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West Sacramento staff outline CAP progress, launch home energy audit tied to planned rate increases
Summary
City sustainability staff reported the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan is adopted and 19 of 26 actions are underway; they requested a Climate Action Fund to finance outreach and a home energy audit program intended to help households reduce bills as utility rates rise.
Ryan, the city's sustainability manager, told the Environment Utilities Commission the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan has been adopted and the city has assigned primary and secondary responsibilities to ensure the plan's 26 actions move from paper into work. "Out of the 26 actions, we already have 19 that are underway, and we have 7 that are not started yet," he said, identifying low-emission off-road equipment contract language, local solar and storage incentives, building electrification programs and carbon removal as items still to begin.
Ryan described an online hub for the plan at wsac.city/cap and said staff will update progress quarterly so residents can "see what's going on." He said the city formed a CAP "super team" to track implementation and that staff are coordinating with departments to assign clear responsibility for each action.
As part of the CAP rollout, Ryan requested a dedicated Climate Action Fund to pay for outreach and pilot programs, including a public recognition campaign called the "West Sac Climate Champ" and a Home Energy Audit program tied to upcoming utility rate changes. "The Home Energy Audit program... would include up to about 20 light bulbs per house, smart power strips, faucet aerators and basic assessment tools," he said, adding that the program aims to help residents lower both energy and water bills.
On staffing, Ryan said he has proposed a new outreach and enforcement position focused on on-the-ground community engagement and enforcement of organics compliance; that staffer would run the home visits and other outreach. He estimated that with the new hire the program could sustainably conduct about 100 home energy audits per year and noted he has performed roughly 700 house calls in prior work.
Commissioners asked how the CAP work will be funded given limited federal grants. Ryan said the city is pursuing regional and county grant opportunities and also plans to use city fee revenue for a reliable funding source rather than relying solely on intermittent grants. He also said staff will consolidate links and resources on the CAP web page and push updates through the city newsletter and social media.
The presentation closed with staff offering to post regular updates and to include CAP materials in the public outreach tied to the water and sewer rate study so residents understand both necessary infrastructure investment and programs that can reduce bills.
