Climate Action - California Climate and Energy Collaborative

Priority Area: Climate Action

Climate action refers to efforts and initiatives taken to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the changing climate. It encompasses a broad range of activities at individual, community, corporate, and governmental levels.

California continues to lead global efforts to combat climate change by setting some of the world’s most ambitious policies and targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promoting clean energy. Local governments play a vital role in meeting State and local climate goals, however achieving substantial emission reductions within communities is challenging work. A third of California’s GHG reduction potential can be achieved through local action.

Desired Future

State and local participants envision a carbon neutral and regenerative future that offers climate stability and safety as well as new economic opportunities. Related priorities expressed during engagements can be viewed in the database.

Relevant State Agencies

This priority area is relevant to the function of:

California Energy Commission
California Public Utilities Commission
California Air Resources Board
Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
California Environmental Protection Agency
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
Strategic Growth Council
Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.

What’s Working

California is leading the nation with the world’s most ambitious climate goals, targeting carbon neutrality by 2045. California’s climate strategy is anchored by several key frameworks including the 2022 Scoping Plan, a strategy that serves as a roadmap for other states and countries, including measures to slash greenhouse gases and clean up air pollution.

The state has a comprehensive framework involving both state-level mandates and extensive local government action, with approximately 73% of California’s population living in a jurisdiction covered by a local Climate Action Plan covering a range of emission reduction strategies including transportation, land Use, and energy & buildings. While implementation is a challenge, models of regional coordination have been helpful to provide local support for climate action.

Barriers & Solutions

To achieve the desired future outlined above, California will need to accelerate climate action across CA. Participants share that several key barriers impede progress and require further attention, as detailed below: Planning Capacity, Source Data, Transitioning to Equitable Action, Legal Hurdles, and Load Capacity. On the left, toggle through these barriers to view details about challenges experienced across the state and solution opportunities at the state and local level.

Filterable Database

Help us strengthen our knowledge base!

Help us to expand our database. Either share new ideas, best practices or general feedback via this form, or click on a particular item to share additional feedback, information, examples of progress on that particular item.

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Additional Resources

CARB’s Local Actions for Climate Change webpage
UC Berkeley: The Status of Local Climate Action in California
City Scale et al: State of Local Climate Planning
UCLA paper describes problems with 15/15 rule and data masking
Governor’s Office of Landuse and Climate Innovation’s Annual Planning Survey

Please share any additional resources you would like to include by emailing eecoordinator@civicwell.org.

Too much local capacity (staff time/resources) and technical expertise is needed to develop/ track/ update greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and climate action plans (CAPs), which takes away from implementation.

Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation – 2023 Annual Planning Survey Report

There are many reasons a local government may engage in a climate action plan (CAP). CAPs serve as a roadmap that informs funding plans and budgets, and sets priorities for constrained resources. They can be used as a mitigation measure for a jurisdiction’s General Plan EIR. The process to develop CAPs can engage communities and build public support for climate action and climate investments. Participants noted that they desire to make CAP processes community-driven and more equitable, but lack of capacity and funding limits community engagement.

In the last two decades, roughly half of the local governments in California have conducted and are working to implement climate action plans, including an analysis of local GHG sources and a plan for feasible emission reduction strategies to meet local targets. The process of developing a CAP is often cumbersome, resource intensive, and time-consuming, many CAPs are currently out of date and do not represent the immediate needs of local jurisdictions.

Most local governments conducting GHG inventories are doing so in-house, many with consultants or with help from regional agencies. Most would prefer not to have to conduct an inventory or prepare CAPs, but repeatedly shared that it is an important step in the political process to pave the way for substantive local action and investments.

Participants shared that completing GHG inventories represent a particularly challenging part of the CAP process.

Planning Capacity Challenges

View related challenges SLECC stakeholders have experienced across the state.

Filtered Database

Local Solution Opportunities

SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by local leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

Local Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Local governments should align their Climate Action Plans with regional and state frameworks by partnering with regional agencies to standardize methodologies, share data, and reduce duplicated work. Regional collaborations—such as conducting regional GHG inventories, developing shared CEQA or planning guidelines, and aggregating climate data—can lower costs, increase economies of scale, and ensure consistent assumptions across jurisdictions. This integrated regional approach strengthens collaboration, improves plan alignment, and provides small or under-resourced jurisdictions with the technical support needed to meet state climate goals.

