San Jose City Council
December 2, 2025

COUNCIL AGENDA : 12/2/2025
FILE : 25-1262
ITEM : 6.1
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND FROM: Toni J. Taber, MMC
CITY COUNCIL City Clerk
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: November 19, 2025
SUBJECT: Climate Smart San José Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan Recommendation
As recommended by the Transportation and Environment Committee on October 6, 2025:
(a) Accept the Climate Smart San José semi-annual update covering March to August 2025. (b) Approve the updated Climate Smart San José plan.
(c) Approve the change from semi-annual to annual Climate Smart updates to the Transportation and Environment Committee and to the City Council.

CEQA: Not a Project, File No. PP17-009, Staff Reports, Assessments, Annual Reports, and Informational Memos that involve no approvals of any City action. (Energy) [Transportation and Environment Committee referral 10/6/2025 - Item (d)3] TO: HONORABLE MAYOR

AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Lori Mitchell
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: September 15, 2025
Approved Date:
9/22/2025
COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
SUBJECT: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

RECOMMENDATION
(a) Accept the Climate Smart San José semi-annual update covering March to August 2025.
(b) Approve the updated Climate Smart San José plan.
(c) Approve the change from semi-annual to annual Climate Smart updates. (d) Cross-reference this report to the November 18, 2025, City Council meeting for consideration and approval.

SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
This memorandum presents the semi-annual update on Climate Smart San José (“Climate Smart”) initiatives from March to August 2025 and the administrative update to the Climate Smart plan. The administrative update to the Climate Smart plan incorporates the City’s carbon neutrality by 2030 goal and the previously approved Natural and Working Lands element. The update also streamlines and updates metrics to focus on core greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies and align with current data, aligns with state and regional climate policies, and replaces the City Action Plans with annual departmental workplans to allow to staff to use the most up-to-date data and to align with City priorities.

The semi-annual Climate Smart update highlights over 40 significant initiatives supporting Climate Smart goals that are being implemented by a variety of City Departments - Airport, Energy, Environmental Services, Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, Public Works, and Transportation. In Fiscal Year (FY) T&E COMMITTEE: 10/06/25
ITEM: (d)3.

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

2024-2025, City staff executed over $3.9 million in external funding agreements and resources. City staff applied for over $3.6 million and was awarded over $4.6 million in external grant funding or resources during the March through August 2025 reporting period. The 2023 Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Inventory show that GHG emissions increased by 0.2 percent from 2021 to 2023. While the City is generally making progress towards its City Council-approved climate goals, we are currently not on track to meet the 2030 goals. Continued City investment and focus is necessary to accelerate its efforts towards its climate goals. This Fall, staff will convene a strategy session to take a closer look at the Climate Smart plan 2030 goals.

Staff recommends accepting the semi-annual update and the updated Climate Smart plan. With the approval of this memorandum, the June 2025 update of the Climate Smart plan will serve as the City’s strategic guide for climate action and provide direction for City staff to move from semi-annual to annual Climate Smart updates going forward.

BACKGROUND
In 2018, the City Council approved the original Climate Smart San José (“Climate Smart”) plan to align San José’s GHG reduction efforts with the international Paris Climate Agreement. At the time of Council approval, City Council directed staff to return to Council with updates on a semi-annual basis.

In September 2019, San José City Council adopted a resolution declaring a climate emergency. In November 2021, the Council set a target for communitywide carbon neutrality by 2030, and in June 2022 approved the Pathway to Carbon Neutrality to accelerate implementation across four major areas: increased zero emission vehicle uptake, reduced vehicle miles traveled, increased building electrification, and carbonneutral electricity.

The Climate Smart plan is planned for updates following the Envision San José 2040 General Plan major review cycle. The administrative update presented in this memo integrates new strategies, policy alignment, and refined metrics.

Since the approval of the Climate Smart plan, staff have prepared communitywide GHG inventories on a biannual basis to track progress towards Climate Smart goals.

Beginning in FY 2024-2025 (when the GHG inventory for calendar year 2023 was developed), City staff now provide annual communitywide inventories to allow for more timely tracking of progress and more information for targeted GHG reduction efforts.

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

ANALYSIS
This memorandum provides an overview of the first update to the Climate Smart plan and a status report on the City’s current Climate Smart initiatives, including external funding and resources acquisition and a look-ahead at planned Climate Smart activities.

Climate Smart Plan Update
The update to the Climate Smart San José plan (see Attachment A) includes the following key updates:
• Incorporation of the City’s adopted carbon neutrality by 2030 goal and a strategic refocusing of City efforts on the most impactful actions for achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, in alignment with the City’s approved Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030;
• Strategies from the City’s approved Natural and Working Lands Element; • Updated metrics to better reflect core decarbonization efforts and align with data availability;
• Replacement of the previous City Action Plan with annual, up-to-date and priority-aligned departmental work plans;
• Alignment with state and regional policy, including Senate Bill 100 (100% clean electricity), California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, and Plan Bay Area 2050 regional mobility strategies;
• Adjusted and added Progress Milestones by interpolating interim 2027 and 2030 targets where the City has already surpassed 2030 goals to maintain a trajectory towards the original Climate Smart 2040 and 2050 goals; and • Acknowledgement that San José is not currently on track to meet its 2030 carbon neutrality goal, underscoring the need for accelerated action.

These updates were informed by community engagement (detailed in the Public Outreach section of the memorandum) and the City’s most recent communitywide GHG inventory (see Attachment B), which finds that transportation (51 percent) and buildings (29 percent) contribute the largest share of San José’s GHG emissions. Although communitywide GHG emissions have declined by 16 percent since 2018 (see Figure 1), the slight increase (0.2 percent) in GHG emissions from 2021 to 2023 indicates that San José is currently not on track to meet its 2030 carbon neutrality goal. As an example, per the City’s approved Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030, to reach the goals San José would need to get between 79% and 88% EV adoption rate (depending on level of vehicle miles traveled reduction). As of the 2024 data, San Jose has an approximately 8% EV adoption rate.

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

Figure 1. San José’s Progress Towards Carbon Neutrality Goals Sustained focus and funding, and accelerated policy and/or program execution will be critical to reverse the current trajectory and try to align with the City’s adopted climate targets.

Climate Smart Initiatives Update
The City has over 40 significant initiatives across multiple City departments – Airport, Energy, Environmental Services, Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, Public Works, and Transportation – that support the City’s climate goals. A summary of Climate Smart initiatives, lead department, and work completed during the reporting period is included in Attachment C.

Funding and Resources for Climate Smart Initiatives
In addition to these cross-departmental initiatives, Climate Smart Division staff collaborate across City divisions and departments to track and pursue private, state, and federal funding opportunities to support Climate Smart initiatives. Table 1 provides a summary of Climate Smart external resources submitted, awarded, and executed for the reporting period and through FY 2024-2025.

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

Table 1. Value of External Resources Requested and Awarded to Support Climate Smart Goals
Total Amount of
Grants Submitted in
Reporting Period
(Mar. – Aug. 2025)
Total Amount of
Grants Awarded in
Reporting Period
(Mar. – Aug. 2025)
Total Amount of
Awards Executed in
FY 2024-2025
Direct
Funding
$687,755 $4,595,000 $3,995,0001
In-Kind
Resources
$2,963,383 $35,000 $0
Total $3,651,138 $4,630,000 $3,995,0001
1 The City was originally awarded a $1,000,000 grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program, which was executed on 1/1/25 and subsequently rescinded on 1/28/25. This amount was reported in the previous update to City Council but has been removed in this update.

Total funding awarded from granting agencies in FY 2024-2025 includes support for initiatives to further transit station access and circulation planning, the adoption and implementation of the City’s Transit Oriented Communities policy, East San José public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, EV charging ports design and construction, and extreme heat resiliency in the community. The Departments of Energy, Environmental Services, Public Works, Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement, and Transportation are recognizing and implementing these grants.

City staff directly applied for over $3.6 million in external funding and received notification of grant awards worth over $4.6 million in the March through August 2025 reporting period, with some award negotiations or notices pending. City staff are closely monitoring and preparing for external funding opportunities to support Climate Smart goals such as building electrification, EV charging infrastructure, transportation mode shifting, and climate resiliency. City staff also continue to leverage and promote available external resources, incentives, and programs that align with Climate Smart goals. The hold and reduction of some federal funding continues to have a significant impact on the ability of the City to progress on major climate initiatives supporting EV charging infrastructure and building energy policy development.

Looking Ahead
Highlighted items that City staff expects to complete in the next six-month period (September 2025 - February 2026) are below:
 Launch EV Instant Rebates which will provide income-qualified San José Clean Energy (SJCE) customers up to $4,000 to purchase or lease a new or used EV, applied at point-of-sale;
 Launch SJCE’s Go Electric Advisor to answer residential customer questions about EVs, home electrification, solar and batteries, and related clean energy

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

upgrades via phone or email, as well as provide free whole home electrification plans;
 Expand Peak Rewards for Smart Homes to manage home charging and battery usage in the most cost-efficient way for SJCE residential customers with EVs and batteries;
 Release of the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan Public Review Draft;  Installation of new bikeways through the pavement program and Downtown Better Bikeways project;
 Launch of community engagement for the San José Mobility Hubs project;  Rollout of Bike Escuela training, installation of new bikeshare stations, launch of Mobility Wallet recruitment, and start of Promotoras Academy — all as part of the East San José Mobility Project; and
 Complete and adopt the Connect North San Jose Multimodal Plan.

Staff also expects to bring the following Climate Smart items to City Council in the next six months (starting September 2025):
 SJCE Workforce Development Programs (September 9, 2025, complete)  Single-family Existing Building Reach Code (September 9, 2025, complete)  Climate Smart Zero Waste Element (November 2025, tentative)  Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (February 24, 2026)  Energy and Water Building Performance Ordinance Evaluation (Spring 2026, Transportation and Environment Committee)"
In FY 2025-2026, City staff are scheduled to provide an annual update to the Transportation and Environment Committee. Staff recommend an annual report to better align with recent changes to council committee meetings which limited the number of meetings. City staff will provide annual Climate Smart updates to City Council going forward.

Despite the challenge of meeting its aggressive climate goals, the City continues to make measurable progress through initiatives like San José Clean Energy’s clean power offerings, building electrification incentives, and expanded EV infrastructure.

Continued City investment and focus will be necessary to reach those goals.

This Fall, staff will convene a strategy session to take a closer look at the Climate Smart Plan 2030 goals. While the goals remain an important guidepost, we recognize the need to refine our strategies to ensure stronger, more achievable outcomes. The session will focus on identifying where adjustments are needed and exploring new approaches that can help us deliver meaningful progress while staying aligned with the plan’s overall vision

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

Racial Equity Impact Analysis
Historically marginalized communities of San José are already experiencing and are more likely to be burdened by the impacts of climate change while also being the least able to, due to financial and other constraints, take advantage of climate initiatives which can bring significant health and financial benefits with them.

Many Climate Smart initiatives are leading in the effort to develop City policies and programs more equitably by using a community co-creation approach. Some of these approaches include employing outreach tactics to better reach historically marginalized communities, and ensuring a portion of program benefits will go to these communities.

Climate Smart San José Analysis
Climate Smart initiatives detailed in this memorandum are helping to advance several City climate goals by facilitating:
 the reduction of energy or water use consumption, or increases in demand for renewable energy,
 the energy and water efficiency of homes and commercial buildings, and  mobility choices other than single-occupancy, gas-powered vehicles.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Staff will provide progress updates to the Transportation and Environment Committee and City Council on Climate Smart activities on an annual basis.

COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the Departments of Airport, Environmental Services, Public Works, and Transportation, Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, and the City Manager’s Office.

PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City’s website for the October 6, 2025, Transportation and Environment Committee meeting and November 18, 2025, City Council meeting.

For the administrative update to the Climate Smart plan, City staff conducted outreach via flyers distributed and promoted at community events, San José libraries, and community centers. Staff provided multilingual materials to ensure accessibility for diverse audiences. In addition, advertising campaigns ran on Google and Nextdoor, while promotions were made through Meta, Instagram, and X social media platforms.

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

City staff sent out email blasts and the San José Climate Chronicles e-newsletter to further promote the public comment period for the draft plan update. During public comment, staff held two informational webinars that provided an overview of the draft plan update and the public comment platform, Konveio. The webinars had a total of 46 attendees. By the end of the public comment period, City staff received nearly 200 comments on the draft plan from 20 unique commenters.

