County Releases Draft 2030 Climate Plan

By the County of Santa Barbara

The County of Santa Barbara’s Community Services Department is pleased to release the draft 2030 Climate Action Plan (CAP) for public comment available online at countyofsb.org/oneclimate. The CAP aims to improve quality of life and prioritize social equity by outlining actions the County and community can take to make walking and biking safer, preserve and enhance open spaces, make buildings more efficient, improve air quality and enhance energy resilience.

The County will be hosting three public workshops to provide the community with an opportunity to view the draft CAP and engage with staff. Two in-person on March 1, 2023 in both Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, and one virtually on March 7, 2023.

“What is clear from the CAP’s analysis is that every government and most individuals need to take stronger action to reduce carbon emissions that come from driving, flying and using energy in homes and businesses or we will have collectively failed to do our part to mitigate climate change,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors, First District Supervisor Das Williams.

The workshops are an opportunity for the community to share their thoughts, points of concern and local knowledge.  Both open houses will have a short presentation at the beginning to provide additional background material, but residents are welcome to come anytime and will have the opportunity to learn about key sections of the CAP.

In-Person Open House Workshops

March 1, 2023
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery
40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara

March 1, 2023
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Santa Maria Public Library, Shepard’s Hall
421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria

Online Workshop

March 7, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Virtual Workshop via Zoom (Register to receive zoom link)

Spanish translation will be available at the workshops.

Registration and information for all events can be found at countyofsb.org/oneclimate.   

The workshops will cover the context and history of the Climate Action Plan, key actions and strategies, and provide instruction on how to provide comment on the CAP. The CAP is available for public comment through an interactive online tool that allows users to provide feedback directly on the draft document and view other users’ comments.

The CAP was developed to reduce community carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, as directed by the Board of Supervisors.

“Achieving a 50% reduction is very ambitious,” says Ashley Watkins, Sustainability Division Chief, “Departments across the County will be responsible for implementing specific actions but we won’t achieve our goals without strong participation from residents, local business and other stakeholders. The CAP isn’t just the County’s plan, it’s the community’s plan.”

Currently, there is no end date for the public comment period. The County will release a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) following the draft CAP, which will also have its own set public comment period. Once the EIR public comment period is set, the County will announce the public comment end date for the CAP.