1. Past support from SANDAG in preparing GHG inventories was cited as reducing burdens on local staff. Loss of this support has worsened planning capacity issues. 2. AMBAG provided an example wherein regional staff can provide technical expertise to cities. 3. San Mateo County’s RICAPS (Regionally Integrated Climate Action Planning Support) is an effective example of regionalized CAP alignment and technical assistance. RICAPs provides regional CAP templates, standardized methodologies, shared communication materials and collaborative structures for cities. 4. Regional Climate Action Plan (funded by the EPA) in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties demonstrates an emerging model of cross-county CAP alignment that local governments can plug into. 5. Plan Bay Area 2050+ is an integrated regional plan under SB 375 that includes unified strategies for housing, transportation, the economy, and the environment. Aligning local CAPs with these cross-sector strategies can ensure consistency across local jurisdictions.

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Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

Local Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Leverage regional technical assistance networks to strengthen local planning capacity. Councils of Governments (COGs), Regional Energy Networks (RENs), and county planning collaboratives can serve as shared planning hubs, helping small jurisdictions interpret and apply state guidance, conduct vulnerability assessments, and pool technical expertise.

Regional technical assist model you can piggyback on: The REN-led “Energized Communities” program is built precisely because cities “don’t have staff bandwidth to do any of the work.” Use its scaffolding for CAP/inventory tasks (not just project delivery).

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Existing Examples of Progress

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Local Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Streamline CEQA/CAP processes – Proposals included review panels of developers, labor, and environmental representatives to identify redundant requirements and reduce duplicative CAP and ordinance updates

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Existing Examples of Progress

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Process streamlining ideas already on the table: Participants suggest creating shared dashboards and repositories — including grant portals, data portals, and repositories of prior applications — to reduce duplication and make information more accessible.

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Existing Examples of Progress

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Cross-jurisdictional coordination – Recommendations for regional governance structures to align local CAPs with state-level regulatory decisions and reduce fragmentation

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Existing Examples of Progress

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(Type of Activity: Community Program Implementation )

Regional or shared staffing models – Smaller jurisdictions could pool staff capacity for CEQA review, CAP updates, and compliance tracking to reduce duplicative work

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Existing Examples of Progress

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Local Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

There should be funded staff positions for sustainability in underserved jurisdictions.

State Solution Opportunities

SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by state leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Program Implementation and Outreach )

Provide regionalized technical and financial assistance – The state, through LCI, SGC, and partner agencies, should deliver sustained training, templates, and staff funding to help smaller jurisdictions develop GHG inventories, implement CAPs, and apply General Plan Guidelines with less reliance on consultants.

1. To further support climate action planning, CARB has collected anecdotal information on challenges when gathering GHG inventories and has initiated research contracts aimed at developing tools, best practices, and capacity building. This includes a contract with Dr. Boswell at Cal Poly to: Gather representative sample from recent CAPs with inventories to develop questions that would be helpful in identifying the challenge, and interview local jurisdictions. Evaluate identified tools that can be helpful to jurisdictions when creating CAPs and/or inventories, to better recommend to jurisdictions which tools will benefit them. 2. California is actively engaging with providers of local GHG inventory tools, serving on expert advisory committees for the UC Berkeley/StopWaste GHG inventory tool and collaborating with Sidewalk Labs.

A recently formed Technical Advisory Group through CARB and the Governor's Office for Land Use and Climate Innovation supporting local CAPs. 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.

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Produce and standardize regular local GHG inventories: This would allow a statewide map of emissions which could be a useful policy tool. It would also allow inventories to be scaled across regions and communities and provide value to both local, regional, and state agencies.

Given the very high interest in a state-led process to conduct local GHG inventories , an effort was made in 2023 to propose State legislation that would allocate budget to CARB to produce local GHG inventories for local governments (SB-511), which was suspended after receiving an estimated total cost of $18 million from the Department of Finance.

