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Home My WebLink About2025-12-04; Environmental Sustainability Commission; 01; City Council Legislative Subcommittee Update This item was returned to staff to be placed on a future agenda. 1. CITY COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE SUBCOMMITTEE UPDATE: Receive a presentation regarding the work of the City Council Legislative Subcommittee, the City of Carlsbad Intergovernmental Affairs Program and the city’s recent and ongoing advocacy efforts related to the protection and long-term sustainability of Carlsbad’s natural environment. (Staff Contact: Jason Haber, Intergovernmental Affairs Director) Meeting Date: Dec. 4, 2025 To: Environmental Sustainability Commission From: James Wood, Environmental Sustainability Director Staff Contact: Jason Haber, Intergovernmental Affairs Director jason.haber@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2958 Subject: City Council Legislative Subcommittee Update Districts: All Recommended Action Receive a presentation regarding the work of the City Council Legislative Subcommittee, the City of Carlsbad Intergovernmental Affairs Program and the city’s recent and ongoing advocacy efforts related to the protection and long-term sustainability of Carlsbad’s natural environment. Executive Summary The City of Carlsbad City Council Legislative Subcommittee works in coordination with the city’s Intergovernmental Affairs Director, City Manager’s Office, City Attorney’s Office, other city departments, legislative consultants and the Carlsbad community to: 1.Receive information and advise the City Council on intergovernmental and legislative matters affecting the city 2.Continuously monitor state and federal proposed legislation a.Review proposed legislation for consistency with the city’s Legislative Platform b.Make recommendations to City Council to identify high priority bills c.Make recommendations to City Council to adopt advocacy positions on high priority bills not addressed by the Legislative Platform 3.Proactively seek to identify local and regional legislative needs and recommend bill sponsorship opportunities to the City Council 4.Engage and inform the Carlsbad community (residents, businesses, and stakeholder groups) and other governmental agencies on intergovernmental and legislative matters affecting the city. District 4 City Council Member and Legislative Subcommittee Member, Teresa Acosta, and Intergovernmental Affairs Director, Jason Haber, will provide an update on the city’s recent and ongoing advocacy efforts related to the protection and long-term sustainability of Carlsbad’s natural environment, including an overview of the city’s process for evaluating and pursuing grant opportunities, and the city’s current funding priorities. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION Dec. 4, 2025 Item #1 Page 1 of 2 Fiscal Analysis This action has no fiscal impact. Environmental Evaluation The proposed action is not a “project” as defined by CEQA Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5) and does not require environment review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) and 15061(b)(3), because the proposed action to report on City Council Legislative Subcommittee Update is an organizational or administrative government activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. Any subsequent action or direction stemming from the proposed action may require preparation of an environmental document in accordance with CEQA or CEQA Guidelines. Exhibits None. Dec. 4, 2025 Item #1 Page 2 of 2 Who's Going to Pay for the Climate Crisis? California taxpayers are facing an unprecedented and escalating financial burden from the climate crisis. Tens of thousands of Angelenos are returning to their communities to find homes, businesses and infrastructure destroyed. The recent devastation in L.A. alone is estimated to cost Californians $250 billion. Insurance giants are abandoning Californians. Communities are shouldering unaffordable insurance rates, housing costs, utility bills, and medical and health expenses. State and local budgets are stretched to the brink as climate risks rise, jeopardizing public services, and forcing taxpayers to carry the burden . (A.cross the state, climate costs are hurling working families. Unless something changes, Californians will continue to suffer the burden of escalating multibillion-dollar costs. Polluters Pay Climate Superfund: A Common-Sense Solution. The climate crisis is a fossil-fuel crisis. A small number of the world's largest corporations have emitted the bulk of global greenhouse pollution, raking in immense profits while we all pay the price. The Climate Superfund Act (SB 684 & AB 1243) would ensure polluters pay their fair share for the climate damage they have caused in California. This bill would: • Direct CalEPA to complete a climate cost study: to quantify total damages to the state (through 2045), caused by fossil fuel emissions. • Direct CalEPA to identify responsible parties and assess compensatory fees: on the largest fossil fuel polluters, proportional to their fossil fuel emissions 1990 through 2024, to address damages quantified in the cost study. • Fund California's future: Fees collected will fund projects and programs to mitigate, remedy, or prevent climate change costs and harms. The aim of this bill is to prioritize strong labor and job standards and dedicate at least 40% of the funds to benefit communities hit hardest by fossil fuel pollution". It will protect Californians and lower costs by funding critical climate solutions, including investments in a clean energy transition, community resilience, home hardening, sustainable infrastructure, and essential workers responding lo climate disasters. California is one of several states considering such legislation. Vermont and New York enacted climate