordinances, with Encinitas cited as a model. Silva said Mayor Andre suggested the Climate Action Forum review the idea rather than standing up a new committee.

David pointed out that a climate emergency resolution reached the City Council three years ago from an informal resident group with no committee involvement and was adopted unanimously; he recommended starting with a resolution rather than an ordinance, and said a working-group requirement isn't necessary if a group already exists. Katie supported an expedited path straight to Council for an ordinance while cautioning the Forum to keep its eye on top emissions-reduction priorities.

Margulies proposed agendizing the item for the Forum's August meeting, after which Silva could take it to the Council's third-week-of-August meeting. Members agreed to review the draft resolution beforehand and have Silva return with details.