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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-13; Climate Action Campaign's Climate Action Plan Report Card, 6th Edit ion (Districts - All); Gomez, PazTo the members of the: CITY COUNCIL Date~ !t3{'l-Y,CA ✓ CC ~/ CM _dACM _u::DCM (3) £ June 13, 2024 Council Memor andum To: From:· Via: Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of the City Council Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Pub~orks Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager ~ {city of Carlsbad Memo ID# 2024043 Re: Climate Action Campaign's Climate Action Plan Report Card, 6th Edition (Districts -All ) This memorandum provides background and context to the recently released Climate Action Plan (CAP) Report Card, 6th Edition, prepared by the Climate Action Campaign (CAC). Background On June 6, 2024, the CAC released the 6th edition of the CAP Report Card. According to the document, the purpose of the CAP Report Card is to "assess the San Diego region's climate planning and climate action to guide the public and local governments to ... share best practices [and] ... increase transparency and accountability." The CAC is a 501(c)(3) corporation formed in 2015 to address climate change mitigation and adaptation. The previous CAP Report Card scored the CAP contents (CAP Score) and implementation efforts (Implementation Score) for all jurisdictions in the San Diego region, which were then averaged for an overall score. However, for the 6th edition of the CAP Report Card, the CAC evaluated only implementation efforts. Discussion In the 6th edition of the CAP Report Card, the average overall score across nine cities is 65.61. The cities of La Mesa, Encinitas and Carlsbad received the three highest overall scores. The cities of Escondido, Chula Vista and San Marcos received the three lowest overall scores. The City of Carlsbad's CAP implementation ranked third overall, with a score of 70. This was a slight increase from the implementation score of 64 that the city received for the previous edition of the CAP Report Card. Because the CAP Report Card is evaluating the city's existing CAP and reporting methods, Carlsbad's score remained very similar. For each CAP Report Card, a draft is circulated to jurisdictions to provide city staff with an opportunity to send comments and questions with the CAC reviewers about the scores. This is the fifth report card in which implementation was included, and as with previous years, the city received credit for its CAP monitoring and reporting. Public Works Branch Environmental Sustainability Department 1635 Faraday Avenue I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 442-339-2729 t Council Memo -Climate Action Campaign's CAP Report Card, 6th Edition (Districts -All) June 13, 2024 Page 2 After reviewing the draft CAP Report Card, staff requested the CAC reviewers consider several currently active, greenhouse gas (GHG)-reducing initiatives such as the Sustainable Materials Management Plan, Community Forest Management Plan, Sustainable Mobility Plan and Complete Streets policy, which technically fall outside of the CAP. As a result, the CAC increased Carlsbad's score from the draft to the final published version of the CAP Report Card. Next Steps Staff will continue to implement the existing CAP as well as pursue GHG-reduction efforts outside of the CAP such as the Sustainable Materials Management Plan, Community Forest Management Plan and Sustainable Mobility Plan. On April 16, 2024, staff presented the seventh CAP Annual Report to the City Council, which covered implementation of the CAP in 2023. The CAP Update is expected to be presented to the Planning Commission and the City Council in late summer 2024. Once adopted, staff will begin to implement the CAP Update in place of the existing CAP. Attachment: A. Climate Action Campaign's Climate Action Plan Report Card, 6th Edition cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager Cindie McMahon, City Attorney Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services Gina Herrera, Assistant City Attorney Tom Frank, Transportation Director/City Engineer David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer Jason Haber, Intergovernmental Affairs Director Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation Director Jeff Murphy, Community Development Director Dave Padilla, Interim Utilities Director Kristina Ray, Communication & Engagement Director James Wood, Environmental Sustainability Director Katie Hentrich, Senior Program Manager ATTACHMENT A CAP Report Card, 6th Edition About Climate Action Campaign 04 0 What is a Climate Action Plan? 05 ... C What is A