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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/7/2026 Item 8a, Hermann and Read - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: April 7, 2026 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager Prepared By: Chris Read, Sustainability Manager VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM #8a - COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN PROGRESS REPORT AND 2027 PLAN UPDATE STUDY SESSION Staff received the following questions, shown in bold. Staff’s responses are shown in italics. 1) Is there any data on the number, rate of growth, utilization, or demand for EV charging at apartment complexes, businesses, and “destinations” (such as grocery stores)? In general, is there more to be done here and what is the role for the City? The number and rate of growth for EV charging at “destinations” is answered on Page 43 of Attachment A, which notes: “Using the best available public data, the number of publicly accessible EV charging ports within San Luis Obispo city limits has increased steadily over the same period. Estimates indicate roughly 109 public ports in 2020, rising to about 130 in 2021, 154 in 2022, 183 in 2023, and 217 in 2024. By 2025, the total is estimated at approximately 258 public ports, more than doubling local public charging capacity since 2020.” The estimated 258 public ports are entirely at publicly accessible commercial or public locations. Less is known about the privately available ports at apartment complexes or businesses, but those ports would be in addition to the publicly available chargers listed above. As noted in the same section of the report: “This growth is in addition to privately accessible chargers on private property. City permitting records show roughly 400 private charging heads in use, a conservative estimate that excludes charging equipment installed as part of larger development projects, unpermitted chargers, or lower-level chargers that do not require permits.” Demand and utilization is harder to measure directly, however, the same section in the report goes on to note: Item 8a. COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN PROGRESS REPORT & 2027 PLAN UPDATE Page 2 "This rapid expansion in charging infrastructure aligns with continued growth in EV ownership. According to California Energy Commission and DMV data, residents purchased more than 11,000 electric vehicles in San Luis Obispo County through 2025. EVs accounted for 24%, 22%, and 22% of all light-duty vehicle sales in the County in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively. With the elimination of federal tax credits, continued growth in local adoption of EVs and EV chargers will face new headwinds. However, durable local and regional rebates exist, including 3CE’s Electrify Your Ride, which since 2020, has issued over $2.2 million in rebates for electric vehicles and home charging projects in the city.” The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions forecasts presented in the Council Agenda Report depend-on high rates of electric vehicle adoption through 2035 and beyond. The City’s current approach is to include EV chargers in new City facilities, connect community members and businesses with rebates and incentives provided by regional agencies, and remain open to grant-funded initiatives or other innovative opportunities as they arise. Given the rapid build out of infrastructure seen to date, staff recommend continuing this approach. 2) What assumptions are in the sequestration forecast? Is it just accounting for our tree planting program or does it include other forms of sequestration? The Natural Solutions’ sector sequestration snapshots for 2035 and 2045 include projected carbon sequestration from tree planting, regenerative grazing and grassland restoration, and compost application. Other land stewardship practices are being monitored for future inclusion, such as creek restoration projects and cultural burns, however there is not yet a widely accepted quantification method for all the City’s land management practices. 3) What is the jobs-housing balance number for the City, the other cities in the county, and the county as a whole? The most recent data available for jobs-housing balance comes from the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) effort conducted in advance of the current Housing Element cycle in 2019. Since then, there have been substantial changes to the community including the construction of large residential and commercial development projects, growth in jobs and housing adjacent to the City (e.g., Cal Poly, the SLO County Airport, etc.), and the changing nature of work to include a larger share of telework. To be responsive to this question, staff pulled jobs and housing data for 2024 (the most current year with complete available data) from the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) (Table 1). Due to margins-of-error associated with ACS data, and the changes in work and regional development as described above, staff cautions against using this data as anything other than a snapshot in time. Given the importance and complicated nature of this question, staff recommends that it be included as one of the research questions to be addressed during development of the Housing Element update in 2027. Item 8a. COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN PROGRESS REPORT & 2027 PLAN UPDATE Page 3 Table 1. 2024 Jobs-Housing Estimates for San Luis Obispo County Jurisdictions Jurisdiction Jobs Housing Units Jobs/Housing Ratio Arroyo Grande 8,700 8,138 1.07 Atascadero 15,000 12,180 1.23 Grover Beach 6,600 5,872 1.12 Morro Bay 5,100 6,531 0.78 Paso Robles 14,300 12,910 1.11 Pismo Beach 3,800 6,147 0.62 San Luis Obispo 26,400 23,984 1.10 SLO County 132,300 127,243 1.04 Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 4) How are transportation emissions calculated and could the City consider a per capita metric? As described in the Council Agenda Report, the City follows state recommended protocol for its greenhouse gas emissions inventories and forecasts. The best practice for transportation related emissions is to account for: • 100% of the vehicle trips that begin and end in the City, • 50% of the trips that begin in the City and end elsewhere, and • 50% of the trips that begin elsewhere and end in the City. Regarding communitywide metrics, the City has historically reported absolute (also referred to as “mas”) GHG emissions. Staff could easily also include per-capita emissions in the 2027 CAP and subsequent progress reports should Council so direct.