Every few years, California public agencies are required to update their Climate Action Plan (CAP) to show how each agency will bring their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in compliance with California’s 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act.
Los Altos’ last CAP was done in July of 2013. Read it here.
This CAP shows that the majority of our city’s GHG emissions come from buildings and transportation. While much of the state-mandated guidelines have helped us get closer to where we want to be, there is an understanding we need to do much more.
Similar to other Bay Area cities, Los Altos, with the assistance of a third-party consultant, is preparing an update to the City’s 2013 CAP. The update will include estimating the impacts of the changing climate on our community and proposed adaptation strategies. Hence the CAP update will become our Climate Action and Adaption Plan (CAAP). Over the next few months, the City’s staff, consultant and Environmental Commission, along with residents will be assessing GHG emissions, setting action goals and establishing strategies to achieve our goals.
Your time for giving feedback on the CAAP starts now and lasts for only the next few months. See the timeline for activities and public comment opportunities on page 10 of this Environmental Commission document here.
Public input into the CAAP development is being received via focused working sessions (GreenTown Los Altos has representatives participating) together with general, public events. The first opportunity for public comment is the survey that just opened.
This survey is meant to gauge the public’s concern about climate change and gives the survey taker an opportunity to opt-in for updates. It took me five minutes to take, with nearly two of those minutes looking for my password. You can take the survey here.
Over the next few months, we expect a public workshop and a second survey with greater specificity and an opportunity to comment on specific climate action strategies. But for now, we encourage everyone to take the survey and to offer specific comments at any Environmental Commission meeting or by emailing Emiko Ancheta, the City’s Sustainability Manager at eancheta@losaltosca.gov.