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Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Invest in regional and local staffing support by funding shared regional positions and providing dedicated grants or resources that enable small jurisdictions to develop Climate Action Plans (CAPs), maintain core climate staff, engage with state agencies, and implement high-impact, emission-reducing measures.

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Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Program Implementation and Outreach )

Create statewide standards and cross-agency coordination structures to align climate action across all levels of government.The state should provide consistent templates and guidance for local and regional climate planning and establish interagency coordination tables or working groups to maintain alignment, reduce fragmentation, and streamline reporting and planning requirements for jurisdictions with limited capacity.

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Encourage capacity-building funds to be built into federal/state grant programs.

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Recognition that piecemeal mandates overtax planners: Notes describe no time/budget/capacity to integrate GHG/VMT/wildfire into land-use choices; pulling land use into CAPs can slow things down—clear justification for standardized templates and synchronized cycles.

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Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Promote top-down policy and incentives to align state-level frameworks with local project needs.

State planning tools & guidance: A new LCI Vulnerable Communities platform (one-stop hazard + social snapshot) and General Plan “climate-ready communities” guidance are in motion.

LCI General Plan Guidelines – live survey input. Submit planning-capacity needs (templates, objective metrics, realistic timelines) through OPR’s GP Guidelines survey that’s for the upcoming “climate-ready communities” guidance. (note that the opportunity for this survey was summer 2025)

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Expand equity-focused policies beyond Disadvantaged Communities (DACs).

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Provide alignment/leadership between state agencies/activities (e.g. policy)

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Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Implement statewide CAP tracking to assess local contributions toward the 2045 GHG emissions targets.

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Support CAP Development: Ideas include improving and updating state guidance on CAP development

CEQA-qualification of CAPs is not mandatory

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Provide technical assistance and/or additional guidance on key mitigation measures

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Integrate state regulatory changes earlier – State agencies should engage local governments earlier in CPUC/regulatory processes, so CAPs are not blindsided by late-breaking requirements

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Standardize CAP requirements – State agencies (e.g., CARB, CPUC) could simplify and standardize guidance for CEQA-qualified CAPs to reduce local defensibility costs and legal exposure

California's Climate Action Planning Framework includes several key components to support local governments. The Local Actions Appendix of the Scoping Plan provides recommendations and guidance for developing Climate Action Plans (CAPs), including methods for setting local GHG reduction targets. It outlines 13 recommended strategies within three priority areas—transportation electrification, VMT reduction, and building decarbonization—that have been validated through academic research to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Appendix also offers guidance on determining consistency with the Scoping Plan qualitatively by incorporating project attributes associated with low per capita GHG impacts, and provides direction for preparing CEQA-Qualified CAPs.

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

All state level guidance docs should have default options that meet state recommendations for each region

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Program Implementation and Outreach )

Long-term monitoring and evaluation – Adaptation and mitigation projects need funding for long-term tracking of CAP outcomes, but current grants end after 3–5 years

Solution Spotlight

Monterey Bay Maximizes Regional Capacity in Award Winning Natural and Working Lands Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Study

Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) and Ascent for winning this year’s Resilience and Sustainability Merit Award for the Monterey Bay Natural and Working Lands Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Study.

The Monterey Bay Natural and Working Lands Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Study is the first comprehensive carbon sequestration analysis at a regional scale. Its innovative approach combines GIS modeling with extensive stakeholder engagement, creating a uniquely collaborative and data-driven framework. A comprehensive list of strategies and actions were identified to support carbon sequestration efforts that are scientifically sound and practically viable, making them implementable within the context of the Monterey Bay Area and its local agencies.

The Monterey Bay Natural and Working Lands Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Study analyzes carbon sequestration potential across Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties, offering strategies to enhance carbon storage, climate resilience, and sustainable land management in urban, forest, and agricultural areas through stakeholder collaboration and innovative GIS modeling.

“A key takeaway of this study is that we need to foster regional collaboration in order to implement innovative solutions at the scale needed to protect and enhance the carbon sequestration potential of our natural and working lands.”

