Santa Clara Drafts Climate Plan Targeting 80% Emissions Cut by 2035

Santa Clara is updating its Climate Action Plan with a package of policies meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. The draft sets a goal of cutting emissions 80% by 2035 and making the city carbon neutral by 2045.

Among the proposals are carbon-neutral data centers, programs to help hotels, campuses and corporate cafeterias cut food waste, expanded electric vehicle infrastructure and support for teleworking to reduce commute trips. Cascadia Consulting Group is leading the update. Meeting the targets would require the city to reach no net new carbon levels or stop carbon emissions altogether.

Vice Mayor Suds Jain, who represents District 5, said he first became involved in city politics while Santa Clara was developing its original Climate Action Plan in 2013. Since then he has advocated for hiring a sustainability manager, banning plastic bags and, most recently, adopting "reach" building codes that require all-electric power in new buildings. He told San José Spotlight that Santa Clara has trailed other cities on sustainability, noting that neighboring San Jose is working toward carbon neutrality by 2030. "The council historically in Santa Clara has not been nearly as green as other cities," he said.

Jain's main priority for the new plan is to require employers and developers to follow "transportation demand management" practices that limit the number of solo car trips a new development or business generates. His list of suggestions also includes public transit subsidies for city employees, rebates through Silicon Valley Power to help low-income households buy used electric vehicles, and the introduction of paid parking in the city.

Betsy Megas, a member of the city's Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, commented on the draft's transportation measures. She said transportation accounts for about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in California. Electric cars cut emissions, she said, but they still add to traffic and road safety problems. "Electric cars are still cars," she said, adding that the city is missing big opportunities if it does not work harder on land use decisions that make so much driving necessary.

Santa Clara has made progress since 2013, installing 450 electric vehicle chargers in public spaces and eliminating coal from the energy supply of its utility, Silicon Valley Power. The city also faces a challenge particular to Silicon Valley: Jain said it hosts 54 data centers. "A new data center goes up every six months," he said, adding that such facilities have not historically been required to be environmentally friendly. His goal is to require data centers to buy 100% carbon-free electricity.

Kristel Wickham and Gladwyn d'Souza of the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter also submitted recommendations. They urged the city to reach the 80% reduction by 2030 rather than 2035, pointing to Palo Alto and Menlo Park, which have set that target along with zero-carbon goals for 2030.

D'Souza said the group wants data centers to "maximize their use of energy efficient technology in the design and operation" and to seek "the cleanest possible power from Silicon Valley Power." The Sierra Club representatives also called for an all-electric reach code for new construction with no gas-power options, and for Silicon Valley Power to move all customers to 100% renewable energy by 2030, rather than the current goal of 60% in that period.

The Santa Clara Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Climate Action Plan on April 13.