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION AND INPUT
At its meeting on September 18, 2025, the Climate Advisory Commission approved the following recommendation:
"The Climate Advisory Commission accepts staff’s presentation on the Climate Smart San Jose semi-annual status report and updated plan and recommends adoption of the Climate Smart San José 2025 Update by City Council.

However, we are alarmed at the slow progress against the 2030 goals and urge the council to invest in more urgent actions.

We specifically recommend the inclusion, early in the report update document on pages 13 or 14, a section of at least one paragraph with the high-level heading and a graphic or bolding that reads “URGENCY REQUIRED TO MARKEDLY ACCELERATE HIGH IMPACT ACTIONS TO MEET CLIMATE GOALS” to highlight attention with clear language on how much we are off track from our climate goals and an acknowledgement that current efforts need to be scaled dramatically to meet these goals."
At its meeting on September 22, 2025, the Youth Commission approved the following recommendation:
"The San Jose Youth Commission accepts staff’s presentation on the Climate Smart San Jose semi-annual status report and updated plan and recommends adoption of the Climate Smart San José 2025 Update by City Council.

However, we are alarmed at the slow progress against the 2030 goals and urge the council to invest in more urgent actions.

We specifically recommend the inclusion, early in the update document on pages 13 or 14, a section of at least one paragraph with the high-level heading and a graphic or bolding to highlight attention with clear language on how much we are off track from our climate goals and an acknowledgement that current efforts need to be scaled dramatically to meet these goals."

TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
September 15, 2025
Subject: Climate Smart San Jose Semi-Annual Status Report and Updated Plan

CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-009, Staff Reports, Assessments, Annual Reports, and Informational Memos that involve no approvals of any City action.

PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
This item does not include a public subsidy as defined in section 53083 or 53083.1 of the California Government Code or the City’s Open Government Resolution. /s/
Lori Mitchell
Director
Energy Department
For questions, please contact Julie Benabente, Deputy Director, Energy Department, at [email protected].

ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A – Climate Smart San José: A People-Centered Plan for a Low-Carbon City (June 2025 Update)
Attachment B – 2023 Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Inventory Attachment C – Climate Smart Initiatives
Climate
Smart
San José

A PEOPLE-CENTERED PLAN FOR

A LOW-CARBON CITY
2025 UPDATE
Attachment A – Climate Smart San José A People-Centered Plan for a Low-Carbon City (June 2025 Update)
1 Attachment A
As the Capital of Silicon Valley, San José is
leading the nation’s clean energy transition
with practical, results-driven solutions that
improve the quality of life for all our residents.

Our Climate Smart update is another step
in creating a cleaner, greener, and more
sustainable city.

Over five years ago, we became the first major
city to pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030
by launching the Climate Smart San José
plan — an innovative effort to demonstrate
how it is possible to live both comfortably
and sustainably — while also fighting climate
change. We called this concept ‘The Good
Life 2.0’. By living in compact, walkable, and
transit-served neighborhoods, we could reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, enhance livability,
increase safety, and create more community
cohesion while addressing inequities. Installing
rooftop solar and creating San José Clean
Energy allows us to shift quickly and justly to a
renewable energy future while also improving
public health.

Since 2018, we’ve been working hard toward
a sustainable future. San José Clean Energy
is supplying energy citywide. The Building
Performance Ordinance is helping property
owners understand the value of energy and
water efficiency upgrades. We have charted
a Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030 and
created the first-ever plan to protect and
enhance our Natural and Working Lands to
further our climate mitigation and resiliency
efforts. Since the adoption of Climate Smart
San José, our greenhouse gas emissions have
decreased 16%, exceeding our reduction goals.

Dear Neighbors,
Matt Mahan
Mayor, City of San José

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

MATT MAHAN
LIVING
BETTER

TODAY FOR

TOMORROW
Since the adoption of Climate
Smart San José our greenhouse gas
emissions have decreased 16%,
exceeding our reduction goals.
3 This update to Climate Smart sharpens our focus
on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through
the measures that have the largest effect
between now and 2030. These strategies include
energy efficiency and electrification retrofits to
existing buildings, accelerating the adoption
of zero-emission cars and alternative ways to
get around, and powering our buildings and
transportation with 100% carbon-neutral power.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, “Human-induced climate
change is already affecting many weather and
climate extremes in every region across the
globe.” Being climate smart means preparing for
a changing climate, building both sustainability
and resilience, and ensuring clean, reliable power
alongside continued economic growth.

Thank you for your continued support of Climate
Smart San José and the ‘Good Life 2.0’. Together,
we’re creating a sustainable, resilient future
that benefits all San José residents and builds a
stronger community that can better adapt to the
impacts of climate change.
2 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 3 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 2 San José is a city of opportunity, innovation, and
resilience. From our history as the “Valley of Heart’s
Delight” to our position today as the fifth greenest city in the United States, as recognized by WalletHub in 2024,
we remain committed to delivering high-quality services that create a safe, livable, and vibrant community for our diverse residents, businesses, and visitors.

Since its inception in 2018, the Climate Smart San José plan has guided our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and build a more sustainable and resilient
City. Over the past several years, we have operationalized Climate Smart goals with meaningful achievements,
including expanding the electrification of our municipal fleet, enhancing energy efficiency in public facilities, constructing all-electric City buildings, adding 150
new charging stations, and reducing communitywide
greenhouse gas emissions by 16% since the launch
of Climate Smart. These efforts not only reflect our
environmental values but also advance our equity
commitments by increasing access to cleaner air, safer
infrastructure, and more sustainable services for all
communities.

As we move forward, we are sharpening our focus on
actionable strategies to meet the City’s ambitious carbon neutrality goals. Our work supports San José’s broader
infrastructure strategy — ensuring disaster readiness,
clean and sustainable energy, and a thriving natural
environment — while also enhancing the livability of
our neighborhoods and expanding access to climate
solutions, mobility options, and economic opportunities for all residents.

San José’s approach combines bold policy leadership
with effective operational execution. Guided by a
commitment to equity, sound fiscal management, and
excellent customer service, the City is dedicated to
delivering impactful outcomes through partnerships,
innovation, and accountability.

I look forward to our continued collaboration with our
community to address climate change and building a
cleaner, safer, and more resilient City for all.

Members of the San José Community,
Jennifer A. Maguire
City Manager, City of San José

MESSAGE FROM THE CITY MANAGER

JENNIFER MAGUIRE
Guided by a
commitment to
equity, sound fiscal
management, and
excellent customer
service, the City is
dedicated to delivering
impactful outcomes
through partnerships,
innovation, and
accountability.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Project Leads
Anne Balis, Supervising Environmental Services Specialist, ED Hannah Greenberg, Analyst II, ED
Julie Benabente, Deputy Director, ED
City Staff Contributors
Lori Mitchell, Director, ED
Jeff Provenzano, Director, ESD
Zach Struyk, Assistant Director, ED
Kerrie Romanow, Director (retired), ESD
Consultant Team
Walker Wells, Raimi & Associates
Sami Taylor, Raimi & Associates
Jeff Caton, Environmental Science Associates
Brian Schuster, Environmental Science Associates
Breanna Sewell, Environmental Science Associates
Ngan Doan, ED
Seena Eghtedar-Shenas, ED
Sarah Emerson, ED
Jasmine Jain, ED
Jenna Neustaetter, ED
Leslie Park, ED
Alex Patchett, ED
Mitchell Riggs, ED
Marcos Santiago, ED
Ed Schreiner, ED
Sara Sprague, ED
Kate Ziemba, ED
4 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 5 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update KEY
DOT: Department of Transportation
ED: Energy Department
ESD: Environmental Services Department
PW: Public Works Department
OEDCA: Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs PBCE: Planning, Building and Code Enforcement
PRNS: Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services
Michael Gonzales, ESD
Nicole Harvie, ESD
Jorge Luna, ESD
Rajani Nair, ESD
Benjamin Pink, ESD
Megha Prakash, ESD
Ria Varghese, ESD
Kathryn Walsh, ESD
Christina Warren, ESD
Jarred Klosinski, PW
Carol Boland Whattam, PW
Kristen Clements, Housing
Mindy Nguyen, Housing
Sarah Abroff, DOT
Andrea Arjona Amador, DOT
Jessica Zenk, DOT
Joe Hedges, OEDCA
Doug Moody, OEDCA
Blage Zelaich, OEDCA
Chu Chang, PBCE
Ruth Cueto, PBCE
Sanhita Ghosal, PBCE
Lisa Joiner, PBCE
Raymond Costantino, PRNS
Avi Yotam, PRNS
Rebekah Ross, PRNS
3 7 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 7

CONTENTS
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction
Climate Smart San José Update
Our Progress
Understanding Our Challenge
Pillars and Strategies
Pillar 1: A Sustainable + Smart City
Pillar 2: A Connected City of Vibrant + Focused Growth
Pillar 3: An Economically Inclusive City of Opportunity Getting it Done
Implementation of the Plan
Funding the Plan
City Action Plan
Topics for Future Consideration
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
End Notes
Figure 1: San José's Milestone Climate Achievements
Figure 2: Communitywide Emissions Reductions Needed
to Meet San José's Climate Goals
Figure 3: Climate Smart Pillars and Strategies
Table 1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics
9 10
11 13
16 17
20 24
27 27
27 28
32 34
35 42
47 53
11 13
16 29
6 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 7 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 4 INTRODUCTION
In 2018, the City of San José (City) approved
Climate Smart San José (Climate Smart), a
bold plan to address climate change while
enhancing quality of life. Since then, the City has
made significant progress – launching San José
Clean Energy (SJCE), advancing zero-emission
transportation infrastructure, and reducing
communitywide greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions1
by 16%.

At the same time, the latest full climate
assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change warns that without
immediate and significant reductions in
GHG emissions, global warming is likely to
exceed 1.5°C, leading to irreversible impacts on
ecosystems and communities2. As we approach
Commitment to
reducing GHG
emissions in
alignment with the
Paris Agreement4
Data-informed
strategies and
network activation
to unlock the power
of our people
A people-centered
approach, the “Good
Life 2.0,” which links
climate action with
quality of life
2030, reaching carbon neutrality will require
an even sharper focus on the most impactful
strategies. In addition, data from our most recent
communitywide GHG emissions inventory shows
that San Jose is not currently on track to reach
the carbon neutrality by 2030 goal.

As outlined in the original Climate Smart plan,
this administrative update was intended to align
with the Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan’s3
four-year review cycle, but the current General
Plan update is on a later timeline (the last review
was completed in 2020/21, and the current review
is underway through 2026). In the meantime,
this update reflects the progress made, lessons
learned, and evolving priorities since the
adoption of Climate Smart.

This 2025 update tracks progress and incorporates key
changes, including:
• Major milestones and progress since 2018
• Alignment with the Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 20305 (Pathway)
• Integration of the Natural and Working Lands (NWL) element • Updates to metrics to focus on core GHG reduction strategies • Identification of topics for future consideration, including replacing the City Action Plan with annual department work plans By retaining its core principles
while incorporating new
insights and priorities, Climate
Smart continues to serve
as the City’s roadmap for
reducing communitywide
GHG emissions while
providing continued flexibility
in annual planning and
operations to respond to our
ever-changing context.

Core aspects of the original plan remain unchanged:
8 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 9 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 5 Climate
Smart
San José
Update
This Climate Smart update reflects changes in
state and regional climate policy, City priorities,
and implementation progress on Climate Smart,
as detailed in the sections that follow.

Our Progress
Since the City’s approval of Climate Smart in 2018, City staff have completed biennial communitywide GHG inventories and tracked progress on Climate Smart metrics annually via the online data dashboard at SJEnvironment.org/CSDashboard. San José City Council has also taken many landmark actions and City departments have put several precedent-setting programs into place, as noted in Figure 1.

