La Cañada completes draft of Climate Action Plan
After months of working with community groups and residents to develop measures that someday could reduce La Cañada’s greenhouse gas emissions, consultants and members of the city’s Planning Department have completed the draft of a Climate Action Plan.
NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with what’s going on in the 818 >>
The immense menu of legislative options — created with a $75,000 grant from the Southern California Assn. of Governments — was briefed by the City Council in a May 17 meeting and was introduced before the Planning Commission Tuesday.
Once adopted, the document will serve as a road map for local officials to follow so the city can meet increasingly stringent state and federal emissions-reduction targets coming in the next two decades.
A greenhouse gas emissions inventory in the plan shows that in 2014, La Cañadans used approximately 203,775 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). While the city is on track to meet 2020 state emissions targets, further reductions will be needed for it to do the same in 2035.
The Climate Action Plan quantifies the potential financial costs and greenhouse-gas-saving capabilities associated with the measures put forth, which include suggestions like mandating water efficiency in new development projects, promoting residential and commercial solar projects and community tree-planting.
Christina McAdams, a representative with Rincon Consultants, explained the importance of the public’s prioritizing projects in the plan. “Ultimately, it’s the City Council that makes the final determination on adopting new ordinances, but the CAP brings those discussions to the council.”
What I worry about is that you’ve done all done such good work to make this thing and say this is what we need to do ... and then there’s going to be no enforcement...
— Lisa Novick, outreach director for the Theodore Payne Foundation
Among those who participated May 19 in the last of four public workshops there was a certain amount of skepticism about whether the new reduction measures would amount to meaningful change, or if they’d be largely ignored by apathetic community members and cost-conscious city officials.
Lisa Novick, outreach director for the Theodore Payne Foundation, a nonprofit nursery specializing in California native plants, said the city and its residents don’t have the best reputation for conservation. As such, she said the city should focus on making meaningful, long-term changes like an ordinance requiring landscaping to include native species.
“What I worry about is that you’ve done all done such good work to make this thing and say this is what we need to do ... and then there’s going to be no enforcement and no active adoption and paradigm shift to follow, because of the record of this community,” Novick said.
Beth Fabinsky, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory employee, agreed the city and its residents need to do more, even beyond the Climate Action Plan suggestions, to reach emissions levels more on par with nearby communities.
Deputy Director of Community Development Susan Koleda said many aspects of the CAP would be considered as the city worked to update its zoning code. The consultants similarly assured residents the document included an extensive implementation plan with annual progress reviews.
“The intent of this plan is not to sit on the shelf,” McAdams said.
--
The draft Climate Action Plan is available for review by the public, online and at City Hall, through June 13. Through the month of May, residents may prioritize potential measures in an online survey at www.lcf.ca.gov/planning/climate-action-plan.
The document will return to the city’s Planning Commission for a recommendation on June 14, then go to the La Cañada Flintridge City Council for adoption in a June 21 meeting. Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Deputy Community Development Director Susan Koleda at (818) 790-8881 or by email at skoleda@lcf.ca.gov.
--
Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