Community-Based Organization Partnerships to Bolster Local Climate Action Planning

The Cities of Alameda and Petaluma utilized community partners in the development and ongoing implementation of their climate action plans. In 2025, Alameda updated their Climate Action & Resilience Plan partnering with Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda. In 2024, Petaluma adopted their Blueprint for Climate Action organizing community leadership through the Climate Action Commission’s two different types of local leadership, city government and community members, and how they work together to achieve climate goals. Alameda and Petaluma partnered with community organizations to tap into diverse networks and experiences within their cities. The partners each city worked with include members representing other local and regional organizations, which allowed them to share a broad cross-section of the community and raise traditionally marginalized perspectives and experiences. Including these partners in implementation creates a framework to realize climate planning objectives equitably across the community.

This model showcases how city climate goals are achieved through community-focused implementation. It highlights how local community partnerships can guide city planning and implementation processes and how cities incorporate existing community efforts and frameworks. Partnering with community leaders allowed these cities to commit to bold climate action despite capacity constraints and competing priorities. This model demonstrates how to adopt a community partnership model that expands a city’s reach, leverages community knowledge, and aligns community efforts with city structures and climate goals.

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.

Problems accessing GHG source data (e.g., utility or vehicle miles traveled (VMT) data) cause long delays in developing, updating, and monitoring GHG inventories.

Developing greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories present significant administrative, financial, and technical burdens for many jurisdictions. There are typically roughly 23 data sources that go into a greenhouse gas inventory. The number crunching required is extremely time consuming, especially on a one-off basis. Any GHG emissions inventory developed for CEQA purposes needs to be legally-defensible.

Participants note burdensome procedures for accessing the data as a major issue, as well as data cleaning. Of the needed data sources (see Figure 1), participants indicate that the most challenging data sets are utility data and VMT data.

According to the ICLEI US Community Protocol & the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories, GHG sources and methods should be: 1) relevant, 2) accurate, 3) complete, 4) transparent, 5) consistent (over time), and also 6) accessible (this has implications for cost and availability). However, participants relayed that the sources and methodologies change all the time and are difficult to reconcile and keep up to date with; also, the wide range of methods in use means one cannot compare across neighboring regional jurisdictions

Local governments have called for transparent, consistent, and affordable data. Various tools exist but there are challenges. None share a consistent methodology that ensures inventories are comparable across jurisdictions and across communities. Some of the tools are not freely accessible. Some rely on data sets that are not relevant to local jurisdictions and are thus not useful in the CAP development process. Private tool providers may want to keep some data private and proprietary, which limits transparency and utility. Attendees suggest preferred tool providers should offer up-to-date and regular maintenance; follow accepted protocols; no black-box calculations; use local datasets and emission factors; demonstrate subject matter expertise, and be consistent across methodologies and jurisdictional boundaries.

Source Data Challenges

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Local Solution Opportunities

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

Local Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Develop a consistent, scalable approach for local transportation emissions accounting by leveraging existing regional and state data sources.

"Metropolitan Planning Organization regional travel demand models" (gold standard, origin/destination, but not always available), other proxies: EMFAC in regions, use population to parse down to cities. Chris Jones at UC Berkeley uses fleet data allocated to tract level, rolled up to cities, can be done consistently Statewide. Highway Performance Monitoring System data through Caltrans, a consistently provided measurements in a systemic way each year, but it's a small snippet of what’s available in the VMT models

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

Local Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Inventory data solutions may be provided by the State, academic institutions, nonprofits, consultants, or regional agencies. All need to be willing to open up the black box of data to be transparent.

A partnership between UC Berkeley (led by Chris Jones) and StopWaste is developing a simplified tool to prepare inventories to local jurisdictions at little to no cost. It includes equity indicators and will soon feature policy recommendation tools. Beta testing begins in February 2025, with walkthroughs and focus groups in March.

State Solution Opportunities

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Enhance public access and coordination of climate data resources. Integrate and streamline climate data tools across universities and agencies, ensuring key datasets are updated frequently and made easily accessible to support local planning and decision-making.

Cal-Adapt follows the global climate data cycle—updated roughly every 5–6 years—and that the state is developing evolving tools like the Vulnerable Communities Platform to “add new information as it’s available” and help planners align to the latest assessment data

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

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Conduct Analysis on Available Tools and Resources: A comparative analysis on existing GHG inventories, as proposed by CARB, could be valuable. It should assess all available and pending tools and evaluate factors that will make a tool valuable to local governments such as: transparency, consistency across jurisdictions and with leading GHG protocols, defensibility, and likelihood that a government entity will consider the tool provider and its data as credible and unbiased.