San José’s
Climate
Achievements
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Key
Milestone
2024
Energy and
Water Building
Performance
Ordinance
Climate Smart
San José
San José Clean Energy
(largest single-jurisdiction
community choice energy
program)
Climate
Emergency
Resolution
Climate Smart
Challenge
platform
Building reach code
incentivizing all-electric
new construction
(largest U.S. city)
Natural Gas
Infrastructure Prohibition
Ordinance covering all
new building types
San José Clean
Energy’s first wind
project comes
online
Pathway to
Carbon Neutrality
by 2030
Natural and Working
Lands Climate Smart
Element*
Reach Code for 100
percent electric vehicle
(EV) infrastructure in new
multi-family buildings
Launched City
residential building
electrification incentive
programs
ActivateSJ
Strategic Plan
Climate Advisory
Commission
San José Clean
Energy’s first
solar and battery
storage project
comes online
Electrify San José:

Framework for
Existing Building
Electrification
Parking and
Transportation
Demand
Management
Ordinance Update
Emerging
Mobility
Action Plan
San José Clean
Energy’s first
Programs
Roadmap
Bike Plan 2025 Electric Mobility
Roadmap
Carbon
Neutrality by
2030 Resolution
(largest U.S. city)
Completed item from original Climate
Smart “Topics for Future Consideration”
*
Figure 1: San José’s Milestone Climate Achievements
10 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 11 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 6 • San José earned Mitigation and Adaptation
badges from the Global Covenant of Mayors for
Climate & Energy (2024 and 2022).
• San José Clean Energy ranked sixth on the
National Renewable Energy Lab’s Green Power
Program (2024)
• San José Mineta International Airport received
Level 2 Airport Carbon Accreditation (2024)
• San José ranked fifth greenest city in the U.S.
by WalletHub (2024); among the top 10 since at
least 2016.
• San José ranked ninth on the American Council
for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s City Clean
Energy Scorecard (2024)
• San José ranked 18th on the ENERGY STAR®
Top Cities list for the most ENERGY STAR®
certified buildings (2024)
• San José was named to the CDP A List, one of
only 120 cities worldwide recognized for climate
leadership (2023 and 2024)
• San José received the Climate Registry’s
Climate Leadership Award (2023), and former
Chief Sustainability Officer Kerrie Romanow
was honored with Assemblymember Gail
Pellerin’s Women of the Year Award for climate
work (2024).
• San José ranked fifth in the nation for solar
power per person and eighth for total solar
capacity in the Shining Cities Report (2022).

These milestone achievements and recognition
reflect the City’s strong commitment to
sustainability. But reaching carbon neutrality by
2030 will require accelerated action, continued
innovation, and collaboration to meet the
challenges ahead.

Understanding Our Challenge
San José’s journey to communitywide carbon neutrality demands a clear understanding of the challenges ahead and a focused approach to addressing them. Figure 2, below, illustrates both the GHG emissions reductions needed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and the emissions reductions we could expect if we achieve the strategies in the Climate Smart plan. This provides us with a roadmap for how San José can make significant progress towards its climate targets if fully implemented. Appendix A further details the Plan's goals for emissions avoided in 2027 and 2030, broken down by strategy. The goals in this plan are ambitious by design, intended to reflect the scale of the climate crisis and the level of action needed to reach carbon neutrality.

Figure 2: Communitywide emissions reductions needed to meet San José’s climate goals 2008
0 1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
MTCO2e
6,000,000
7,000,000
8,000,000
2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030
LEGEND 1.1 1.3 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.2 3.3 California’s Scoping Plan Pathway
Forecasted/
Business as Usual
Inventories
and Emissions
Paris-Compliant
2ºC Pathway
Carbon Neutral
by 2030 Pathway
Climate Smart Pathway
Transition to a Renewable Future
Assumption: 100% of citywide electricity demand is
supplied by 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030.

1.1 Develop Integrated, Accessible Public Transport
Infrastructure
Assumption: 25% reduction in light-duty, passenger
VMT compared to 2019 by 2030.

2.4 Improve Our Commercial Building Stock
Assumption: 14.3% of existing commercial/industrial buildings (as of 2023) are electrified each year and 100% of new
commercial/industrial buildings are all electric by 2030.

Note: Not all strategies have associated assumptions in this section.

Strategies 1.2 (Water Conservation), 2.1 (Densify Our City), and 3.1 (Create Local Jobs) are important to achieving Climate Smart goals but do not directly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Instead, they provide indirect benefits - such as complementary emissions strategies, supporting equity, or resilience - and are therefore not reflected in the wedge analysis.

3.2 Make Commercial Goods Movement Clean
and Efficient
Assumption: 60% and 46% ZEV adoption in the
medium-duty local delivery and heavy-duty goods
movement populations, respectively, by 2030.

3.3 Protect and Expand Natural and Working Lands
Assumption: 3,735 acres of regenerative agriculture, 4,541 acres of restoration and enhancement, and 3.1 acres of
neighborhood parkland per 1,000 residents by 2030.

1.3 Make Homes Efficient and Affordable for
Our Families
Assumption: 14.3% of existing homes (as of 2023)
are electrified each year and 100% of new homes
are all electric by 2030.

2.2 Create Clean, Personalized Mobility Choices
Assumption: 88% Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV)
adoption in the passenger vehicles and light duty trucks population by 2030.

2.3 ASSUMPTIONS
1 2
1 2
This gap shows emissions not addressed by current Climate Smart strategies. These include sectors not yet covered in the plan, such as solid waste, wastewater, potable water, off-road transportation, and aviation. It also includes emissions from vehicles not fully electrified, including light-duty, local delivery, and heavy-duty trucks.

This gap shows emissions that are not covered under the City's official definition of Carbon Neutrality. These include industrial process & fugitive emissions.
2018 Climate Smart Plan Approved by Council
13 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Awards and recognition for the
City’s climate work include:
12 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
7 How We Plan to Address the Gap
Future updates will include policies and
technologies to further reduce emissions
from waste, industrial processes, and other
sectors. The "Topics for Future Consideration"
section highlights areas where additional
strategies will be developed over time.

An Evolving Practice
City actions to address climate change both
shape and are shaped by broader state and
regional policies. These frameworks help
reinforce local efforts, accelerate progress, or
set a foundation that allows the City to adopt
more stringent measures.

These policies shape how the City plans,
funds, and implements climate programs—
by introducing new standards, enabling
partnerships, or requiring adjustments to
meet evolving priorities.

Recent advances in regional climate policy
have not only supplemented, and in some
circumstances accelerated, the targets
set in the Pathway but have also provided
direction for local actions. The following
policies, passed since 2018, are the most
significant pieces of state and regional
direction that have advanced the climate
movement and influenced how the City is
responding to climate change:

Additional key state, regional, and City plans, policies, and programs contributing directly to greenhouse gas emissions reductions or supporting related sustainability actions in San José are summarized in Appendix B.

While Figure 2 shows how Climate Smart
strategies can significantly reduce emissions,
it also reveals a remaining gap between
these reductions and the City’s 2030 carbon
neutrality target. This gap includes emissions
from sectors not yet addressed by the plan
(such as solid waste, aviation, and wastewater).

The gap underneath the carbon neutrality line
is from emission sources not included in the
City’s definition of carbon neutrality (such as
process and fugitive emissions). These areas
may be explored in future plan updates or
addressed through complementary initiatives.

Climate Smart prioritizes strategies that
reduce emissions from energy, transportation,
and buildings, as these sectors contribute
the most to communitywide greenhouse
gas emissions. However, fully achieving
carbon neutrality will require addressing
additional emissions sources not yet included
in this plan and expected to be explored
in future updates. These include emissions
from solid waste, wastewater, water, offroad
transportation, aviation, and freight rail, as well
as process and fugitive emissions.

The City acknowledges that despite
meaningful progress, we are not currently
on track to reach carbon neutrality or meet
several strategic climate goals.6 Achieving our
targets will require significantly accelerating
decarbonization efforts across the City,
stakeholders, and the community. The data in
this update highlights where the most urgent
progress is needed to help guide and inform
future action.

State Policies
Executive Order N-79-20 (2020): ZEV Car
Sales. Requires all new passenger vehicles
sold in CA to be zero-emission by 2035 and
commercial trucks/vans by 2045.7
AB 1279 (2022): Carbon Neutrality.

Establishes a statewide carbon neutrality
goal by 2045 with an 85% emissions
reduction.8
Regional Policies
Plan Bay Area 2050 (2021): Sustainable
Planning. A long-term plan focused on
housing, the economy, transportation, and
the environment.9
Bay Area Air District Rule 9-4 and Rule
9-6 (2023): Zero nitrogen oxides (NOx)
Appliances. Bans sale of NOx-emitting water
heaters and furnaces starting in 2027–2031.10
14 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 15 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 8 1.1 Transition to a Renewable Energy Future
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
SJCE, San José’s primary electricity generation service provider, is a not-for-profit that is locally controlled, operated, and governed by the City. SJCE provides San José residents and businesses with clean energy at competitive rates and promotes affordability, equity, and GHG reductions through customer programs. Through SJCE, the people of San José have more control over how much they pay and the source of their electricity, including the percent renewable content.

Households generating energy through on-site solar panels receive additional benefits by generating energy credits and cost savings through net metering.14
Pillar 1:

A Sustainable &
Climate Smart City
San José has the ingredients to be a sustainable
and climate smart city with its abundant
renewable resources, a skilled workforce, and
a willingness to innovate. San José has shown
leadership in its climate initiatives and can
continue to be a model for other U.S. cities and
throughout the world as it works to achieve its
carbon neutrality by 2030 goal.

STRATEGY 1.1
Transition to a
Renewable Energy
Future
STRATEGY 1.2
Embrace our
Californian Climate
STRATEGY 1.3
Protect and Expand
Natural and Working
Lands
SJCE is committed to
offering 100% carbonfree electricity as
the default service
citywide by 2030.
17 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Pillars and Strategies
Focused Climate Smart Strategies
With the adoption of the City's carbon neutrality by 2023 goal and the Pathway, the City identified three focus areas — transportation, buildings, and energy — which together accounted for approximately 85% of San José’s communitywide GHG emissions in 2019. To address these sources, the plan focuses on four key strategies that collectively target approximately 73% of current emissions:

While these are the core focus areas for the City’s climate efforts, the City also recognized – through its adoption of an NWL element11 (2022) – the important role that San José’s Natural and Working Lands12 play in removing, or “sequestering” carbon.13 The City’s updated Climate Smart pillars are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Climate
Smart pillars
and strategies.

Strategies in
pink align with
the acceleration
strategies set
forth in the
Pathway.

Move to
zero-emission
vehicles.

Reduce the
miles we travel
in our vehicles
by at least 20%.

Switch our
appliances
from fossil fuel
to electric.

Power our
community
with 100%
carbon-neutral
electricity.

Please note: This is an administrative update to the 2018 Climate Smart San José Plan. While previously adopted goals remain in place for most metrics, select goals have been recalculated where the City has surpassed original goals.

In these cases, the 2030 (and, if applicable, 2040) goal has been re-set by linearly interpolating between the most recent actual value (2023) and the next long-term, not yet achieved goal (2040 or 2050). For the NWL Preservation and Expansion metric—where all future targets have been exceeded—the goal has been updated to maintain the current actual value. For some metrics, baseline values have been updated to reflect improved data or methodologies (see Appendix D).

This update focuses on 2030 targets aligned with the City’s carbon neutrality goal, but you can find longer-term goals through 2040 and 2050 in Appendix C. In the milestone tables, “Baseline” reflects the original Climate Smart or Natural and Working Lands Element baseline (unless updated where applicable), “2023” reflects the most recent actual performance, and “2027” and “2030” represent adopted or recalculated goals (see Appendix D for methodology).

The strategies outlined in the following sections build directly on the roadmap presented in Figure 2 and in the Pathway, targeting the key areas with the greatest potential for GHG reductions.

1.2 1.1 1.3
Pillar 1
A Sustainable &
Climate Smart City
Pillar 2
A Vibrant City
of Connected &
Focused Growth
Pillar 3
An Economically
Inclusive City of
Opportunity

PILLARS
of what
residents
want
Climate
and water

STRATEGIES
Transition to
a Renewable
Energy
Future
Embrace our
Californian
Climate
Protect and
Expand
Natural and
Working
Lands

2.1 2.3 3.1 3.3

2.2 2.4 3.2
Create
Local Jobs
Densify
Our City
Make Goods
Movement
Efficient
Create Clean
Personal
Mobility
Improve the
Commercial
Building
Stock
Provide
Affordable
Efficient
Homes
Develop
Integrated
Accessible
Public Transit
16 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
9 Our Leadership to Date
In the 2007 San José Green Vision (Green
Vision), the City committed to receiving 100%
of its electrical power from clean, renewable
sources. In May 2017, the City Council voted
unanimously to establish SJCE.

