TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Planning, Building, and Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jesse Gutiérrez, Principal Planner, Sustainability
SUBJECT: Receive a presentation on the proposed implementation plan for the Napa Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
RECOMMENDATION
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PRESENTATION: Receive a presentation on the proposed implementation plan for the Napa Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
STAFF REQUEST: The Climate Action Committee to direct project staff to proceed with solicitation of scope of work for a regional implementation plan and prioritization strategy.
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Napa Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP) draft was made available for public review on August 1, 2025. A 60-day public comment period was established to allow for residents from all 6 jurisdictions to review and comment on the RCAAP. The Napa County Board of Supervisors on August 5, 2025, approved a contract amendment directing Ascent Environmental to begin preparation of an Initial Study CEQA document to support the RCAAP.
With these important phases of the RCAAP development underway, it is time for the Climate Action Committee (CAC), executive management and staff of the member jurisdictions, the County CEO’s office, and project staff to begin solidifying a vision for a coordinated and collaborative path to accomplishing the strategies, measures and actions in the RCAAP. This vision can be achieved through the development of a coordinated implementation plan.
All 6 jurisdictions in Napa have declared a climate emergency and agreed on the need to move forward implementation of the RCAAP with a sense of urgency to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the region and meet the established reduction targets as quickly as possible. This requires a strategic and coordinated approach that aligns and leverages regional collaboration and localized action across the Napa County Jurisdictions.
In addition to a detailed prioritization strategy, implementation of the RCAAP will require continuous and clear communication between all participating jurisdictions at the staff level. The members of the All Jurisdiction Working Group have a direct understanding of their jurisdiction’s priorities and of their respective community’s needs. The CAC and supporting County staff can bolster jurisdictional resources for tasks, but it will be imperative to have jurisdictional agency staff coordinating and communicating directly with their elected officials, executive management, and departments.
A Regional Implementation Strategy
Appendix H of the RCAAP provides specific implementation details for all GHG reduction and climate adaptation measures and actions. While the implementation matrices in the RCAAP identify applicable jurisdictions, potential partners, implementing mechanisms, and estimated timeframes, a more detailed and tailored strategy framework plan for implementing the RCAAP will be necessary.
A regional implementation plan can clarify coordination needs, identify responsible jurisdictions and departments, define roles, estimate implementation costs and staffing needs, develop funding roadmaps, and create a detailed prioritization strategy.
A regional implementation plan can strengthen the commitment of CAC member jurisdictions to delivering on the goals, measures, and actions in the RCAAP.
Funding and Financing
Implementation of the RCAAP will require many actionable steps that will need substantial funding, and a coordinated regional investment strategy will be essential to fully define implementation priorities and phasing.
Napa County jurisdictions should consider how to best leverage and prioritize existing local funding sources, while developing a strategy for securing new funding, such as state or federal grants, loans, or other special financing mechanisms, to support the longer-term investments required for successful RCAAP implementation. Appendix I of the RCAAP provides an assessment of funding and financing options identified as potential funding sources and financing mechanisms that could support implementation of the 9 priority measures for GHG reductions and 10 priority measures for climate adaptation. The scope of the cost assessment does not include cost estimates for all measures in the RCAAP and therefore does not represent a complete cost assessment for the entirety of the plan.
The Napa County Jurisdictions collectively have a responsibility to successfully implement the RCAAP, and as such, the preliminary cost assessment includes total costs regionwide for implementation of the selected measures as presented in the RCAAP, and costs are not estimated individually for any one jurisdiction, unless specifically noted. No cost-sharing analysis was included in the scope of the preliminary cost assessment.
The funding and financing assessment identified the following specific steps that Napa County Jurisdictions can take in developing a long-term RCAAP investment strategy:
• Develop a phased funding roadmap that sequences implementation based on funding availability, project readiness, and potential for maximizing GHG reduction and community co-benefits
• Prioritize actions that can be implemented relatively easily by identifying projects that have the following characteristics:
o Lower cost-barriers,
o Existing staffing capacity to redirect toward implementation,
o Capital improvements that can be included in respective jurisdictional CIPs.
• Determine if any General Fund revenues can be made available to fund any short- or long-term actions.
• Evaluate the feasibility of establishing new or dedicated local funding sources, including new taxes, assessments, fees, or utility surcharges earmarked for GHG reduction or climate adaptation efforts.
• Pursue state and federal grants by actively monitoring funding opportunities from existing or new programs. This will require jurisdictions to build internal capacity or hire grant specialists and collaborate across public agencies to increase competitiveness.
• Utilize public financing tools, such as climate resilience districts or other mechanisms.
• Attract private investment by pursuing public-private partnerships for targeted actions.
• Coordinate via the Climate Action Committee and corresponding joint powers agreement to align local funding priorities, pool match funding, and develop joint applications for regional-scale investments.
Community Engagement and Equitable Outcomes
Continued engagement with and active participation by the community is critical for the successful implementation of the RCAAP. Many of the measures and implementing actions in the RCAAP focus on increasing community awareness and participation in existing programs, as well as connecting the community with new information, tools, funding, and resources. Effective and long-term climate action and resilience building in the community depend on ongoing efforts that change the way individuals and businesses interact with the environment. Numerous measures require participation from residents, businesses, and visitors to be fully implemented, and the Napa County jurisdictions are committed to continuing outreach and engagement efforts through implementation, monitoring, and future plan updates, as outlined above.
This RCAAP was developed with equitable outcomes in mind, and as such, plan implementation will prioritize and be rooted in the principles of environmental justice and climate equity. Advancing equity in climate action and adaptation is an ongoing process that requires intentionality, collaboration, and accountability. By using tools like MTC’s Equity Priority Communities Map, NVTA’s Community-Based Transportation Plans, California Healthy Places Index, California Climate Investments Priority Population Map, and California Communities Environmental Screening Tool during plan implementation, where appropriate, and through targeted interventions, Napa County jurisdictions can: (1) ensure that climate investments across the county provide meaningful benefits for those who need it most; and (2) build a future where all residents are better protected from climate change and have opportunities to thrive.
Monitoring and Updates
Implementation of the RCAAP will require regular monitoring and updates to ensure the plan is on target to achieve its near-term and long-term targets, while also remaining adaptable to new challenges and opportunities.
Monitoring efforts for the RCAAP will include tracking the status of implementation of each measure and associated actions, the effectiveness of the quantifiable GHG measures, and the progress in achieving GHG reductions.
Napa County Jurisdictions will update the RCAAP every five years. Minor updates or adjustments to implementing actions associated with individual measures may occur without updating the full RCAAP document, in response to annual monitoring and reporting activities.
CEQA GHG Analysis Tiering and Streamlining
Napa County Jurisdictions may use the RCAAP to streamline GHG analysis and mitigation for future discretionary projects undergoing environmental review. This streamlining benefit is enabled because the RCAAP meets the criteria for a qualified “plan for the reduction of greenhouse gases” under the CEQA Guidelines (i.e., Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3 of the California Code of Regulations).
Next Steps
The RCAAP public draft is available on the project website - www.climateactionnapa.konveio.com <http://www.climateactionnapa.konveio.com> The public review and comment period is open from August 1 to September 30, 2025.
Review RCAAP and Appendices. Appendices are found in the Document Library on the project website.
Staff requests the CAC direct staff to proceed with solicitation of scope of work for a regional implementation plan and prioritization strategy.