Pacifica adopts Climate Action & Resilience Plan with staff amendments and implementation steps

The City of Pacifica on July 14 adopted a revised Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP) intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve resilience to climate hazards. Management analyst Elizabeth Brooks presented the plan and summarized revisions, which staff said clarified the document’s advisory role and adjusted some proposed directives to allow feasibility, legal and financial review.

Brooks said the plan’s name change — from climate action and adaptation to climate action and resilience — and multiple text edits reflect the plan’s scope and the need to align with the city’s certified Local Coastal Land Use Plan. The CARP’s action tables were adjusted for timelines, implementation steps and key performance indicators. Staff noted two items (R2.10 and R2.11 in the packet) where the task force recommended stronger directive language than staff recommended; staff proposed softening those to "consider adoption" pending legal and feasibility review.

Members of the CARP task force and other residents urged the council to adopt strong language and establish a standing body to oversee implementation. Task‑force chair Monica Mager and multiple members urged creation of an implementation body — the task force recommended an "environmental commission" or similar entity to carry the plan forward. "This plan is an important blueprint and its successful implementation relies on the strength of these partnerships," task‑force member Nancy Tierney said during public comment.

Councilmember Beier moved to adopt the resolution approving the CARP and its appendices, adding staff‑directed amendments to add a cross‑reference emphasizing greenhouse‑gas reduction goals and to replace specific narrow technical prescriptions (0‑NOx roofing language) with a broader directive: adopt green building standards that reduce methane use in new and existing construction by 2028. Mayor Pro Tem Bowles seconded. The motion included a CEQA exemption finding under Guidelines sections 15306 and 15308 and carried unanimously, with Mayor Beckmeyer absent.

Council and staff agreed to form an implementation structure and to return with a proposed charter and timeline for a council‑appointed implementation body (per prior council direction). Staff also will pursue grant opportunities and refine timelines in coordination with county and regional partners. Several speakers urged council to retain strong directive language and to create a permanent body to maintain momentum; council members emphasized implementation feasibility and annual goal review.