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Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Improve upon the Local Climate Action Plan Protocols: This adjustment would make the process of GHG inventory development easier, more standardized, more replicable. Ideas include establishing a best practice guide or manual for developing inventories, targets, and/or reduction strategies

Adding CAP resources to updated CARB Local Climate Action website

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Revise the CPUC Privacy Rules and/or advance legislation to remove data control from under the purview of the IOUs

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Provide funding for one or more of the following: An agency (like CARB or OPR) or academic institution (UCLA, UC Berkeley) to conduct local inventories statewide. The ICLEI ClearPath Tool freely to local jurisdictions. Regional inventories conducted by consultants, academia, agency. Local jurisdictions or regional collaboratives to prepare or update their own local/regional GHG inventories

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Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Develop a Statewide VMT Query Tool or Portal: This tool could expand upon existing tools such as Streetlight, Google EIE, Replica, or other tools utilizing VMT data. If these tools are unavailable, staff of a state agency / academic institution would be able to pull origin-destination VMT from regional MPO models for a jurisdiction free of charge or at a small fee.

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Ensure easy access to reliable and up-to-date data: Assign one or more State agencies, or regional agencies, to play a role in coordinating, acquiring, and ensuring access to the necessary data. Set standards for accessing data from CCAs.

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Existing Examples of Progress

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Develop a Statewide Energy Data Portal: This could be making the UCLA Energy Atlas statewide and up-to-date (e.g., through at least 2020). CARB, UCLA, CEC, CPUC, OPR, etc. An effort could be made to make the ICLEI ClearPath Tool, once again, freely available to local jurisdictions.

Local government participants expressed that they are aware of many other data portals led by the State designed to provide data to local governments

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Develop system to improve data access for key source data, including energy data from IOUs (CPUC) and VMT data from MPOs

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Increase coordination between utilities and local governments for better distribution planning.

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Establish clear data-sharing protocols for DER adoption while ensuring privacy protections.

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

State analysis and guidance on available inventory tools

Coordinating with the Governor’s Office for Land Use and Climate Innovation on developing a technical advisory document to support local CAPs

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

There is a need for the State to help coordinate data, require IOU energy data or MPO travel demand model data to be shared publicly

The CPUC Data Working Group, led by UCLA's CCSC and LARC, is analyzing data access rules for DER adoption and evaluation. They are assessing use cases and stakeholders and will report their findings to the CPUC.

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

More regular and available alternatives to VMT data that works well for both baseline calculations and projections. And backing from the state that those data sources are best available to help protect from any legal action that agencies could face when they shift away from using VMT data.

Solution Spotlight

UCLA’s Energy Atlas partners with Regional Energy Networks to Provide Access to Energy Data

The Bay Area Energy Atlas—one of the nation’s most comprehensive energy tools—has been revamped with new features, expanded data, and a more user-friendly interface. Developed by UCLA in partnership with BayREN, the Atlas helps users explore regional energy use through interactive maps and detailed building data. From policymakers to curious residents, anyone can now dive deeper into energy trends by city, building type, or time period. New tools make it easier to compare communities and visualize consumption with monthly data through 2021.

https://lnkd.in/gYtNyeAg

State support for UC Berkeley’s GHG Inventory Tool

The CoolClimate Network at UC Berkeley is developing a data platform for GHG inventories and climate action metrics for local governments across California. The project was presented at CCEC 2024 and 2025 to gather input from participants. The outputs available to cities and counties (unincorporated counties are in the works) include traditional and consumption based inventories from 2010-2022. They also feature tangible metrics such as EV registrations with the DMV and heat pumps installed through TECH incentives. These detailed metrics are more informative and actionable for implementation than overall GHG emissions. They enable local governments to set concrete targets and tell compelling stories about climate action, benefits, and potential impacts in their communities. The emphasis on these metrics reflects the emerging trends of climate action practice, which seeks to be more relatable to people and integrated with equitable community benefits.

