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Santa Cruz reviews Climate Action Plan progress, outlines 2026–2029 work plan

Santa Cruz City Council · January 14, 2026
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Summary

Staff reported progress on the 2022 Climate Action Plan and presented a 2026–2029 implementation work plan; the council accepted the progress report and next work plan, and staff highlighted funding successes, outreach to Spanish-speaking residents, and the need for organizational change management.

City staff told the council that Santa Cruz has made measurable progress on climate initiatives but is not yet on track to meet the emissions reductions set out in the Climate Action Plan (CAP) through 2030.

Tiffany Wise West, the city's sustainability and resiliency officer, summarized the findings: while the city has increased capacity and brought in more than $6 million last year for climate-related activities, the most recent greenhouse-gas inventory (from 2022) and other indicators show the city — like many jurisdictions — remains off track to meet long-term targets. Wise West cited three major contributing factors: constrained budgets at multiple levels of government, the difficulty of changing collective behavior, and reduced federal climate support.

Staff reported that of the 16 CAP municipal activities in the prior three-year work plan, some are on track, some are off track and some cannot be fully assessed due to data limitations. The new 2026–2029 work plan includes 12 community-focused activities, 16 municipal activities and five organizational change-management recommendations. Staff emphasized new community engagement approaches, including partnerships with Ventures and "promotoras" to reach Spanish-speaking residents and a youth fellow funded through a workforce development grant to expand community workshops.

Council members expressed appreciation for the staff's work and the engagement approach. Council accepted the staff recommendation to adopt the progress report and the proposed 2026–2029 implementation work plan by unanimous vote; staff will continue outreach, pursue prioritized funding, and provide updates on progress metrics.

The report noted the CAP sunsets in 2030 and staff will produce a 2025 inventory during the year to provide updated emissions data.