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South Pasadena council orders two‑member review of Climate Action Plan, seeks clearer metrics and funding guidance
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Summary
City staff gave a high‑level update on the Climate Action Plan and funding sources; council directed creation of a two‑member ad hoc to refine measurable goals, KPIs and financing options and to return with recommendations.
Alma Medina, assistant to the city manager, told the City Council on Oct. 15 that South Pasadena’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), adopted in December 2020, remains the city’s roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting sustainability programs. Medina said the city has implemented energy efficiency upgrades, begun a transition of some fleet vehicles to lower‑emission models and maintained Tree City USA status; staff also established a sustainability division to implement CAP measures.
Medina said the CAP has been supported by grant funding and partnerships: a SCAG grant funded the CAP development; the Tesla fleet lease was supported by a Mobile Source Air Resource Center (MSRC) grant; the city is working with Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready program for electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and the AB 2766 motor vehicle mitigation fund balance is “a little bit over $93,000,” Medina said, with eligible uses that include clean vehicle purchases and public transportation projects. She asked the council for guidance on next steps.
Council members and public commenters pressed for clearer baselines and measurable performance indicators. Council members asked for specific key performance indicators (KPIs) tied to the CAP’s seven focus areas — energy, transportation, solid waste and wastewater, carbon sequestration (urban forestry), municipal operations, cornerstone programs and others — and for clearer cost and savings accounting. Council member Sheila (first name used in the meeting) and others said the plan contains many ideas but not enough quantifiable measures such as an explicit tree‑canopy baseline or a dashboard of emission reductions.
Council discussion centered on making the CAP more actionable and aligned with current state requirements and staff capacity. Council members said they want a practical program the city can measure and fund without adding unsustainable staffing burdens. Several council members suggested pulling the Natural Resources and Environment Committee (NREC) into the review, and staff said NREC can be consulted after councilmembers develop initial recommendations.
Out of the discussion the council formed a two‑member ad hoc group to review the CAP and return recommendations to council. Council members nominated and confirmed that the ad hoc will be composed of two council members (the council discussion named Omari and Sheila during the meeting); staff said the ad hoc will be limited in scope, report back to the full council, and coordinate with staff and NREC as appropriate. City Manager Todd told the council staff will need direction on which CAP measures the council wants reported on and stressed the city does not have the specialized environmental science staffing that some larger agencies use.
City staff said the next practical steps include assembling a short list of KPIs for each CAP focus area, identifying which measures are already being tracked (for example, fleet electrification and tree programs), and preparing a staffing and financing assessment. Staff also offered to track co‑benefits (for example, operational cost savings from electric equipment and public health benefits from reduced air pollution) alongside CAP costs.
The council asked staff and the ad hoc to return with a refined set of KPIs, suggested near‑term priorities (for example, electric vehicle priorities, code changes, and waste diversion reporting), and potential funding options for expanding CAP implementation. Staff said the AB 2766 balance and grant partnerships will be included in their follow‑up analysis.