superfund laws last year. This legislation could raise hundreds of billions of dollars to protect Californians and fund solutions that build affordable and sustainable communities! Distinct from Cap-and-Trade: The Climate Superfund seeks recompense to address damage caused by past fossil fuel emissions. Cap-and-Trade is a market-based program to incentivize future emissions reductions. Funds paid into the Cap- and-Trade system are not recompense for past damage caused by their emissions; polluters pay into cap-and-trade for others to reduce emissions in their place, so they don't have to. These companies have not remedied the harm caused by their past emissions. The state and taxpayers have never been made whole; the Climate Superfund Act seeks some relief for that injustice. This bill is separate and distinct from important climate accountability lawsuits brought by California local governments and the state of California to hold polluters accountable for lying about climate change and violating the law. *PUBLIC COMMENT RECEIVED ON DEC. 4, 2025 Supporting Organizations Sponsors: Center for Biological Diversity, California Environmental Voters, Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California. 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations 198 methods 350 Bay Area Action 350 Conejo/ San Fernando Valley 350 Humboldt 350 Sacramento 350 Santa Barbara 350 Southland Legislative Alliance 350 Ventura County Climate Hub 350.org ACCE (Alliance of Californians For Community Empowerment) Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE) Active San Gabriel Valley American Academy of Pediatrics, California Asian Pacific Environmental Network Avaaz Azul Ballena Wetlands Institute Bay Area-System Change not Climate Change Benioll Ocean Science Laboratory Better Future Project Beyond Extreme Energy Black Women for Wellness Action Project CA Youth vs. Big Oil California Climate Voters California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) Action California Federation of Teachers California Green New Deal Coalition California Interfaith Power & Light California Nurses Association California Nurses for Environmental Health and Justice Carbon Cycle Institute Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) Center for Diverse Leadership in Science Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment Central California Asthma Collaborative Central California Environmental Justice Network CERBAT Chesapeake Climate Action Network Citizens' Climate Lobby Santa Cruz chapter CleanEarth4Kids.org Climate Action California Climate Action Campaign Climate and Society Center, UC Berkeley Climate Brunch Climate Defenders / Delensores De La Tierra Contact for questions: Climate Equity Policy Center Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG) Climate Hawks Vote Climate Health Now Climate Justice Group, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego Climate Reality Project San Diego Climate Reality Project San Francisco Bay Area Climate Reality Project, Riverside County Chapter Climate Reality Project, San Fernando Valley Coastal Lands Action Network Communities for a Better Environment Consumer Watchdog Courage California Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action Defend Ballena Wetlands Dolores Huerta Foundation Dr. Brenner's Eko Elders Climate Action (ECA) Northern California (NorCal) Chapter Elders Climate Action (ECA) Southern California (SoCal) Chapter Elected Officials to Protect America Endangered Habitats League Evergreen Action Extinction Rebellion Los Angeles Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area Families Advocating for Chemical and Toxics Safety Food & Water Watch Fossil Free California Fossil Free Media FrocTracker Alliance Fridays for Future Sacramento Glendale Environmental Coalition Good Neighbor Steering Committee of Benicia Greenpeace USA Human Impact Partners Indivisible CA Green Team Indivisible Marin Labor Rise -Climate Jobs Action Long Beach Alliance for Clean Energy Los Angeles Climate Reality Project Los Angeles Faith & Ecology Network Marin Interfaith Climate Action Midwest Building Decarbonization Coaltion NextGen California No Drilling Contra Costa Oil and Gas Action Network Oil Change International Our Revolution Oxlam America Physicians for Social Responsibility, Los Angeles Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pennsylvania Physicians for Social Responsibility, San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sacramento Protect Monterey County Protect Playa Now Public Citizen Puvunga Wetland Protectors Rachel Carson Council Redeemer Community Partnership Resilient Palisades Rise Economy Rising Sun Center for Opportunity RootsAction.org San Francisco Baykeeper SanDiego350 Santa Cruz Climate Action Network SEE (Social Eco Education) Sequoiaforestkeeper.org Seventh Generation Sierra Club California SoCal 350 Climate Action Spottswoode Winery, Inc. Stand.earth Strategic Concepts In Organizing and Policy Education Sunrise Bay Area Sunrise Movement Sunrise Movement LA Sustainable Claremont Sustainable Mill Valley The Climate Center The Climate Reality Project: California Coalition The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science & Environment at Berkeley The YEARS Project Third Act Third Act Sacramento Third Act SF Bay Area Third Act SoCal TIAA-Divestl VISION (Voices in Solidarity Against Oil in Neighborhoods) Vote Solar Waterkeeper Alliance West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs WildEarth Guardians Women's Earth and Climate Action Network Youth For Earth Youth v. Oil Christina Scaringe, Center for Biological Diversity Climate Law Institute, cscaringe@biologicaldiversity.org Fatima lqbal-Zubair, California Environmental Voters, fatima@enyirovoters.org Amy Costa, Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California, amy@fullmoonstrategies.com