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San Marcos staff says city is meeting Climate Action Plan goals; council receives monitoring report
Summary
City staff told the City Council that San Marcos has made measurable progress on its 2020 Climate Action Plan, citing EV charger installations, rebates, reduced city water use and tree plantings; council formally received the monitoring report and staff outlined a CAP update planned with the Creek Specific Plan by 2026.
City planning staff told the San Marcos City Council on Jan. 28 that the city has made measurable progress implementing its 2020 Climate Action Plan (CAP) and that an update to the CAP is planned to coincide with the Creek Specific Plan around 2026.
Saima Kureshi, the city’s sustainability program manager, told the council the CAP uses 2012 as its baseline year and set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 42% by 2030. She said transportation accounted for roughly 54% of the baseline emissions and summarized the city’s eight CAP strategies and 22 measures across transportation, energy, water, solid waste and carbon sequestration.
Kureshi and Planning Director Joe Faraci described completed and ongoing items: 27 public EV chargers installed at Sunset Park and Creekside Marketplace; 211 EV charger rebates issued to residents; fiber-optic interconnections at 137 intersections with 65 synchronized; two roundabouts completed with two more in design or construction; and a pilot on-demand shuttle that increased boardings per day from about seven to 62 on the busiest routes. For building energy and water measures, staff said nine new nonresidential projects are expected to add about 2.3 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity, and about 1,181 residential units from seven new projects will avoid gas-powered water heaters under current requirements.
On water and landscape measures, staff reported 14 private development projects subject to the outdoor-water requirement produced 26 acres of water-efficient landscaping, and city-managed landscapes reduced water use by 57% after installing smart irrigation controllers and replacing water-intensive turf. For waste and diversion efforts, staff described partnerships with ATCO (organic waste collection and an anaerobic digester that produces renewable gas) and the Solana Center’s edible food recovery program. On carbon sequestration, staff said the city has accounted for about 1,200 public trees planted since 2020 (the CAP target is 1,500 by 2030) and approved 2,263 new trees with private developments.
Members of the public who spoke during the meeting urged continued ambition. Kevin Norris, a 25-year resident and member of the Climate Action Plan Working Group, praised the city’s efforts while urging fiscal prudence. Alan Geraci, who represents the Sierra Club of San Diego County’s local chapter, said San Marcos’ progress has been “mediocre at best” by regional standards and urged stronger measures (including higher renewable content from the Clean Energy Alliance and incentives for renters and multifamily housing to adopt solar and electrification).
Mayor Rebecca Jones thanked staff for the presentation and said the city is “meeting our goals,” and council members acknowledged that staff will bring the CAP update and the Creek Specific Plan forward in parallel. The council recorded the monitoring report as received.
Looking ahead, staff said the city expects to complete the Creek Specific Plan and the CAP update around 2026 and continue pursuing grants and partnerships to expand EV infrastructure, electrification incentives and tree-planting programs.
