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City of Pleasanton
<br />Pleasanton Climate Action Plan 2.0
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<br />a. Would the project have a substantial adverse effect, either directly or through habitat
<br />modifications, on any species identified as candidate, sensitive, or special status in local or
<br />regional plans, policies, or regulations, or by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife or the
<br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?
<br />Pleasanton is a primarily urbanized community with neighborhood parks, community parks, and
<br />recreational and open spaces incorporated throughout the City. PMC Chapter 17.16 and the
<br />Pleasanton General Plan Conservation and Open Space Element as well as Water Element
<br />incorporate goals and policies to protect biological resources, such as plants, trees, wildlife habitats,
<br />wetlands and rivers, and rare and endangered species in the City.31, 32, 33 The western edge of
<br />Pleasanton, in the undeveloped hillsides of Pleasanton Ridge, contains critical habitat for Alameda
<br />whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus).34
<br />The CAP 2.0 would not involve land use or zoning changes and would instead promote sustainable
<br />infrastructure development and redevelopment. The CAP 2.0 strategies and actions would not
<br />conflict with the PMC or objectives and policies of the Pleasanton General Plan related to wildlife
<br />but would rather be consistent with and promote those policies. CAP 2.0 strategies and actions
<br />would generally apply to the urbanized areas of the City, with little application to parks, open spaces
<br />area, or the undeveloped portions of the City where sensitive habitat and related species may be
<br />present. In addition, CAP 2.0 Strategy NS-1 and Action P-13 facilitate the implementation of an
<br />urban forest master plan that would increase tree canopy and landscaping throughout Pleasanton
<br />that could serve as additional habitat for special status species and migratory and nesting birds. As
<br />such, the CAP 2.0 would not have a substantial adverse effect on candidate, threatened, or
<br />endangered wildlife species either directly through individual take or indirectly through species
<br />habitat modification.
<br />As a policy document, the CAP 2.0 would not directly result in impacts related to wildlife species of
<br />special status. However, implementation of some CAP 2.0 actions may promote infrastructure
<br />development within the urbanized portions of the City and could result in impacts to species
<br />through construction activities. CAP 2.0 Action P2 promotes electrification of existing buildings,
<br />Action P5 would expand EV charging stations and supporting infrastructure throughout the City, and
<br />Actions S2 and S3 encourage energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits to existing buildings and
<br />municipal facilities. CAP 2.0 Action P15 would incentivize water efficiency retrofits to existing
<br />buildings and landscaped areas, and Action S8 seeks to increase green stormwater infrastructure
<br />within the City, including low-impact development (LID) strategies such as bioswales, rain
<br />catchment basins, and green roofs. Additionally, Action S9 promotes controlled burns in wildland
<br />areas to prevent wildfire, which could potentially impact biological resources. These actions have
<br />the potential to disturb nesting habitat for birds and raptors protected under Sections 3503, 3503.5,
<br />and 3513 of the California Fish and Game Code (CFGC) and under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
<br />(MBTA). However, construction activities for future CAP 2.0 projects would be required to comply
<br />with the provisions of the MBTA and CFGC Sections 3503, 3503.5, and 3513 in order to avoid
<br />impacts to protected birds and would be reviewed for consistency with City, State, and federal
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<br />31 Pleasanton, City of. 2021. Pleasanton Municipal Code Chapter 17.16. Available:
<br /><https://qcode.us/codes/pleasanton/view.php?topic=17-17_16&frames=on>. Accessed October 7, 2021.
<br />32 Pleasanton, City of. 2009. Pleasanton General Plan Conservation and Open Space Element. Available:
<br /><https://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=23910>. Accessed October 7, 2021
<br />33 Pleasanton, City of. 2009. Pleasanton General Plan Water Element. Available:
<br /><https://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=23911>. Accessed October 8, 2021
<br />34 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2021. Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered Species Map. Available:
<br /><https://fws.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=9d8de5e265ad4fe09893cf75b8dbfb77>. Accessed October 8, 2021.
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