SJCE makes San José the largest city with
a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA)
program in the country — a model where local
governments purchase cleaner electricity for
residents and businesses. With a commitment
to provide cleaner power to our community
and an option to choose 100% renewable
Low-Carbon Growth Milestones

1.2 Live with the California Climate
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
Embracing our California climate means having
an authentic relationship with our natural
resources and curating our open spaces, both
private and shared, to be not just low-water use,
but also beautiful and enjoyable, with enhanced
biodiversity and natural systems.

Our Leadership to Date
San José continues to face unprecedented
drought conditions. In each instance, the
City and community have shown resilience
by implementing and responding to water
conservation measures.

California’s historic drought began in 2012 and,
despite brief wet periods in 2017 and 2019,
persisted through 2022. During this time, San José
reduced water consumption by 6% compared
to pre-COVID levels, even as stricter sanitation
practices led to an overall increase in water use.

During this last period of drought, both the
State of California and Santa Clara County
officially declared water conservation as a way
of life — in 2022 and 2023 respectively — and
enforced new regulations to limit outdoor
water use. Maintaining a pattern of low water
consumption is possible with continued efforts
and incentives.

San José also brought “purple pipe” recycled
water to the city in 1998 through a partnership
with South Bay Water Recycling. The amount
of recycled water distributed in San José
has been added as a Climate Smart metric
and reduces the community’s potable water
demand, while enhancing resiliency.
power, SJCE empowers residents to reduce
their emissions through their energy choices.

Since launching citywide in 2019, SJCE has
contracted over $3 billion for more than 900
megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy
and battery storage — enough to power
approximately 675,000 homes.

SJCE aims to provide carbon-neutral base
power by 2030. Combined with 313 MW of
distributed solar capacity already in the city —
roughly the output needed to power another
235,000 homes — San José is well-positioned
to transition to a renewable energy future.

San José will effectively employ
sustainable use practices of local water
and green infrastructure to achieve
a 30% reduction in residential water
consumption to 42 gallons per day per
capita by 2030.
18 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Indicators Renewable Energy Carbon Free Electricity Local Renewables Metrics
Share of eligible renewable
energy generation in SJCE's
portfolio
Portion of electricity
generation in SJCE’s
portfolio that is carbon-free
Amount of renewable
energy capacity installed
in San José (MW)
Baseline N/A* N/A* 131.0
2023 55.0% 95.6% 313.4
2027 Goal 65.0% 98.0% 516.0
2030 Goal 65.0% 100.0% 668.0
Smart Water Use Milestones
Natural and Working Land Milestones

1.3 Protect and Expand Natural
and Working Lands
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
Preservation of our natural and working lands helps
prevent urban sprawl, resulting in less driving, lower
energy use and more efficient use of water resources.

Green spaces mitigate the urban heat island effect15,
capture stormwater, and provide habitat that supports
biodiversity. Additionally, protecting and expanding
open spaces provides opportunities for respite,
relaxation, and recreation for members of the San José
community.

Our Leadership to Date
As of 2024, San José has nearly 95,800 acres of Natural and Working Land in its sphere of influence, an over
2% increase since 2011. Natural and Working Lands are
defined by the General Plan as land designated as
Open Hillside, Agriculture, or Open Space, Parklands
and Habitat.

These land use designations include hillsides
and productive farmland, public parks, trails and
waterways. The City operates 10 regional parks and 213
neighborhood and community parks, with a variety
As the City plans for growth, San José will aim to minimize the loss of City-designated NWLs and increase the carbon sequestration potential of City-designated NWLs through land management practices.
of uses and design features ranging from playing
fields and riparian areas to protected endangered
species habitat. The City currently provides 66.9
linear miles of Class I Trails citywide.

The City adopted the ActivateSJ Strategic Plan in
2020 to guide the Department of Parks, Recreation
and Neighborhood Services. It includes a nature
goal to “cultivate a park and recreation system that
preserves nature, supports wildlife and enhances
community well-being.”
San José’s leadership also includes the preservation
of Coyote Valley, where a landmark public-private
partnership has protected over 1,500 acres of open
space and farmland. With voter-approved Measure
T funding and the 2021 General Plan land use
change, the City helped permanently conserve
Northern Coyote Valley—protecting wildlife
corridors, reducing flood risks, and avoiding 10
million miles of future vehicle travel. These efforts
serve as a model for how land conservation can
deliver climate and community benefits.

Values for select metrics have been recalculated; see endnote 17 for details. 19 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Indicators Total Water Consumption Residential Water Use Reused and Recycled Water Sources
Metrics
Total volume of water used in
the city per day (million gallons
per day)
Residential water use per
capita per day (gallons per
capita per day)
Portion of total water demand
met by recycled water
Baseline 116.0 60.0 5.0%
2023 95.9 64.6 5.8%
2027 Goal 91.2 51.7 10.5%
2030 Goal 87.7 42.0 14.0%
Indicators NWL Preservation and
Expansion
Regenerative
Agriculture
NWL Restoration &
Enhancement Urban Greening
Metrics
Acres of land with a General
Plan Land Use Designation
specified in the NWL
element16, 17
New acres of land with
regenerative agriculture
practices applied
New acres of NWLs
with restoration or
enhancement practices
applied
Acres of neighborhood
/ community serving
parkland within San José
city limits
Baseline 94,027 N/A N/A 2,938
2023 95,790 (2024) 0 10 2,812
2027 Goal 95,790 2,114 2,566 3,319
2030 Goal 95,790 3,700 4,500 3,700
*San Jose Clean Energy was established after Climate Smart was published; therefore, we don't have initial values.

For more information on indicator and metrics, refer to the Natural and Working Lands Element endnote 11. 10 Pillar 2:

A Vibrant City
of Connected &
Focused Growth
By combining intelligent planning with carbonfree mobility options, San José can grow in a way that is compact, smart, and connected.

2.1 Densify Our City
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
Densifying San José in anticipation of
expected population growth is a means
to reduce emissions by creating more
walkable and bikeable neighborhoods and
by reducing single-occupancy vehicle (SOV)
trips. It also makes neighborhoods more
vibrant, convenient, and enjoyable. A mix
of land uses that allows for neighborhoodserving services and businesses can make trips shorter, support active modes of
transportation, and help reduce vehicle
miles traveled (VMT).

Our Leadership to Date
The City’s forward-looking General Plan
anticipates San José’s projected population
growth and outlines a plan of proactive
densification clustered around focused
“Growth Areas.”18 The City is undertaking
efforts to integrate these areas with future
public transit and active transportation
infrastructure and to encourage
development that will catalyze and activate
these areas.

In addition, the City is working to improve
the quality and safety of streets to improve
walking and cycling. To achieve this
vision, in 2022, the City adopted a new
mobility strategy, Move San José. This plan
establishes a new decision-making process
that joins citywide policies, neighborhood
improvements, and the reinvention of city
streets. The goal is a San José that is easier
and more convenient to get around without
a car while being safer to travel in.

STRATEGY 2.1
Densify Our City to
Accommodate Our
Future Neighbors
STRATEGY 2.2
Make Homes Efficient
& Affordable for Our
Residents
STRATEGY 2.3
Create Clean,
Personalized
Mobility Choices
STRATEGY 2.4
Develop Integrated
Accessible Public
Transport Infrastructure
Low-Carbon Growth Milestones
20 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Indicators Complete Streets Transit-Oriented Development City Density in Growth Areas Metrics
Percentage of streets that
meet San José Complete
Streets criteria19
Commercial space located within
1/2 mile of a high-quality transit
stop20 (millions of square ft)
Density of new residents in
planned growth areas
2018 N/A 5921 5,40221
2023 36% 67 5,303
2027 Goal 39% 69 5,706
2030 Goal 41% 70 6,008

2.2 Provide Affordable
Efficient Homes
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
There are more than 230,000 existing buildings
in San José. These buildings typically use two
energy sources: electricity and natural gas.

San José’s primary electricity provider, SJCE, is
rapidly increasing the proportion of renewable
energy sourced for San José’s electricity supply,
ensuring that electricity use keeps getting
cleaner and results in fewer GHG emissions.

Transitioning to efficient and electric-powered
homes can also lower energy costs; these
homes are also often more comfortable,
quieter, and have improved indoor air quality.22
Our Leadership to Date
In 2022, the City approved Electrify San José:

Framework for Existing Building Electrification
to encourage and incentivize the electrification
of homes and businesses in San José.23 This
plan provides a framework for implementing
the recommended actions and guidance on
how to co-develop and implement building
electrification policies and solutions with the
San José community.

Furthermore, the City continues to incentivize
building improvements through programs
such as Electric Home San José and the
EcoHome program, which provide energyefficiency and electrification rebates, with targeted outreach in environmental justice
communities where adoption of clean energy
technologies has historically been lower.

San José will embrace
an expected 450,000
additional residents by
2040 through managed,
mixed-use densification
around its planned
Growth Areas.

Low-Carbon Growth Milestones
21 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Indicators Household Energy Use
(Natural Gas)
Household Energy Use Intensity
(Natural Gas)
Metrics Household natural gas use (therms) Average natural gas use per dwelling unit (therms/du)
Baseline 112,098,302 333
2023 115,569,241 348
2027 Goal 49,529,675 149
2030 Goal 0 0
Values for select metrics have been recalculated; see endnote 17 for details. 11 2.3 Support Clean
Personal Mobility
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
This strategy helps to eliminate the
dependence on fossil-fuel powered SOVs and
to reduce the time spent on congested streets
and highways. Benefits of this strategy include
healthier outdoor air quality, reduced traffic
and congestion, less land devoted to housing
cars instead of people, and safer streets
for active modes of transportation such as
walking, biking, and scooting.

Our Leadership to Date
In 2007, San José committed to ensuring that
100% of public vehicles run on alternative
fuels by 2022. In 2016, the City transitioned all
of its medium/heavy duty fleet and offroad
equipment to use 100% renewable diesel.

The City has also helped increase EV use by
installing 53 public charging stations, primarily
in downtown public parking garages, as well
as incentivizing the installation of over 150
more. The City continues to pursue funding to
install more public EV chargers in underserved
neighborhoods to support EV adoption.
22 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
The City has also expanded micromobility
efforts, including Bay Wheels bike share,
which will be built out to eventually feature
1,000 shared bikes and 1,000 e-bikes across
the city. The City also participated in one of
the first autonomous vehicle pilot programs
in the nation. This work positions San José to
be a leader of a new mobility paradigm that
integrates these technologies in a manner
beneficial to the community.
*Note: The 59% SOV mode split target is derived from the Move San José mode split target of 60% trips taken by walk/bike/transit and shared rides by 2040.24
Low-Carbon Growth Milestones
San José encourages use
of clean, personalized, and
shared mobility choices to
reduce single-passenger,
gasoline car use. This is
accomplished through a
combination of bike- and ridesharing and passenger EVs.

Indicators Zero-Emission Vehicles Reduced Car Dependency Metrics Percentage of passenger vehicles
(including SUVs) that are zero emission
Percentage of trips taken in singleoccupancy vehicles (SOVs) Baseline 1.4% 74.4%21
2023 6.2% 70.5%
2027 Goal 53.0% 63.9%
2030 Goal 88.0% 59.0%*

2.4 Develop Integrated and
Accessible Public Transit
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
Public transport in San José is an affordable
way for people to move around the city each
day. High-frequency, rapid transit can be faster,
more enjoyable, and more reliable than driving
an SOV and being stuck in traffic. Supporting
high-quality public transit infrastructure that
is clean, interconnected with multiple modes,
and located near to where people live and
work will bring the benefits of accessibility,
safety, and convenience to a larger population.

Our Leadership to Date
San José has been part of numerous regional
initiatives to support the expansion and
enhancement of public transit infrastructure
such as the Caltrain electrification project,
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
(VTA), High-Capacity Transit (HCT), and
bringing Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to
San José.25 The City’s involvement in these
initiatives allows us to ensure the fruition of
these projects and maximize the climate and
Good Life 2.0 benefits of those in our city.
23 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Low-Carbon Growth Milestones
San José will continue
supporting public transit
infrastructure as a means
of getting around the city,
particularly the integration
of multiple transport
modes and transitoriented development to
reduce VMT.

