Council hears 2026 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan progress report; questions focus on electrification and EV charging

City planning and public‑works staff presented the second annual progress report on Sacramento’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAP), then took extensive council questions about regional coordination, reach codes, electric‑vehicle charging and the city’s own emissions.

Laura Teller, Associate Planner, summarized progress across buildings, transportation and water sectors, citing 2025 milestones including an adopted urban forest plan, active‑transportation projects, and partnerships with SMUD on zero‑carbon objectives. Teller noted setbacks in grant funding, saying approximately $11 million in potential funding had been lost or frozen and that funding climate work remains a major challenge.

Council Member Dickinson pressed staff on the status of the city’s climate emergency declaration, regional collaboration with SMUD and Sacramento County, and whether staff convene regular cross‑agency meetings. Teller said the city has standing memoranda of understanding with SMUD, the county and Elk Grove for building electrification, and a regional city climate working group that meets monthly; she said some collaboration remains informal and staff would return with clearer documentation and a memo on municipal measures to reduce the city’s institutional emissions.

On building electrification and state law, staff said AB130 places limits on local reach codes but includes exemption pathways—such as measures already adopted in a jurisdiction’s general plan—and that several cities’ applications to the California Building Standards Commission remain under review.

Council discussed EV charging infrastructure at length. Jennifer Donlan of Public Works said staff are developing a curbside charging policy required by state legislation and expect a proposal by year‑end. Councilmembers and staff noted transformer capacity in multi‑story garages and system planning by SMUD as constraints to quickly adding chargers, and discussed options such as paid parking/holding fees to improve turnover at free charging stalls and potential ad‑supported kiosks to offset installation costs.

On the municipal fleet, staff reported the city operates roughly 2,190 vehicles, about 1,190 light‑duty vehicles and roughly 140 ZEVs (about 10% of light‑duty fleet). Department needs, heavy‑duty vehicle availability and supply constraints limit more rapid fleet electrification, staff said.

Why it matters: The CAP update shows progress on policies and pilot projects but highlights funding uncertainty and practical obstacles—especially charging infrastructure and state‑level ambiguity on reach codes—that could slow local electrification and resilience efforts.

Next steps: Staff offered to return with a memo documenting cross‑agency agreements and to report back on curbside charging policy development, transformer planning coordination and feasibility work on a climate resilience district.