The climate action data tool allows local governments to more efficiently conduct GHG inventories and evolve their climate action efforts and communications to focus on community benefits. The practice of local government climate action was originally established in the mid 2000’s in response to a lack of federal leadership. The current context calls us not only to continue but become more effective while delivering quantifiable social benefits and having the metrics to tell compelling stories.

CARB staff and contractors participate in the project’s advisory group and are evaluating whether this tool will meet the needs of local governments.

Implementing emission reduction measures is difficult due to budgetary and structural constraints limiting individual action and regional collaboration. Sufficient funding for key local mitigation measures is often not regularly accessible

Local governments and their partners face significant barriers when transitioning from planning to implementing climate action measures, primarily due to inadequate and unpredictable funding, with competitive grant processes creating additional burdens for already-stretched staff. While many jurisdictions have developed emission reduction plans with strong community support, frontline communities disproportionately affected by environmental injustice are not being adequately prioritized in implementation. There is insufficient collaboration and alignment between regional, state, and local entities on climate action strategies, leading to fragmented efforts. Additionally, communities struggle to integrate climate considerations across all aspects of urban planning, land use, and infrastructure development, rather than treating it as a standalone issue.

Transitioning to Equitable Action Challenges

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Local Solution Opportunities

No results found.

State Solution Opportunities

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

State intervention to support CAP implementation which would reduce reliance on grants and improve consistency with staffing resources.

Solution Spotlight

No results found.

Local governments are discouraged from developing or implementing CEQA-Qualified CAPs due to potential lawsuits, litigation, and compliance enforcement of CEQA mitigation measures in an EIR.

Legal Hurdle Challenges

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Local Solution Opportunities

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(Type of Activity: Community Program Implementation )

Regional/shared staffing – Small jurisdictions could pool legal and technical staff to manage CEQA compliance and defensibility collectively

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Regional governance coordination – Stronger coordination tables between local, regional, and state entities would help ensure local CAPs aren’t blindsided by CPUC or state-level decisions that introduce legal vulnerabilities

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Planning/Land Use )

Proposal of regulatory review panels (developers, labor, environmental reps) for CAP requirements to audit rules and identify redundancies, helping reduce duplication

State Solution Opportunities

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(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Reform CEQA defensibility requirements – Consider state-level indemnification or legal defense funding for jurisdictions adopting CEQA-qualified CAPs, reducing fear of lawsuits

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Existing Examples of Progress

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State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Standardize CAP requirements – State agencies (e.g., CARB, OPR) should simplify and standardize CAP guidance so local governments can adopt legally defensible CAPs without costly reinvention

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Policy/Regulation )

Standardized CEQA guidance to reduce litigation risk.

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Community Program Implementation )

Provide technical/legal assistance – State agencies could provide templates, technical assistance, and legal guidance for developing CEQA-qualified CAPs that minimize litigation risks

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Community Program Implementation )

Fund regional compliance support – State funding for regionalized compliance staff could reduce duplication and provide smaller jurisdictions with consistent expertise

Local or State

Solution

Existing Examples of Progress

Further Progress Pathways

State Solution

(Type of Activity: Community Program Implementation )

LCI should create database to review CEQA litigation by topic (infill exemptions in. Middle income communities near the coast)

Solution Spotlight

No results found.

Transitioning vehicles and buildings to clean electric fuels is challenging due to electrical capacity constraints, delayed load studies,long interconnection and energization queues, and process inconsistency managed by the utilities.

Participants shared growing frustration about the long delays associated with load service capacity. Local CAP emission reduction measures like transportation electrification are thwarted when charging stations cannot access the grid. Information on load capacity available for projects is difficult to obtain, often taking months to years, and the process lacks transparency. Local governments are very limited in their authority to change the load capacity or to affect the processes by which they receive load study information from utilities. They seek to raise awareness of this major barrier, and are asking for coordinated State agency and policymaker leadership in addressing these issues.

While this barrier was raised in the context of climate action, associated details and solutions can be viewed under Clean Energy and Building Decarbonization Priority Area Barrier 1: Interconnection & Energization Processes in the Clean Energy Transition Priority Area

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