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Encinitas staff present 2024 Climate Action Plan annual report; several measures behind pace
Summary
City staff presented the 2024 Climate Action Plan Annual Monitoring Report, highlighting completed measures (13 of 20), notable 2024 progress and several measures behind pace due to funding and staffing constraints; staff recommended prioritizing resources and returning a cost‑benefit analysis early next year.
Aoife Maxwell, a Civic Spark fellow for the City of Encinitas, presented the city’s 2024 Climate Action Plan (CAP) Annual Monitoring Report to the Environmental Commission, summarizing progress toward the city’s 2030 emissions target.
The report shows work on 20 CAP measures: 13 are “completed” relative to their 2030 targets, two are on track, four are behind schedule and one is on hold because of current state regulations. Maxwell said the city’s greenhouse gas inventory from SANDAG (2020) indicates a 14.6% reduction from 2012 levels, exceeding the city’s 2020 target by 1.6% but that the larger 2030 goal still requires more work.
Why it matters: the Climate Action Plan breaks the city’s 44% emissions‑reduction target (below 2012 levels by 2030) into 20 actionable measures spanning transportation, buildings, waste, off‑road equipment, water efficiency and carbon sequestration. Progress or delays on those measures determine whether the city will meet its 2030 goal.
Key 2024 highlights noted in the presentation include replacing 13 light‑duty internal‑combustion city vehicles with electric vehicles, a 92% participation rate in San Diego Community Power (with 98% of participating accounts on a 100% renewable product), installation of 90 single‑family EV‑ready charging stations in 2024 and three businesses certified by the California Green Business Network. The city also reported correction of 357 leaf‑blower code violations since 2020 and partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers to place about 340,000 cubic yards of sand on the Encinitas coastline in 2024.
Commissioners pressed staff on measures that are behind. Commissioner Carol Parker asked whether transportation‑related measures were delayed by funding or planning. Crystal (city sustainability staff) said the lagging measures are “mainly funding” issues, and also reflect staff availability and the high upfront costs of projects such as transit or shuttle services and some infrastructure elements.
Commissioners also asked about a previously paused municipal solar project. Crystal explained the city had a facilities solar project under consideration before the pandemic but paused it when construction costs rose and other budget priorities emerged. She said staff anticipates folding solar options into a forthcoming facilities condition assessment and that the mayor has directed staff to evaluate options for accelerating municipal solar deployment; staff expects a summarized plan for council in coming months.
On accounting questions, Crystal said the city’s annual report tracks activities (for example, number of EV chargers installed or renewable‑energy participation) rather than calculating year‑to‑year greenhouse‑gas changes for each activity. She said full emissions inventories are updated less frequently because they are costly to produce.
The report also noted equity and resiliency work: sustainability staff attended 16 community events in 2024 and the San Diego Regional Energy Network (administered by San Diego Community Power and the County of San Diego) formed with a roughly $124 million budget for energy‑efficiency programs over four years.
On next steps, staff recommended prioritizing the four behind‑pace measures for funding and staffing, continuing support of San Diego Community Power’s 100% renewables offering, advancing green building rules, seeking funds for EV infrastructure consistent with the city’s EV charging master plan, enhancing the urban tree canopy and continuing coastal resilience projects such as SCOOP and the coastal storm damage projects. Crystal said staff will produce a cost‑benefit analysis for the CAP update and hopes to complete that work by the end of the calendar year, with a final package for council early in 2026.
Commissioners offered editorial suggestions for next year’s report, including better visual links between actions taken and expected progress toward the 2030 targets and adding data on why customers opt out of 100% renewable products offered by community choice aggregation.
Staff emphasized that the annual report is informational and no commission vote was required. "Thank you very much," Maxwell said at the presentation’s close, and staff left the report for future council consideration and follow‑up with the commission.
