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NORWOOD
<br />September 21, 2020 ASSOCIATES
<br />City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz
<br />City of Redwood City
<br />1017 Middlefield Road Government Relations
<br />Redwood City, CA 94063
<br />RE: Opposition to All -Electric Reach Code, Agenda Item 9.A
<br />Dear Acting City Manager Diaz:
<br />I am submitting these comments in Opposition to Item Number 9.A on the Agenda for the Redwood City
<br />Council meeting scheduled for Monday, September 21, 2020.
<br />My name is John A. Norwood. I am the Chief of Government Relations for the California Pool & Spa
<br />Association (CPSA). CPSA is a statewide trade association that represents all segments of the swimming pool
<br />and hot tub industry in California. This includes manufacturers of equipment to operate swimming pools, hot
<br />tubs, ancillary equipment, testing and safety products, outdoor kitchens and recreation areas, swimming pool
<br />and spa builders, subcontractors, and the swimming pool maintenance and service industry.
<br />The swimming pool and hot tub industry is an exceptional contributor to the California economy. In 2014,
<br />PK Data, Inc. opined that the swimming pool & spa industry contributed roughly $5 billion annually to the
<br />California economy. This number did not include costs associated with the pool remodeling industry or the
<br />hot tub industry. In fact, California is the biggest market in the world for swimming pools and hot tubs.
<br />Moreover, the industry provides good -paying jobs in communities throughout California, supports numerous
<br />individuals and firms that are in the construction subcontracting business, and employs tens of thousands of
<br />people in the pool and hot tub maintenance and service business. Swimming pool contractors purchase their
<br />construction materials, i.e., steel, cement, tile, sand, lumber, electrical, plumbing, and drainage materials
<br />locally, thus supporting other local businesses. The economic effect of this industry is multiplied by the
<br />demand for pool/hot tub chemicals, toys, backyard furniture, barbeques, outdoor kitchens, fire pits,
<br />fireplaces, and lighting desired by both commercial and residential owners of swimming pools and hot tubs.
<br />The "California Dream," so to speak, is still a home in the suburbs with a big backyard and a swimming pool.
<br />This fact is supported by the last five years of record-breaking pool construction since the nation emerged
<br />from the 2009 economic meltdown. This trend is destined to continue as in numerous areas of the state, 50%
<br />of new home buyers are millennials, many of which desire a home with a backyard swimming pool, hot tub,
<br />or exercise pool.
<br />The goal of eliminating the use of natural gas in California, providing incentives for home builders to
<br />construct new housing tracts without natural gas lines or hookups, or otherwise phasing out the use of natural
<br />gas, will undermine the swimming pool and hot tub business in California, resulting in a significant economic
<br />blow to the state, as well as depriving millions of Californians of a backyard place for staycations that they so
<br />desire.
<br />In the swimming pool and spa industry, pool heaters, fire pits, fireplaces, decorative fire features, pizza ovens,
<br />barbeques, outdoor ranges, and outdoor space heating all operate on natural gas. Together these elements
<br />produce spaces in backyards that provide families a place for recreation, exercise, entertainment, and
<br />relaxation. The pool and spa industry do utilize solar heating and electric heating where possible, especially
<br />for hot tubs, but there are no current alternatives to heating swimming pools in numerous commercial
<br />settings, in coastal and mountain residential areas of the state, or at night for homeowners. The same is true
<br />for outdoor kitchens and recreational areas relative to fire pits, fireplaces, outdoor space heating, and outdoor
<br />cooking equipment.
<br />915 L Street • Suite 1100 • Sacramento • CA • 95814
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