La Mesa has made climate action attractive for residents and
developers alike. “La Mesa is a small city and not a wealthy
city,” says one local climate activist. “Yet the city has gotten
so much done, from adapting clean energy, reducing solid organic
waste, and passing transportation measures to cut our carbon
emissions.”
City officials in Davis and Emeryville found a way to make their
communities happier, safer, and cleaner while also reducing
carbon emissions: They made it easier to bike. “The point is to
provide options,” said Jennifer Donofrio, Davis’ senior
transportation planner. “People can choose to get around however
they prefer.”
Many cities have the vision, the space, and the will to turn
suburban landscapes into walkable, transit-rich neighborhoods.
What they need now are the tools: local control and
sustained infrastructure funding. That’s where the greatest
challenge lies, argues Cal Cities Cities President Lynne B.
Kennedy.
Unpredictable inflationary pressures, federal policies, and
state-mandated programs are making it hard to decide which
infrastructure renewal projects to prioritize. Here are four tips
to help city managers navigate these challenges
effectively.
California is in the middle of an ambitious effort to overhaul
its waste systems — chief among them organic waste. But reducing
the million tons of organic waste thrown away each year has
proven challenging. Here’s how three cities are successfully
meeting the mandate.
California has become a leader in passing laws that hold
producers, not ratepayers, responsible for properly managing
product and packaging waste. The state needs to take a similar
approach to the state’s dangerous (and frequently, deadly)
household hazardous waste.
Most buildings use methane gas for heating, drying, and cooking.
But methane is also a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon
dioxide. A program in Brisbane would slash tons of the city’s
emissions equal to roughly 8 million miles driven in an average
gasoline vehicle.
Elected officials hold a unique and critical responsibility: to
guide their communities through times of peace and crisis alike.
The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County and nearby
regions serve as a stark reminder of this task.
Cities across California are looking for ways to keep their water
supplies reliable even during droughts under a new water
standard. San José’s wastewater treatment and municipal
water system infrastructure can serve as a model for other
cities.
Four years ago, Corona had thousands of missing trees and a
disorderly forestry strategy. Today, the city is actively
managing and planting trees, creating environmental, aesthetic,
and social dividends in the process.
California’s new water standards become effective Jan. 1, 2025.
The new rule shifts away from a one-size-fits-all approach to
community-specific conservation management and will affect almost
every city — including the 199 classified as urban water
suppliers.
How public agencies collaborate and plan will be vital to how
they weather climate change crises. This may mean forgoing
traditional top-down emergency planning in favor of participative
scenario planning, which can include a wider range of
stakeholders.
Enough polluted water is discharged every year to fill 21 million
Olympic-sized swimming pools. EcoSmart Filters are an affordable,
easy way to remove those harmful containments.
Many cities in California are planning for and mitigating the
effects of climate change. Yet, many of those same cities are
looking for ways to do more with less. Here’s how three
budget-conscious cities are funding and developing local climate
action plans — and a free, flexible framework for your
own city.
For decades, Santa Monica chipped away at water self-sufficiency.
Now it’s on track to increase local water supplies to 90% by
summer 2024. The project was recognized at the 2024 Global
Water Awards, second only to the United Arab Emirates.
Toxic waste from the Tijuana River has created a public health,
economic, and environmental nightmare for cities in San Diego
County. The ongoing crisis is a classic example of a local issue
that requires a bipartisan regional, state, and federal response.
In 2020, Marin County voters approved the state’s first JPA
dedicated solely to local wildfire protection. The agency has a
clear mission: Help Marin County co-exist with wildfire by
adopting fire-adapted strategies. This starts with a “House Out”
strategy that all cities can follow.
California’s youth are worried about the climate crisis. They
face a long future of climate extremes, with consequences for
their health, well-being, education, and livelihood. Many are
experiencing a great deal of eco-anxiety and are looking for help
or ways to take action.
E-bikes became popular in Laguna Niguel during the pandemic,
especially with younger riders. This led to heightened concerns
about rider safety. But when the city began developing a safety
plan, it found few case studies and strategies to pull from.
Reducing emissions from heavy trucks and other large vehicles is
key to California’s efforts to slow the impacts of climate change
and improve the quality of the air we all breathe. However,
reducing greenhouse gas emissions — particularly through the
transition to zero-emission vehicles — does not come without
significant challenges.