Indicators VMT Reduction Public Transit Accessible Transit Metrics Vehicle miles traveled per
capita per day
Percentage of trips
taken on public transit
Percentage of households within
½ mile of a high-quality transit
stop
Baseline 15.221 1.8%21 28.6%21
2023 16.4 0.7% 29.0%
2027 Goal 13.5 6.0% 30.6%
2030 Goal 11.4 10.0% 32.0%
Values for select metrics have been recalculated; see endnote 17 for details. 12 Pillar 3:

An Economically Inclusive
City of Opportunity
Economic development and sustainability are mutually
reinforced in San José. Local job creation can lead to
reduced GHG emissions because it can allow people to live where they work, and thus reduce commute distances and
the associated emissions from VMT.

High-performing logistics and real estate can also be
attractive to companies looking to do business in the city.

Considering economic development and including realistic requirements for businesses to operate sustainably will make attaining a sustainable city even more feasible.

3.1 Create Local Jobs
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
Creating local jobs26 in our city makes it
possible for our workforce to have economic
opportunity, work close to where they live,
and unlock the hours they currently spend
commuting in congestion each year to
do more productive and enjoyable things.

Furthermore, reducing commutes reduces
GHG emissions and improves air quality. Local
jobs make it possible to walk, bicycle, and take
a bus or shared mobility vehicle to work. They
are ultimately healthy for our economy and
expand the tax base in San José.

STRATEGY 3.1
Create Local
Jobs in Our
City to Reduce
Vehicle Miles
Traveled
STRATEGY 3.2
Improve Our
Commercial
Building Stock
STRATEGY 3.3
Make Commercial
Goods Movement
Clean & Efficient
San José will work to create
an additional 362,000 local
jobs in our city by 2040.
24 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update

3.2 Improve the Commercial
Building Stock
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
Nonresidential buildings that are all-electric
eliminate GHG emissions from the use of
fossil fuels when powered by renewable
energy. Generating power from rooftop solar
in combination with net energy metering
provides a way for building owners to stabilize
long-term energy costs and increase energy
resilience.

Our Leadership to Date
The City continues to be an enabler of energy
efficiency and carbon-free power through
policy adoption and by connecting businesses
with technical resources and financial support
for energy efficiency and electrification
projects. In 2018, the City established the
Energy and Water Building Performance
Ordinance (BPO) that requires reporting of
annual energy and water use for buildings
larger than 20,000 square feet as well as
upgrades over time. The BPO allows property
owners to track and manage their energy and
water use and identify cost-effective retrofit
strategies.

New commercial buildings built
in San José will be encouraged
to be all-electric and powered
by 100% carbon-free energy
from SJCE. Existing commercial
buildings will be retrofitted to
reduce energy consumption and
eliminate the use of natural gas.

Low-Carbon Growth Milestones28
Low-Carbon Growth Milestones
SJCE supports energy retrofits by offering
various rebates and incentives to commercial
customers. SJCE has dispersed over $1 million
to more than 775 businesses for energy
efficient upgrades, which has also resulted in
savings on customer energy bills. Commercial
customers are also eligible for SJCE’s Peak
Rewards demand response program, which
pays them to save energy on critical days when
electricity supply on the grid is strained.
25 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Indicators Distributed Generation
Commercial/Industrial
Building Energy Use
(Natural Gas)
Commercial/Industrial
Building Energy Use
Intensity (Natural Gas)
Metrics
Rooftop solar generation on
commercial and industrial
buildings (MW)
Commercial and industrial
natural gas use (therms)
Natural gas use per square
foot (therms/sq ft)
Baseline 52 60,670,602 0.33
2023 79 58,054,345 0.30
2027 Goal 166 24,880,434 0.13
2030 Goal 231 0 0
Indicators Jobs to Employed
Resident Ratio Commuting Transit Accessible Jobs
Metrics Jobs to employed
resident (J/ER) ratio
Percentage of commute
journeys by non-SOV modes,
including remote work
Number of jobs within 1/2
mile of a high-quality transit
stop18
Baseline 0.80 21.9%21 237,05921
2023 0.79 23.0% 245,437
2027 Goal 0.91 40.7% 319,473
2030 Goal 1.00 54.0% 375,000
*Note: See also related land use and transportation metrics under Strategy 2.1 – Densify Our City, which support progress on low-carbon commuting.

Our Leadership to Date
San José’s vibrant economy is comprised of
small-, medium-, and large-sized businesses
across various sectors. As of 2023, we have
brought over 63,000 jobs (since 2008) to
San José at different income tiers in order to
create inclusive and accessible middle-income
pathways for our residents.27 This includes our
efforts to locate new commercial development
and new jobs near transit modes.
13 3.3 Make Goods Movement
Efficient
Good Life 2.0 Benefits for Our City
Supporting our commercial and industrial
sectors in becoming cleaner will enhance our
economy’s efficiency and unit productivity,
strengthening our attractiveness as a place
to do business and demonstrating San José’s
leadership as the capital of a more sustainable
Silicon Valley.

Our Leadership to Date
With the Green Vision in 2007, the City of
San José began to transition its vehicle fleet,
including many service vehicles, to alternative
fuels. The City adopted a Green Fleet Policy in
2007 to manage fleet replacement in a way
that minimizes GHG emissions and considers
life-cycle economics.29
As a part of the Delivering Zero Emissions
Communities grant program, from 2021
San José will support its
commercial and industrial
sectors in reducing the
carbon impact from goods
movement by transitioning to
clean and efficient logistics.

Low-Carbon Growth Milestones
26 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Indicators Local Delivery Vehicles Heavy Duty Vehicles
Metrics Percentage of local delivery
vehicles that are electric
Percentage of heavy goods vehicles
that use alternative fuel
Baseline 0.1% 1.6%
2023 1.1% 3.5%
2027 Goal 34.7% 27.8%
2030 Goal 60.0% 46.0%
Implementation
of the Plan
The City will need to inspire action on a citywide
scale by the entire San José community –
individuals, developers, government, and
businesses – in order to combat climate change
and make the Good Life 2.0 attainable.

A Network Activation Approach
Climate Smart continues to be centered on
activating community networks to take
climate action. The City will need to continue
to develop partnerships and activate the
community around climate action through
guidance, policy, programs, and resources
provided by the City. To successfully implement
Climate Smart, a coordinated and collaborative
effort among all City departments and the
community at large is required.

Funding the Plan
Since the adoption of Climate Smart in 2018,
the City has acquired over $80 million in
external funding and resources to support
Climate Smart initiatives. The City will need
to continue to allocate funding, to explore
and implement viable funding mechanisms,
and to acquire external funding30 to support
significant infrastructure upgrades (e.g. building
assessments and capital improvements,
EV charging, and biking), outreach and
engagement campaigns, incentives, policy
development, and more towards the City’s
ambitious climate goals.

To inform future investment, a cost-benefit
analysis for each Climate Smart strategy was
developed and included in Section 3.2 of the
original plan. The analysis considers both
capital and operational costs and long-term
avoided costs, and shows that Climate Smart
implementation yields net savings over time.

The Climate Smart team also provides semiannual updates to City Council, which include details on external funding received and the
specific projects supported. The most recent
updates are available on the Climate Smart San
José website31, and earlier reports are available
upon request.
27 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
to 2023 the City organized interviews
with small and large freight and delivery
companies operating in San José to gain a
better understanding of the barriers to fleet
electrification. The City also worked with San
José State University to analyze freight data
and publish a report containing key strategies
and recommendations for reducing freightbased emissions. Furthering this work, the City selected the Santee neighborhood to conduct
a last mile delivery pilot, and is continuing
community engagement to identify ideas and
locations for implementation. The pilot remains
in development, with timing to be determined.

GETTINGIT DONE
14 What kind of market adoption of climate solutions has been achieved already? What kind of role can the City
play in accelerating adoption?
Community Adoption
City-Driven Actions
Climate Solutions are

AVAILABLE
Climate Solutions are

ACCESSIBLE
Climate Solutions are

AFFORDABLE

EXECUTE
programs that demonstrate success

ENFORCE
regulations that support climate action
ENGAGE
through community outreach and partnerships

ENHANCE
access through incentives, rebates and support
ENABLE
innovation through investments and partnerships

EMPOWER
businesses and residents to make progress
Implement Programs
Regulate
Convene
Provide
Awareness
Provide
Incentives
Provide
Resources
Pilot
Projects
Directly
Provide Access Subsidize
Aggregate
Demand
Provide Guidance
and Awareness
City Action Plan
The Enabling Role of the City
The successful implementation of Climate Smart San José relies on a layered and collaborative approach between the Climate Smart Division, City departments, decision-makers, and the broader San José community. While the Climate Smart team leads the plan’s development and oversight, its success depends on alignment across City priorities, the coordination of implementing departments, and adoption by residents and businesses.

The graphic below illustrates the roles the City can play in accelerating climate solution adoption— from direct implementation to enabling and empowering others, depending on how available, accessible, and affordable a solution is.

City-driven actions range from executing programs and enforcing regulations to engaging communities and enabling innovation. These actions are not limited to the Climate Smart Division—departments across the City play a role in creating the conditions necessary for successful climate action. Instead of static Climate Smart “Playbooks” and “City Action Plans,” City departments facilitating Climate Smart initiatives will continue to generate community engagement and outreach plans to support community climate action.

In addition, the City can accelerate the implementation of Climate Smart through the integration of its strategies and goals into City policies, programs, and processes, including annual departmental workplans and budgeting. Through annual workplan development, departments will have better flexibility to reflect changes (e.g., in City priorities and tactics, funding, technologies, etc.) that may occur between Climate Smart plan updates. Workplans can also quantify the cost and planned impact of City activities on GHG emissions reductions.

Ultimately, Climate Smart San José serves as a connector and catalyst—helping shape policies, support programs, and guide adoption across the City, but not implementing all solutions directly. Climate action in San José requires collective effort at every level of City operations and across the community.
28 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Tracking Progress
Since 2018, Climate Smart San José has used
a set of indicators to measure progress toward
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
achieving co-benefits such as improved air
quality, mobility access, and energy savings. As
the City’s climate goals have evolved, so too have
the metrics used to track them. This 2025 update
refines and streamlines the original metrics to
align more closely with the strategies in the
Pathway and recent updates to Climate Smart
San José.

Some indicators from the 2018 plan have been
revised to better reflect available data or evolving
priorities. Others have been removed, replaced,
or newly added to ensure the most effective
tracking of the City’s progress. These changes
improve the City’s ability to focus on high-impact
strategies while maintaining transparency and
consistency over time. For a full explanation of
these changes—including the rationale behind
each update and a summary of how indicators
have evolved—see Appendix D.

Table 1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics
The City will continue to maintain the
Climate Smart Dashboard, which tracks key
indicators across the plan’s ten strategies (see
Table 1). The dashboard provides an accessible
and transparent way to monitor progress on
Climate Smart metrics.

Table 1 summarizes the updated indicators,
showing current and historical values where
available, along with each metric’s status (e.g.,
new, revised, unchanged, or removed).

