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Council reviews Heat Action Plan ratified by commissioners; staff outlines cooling centers, outreach and Electrify program timeline
Summary
Staff updated the Climate Council on a multi-jurisdiction Heat Action Plan ratified in March–April and described outreach, cooling-center activation tied to NWS warnings, and short-term actions; staff also reported progress on the Electrify program with a goal to launch by the next meeting.
County and municipal staff presented an update to the Heat Action Plan on May 14, describing the plan’s goals — outreach and education, enhanced emergency response, and cooling of homes and neighborhoods — and listing near-term actions to be launched in Summer 2026.
Presenters said the plan was approved by the Orange County Board of Commissioners in mid-March and ratified by participating municipalities in April. Staff cited heat-related morbidity data in the plan materials, noting that there were 58 heat-related EMS calls from April–July 2025, with 42 resulting in hospital transport. Presentation material also referenced climate data showing 2024 as the hottest year on record.
The plan lays out actionable items including a public-heat messaging campaign, targeted outreach to outdoor workers, youth heat-safety education, cooling-center activation tied to a National Weather Service extreme-heat warning, transportation plans for cooling centers, neighbor check-in programs, and augmentation of emergency-response operations. Neighborhood-level measures include tree giveaways, increased water and shaded spaces, pilot cool-pavement and cool-roof projects, and assistance for home cooling and weatherization.
Staff described the BEAT THE HEAT communications protocol: Orange County Community Relations will publish graphics and notify the OC Communicators Workgroup, partners will share and amplify posts, and OC Alerts will be used to notify residents in emergencies. The materials urged residents to sign up for OC Alerts and to share official social posts to help reach vulnerable populations.
In a separate brief update, staff said the Electrify program is being finalized with Central Pines to increase resident access to sustainable technologies, address utility-cost impacts and avoid duplication with existing programs. Staff set a target of having the program up and running by the council’s next meeting. No formal actions or votes were taken at the session.
