TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Napa County Planning, Building & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jesse Gutiérrez, Principal Planner, Sustainability
SUBJECT: 2026 Climate Action Committee’s (CAC) and Supporting Staff Workplan
RECOMMENDATION
title
Receive a presentation on the CAC’s 2026 Workplan and related roles and responsibilities of CAC members and staff. Staff will describe the budget process for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 and requests the CAC’s direction on priorities for FY 26/27.body
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 CAC has historically served as a forum for sharing information and coordinating region-wide efforts to address climate change and adapt to its effects. For example, the CAC has discussed the need for increasing the amount of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and has hosted presenters from outside agencies including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), and others. These presentations have helped inform CAC members and the public about regional, state, and federal efforts, programs, and grants for climate action, transportation, building electrification, solid waste management, and other climate action, community resilience, and sustainability topic areas.
The CAC historically discussed short-term immediate discrete actions that could be taken by each jurisdiction to mitigate the root causes of climate change. The development of the Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP) will offer an official mechanism for coordinated efforts related to the CAC’s purpose of reducing GHG emissions and adapting communities to climate change. The development and completion of the RCAAP was the CAC’s primary goal for FY 25/26 and a final plan is expected in the current fiscal year.
Based on the Napa region-specific 2019 Regional Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the RCAAP framework is designed for countywide application, and many measures will be applied and implemented consistently across all Napa County jurisdictions, addressing broad issues and emissions sources that are shared across multiple jurisdictions. However, some GHG reduction measures do not apply uniformly across all jurisdictions and only apply to specific local contexts and needs. By recognizing these distinctions, the RCAAP ensures that each jurisdiction can effectively contribute to the overall GHG reduction goals while addressing their unique challenges and opportunities.
ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES and EXPECTATIONS OF COUNTY STAFF AND CAC APPOINTEES
Roles and Responsibilities of County staff:
As the lead agency staffing the CAC and overseeing the development of the RCAAP, Napa County Planning, Building and Environmental Services (PBES) staff will provide administrative and staffing support to the CAC, including the following:
• Develop and present a draft budget for FY 26/27 to CAC members in February.
• Revise the budget based on CAC feedback and present a final budget in March.
• Invoice CAC members quarterly and report all receipts and disbursements upon request.
• Develop scopes of work for CAC activities performed on a countywide level.
• Develop and manage contracts for activities performed at the countywide level by outside contractors and consultants.
• Oversee contractors; facilitate review of deliverables by consultants; approve final deliverables; and review and approve invoices.
• Facilitate CAC meetings (work groups, sub-committees), work with the Chair and Co-Chair to develop agendas, prepare agendas and minutes, and broadcast meetings.
• Disseminate information (e.g., training and/or workshop announcements), schedule presenters, and develop materials (e.g., brochures and/or electronic media) countywide to the CAC members and public.
• Coordinate with city, county, regional, and state agencies to stay informed of changes in climate action policies and regulations, and recent court decisions, and provide regular updates to the CAC.
• Facilitate RCAAP completion and adoption by the County Board of Supervisors.
• Coordinate continued development of RCAAP implementation strategy.
• Continue to organize and facilitate the All-Jurisdiction Staff-Level Working Group, including development of agendas and materials.
Roles and Responsibilities of Appointees to the Climate Action Committee:
• Provide feedback to staff on draft budget presented in February
• Vote to adopt a Final Budget at the March CAC meeting
• Facilitate municipal approval of the adopted budget by their respective city/town manager and/or governing body and any potential budget amendments.
• Facilitate the timely adoption of the final RCAAP by their respective governing body
• Assist in guiding jurisdictional staff in implementation of the RCAAP strategies, measures, and actions at the local level.
• Provide and facilitate timely review and approval of County invoices relating to CAC activities.
• Share information received at the CAC with their respective jurisdictions including other elected officials, city/town managers, department heads, and department staff.
• Share information received at the CAC when appropriate with residents of their respective municipalities via city newsletters, council meetings, and events (e.g. Earth Day, Harvest Festival, Yountville Days, etc.).
CAC PRIORITIES FOR FY 2026/2027
Staff recommends the following priorities for the CAC for FY26/27:
• Adoption of the RCAAP by each municipality
• Continue developing an RCAAP implementation strategy
• Begin RCAAP implementation
• Discuss potential Joint Powers Agreement amendments to organizational approach regarding how CAC will function in RCAAP implementation phase
Implementation of the RCAAP will require close coordination between all jurisdictions. The local priorities set by each jurisdiction will dictate how staff and financial resources are leveraged during implementation.