City staff recognize that the metrics and goals
in this plan are ambitious. Some are carried
over from the original Climate Smart San
José plan; others have been updated using
the Pathway to Carbon Neutrality analysis. All
reflect where San José needs to be to achieve
carbon neutrality. These goals are intended
to highlight urgency, spark necessary
conversations, and accelerate meaningful
action—within City government and across
our community."
29 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Pillar and
Strategy Indicator Metric Status Baseline 202328 2027 2030

1.1 Transition
to a
Renewable
Energy
Future
Renewable
Energy
Share of eligible renewable energy
generation in SJCE portfolio Unchanged  N/A 55% 65% 65% Carbon-Free
Electricity
Portion of electricity generation in
SJCE’s portfolio that is carbon-free New N/A 95.6% 98% 100% Local
Renewables
Amount of renewable energy
capacity installed in San José (MW) Revised 131 313.4 516 668

1.2 Embrace
our
Californian
climate
Total Water
Consumption
Total volume of water used in the
city per day (Mgal/day) Unchanged  116 95.9 91.2 87.7
Residential
Water Use
Residential water use per capita
per day (gpcd) Unchanged  60 64.6 51.7 42
Reused &
Recycled Water
Sources
Portion of total water demand met
by recycled water Unchanged  5% 5.8% 10.5% 14%

1.3 Protect
and Expand
Natural and
Working
Lands
NWL
Preservation &
Expansion
Acres of land with a General Plan
Land Use Designation specified in
the NWL element29
New 94,027 95,790
(2024) 95,790 95,790
Regenerative
Agriculture
New acres of land with
regenerative agriculture practices
applied
New N/A 0 2,114 3,700
NWL Restoration
& Enhancement
New acres of NWLs with restoration
or enhancement practices applied  New N/A 10 2,566 4,500 Urban Greening
Acres of neighborhood /
community serving parkland
within San José city limits
New 2,938 2,812 3,319 3,700
15 30 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Pillar and
Strategy Indicator Metric Status Baseline 202328 2027 2030

2.1 Densify our
city
City Density
in Growth
Areas
Density of new
residents in
planned growth
areas
Unchanged 5,40221 5,303 5,706 6,008
Complete
Streets
Percentage of
streets that meet
San José Complete
Streets criteria33
Revised N/A 36% 39% 41%
TransitOriented
Development
Commercial space
located within
½ mile of a highquality transit stop
(millions of sq ft)
Revised 5921 67 69 70

2.2 Make
homes
efficient and
affordable
Household
Energy Use
(Natural Gas)
Household natural
gas use (therms) Revised  112,098,302 115,569,241 49,529,675 0 Household
Energy Use
Intensity
(Natural Gas)
Average
natural gas use
per dwelling
unit (therms/du)
New  333 348 149 0

2.3 Create
clean,
personalized
mobility
choices
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Percentage of
passenger vehicles
(including SUVs)
that are zero
emission
Revised 1.4% 6.2% 53% 88%
Reduced Car
Dependency
Percentage of trips
taken in SOVs  Revised 74.4%21 70.5% 63.9% 59.0%

2.4 Develop
integrated,
accessible
public
transport
infrastructure
VMT
Reduction
Vehicle miles
traveled per capita
per day
Revised 15.221 16.4 13.5 11.4
Public Transit
Percentage of trips
taken on public
transit
Revised 1.8%21 0.7% 6% 10%
Accessible
Transit
Percentage of
households within
1/2 mile of a highquality transit
stop18
Revised 28.6%21 29% 31% 32%
Table 1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics (continued) 31 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Pillar and
Strategy Indicator Metric Status Baseline 202328 2027 2030

3.1 Create
local jobs in
our city
Jobs to
Employed
Resident Ratio
Jobs to
employed
resident (J/ER)
ratio
Unchanged  0.8 0.79 0.91 1.0
Transitaccessible Jobs
Number of jobs
within 1/2 mile
of a high-quality
transit stop18
Revised 237,05921 245,437 319,473 375,000
Commuting
Percentage
of commute
journeys by nonSOV modes
Revised 21.9%21 23% 41% 54%

3.2 Improve
our
commercial
building
stock
Distributed
Generation
Rooftop solar
generation   on
commercial
and industrial
buildings (MW)
Revised 52 79 166 231
Commercial/
Industrial
Building
Energy Use
(Natural Gas)
Commercial and
industrial natural
gas use (therms)
New 60,670,602 58,054,345 24,880,434 0
Commercial/
Industrial
Building Energy
Use Intensity
(Natural Gas)
Natural gas use
per square foot
(therms/sq ft)
New 0.33 0.30 0.13 0

3.3 Make
commercial
goods
movement
clean and
efficient
Local Delivery
Vehicles
Percentage of
local delivery
vehicles that are
electric
Unchanged 0.11% 1.1% 35% 60%
Heavy Duty
Vehicles
Percentage
of heavy duty
vehicles that use
alternative fuels
Unchanged 1.6% 3.5% 28% 46%
Table 1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics (continued) 16 Topics for Future Consideration
Through its approval of the Pathway (2022), San José City Council directed that the City’s climate efforts focus on three key areas – buildings, onroad transportation, and power source – representing about 73% of San José’s GHG emissions. While Climate Smart can provide the community with a clear pathway to meeting Paris Agreement goals with its planned approach, there are a number of areas that may be valuable to consider in future iterations, as they can provide additional opportunities to progress towards the City’s carbon neutrality34 goal.

City staff have completed or have in progress the following areas identified as Topics for Future Consideration in the 2018 Climate Smart plan:

Completed:
• Natural and Working Lands: The NWL Element was adopted in 2023, aligned with the General Plan goals, and incorporated as a key Climate Smart strategy. • Spatially-Explicit Analysis of NWL and Carbon Sequestration Potential: Approved in 2023, this analysis informed the NWL Element, identifying opportunities to enhance carbon sequestration and ecosystem benefits.
• Alignment with California’s Climate Scoping Plan: Climate Smart strategies now align with the state’s 2022 Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality , ensuring consistency with California’s latest climate priorities.

As Climate Smart evolves, these future focus areas offer new opportunities to further reduce emissions, advance equity, and amplify community co-benefits, ensuring San José remains at the forefront of climate leadership.

The plan is a living document which will continue to reflect best available data and technologies. Updates will follow the General Plan’s four-year review cycle, and the City will continue working with the community to identify funding and partnerships that support research, pilots, and new programs. Together, we can continue making meaningful progress toward a carbon-neutral San José.
32 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Living Better Today
for Tomorrow
33 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Under Development:
• Zero Waste: Solid waste sector strategies under development with estimated completion in 2025.
• Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP): In development, this plan will identify the foundational measures, policies, and procedures needed to reduce the community exposure to climate-related threats such as extreme heat, drought, and sea level rise. The CARP, expected to be completed in January 2026, will center equity by addressing the disproportionate climate impacts faced by vulnerable communities.

Topics for Future Consideration:
• Offroad Transportation, Wastewater, Water, Aviation, and Freight Rail: These sources account for approximately 14% of communitywide emissions (2023) and are not yet addressed by Climate Smart strategies. Future updates will consider approaches to reduce emissions from these sources.35
• Equity Metrics and Co-Benefits: A future Equity Element could help ensure that climate actions reduce disparities and deliver co-benefits like improved health, air quality, and job access.
• Innovative and Emerging Solutions: As technologies evolve, future updates should explore carbon removal, time-based offsets, and other innovations identified in the Pathway’s Appendix 4.
17 Strategy 2027 Avoided
Emissions
(MTCO2e)
2030 Avoided
Emissions
(MTCO2e)
Percent of
Total 2030
Avoided
Emissions

1.1 Transition to a Renewable Energy Future 162,516 305,662 9%

1.3 Protect and Expand Natural and Working Lands 29,175 29,175 1%

2.2 Provide Affordable Efficient Homes 379,192 628,502 18%

2.3 Support Clean Personal Mobility 788,394 1,158,318 34%

2.4 Develop Integrated Accessible Public Transit 301,204 456,126 13%

3.2 Improve the Commercial Building Stock 214,613 354,636 10%

3.3 Make Goods Movement Efficient 290,640 494,194 14%
TOTAL 2,165,161 3,426,613 100%
APPENDIX A.

The table below details the Climate Smart strategies and the emissions that will be avoided under each strategy, per year, for 2027 and 2030.
34 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
APPENDIX B.

The tables below summarize new influential climate-related legislation passed at the state, regional, and city level since the adoption of the original Climate Smart Plan in 2018. Although this is not an exhaustive list, these plans, policies, and programs have transformed the way San José is responding to climate change.

Table B1: Statewide climate-related legislation
Sector Plans Policies Programs
General
Climate and
Cross-Area
CARB Scoping Plan
(2022) Updated
every 4-5 years,
assesses progress
on the State’s GHG
reduction goals and
lays out a path to
achieve them
AB 1279 (2022): Established a statewide goal
of achieving carbon neutrality no later than
2045 and ensures an 85% emissions reduction
as part of that goal.

Various
SB 253 (2023): Requires large businesses
in California with annual revenues over $1
billion to publicly disclose their direct, energyrelated, and value chain greenhouse gas emissions, with phased reporting beginning
in 2026 and independent third-party
verification.

SB 261 (2023): Requires large companies
operating in California, with annual revenues
exceeding $500 million, to publicly disclose
climate-related financial risks and report on
their strategies for climate resilience starting
in 2026.
35 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table A1: Strategies and associated emissions avoided with implementation of Climate Smart Data in this table is based on the Carbon Neutral by 2030 assumptions listed in Figure 2. 18 Table B1: Statewide climate-related legislation (continued) Sector Plans Policies Programs
Transportation California
Zero Emission
Vehicle Market
Development
Strategy (2021)
Executive Order N-79-20 (2020):

Requires all new vehicles sold in CA to
be zero-emission by 2035 for passenger
vehicles and 2045 for commercial
trucks/vans
CARB California Clean Fuel
Reward (2021; ongoing)
Offers point-of-sale
rebate, in partnership with
electric utilities, up to $750
depending on battery
capacity for purchases or
leases of new EVs
Electric Vehicle
Charging
Station
Permitting
Guidebook
(2019)
CARB Advanced Clean Cars II
regulations (2022): Would require 35%
of all new car purchases by 2026 and
100% by 2035 to be electric, hydrogenpowered, or plug-in hybrids CARB Drive Clean
Assistance Program
(ongoing)
Offers up to $5,000 as a
point-of-sale incentive for
purchase or lease of new
or used EVs by income
qualified households. Also
offers grants for at home
charging and portable
chargers
CalSTA The
Climate
Action Plan for
Transportation
Infrastructure
(2021)
CARB Mobile Source Strategy:

Identifies the pathways for mobile
source reductions needed to meet
CARB’s air quality, climate, and
community risk reduction goals
CARB California E-Bike
Incentive Project (2024;
ongoing) Offers up to
$2,000 of point-of-sale
incentives to support the
purchase of a new electric
bicycle
Caltrans’ DP-37 policy (2021) and DIB94 design guidance (2024) mandate the inclusion of complete streets
elements in transportation projects to
facilitate the design of roadways that
accommodate all users
Buildings California Building Standards
Code Building Energy Efficiency
Standards (“Title 24, Part 6 and Part
11; 2022; updated every three years)
Regulations for energy efficiency, water
efficiency and conservation, material
conservation and resource efficiency,
environmental quality, and more.

Building Initiative for LowEmissions Development
(BUILD; 2021) CEC
program provides building
electrification incentives
for low-income residential
projects that build new
housing, repurpose existing
buildings for housing, or
do major renovations on
existing housing through
2023.
36 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Sector Plans Policies Programs
Buildings
(continued)
AB 2446 (2022): Requires CARB to
establish a framework to monitor and
reduce GHG emissions of building
materials. It also requires all new
residential projects with at least 5 units
and non-residential buildings overs
10,000 square feet to submit life cycles
assessments and building productspecific Environmental Product Declarations
Technology and Equipment
for Clean Heating (HEAT;
2021) Provides building
electrification incentives
for existing homes through
2023
Switch is On campaign
(2020, ongoing) Encourages
building electrification
and provides online tools
to find available all-electric
products, rebates and
incentives, and qualified
contractors
Energy SB 1020 (2022): creates clean energy
targets of 90% by 2035 and 95% by
2040, advancing the state’s trajectory
to 100% clean energy by 2045.

Solid Waste AB 1201 (2021): Set standards that
products must meet in order to
be labeled as “compostable” or
“biodegradable”
SB 343 (2021): Set standards that
products must meet in order to be
labeled as “recyclable” or use the
chasing arrows symbol
AB 1276 (2022): Single-use foodware
accessories and condiments upon
request
AB 1857 (2022): Removed the provision
in California law that allowed
jurisdictions to count a portion of solid
waste that undergoes transformation
as diverted instead of disposed
SB 54 (2022): Established a new
extended producer responsibility (EPR)
program to manage packaging and
single-use plastic foodware. Producers
must ensure that these items are
recyclable or compostable by 2032 and
must reduce the amount of singleuse plastic packaging and foodware distributed in the state by 25% by 2032.

Table B1: Statewide climate-related legislation (continued) 37 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
19 Table B1: Statewide climate-related legislation (continued) Sector Plans Policies Programs
Solid Waste
(continued)
SB 244 (2023): Established the first
Right to Repair law in California.

Requires electronics and appliance
manufacturers to provide parts, tools, and
documentation to independent repair
shops and product owners.

SB 707 (2024): Created an EPR program
for textiles. Producers must establish
collection sites for consumers to return
textiles and manage textiles in alignment
with the waste hierarchy, which prioritizes
reuse and repair.

Water AB 1572 (2023): restricts the use of potable
water for irrigating “nonfunctional turf,”
defined as grass that is purely decorative
and includes grass located within
street rights-of-way and parking lots.

The restriction applies to commercial,
industrial, municipal, institutional
properties, and HOA common space
starting in 2027.