Climate Action Plan Report Card? 06 Cl) What to Expect from CAC's 2024 Report Card? 07 .. Implementation Scores 08 C Big Three 09 0 Key Recommendations 10 0 The Cost of Inaction: Stormwater and Equity 12 .. City Highlights 13 0 CAP Status and Updates 23 Cl) Acknowledgements 24 -25 .a CAP Grading Criteria 28 a List of Abbreviations Term Definitions 29 t-31 References KEY RECOMMENDATIONS B II II We must accelerate efforts to achieve zero carbon as a region. Our region must rapidly develop policies to slash pollution, clean the air, and improve public health to meet local and state targets. How do we ensure effective implementation? C ities Must Update Their CAPs and Include Annual Implementation Benchmarks to Account for Changing Political Climates and Worsening Climate Impacts. When a city does not achieve a strategy on time or a new legislative barrier appears federally or at the state level, reducing GHG emissions can feel like a moving target. Cities need to update their CAPs with more ambitious GHG reduction strategies to remain on track to meet their goals. We're falling behind on reaching our climate targets largely because cities failed to develop annual implementation benchmarks in their current CAPs. These benchmarks strengthen a city's commitment to implementation and allow communities to hold the city accountable to their annual goal. City Budgets Across the Region Need to Prioritize CAP Implementation. Cities often cite being underfunded and understaffed when it comes to implementation, yet budget deficiencies shouldn't compromise our communities' well-being. To obtain the necessary resources to implement CAPs, cities can hire contract grant writers to secure federal, state, and private grants that increase capacity and further climate goals. Cities can utilize grant matchmakers such as the CommunitY-Infrastructure Center tool operated by the Milken Institute to find grants. There are also specific grants that call for collaboration where cities can work together to apply and share the work jointly. II .II Implement CAPs w ith Urgency. We are seeing the devastating impacts of climate change in our communities now and cannot afford to delay implementation. While updating a legally binding CAP is critical for accountability, the timeline between updates is several years. Cities have cited this time between updates as a reason not to pursue exploring a new strategy to implement, but waiting to act only causes us to miss out on critical funding opportunities and pushes the burden of the climate crisis onto our communities. Cities must implement strategies as soon as possible, regardless of CAP update timelines. Strengthen Transportation and Sustainable Development CAP Goals. Vehicle emissions contribute more than any other sector to overall GHG emissions. City CAPs frequently fail to have measurable mode shift goals, demonstrating how to better connect communities to safe walking or rolling, biking, and public transit. In a CAP update, cities need to develop or strengthen their targets for the . development of affordable high-density housing near public transit to help residents reduce their cost of living, shorten commute distances, and reduce sprawl development in fire-prone areas as well as include mode- shift goals to help measure progress. ,n KEY RECOMMENDATIONS II CAP Implementation Needs to Uplift Communities of Concern and Create More Good Green, Union Jobs. Climate change disproportionately impacts communities of concern, worsening health and socioeconomic disparities. Cities need to report how their CAP implementation directly benefits these communities, and many cities have the opportunity to update their CAP to include missing equity goals. This transition must include creating good family-sustaining union jobs, creating an equitable jobs pipeline for communities of color and workers, and developing affordable communities. f.l Opt Up to 100% Clean Energy with Community Choice Energy Accounts. Many cities are now supported by San Diego Community Power or Clean Energy Alliance, Community Choice Energy programs (CCE) providing residents with clean, renewable energy. If equitably possible, cities should auto- enroll in the 100% clean energy option. Encinitas is the only city participating in a CCE program that auto-enrolled customers into the 100% clean energy option. Cities must develop a plan with clear benchmarks to transition as many residents as possible to the 100% clean energy option. II B Explore Alternative Pathways to Building Electrification. As the region's third-largest source of GHG emissions, cities must implement strategies to transition off of methane gas and electrify buildings. Despite