Continued Efforts to Advance Greater State-Local Coordination
In 2022, CARB’s Sustainable Transportation and Communities Division approached CCEC to support engagement on its Local Actions Appendix of the 2022 Scoping Plan Update, which sets measures and targets for the State’s emission reduction goals. Following those discussions, CARB was interested in working with CCEC to conduct listening sessions designed to deepen the valuable collaboration between CARB and local government practitioners responsible for developing and implementing local climate action plans and strategies. The objective was to help inform CARB’s plans for potential future programs and services that can help local governments more successfully advance substantial emission reduction strategies within communities. Across three additional meetings, approximately 150 participants identified the most pressing barriers and needs facing local governments in implementing emission reduction measures and explored possible State-led support and solutions. The majority of attendees represented local government, many of which are primarily responsible for or actively working on local planning efforts within California communities.
| Potential “fundamental principles” around State-local climate action coordination At a SLECC meeting in 2024, Cory Downs from Chula Vista proposed the following principles to help advance state and local coordination on climate action. – Local government actions are essential to meeting the State’s emission reduction targets and to protecting communities from the worst impacts of climate change. – CA should not expect or require each local government to do a climate action plan, but we should support those that wish to do one. – Local climate action plans are a way to conduct analysis that can garner equitable engagement, public and political support, and justify local funding and staff capacity to implement a custom set of beneficial emission reduction strategies to meet targets, which can serve as state pilots. Those that wish to adopt a CEQA-qualified CAP may need guidance. – A key barrier local communities face is access to data for GHG inventories. Local governments cannot solve this problem individually, we need state leadership. |
While resources like CARB’s Local Actions Appendix can be useful to guide the development of broader GHG mitigation efforts, participants would appreciate sustained, coordinated State leadership towards providing reliable, transparent, and affordable data and other assistance to accelerate implementation of local emission reduction actions. The Climate Action Planning Technical Advisory Group, formed during the update of the General Plan Guidelines for LCI, has reviewed CAP literature, inventory development, and integration with general plans. They aim to provide guidance on CAP creation vs. updates, clarify their mission, and outline state priorities to help cities take effective action.