Land
Management
AB 1889 (2024): The Room to Roam Act
directs cities to consider and protect
wildlife connectivity in the Conservation
Elements of General Plans.

Pathways to 30x30 California: Accelerating
Conservation of California’s Nature (2021):

This strategy describes how the State will
reach Executive Order N-82-20’s goal of
conserving 30% of state lands and coastal
waters by 2030.
38 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table B2: Regional climate-related legislation (continued) 39 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table B2: Regional climate-related legislation
Sector Plans Policies Programs
Transportation Santa Clara VTA
Sustainability
Plan (2020) Sets
goals to reduce
GHG emissions
60% from 2009
levels by 2035 and
90% by 2040
VTA zero-emission fleet goal (2022) Aim to
have 100% zero-emissions buses by 2036
BAAQMD Clean Cars
for All (2019; ongoing)
Allows turn-in of old
vehicles for a rebate
toward a new or
used hybrid, plugin hybrid, battery,
or hydrogen fuel
EV, prepaid card
for public transit or
e-bikes, and/or EV
charger
Sector Plans Policies Programs
Transportation Plan Bay Area
2050 (2021)
Long-range
plan charting
the course for
the future of the
nine-county San
Francisco Bay
Area focused on
four key elements
– housing,
the economy,
transportation
and the
environment
Metropolitan Transportation
Commission’s (MTC’s) Complete Streets
Policy (2022) promotes safe and accessible
transportation options for all users
Silicon Valley
Regional Intelligent
Transportation
Systems (ongoing)
VTA Transit
Oriented
Communities
Playbooks (2019)
Various. Including
Acterra’s Karl Knapp
GoEV Program
(ongoing). Supports
the transition to EVs.

Also, Bay Wheels
Bike Share, Bike
Link, BayPass, etc.
(ongoing). Supports
mode shift.

Buildings Bay Area District Rule 9-4 and Rule 9-6
(2023) These amendments ban the sale
of NOx-emitting furnaces (as of 2029) and
water heaters/boilers (as of 2027 for small
water heaters and 2031 for large water
heaters), meaning that only all-electric
equipment could be sold
BayREN Energyefficiency and
Electrification
Incentives (2020;
ongoing)
PG&E rebates,
financing, and
resources to support
energy efficiency
(ongoing)
Water Valley Water
One Water Plan
(2021): This plan
integrates the
water supply,
flood protection,
and stream
stewardship at
the watershed
scale.

BayREN Energyefficiency and
Electrification
Incentives (2020;
ongoing)
20 Table B3: City of San José climate-related plans, policies, and programs Sector Plans Policies Programs
General
Climate and
Cross-Area
Pathway to Carbon
Neutrality by 2030 (2022)
City Council memo template
update to include evaluation of
Climate Smart conformance (2019)
Envision San José 2040
General Plan (last updated
2022)
Zero-Emissions Neighborhood
pilot (ZEN; 2021, ongoing)
Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Strategy (within General
Plan; last updated 2020)
Electrification Expo (2019)
Natural & Working Lands
Element – Climate Smart
San José (2022)
Climate Smart Challenge online
platform (2020, ongoing)
Zero Waste Element –
Climate Smart San José
(2025, ongoing)
Go Green Teams Pilot (2021,
ongoing)
Transportation Electric Mobility Roadmap
(2019)
Parking and
Transportation
Demand
Management
Ordinance Update
(2023)
Drive Electric (2021) Limitedtime discount for four San José dealerships on the purchase of
several EV models
Better Bike Plan 2025
(2020)
Transit First Policy
(2022)
Drive Forward (2021-2024)
Program offering financial
counseling and EV education
Emerging Mobility Action
Plan (2022)
One-Way Vehicle
Sharing Policy (2021)
California Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP,
2020-2023)
Offers incentives for EV charging
infrastructure
East San José Multimodal
Transportation
Improvement Plan (En
Movimiento; 2021)
Council Policy 5-1
(Transportation
Analysis) Update
(2022)
Began amassing credits from
the City’s EV chargers via the
state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
program (2021; ongoing)
Move San José Plan (2022) One-Way Vehicle
Sharing Regulations
(2022)
Walk n’ Roll (ongoing)
Program to increase the number
of students who walk and bike to
school
Vision Zero Action Plan
(2025)
Municipal: City Employee Smart
Pass Program, Pre-tax Commuter
Benefits Program, and Green Trip
Challenge
Downtown Transportation
Plan (2022)
Commercial freight
strategic planning (2021;
ongoing)
40 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table B3: City of San José climate-related plans, policies, and programs (continued) Sector Plans Policies Programs
Transportation
(continued)
West San José Multimodal
Transportation
Improvement Plan (2022)
Walk Safe San José Plan
(2024)
Buildings Building Reach Code
(2019)
Heat Pump Water Heater Rebate
Program (2019-2021)
Natural Gas
Infrastructure
Prohibition (2020,
2021)
SJCE Energy Efficiency Programs
(2022-2024)
Building
Electrification
Framework (2022)
Beyond Benchmarking: starting in
2024 a subset of covered building
owners must demonstrate either
satisfactory building energy
and water efficiency or undergo
actions for efficiency improvement
Beyond Benchmarking: starting in
2024 a subset of covered building
owners must demonstrate either
satisfactory building energy
and water efficiency or undergo
actions for efficiency improvement
Land
Management
Green Stormwater
Infrastructure (GSI) Plan
(2019): guide for reducing
the adverse water quality,
flooding, and urban heat
impacts of urbanization by
using green stormwater
infrastructure.

Community Forest
Management Plan (2022):
establishes standards and
practices to help create
and maintain a thriving
community forest.

Energy San José Clean Energy CCA
created in 2017 and began
providing clean electricity to San
José customers in 2019
SJCE Programs Roadmap
(2021)
41 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
21 APPENDIX C.

Appendix C contains a table of Climate Smart metrics with 2040 and 2050 Progress Milestones included.

Table C1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics with Goals Through 2050 Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Baseline 2023 2027 2030 2040 2050

1.1 Transition
to a
Renewable
Energy
Future
Renewable
Energy
Share of
eligible
renewable
energy
generation
in SJCE
portfolio
NA 55% 65% 65% 100% 100%
Carbon-Free
Electricity
Portion of
electricity
generation
in SJCE’s
portfolio
that is
carbon-free
NA 95.6% 98% 100% 100% 100%
Local
Renewables
Amount of
renewable
energy
capacity
installed in
San José
(MW)
131 313.4 516 668 1113 1430

1.2 Embrace
our
Californian
climate*
Total Water
Consumption
Total
volume of
water used
in the city
per day
(Mgal/day)
116 95.9 91.2 87.7 76 -
Residential
Water Use
Residential
water use
per capita
per day
(gpcd)
60 64.6 51.7 42 20 -
Reused &
Recycled
Water
Sources
Portion of
total water
demand
met by
recycled
water
5% 5.8% 10.5% 14% 23% -
Table C1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics with Goals Through 2050 (continued) Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Baseline 2023 2027 2030 2040 2050

1.3 Protect
and Expand
Natural and
Working
Lands
NWL
Preservation &
Expansion
Acres of land
with a General
Plan Land Use
Designation
specified in the
NWL element29
94,027 95,790 95,790 95,790 95,790 95,790
Regenerative
Agriculture
Acres of
land with
regenerative
agriculture
practices
applied
0 0 2,114 3,700 7,500 11,200
NWL
Restoration &
Enhancement
Acres of
NWLs with
restoration or
enhancement
practices
applied
0 10 2,566 4,500 9,100 13,600
Urban
Greening
Acres of
neighborhood/
community
serving
parkland per
1,000
people
2,938 2,812 3,319 3,700 4,500 5,200

2.1 Densify
our city
City Density in
Growth Areas
Density of new
residents in
planned growth
areas
5,402 5,303 5,706 6,008 7,015 8,727
Complete
Streets**
Percentage
of streets that
meet San José
Complete
Streets criteria
NA 36% 39% 41% - -
TransitOriented
Development
Commercial
space located
within ½ mile
of high-quality
transit stop
(millions sq ft)
59 67 69 70 74 78
42 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 43 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 22 Table C1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics with Goals Through 2050 (continued) Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Baseline 2023 2027 2030 2040 2050

2.2 Make
homes
efficient and
affordable
Household
Energy Use
(Natural Gas)
Household
natural
gas use
(therms)
112,098,302 115,569,241 49,529,675 0 0 0
Household
Energy Use
Intensity
(Natural Gas)
Average
natural gas
use per
dwelling
unit
(therms/
du)
333 348 149 0 0 0

2.3 Create
clean,
personalized
mobility
choices
Zero-Emission
Vehicles**
Percentage
of
passenger
vehicles
(including
SUVs) that
are zero
emission

1.4% 6.2% 53% 88% - -
Reduced Car
Dependency**
Percentage
of trips
taken in
SOVs

74.4% 70.5% 63.9% 59% - -

2.4 Develop
integrated,
accessible
public
transport
infrastructure
VMT
Reduction
Vehicle
miles
traveled
per capita
per day

15.2 16.4 13.5 11.4 8.7 6.5
Public Transit Percentage
of trips
taken on
public
transit

1.80% 0.7% 6% 10% 20% 35%
Accessible
Transit
Percentage
of
households
within
1/2 mile
of a high
quality
transit stop

28.6% 29% 31% 32% 36% 50%
Table C1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics with Goals Through 2050 (continued) Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Baseline 2023 2027 2030 2040 2050

3.1 Create
local jobs in
our city
Jobs to
Employed
Resident
Ratio
Jobs to
employed
resident
(J/ER)
ratio

0.8 0.79 0.91 1.0 1.1 1.1
Transitaccessible
Jobs
Jobs within
1 mile of
rail
and 1 mile
of HCT
237,059 245,437 319,473 375,000 475,000 550,000
Commuting Percentage
of
commute
journeys by
non-SOV
modes

21.9% 23% 41% 54% 76% 88%

3.2 Improve
our
commercial
building
stock
Distributed
Generation
Rooftop
solar
generation
on
commercial
and
industrial
buildings
(MW)
52 79 166 231 430 636
Commercial/
Industrial
Building
Energy Use
(Natural Gas)
Commercial
and
industrial
natural
gas use
(therms)
60,670,602 58,054,345 24,880,434 0 0 0
Commercial/
Industrial
Building
Energy
Use Intensity
(Natural Gas)
Natural
gas use per
square foot
(therms/sq
ft)

0.33 0.30 0.13 0 0 0
44 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 45 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 23 APPENDIX D.

Appendix D outlines the data used to calculate each of the metrics in this Climate Smart San José Plan Update. It also provides details on any metrics that have had baseline values or milestones re-calculated.

More details on data sources, methodologies and limitations will be added to (for new metrics) or updated on (for revised metrics) our online Climate Smart Data Dashboard in 2026. You can view details for existing metrics at SJEnvironment.org/CSDashboard.

1.1. Transition to a Renewable Energy Future
Renewable Electricity: Share of eligible renewable energy generation in SJCE’s portfolio The share of renewable energy in San José Clean Energy (SJCE)’s power mix is calculated based on its power procurement. Renewable energy transactions are governed by and recorded in the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS), which is an independent, renewable energy tracking system for the region covered by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC).

The California Energy Commission (CEC) annually publishes Power Content Labels for each California utility. They include information on the power mix and greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with each electricity portfolio offered to customers.

This metric measures the portion of renewable electricity in SJCE’s base rate plan: Green Source.

Only Eligible Renewable Energy Resources are considered for calculating the total portion of electricity generation that comes from renewable sources. This includes energy generated from biomass & biowaste, geothermal, eligible hydroelectric (excludes large hydroelectric), solar, and wind.

Carbon-Free Electricity: Portion of electricity generation in SJCE’s portfolio that is carbon-free The share of carbon free energy in San José Clean Energy (SJCE)’s power mix is calculated based on its power procurement. The California Energy Commission (CEC) annually publishes Power Content Labels for each California utility. They include information on the power mix and greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with each electricity portfolio offered to customers.

This metric measures the portion of carbon-free electricity in SJCE’s base rate plan: Green Source.

The following Energy Resources are considered for calculating the total portion of electricity generation that is carbon free: eligible renewable (biomass & biowaste, geothermal, eligible hydroelectric (excludes large hydroelectric), solar, and wind); large hydroelectric; and nuclear.

