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Costa Mesa staff lay out Climate Action and Adaptation Plan progress; public workshop set for spring
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan status update, reporting a 2023 baseline inventory (63% of emissions from on‑road transportation, 31% from building energy), describing outreach to residents and schools, and scheduling a public workshop on draft policies in spring with council review expected by late summer.
Costa Mesa — City staff and consultants presented a status update Tuesday on the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAP), summarizing inventory work, public outreach and next steps to develop policy actions intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resiliency.
Consultant Amber Greg said the CAP contractor completed a greenhouse‑gas inventory for 2022–2023 data and a climate vulnerability and risk assessment. Preliminary results attribute roughly 63% of Costa Mesa’s emissions to on‑road vehicle travel and 31% to building energy use; remaining emissions come from off‑road equipment, solid waste and water/wastewater.
Staff highlighted outreach efforts including Earth Day 2025 and a concert in the park, surveys for residents and city employees, stakeholder meetings and youth engagement (more than 150 pages of drawings from children). The CAP team described the policy development framework — sectors (transportation, energy, waste, off‑road equipment), objectives and potential actions (education, incentives, regulation, infrastructure investment) — and noted the plan will prioritize near‑term, cost‑effective and “foundational” actions that unlock further reductions.
Council members asked about data gaps, crediting recent bike lanes and other actions, coordination with state bills and grant programs, and opportunities to electrify the municipal fleet. Staff said the baseline year is 2023, explained vehicle‑miles‑travelled (VMT) refinements still underway, and said staff will present draft policies to internal stakeholders before a spring public workshop (anticipated April) and return to council in late summer for consideration.
The council voted 6‑0 to receive and file the status report and directed staff to continue refining inputs and preparing the workshop materials.
What’s next: Staff will develop draft policy objectives and actions, present them to internal stakeholders, host a public workshop in spring, and return to council with draft policies for adoption work later in the year.
