FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 24, 2022

CONTACT:
MayorPress@sandiego.gov

SAN DIEGO Furthering his commitment to making San Diego a leader in climate action, Mayor Todd Gloria was in Southcrest today to detail how his Ready to Rebuild budget for the coming fiscal year will fund the implementation of the Citys landmark Climate Action Plan and invest in historically underserved communities through its Climate Equity Fund.

San Diegos health, safety and quality of life depend on addressing climate change. We cant shy away from this reality we must lean into our responsibility to act. My Ready to Rebuild budget does that, Mayor Todd Gloria said. Its not enough to set ambitious climate goals; you also have to devote the resources needed to achieve them. This budget funds implementation of our updated Climate Action Plan and provides our Sustainability and Mobility Department with the staffing needed to remove carbon from City facilities and address climate equity in our communities.

Mayor Gloria was joined by Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, Councilmember Joe LaCava and community members to highlight the climate action investments at the Southcrest Recreation Center, which will be the first of eight City facilities to be upgraded with a solar microgrid with support from the California Energy Commission. The projects will create self-contained power systems with onsite renewable energy generation and storage that, in addition to powering the facilities, will also provide backup power for the community during power shut off events; provide access to EV charging stations, and save the City an estimated $6 million in energy costs over 25 years.

Every San Diego neighborhood deserves to be clean, healthy and protected from the impacts of climate change, said City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, who represents District 9. Making good on that promise in traditionally underfunded and underserved neighborhoods will require special care and attention. Thats why I am so glad to see Mayor Gloria has proposed dedicating funding for the Southcrest Green Infrastructure Project and Willie Henderson Sports Complex, which will help build resilient communities and improve quality of life."

Mayor Gloria also announced allocations for the Citys Climate Equity Fund, which was created to help underserved communities respond to the impacts of climate change. The Citys Sustainability and Mobility Department, as well as the Department of Race and Equity, worked on the Climate Equity Fund criteria and developed the project list. The Mayors revised budget allots $7.4 million to climate equity projects, including:

• Streetlight installation in Council Districts 4, 7 and 8 ($2 million),
• Improvements to Chicano Park in Barrio Logan and the Willie Henderson Sports Complex in Mountain View ($4.6 million), and
• Traffic calming measures in Chollas View and Linda Vista ($800,000).

Prioritizing investments in climate gives us the tools to accelerate our response to this crisis and meet net zero goals, said City Councilmember Joe LaCava, who represents District 1 and chairs the Councils Environment Committee. The Mayors climate-related investments advance our energy, mobility, waste, and water needs through targeted, equity-focused spending and program development. This further sets the stage for the adoption and implementation of our ambitious Climate Action Plan at the Environment Committee this year.

The Mayors draft Climate Action Plan update, released in November, set a target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2035. Since the draft plans release, the City has gathered public feedback, developed an analysis of staffing needs, drafted consistency regulations for new development, and begun work on the follow-up implementation steps as laid out in the CAP audit. The CAP update is expected to go to the City Councils Environment Committee for consideration in June. The draft is available for review and comments at sandiego.gov/CAP.

The budget provides more than $32.9 million to implement the strategies in the CAP update that will help the City reach its goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2035. It also includes $525,000 to help with preparations to remove carbon from City facilities.

The Mayors funding commitment of additional positions, plans and programs comes with a greater responsibility for real action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the City equitably, said Alyssa Muto, Director of the Citys Sustainability and Mobility Department. Were prepared to meet this challenge head-on with continued work on the CAP Implementation Plan to develop clear timeframes, partners and budgets that are necessary for success. We appreciate the mayors leadership on this critical issue.

Additionally, the Mayors budget includes new funding for the Citys Sustainability and Mobility Department that will allow for more staffing in alignment with the CAP Staffing Analysis, which will be presented at the Citys Environment Committee this Thursday.

To learn more about the Citys climate-related efforts, visit sandiego.gov/climatefuture.

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