CLIMATE ACTION PLAN UPDATE

Climate Action Plan Survey

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Complete our five minute survey to help us understand how you feel about climate change and the actions the County should pursue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Upcoming Events

Virtual Public Workshops

Information on future public workshops will be posted here once details are confirmed. Subscribe for email updates to be alerted about future workshops.

Would you like to learn more about the County’s Climate Action Plan Update? We are offering presentations to community groups, residents, business owners, employees, and other stakeholders in the unincorporated county who would like to learn about the CAP Update and provide feedback. Email us at cap@sdcounty.ca.gov to connect with us.

Find all previous CAP Update workshop presentations here.

Project Timeline

Following the direction of its Board of Supervisors to take bold climate action that mitigates beyond state targets to net zero and below by 2035-2045, the County of San Diego is committed to crafting its CAP Update using the most current data and modeling services available.

The use of current transportation modeling data that is consistent with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) 2021 Regional Plan transportation network improvements, adopted in December 2021, is critical to establishing a CAP that supports the attainment of regional GHG targets. The most accurate transportation/vehicle miles traveled (VMT) estimates will come from SANDAG modeling services which will only be available beginning in June 2022. The SANDAG model is widely considered the best and most defensible data source for this application because it provides the highest sophistication in cataloging and predicting regional activities and behaviors that contribute to transportation emissions.

SANDAG’s transportation modeling data is the cornerstone of the CAP’s foundation and is built into the CAP Update's new GHG baseline inventory, GHG reduction targets, and CAP measures and unlike other land use-related projects, each component of the CAP is built sequentially on the former so there is little opportunity to build project components concurrently. To accommodate the use of the SANDAG model, the County estimates the project being heard by the Board in Spring of 2024.

In the meantime, staff will continue to advance the work by preparing conceptual CAP measures and vetting the concepts with the public and continue to develop and foster engagement on the required smart growth overlay option directed by the Court and for consideration by the Board.

Public Participation

The County will be holding a series of public workshops throughout this year to present project updates and solicit feedback on the CAP Update project. In addition to these workshops, the County will be soliciting feedback in smaller group settings that provide an opportunity for focused discussion around topics that include transportation/built environment, agriculture, conservation, energy/water/waste, equity and environmental justice, and other important topics. All information convened from focused discussions will be integrated into future public workshops. If you are interested in being notified of our upcoming opportunities to participate, please sign up for our mailing list.

Comment letters may be submitted electronically via e-mail at: CAP@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Past Public Workshops

Find all previous CAP Update workshop presentations here.

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Project Background

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 (2018 CAP) and related actions because the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (2018 CAP SEIR) was found to be out of compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In response to this Board action, staff are preparing a Climate Action Plan Update (CAP Update) to revise the 2018 CAP and correct the items identified by the Court within the Final 2018 CAP SEIR that were not compliant.

The overall objective of the CAP Update is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from activities within the unincorporated county (community) and GHG emissions generated by County facilities and operational activities throughout the county, including facilities and operations located within incorporated cities (County operations), to meet or exceed GHG reduction goals under State laws.

The CAP Update may consider strategies and reduction measures, and supporting efforts organized under the same five categories as the 2018 CAP:

Built Environment & Transportation

Energy

Solid Waste

Water & Waste Water

Agriculture & Conservation

Pending adoption of a new Climate Action Plan, the County will continue to implement the 26 GHG reduction measures and sustainability initiatives/programs identified in the 2018 CAP to reduce GHG emissions as part of its ongoing commitment to the environment and to meet the State’s 2030 reduction target.

Project Materials

A Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) will be prepared for the CAP Update project. The project will include preparation of an updated GHG Emissions Inventory and Projections and preparation of updated GHG Emissions Targets to determine if additional or revised measures are needed.

The County seeks input from the public and agencies on potential environmental impacts of the CAP Update, ways to mitigate those impacts, and alternatives that may lessen those impacts. Additional Supplemental EIR information can be found here.

As part of the CAP Update project the County will also be preparing Smart Growth Alternatives for analysis in the CAP Update SEIR. If you would like to be involved and provide input on what goes into a Smart Growth Alternative, please e-mail us and we will reach out to you to schedule a discussion. All information shared and convened from focused discussions on Smart Growth Alternatives will be integrated into future public workshops.

Land Use Overlays

This Mapping Application is intended to show information from the County of San Diego that may be considered as the County prepares the Climate Action Plan Update. To access the Land Use Overlays, click here.

Board Direction and Staff Reports

Direction received from the Board of Supervisors and subsequent staff reports on the CAP Update are available below.

Board Direction

Staff Reports

County of San Diego

County of San Diego

The County has jurisdiction over the unincorporated areas within the county which are generally east and north of the City of San Diego, noted in dark grey on the map. The unincorporated area encompasses approximately 3,570 square miles with a population of 454,599 residents. The unincorporated area is home to 26 distinct communities that vary from suburban densities adjacent to incorporated cities (i.e., Lakeside, Spring Valley, and Sweetwater), to low density rural communities (i.e., Borrego Springs, Descano, and Pine Valley) surrounded by hillsides, deserts, and agricultural lands. The unincorporated county's most developed communities are located along the unincorporated county's westernmost boundaries where access to public facilities such as water, sewer, roads, and schools is readily available. 

Unincorporated lands are biologically rich and diverse, and are comprised of natural features that include lagoons, foothills, mountain ranges, and deserts. Large federal, state, and regional parklands cover much of the eastern portion of the county. Tribal lands comprise 5.7% of the land area and agricultural lands account for a large proportion of the privately-owned lands. 

Aligning with County Sustainability Efforts

The County's Climate Action Plan is aligned with and builds upon many other County efforts through complementary implementation-focused actions.

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