obstacles to developing all-electric reach codes due to the Berkeley ruling, alternative pathways to electrification are available, including high-performance reach codes, electrifying municipal buildings, adding electrification requirements into funding streams distributed to developers, adopting a heat pump replacement policy, and setting a zero emission appliance standard. Our recent report, 'How to Moye All- Electric Buildings Forward Post- Berkelex Ruling,' shares more information on electrification opportunities. Widespread Regional Action and Coordination are Necessary to Achieve our Climate Goals. The Regional CAP led by SANDAG and SDREN led by SDCP are critical opportunities for cities in our region to work collaboratively. Both these plans will necessitate cities to leverage time, resources and opportunities to develop and implement programs if we are to reach our local and state climate goals. 11 CAP STATUS AND UPDATES Legally Binding CAP Adopted Carlsbad Encinitas Escondido La Mesa CAP Updates in Progress County of San Diego Oceanside San Diego San Marcos V ista On September 30, 2020, the County of San Diego (County) Board of Supervisors voted to set aside its approval of the County's 2018 Climate Action Plan (CAP) and related actions because the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) was found to not be compliant with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEOA). The county is anticipated to adopt the CAP in 2 024. National City Between 2020 and 2021, City staff from the Planning and Engineering Departments worked with the General Plan Update consultant to review, revise, and update the adopted 2011 CAP measures in preparation for the CAP update. Non-Legally Binding CAP Adopted Chula Vista Coronado Del Mar No Commitment Poway Imperial Beach Lemon Grove Solana Beach Fatally Flawed CAPS Santee El Cajon ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to a ll our supporters, w hose unwavering dedication and generous contributions have made the release of this report possib le. Wit ho ut your support, our efforts to drive transformative c li mate acfion and hold local governments accountable would not be achievable. Your comm itment to a sustainable fut ure fuels o ur work, and together, we are making signif icant strides toward a zero-carbon, equitable future for the San Diego region. Thank you for standing w ith us and empowering our mission to create mean ingful c hange for generations to come. Board of Directors Kara Ballester (Chair) Aviva Paley (Vice Chair) Rosa Olascoaga (Board Secretary) Dan Albosta (Board Treasurer) Sebastian Sarria Cristina Marquez leadership Circle Legacy BQuest Foundation Satterberg Foundation Christopher H. Kohlhardt Charitable Fund Left Coast Fund Visionary Blue Shield of California Bright Power Calpine Energy Solutions IBEW Local 569 San Diego Community Power San Diego Foundation Champion AES Orange County CERF Futures Unbound Orange County Power Authority Pedal Ahead Anonymous Donor Richard and Elizabeth Steele Endowment Fund Patron David and Peg Engel The Hervey Family Fund Orange County Community Foundation Jewish Community Foundation UC Davis Partner AFT1931 Bank of Southern California Clean Energy Alliance Edward and Shanbrom Family Fund HNTB Corporation Dennis Morgigno and Jennifer Stone Aviva Paley San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Mary Yang Defender Evari GIS Consulting Mary Margaret McKenzie Charitable Fund Jacob Chacko John Hemmer Bill Kuni Better APC Oatman Architects Inc River City Bank City Staff Katie Hentrich, City of Carlsbad Cory Downs, City of Chula Vista Crystal Najera, City of Encinitas Ryan Lamkin, City of Encinitas Veronica Morones, City of Escondido Hilary Ego, City of La Mesa Russ Cunningham, City of Oceanside Randy Wilde, City of San Diego Shelby Buso, City of San Diego Song Le Baron, City of San Marcos Cassidy McCarthy, City of Vista Graphic Designer Catherine Walker Staff Authors Anthony Dang Staff Reviewers Nicole Capretz Galena Robertson Catherine Walker ') LI LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ADU -Accessory Dwelling Unit AFV -alternative fuel vehicle AB -Assembly Bill BAU -business-as-usual CalGreen -California Green Building Standards CAC -Climate Action Campaign CAP -Climate Action Plan CARB -California Air Resources Board CCE -Community Choice Energy CEA -Clean Energy Alliance CEQA -California Environmental Quality Act CO2 -carbon dioxide EO -Executive Order EPIC -Energy Policy Initiatives Center EV -electric vehicle GHG -greenhouse gas HERO -Home Energy Renovation Opportunity program LED -light-emitting diode MW -megawatt MWh -megawatt-hour MTC02e -metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent MTS -San Diego Metropolitan Transit System PACE -Property Assessed Clean Energy RTP -Regional Transportation Plan SANDAG -San Diego Association of Governments SB -Senate Bill SDCP -San Diego Community Power SDG&E -San Diego Gas & Electric SOREN -San Diego Regional Energy Network TOM -transportation d emand management VMT -vehicle miles traveled ZEV -zero-emissions vehicle ')A TERM DEFINITIONS Annual Monitoring ReP-ort An Annual Monitoring Report summarizes CAP measure implementation progress toward GHG reductions targets and actions specified in the CAP. California Environmental QualitY. Act The California Environmental Quality Act (CEOA) is California's broadest environmental law. CEOA helps guide the Department during the issuance of permits and approval of projects. Courts have interpreted CEOA to afford the fullest protection of the environment within the reasonable scope of the statutes. CEOA applies to all discretionary project; proposed to be conducted or approved by a California public agency, including private projects requiring discretionary government approval. Climate Action Plan A Climate Action Plan is a plan prepared by an entity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and identify climate change adaptation strategies to be implemented. ComP-lete Streets Policy, Complete streets is a transportation policy and design approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient, and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities reg a rd less of their mode of transportation. General Plan General Plans provide a vision for future growth and development. A General Plan identifies the community's land use, transportation, environmental, economic, and social goals, and policies related to land use and development. Global Climate Change Human-caused emissions of greenhouse gasses above natural ambient concentrations are responsible for intensifying the greenhouse effect and leading to a trend of unnatural warming of the Earth's climate, known as global climate change. Greenhouse Gases A greenhouse gas is a type of gas that causes heat to be trapped in the atmosphere, resulting in warming effects for the Earth. Greenhouse Gas Inventory, A greenhouse gas inventory provides a snapshot of emissions generated by the community and municipal activities in a given year and provides a baseline from which emissions trends are projected. ')Q Implementation Strateg_y_ An implementation strategy determines the priority of strategies based on various factors, including cost, staff resources needed, ease of implementation, and timeframe. Mode Share Mode share (also called mode split, modal share, or modal split) is the percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation or the number of trips using said type. Modal share is an important component in developing sustainable transport within a city or region. Greenhouse Gas Inventory_ Greenhouse gas inventories are a type of emission inventory that is developed for a variety of reasons. Policymakers use inventories to develop strategies and policies for emissions reductions and track progress on those policies. Reach Code A reach code is a local building energy code that "reaches" beyond the state minimum requirements for energy use in building design and construction, creating opportunities for local governments to lead the way on clean air, climate solutions, and the renewable energy economy, while creating roadmaps for other local governments to take action as well. Reduction Targets Climate Action Plans set target levels for local greenhouse gas reductions by certain dates. Current state laws include Assembly Bill (AB) 32, which established a target of reducing statewide GHG levels to 1990 levels by 2020; Senate Bill (SB) 32, which established a mid-term target of reducing statewide GHG levels to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030; Executive Order (EO) S-3-05, which recommends a 2050 statewide goal of reducing GHG emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels, and Executive Order (EO) B-55-18, which recommends statewide carbon neutrality by 2045. Reduction Strategies and Measures Greenhouse gas reduction strategies and measures aim to close the gap between the City's anticipated legislatively adjusted business-as-usual emissions and the reduction targets. San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan SANDAG prepares a Regional Plan in collaboration with the 18 cities and the County of San Diego and regional, state, and federal partners every four years. The Regional Plan identifies the transportation needs and improvements to support future regional growth.