Local Renewables: Amount of renewable energy capacity installed in San José (MW) Renewable energy capacity in San José is pulled annually from the California Distributed Generation Statistics (CDGS) Interconnected Project Sites Dataset. The data are filtered to include only projects occurring in ZIP codes that lie entirely within San José’s city boundary. Technology Type is filtered to only include Solar PV and Photovoltaic projects. Data under System Size AC is summed for each year of interest and converted from kWh to MWh. Each year’s total includes all projects that were approved by December 31st of that year.

3.3 Make
commercial
goods
movement
clean and
efficient
Local
Delivery
Vehicles
Percentage
of local
delivery
vehicles
that are
electric

0.1% 1.1% 35% 60% 100% 100%
Heavy Duty
Vehicles
Percentage
of heavy
duty
vehicles
that
use
alternative
fuels

1.6% 3.5% 28% 46% 87% 100%
* 2050 goals were not included in the original Climate Smart San Jose Plan for the strategies under Pillar 1.2: Embrace our Californian climate. Staff will consider setting milestones for 2050 in future updates.
** For metrics that have been newly added to the Climate Smart plan and do not have existing milestones, only 2030 goals were set. Staff will consider setting milestones for 2040 and 2050 in future updates.

Table C1: Climate Smart Dashboard Tracking Metrics with Goals Through 2050 (continued) Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Baseline 2023 2027 2030 2040 2050
46 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 47 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 24 1.3. Protect and Expand Natural and Working Lands
Preservation and Expansion: Acres of land with a General Plan Land Use Designation specified in the Natural and Working Lands (NWL) element
Data on acres of NWL are provided by the City of San José’s Planning, Building and Code Enforcement department. Acreage totals include land within San José’s Sphere of Influence for the following Envision San José 2040 General Plan land use designations: Open Space, Parklands and Habitat (OSPH); Open Hillside (OH); and Agriculture (A).

Milestone re-set. New 2030, 2040 and 2050 milestones were set for this metric due to each of the original milestones being surpassed. Each of these goals have been updated to maintain the current actual value.

Regenerative Agriculture Practices: New acres of land with regenerative agriculture practices applied
Data on new acres of land utilizing regenerative agriculture practices are provided by local and regional agencies that lead and monitor relevant efforts. Agencies consulted for data collection included San José’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Santa Clara County Cooperative Extension, and Santa Clara County Valley Water District.

The following regenerative agriculture practices are considered for this metric: cropland management, grazing land management, biosolids application (on croplands and grazing lands), compost application (on croplands and grazing lands), and mulching application (on croplands and grazing lands).
“New” acreage is defined as any land that started utilizing regenerative agriculture practices after 2021, when San José’s NWL Element was developed.

You can view more details on this metric in the linked NWL Element.

Restoration and Enhancement Practices: New acres of NWLs with restoration or enhancement practices applied
Data on new acres of land utilizing restoration and enhancement practices are provided by local and regional agencies that lead and monitor relevant efforts. Agencies consulted for data collection included San José’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Santa Clara County Cooperative Extension, and Santa Clara County Valley Water District.

The following restoration and enhancement practices are considered for this metric: riparian restoration, wetland restoration, urban forest expansion, oak woodland restoration, native grassland restoration, biosolids application (on non croplands and grazing lands), compost application (on non croplands and grazing lands) and mulching application (on non croplands and grazing lands).
“New” acreage is defined as any land that started utilizing restoration and enhancement practices after 2021, when San José’s NWL Element was developed.

You can view more details on this metric in the linked NWL Element.

1.2. Live with the California Climate
Total Water Consumption: Total volume of water used in the city per day (Mgal/day) Values for total citywide water use are sourced from the Santa Clara Valley Water District and represent the total amount of water produced in San José by the City Municipal Water System, SJWC, and the Great Oaks Water Company. The amount of water produced in San José by SJWC is estimated as 80 percent of the total amount of water produced by SJWC because approximately 80 percent of SJWC’s customers are within San José city limits.

Milestone re-set. A new 2030 milestone was set for this metric due to the original milestone being surpassed. The new milestone for 2030 was set by linearly interpolating between the most recent actual value (2023) and the next long-term, not yet achieved goal (2040).

Residential Water Use: Residential water use per capita per day (gpcd) Data on annual total water use by residential customers of the San José Municipal Water System are provided by Municipal Water System staff for all years.

Data on annual total water use by residential customers of the other two water retailers that serve San José residents, San José Water Company (SJWC) and Great Oaks Water Company, are estimated based on Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) data and observed water use trends from San José Municipal Water Systems data. Baseline data was estimated by linearly interpolating between 2015 and 2020 values for residential water use that were obtained from UWMPs. The total amount of water sold by SJWC to residential customers was multiplied by 80 percent because approximately 80 percent of SJWC’s customers are within San José city limits. 2023 data was estimated by assuming that water use changed from year to year along the same trends as residential water use by San José Municipal Water System customers.

To calculate residential water use per capita per day water usage, the total amount of water sold by all three retailers to residential customers in San José is summed and then divided by the number of residents in San José and the number of days in a year (365.25 to account for leap years.) Population data are from the California Department of Finance’s Demographics Unit (Table E-5).

Reused & Recycled Water Sources: Portion of total water demand met by recycled water Data on recycled water use come from the South Bay Water Recycling (SBWR) program, which is administered and operated by the City of San José. SBWR receives consumption data quarterly from the recycled water retailers serving San José (City of San José Municipal Water System and San José Water Company (SJWC).

Values for total water use are sourced from the Santa Clara Valley Water District and represent the total amount of water produced in San José by the City Municipal Water System, SJWC, and the Great Oaks Water Company. The amount of water produced in San José by SJWC is estimated as 80 percent of the total amount of water produced by SJWC because approximately 80 percent of SJWC’s customers are within San José city limits.

To calculate the portion of total water demand met by recycled water, consumption data provided by SBWR is divided by total water use sources from Santa Clara Valley Water District and multiplied by 100.
48 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 49 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 25 Transit-Oriented Development: Commercial space located within ½ mile of a high-quality transit stop (millions of sq ft)
Data on commercial properties (location, square footage, year built) come from the Santa Clara County Tax Assessor’s Office. Commercial properties are defined as properties with Use Code Categories “Shopping Centers,” “Other Shopping Centers,” or “Other Urban.” Commercial properties described as “Parking,” “Residential Care Facilities,” or “Social Clubs, Fraternal Orders, Community Centers” are excluded.

Transit stop locations include both existing transit stops based on General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data and transit stops that are planned as part of Plan Bay Area 2050. High quality transit stops are defined as those where wait time is less than 15 minutes in the morning and nighttime.

Geospatial analysis is performed to filter County Tax Assessor data to only include commercial properties that are within ½ mile of high-quality transit stop locations. The square footage of building space in the resulting dataset is then summed.

Baseline value re-calculated. The baseline value for this metric was recalculated to match an updated, more accurate methodology that will be used going forward (as outlined above.) Milestone re-set. New 2030 and 2040 milestones were set for this metric due to the original milestones being surpassed. The new milestones were set by linearly interpolating between the most recent actual value (2023) and the next long-term, not yet achieved goal (2050).

2.2. Make homes efficient and affordable
Household Energy Use (Natural Gas): Household natural gas use (therms) Data on natural gas use by residential customers in San José are provided by PG&E. Data represents total citywide natural gas usage by residential customers for a given calendar year.

Household Energy Use Intensity (Natural Gas): Average natural gas use per dwelling unit (therms/ du)
Data on natural gas use by residential customers in San José are provided by PG&E. Data represents total citywide natural gas usage by residential customers for a given calendar year.

Data on numbers of households in San José are from the California Department of Finance’s Demographics Unit (Table E-5).

EUI is calculated by dividing total residential customer natural gas use by total number of households to produce the average amount of natural gas use per household for a given year.

2.3. Create clean, personalized mobility choices
Zero-Emission Vehicles: Percentage of passenger vehicles (including SUVs) that are zero emission Data on passenger vehicles registered in San José come from the Light-Duty Vehicle Population in California dataset from the California Energy Commission Zero Emission Vehicle and Infrastructure Statistics Dashboard. Data are presented for passenger vehicles registered in ZIP codes that lie entirely within San José’s city boundary and that are categorized as Battery Electric (BEV.) Each year’s dataset includes all vehicles that were registered as of December 31st of that year.

Urban Greening: Acres of neighborhood/community serving parkland within San José city limits This metric is based on a service level objective under Envision San José 2040 General Plan Goal PR-1: Acres of neighborhood and community recreation lands per 1,000 population. Data is collected from General Plan Annual Performance Reviews and is based on “Actual Service Level” data, which is recorded at the end of San José’s fiscal year (June 30.) Mid-year data from these reports are used to estimate calendar year data in this Update.

Population data are from the California Department of Finance’s Demographics Unit (Table E-5).

Total acreage is calculated by dividing the Actual Service Level data by 1,000 and multiplying by the population in the year of interest.

2.1. Transition to a Renewable Energy Future
City Density in Growth Areas: Density of new residents in planned growth areas Data on housing in Urban Villages and Growth Areas (number of housing units, year built) come from the City of San José’s Housing Site Explorer, which utilizes data from the Santa Clara County Tax Assessor’s Office. Population density in Urban Villages and Growth Areas in each year is estimated by multiplying the number of housing units existing in Urban Villages and Growth Areas by the average household size in San José from the California Department of Finance’s Demographics Unit (Table E-5), and dividing by the total area of Urban Villages and Growth Areas within the city boundary (30.38 square miles).

Baseline value re-calculated. The baseline value for this metric was recalculated to match an updated, more accurate methodology that will be used going forward (as outlined above.) Milestone re-set. A new 2030 milestone was set for this metric due to the original milestone being surpassed. The new milestone for 2030 was set by linearly interpolating between the most recent actual value (2023) and the next long-term, not yet achieved goal (2040).

Complete Streets: Percentage of streets that meet San José Complete Streets criteria Data is pulled from the San José Department of Transportation’s Decision Support System (DSS) which measures and tracks a number of the City’s transportation KPIs. The Complete Streets metric in the Update is calculated based on a Complete Streets index that was custom developed for San José. It measures the proportion of street segments that have an index score greater than or equal to 1 out of 3, which indicates some level of presence of sidewalks on both sides of the street, Class II or better bikeways, and/or transit service on Grand Boulevard-designated rights-ofway (ROW ≥ 130’). Required datasets for calculating this metric include San José Streets, San José Sidewalks, San José Bike Network, GTFS Networks (BART, Caltrain, VTA), and the US Census. 50 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 51 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 26 To calculate the percentage of passenger vehicles that are zero emissions for a given year, the number of light-duty BEV that are registered in San José is divided by the total number of lightduty vehicles registered in San José.

Geospatial analysis is performed to filter County Tax Assessor data to only include properties that are within ½ mile of high-quality transit stop locations. The number of dwelling units in the resulting dataset is summed and then divided by the total number of dwelling units in the city.

Baseline value re-calculated. The baseline value for this metric was recalculated to match an updated, more accurate methodology that will be used going forward.

Milestone re-set. A new 2030 milestone was set for this metric due to the original milestone being surpassed. The new milestone for 2030 was set by linearly interpolating between the most recent actual value (2023) and the next long-term, not yet achieved goal (2040).

3.1. Create local jobs in our city
Jobs to Employed Resident Ratio: Jobs to employed resident (J/ER) ratio This metric pulls directly from the Jobs-to-Employed-Resident (J/ER) Ratios that are reported under Envision San José 2040 General Plan. Jobs data are from the California Employment Development Department (workers that are not self-employed) and American Community Survey (self-employed workers). Data on the number of employed residents are also from the California Employment Development Department.

Transit-accessible Jobs: Number of jobs within 1/2 mile of a high-quality transit stop Data on number of employees per business and business license begin and end dates come from the City’s Business License database. Data are included both for businesses that are currently active and those that are currently inactive.

Transit stop locations include both existing transit stops based on General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data and transit stops that are planned as part of Plan Bay Area 2050. Highquality transit stops are defined as those where wait time is less than 15 minutes in the morning and nighttime.

Geospatial analysis is performed to filter jobs data to only include employee counts for San José businesses that are within ½ mile of high-quality transit stop locations.

Baseline value re-calculated. The baseline value for this metric was recalculated to match an updated, more accurate methodology that will be used going forward.

Commuting: Percentage of commute journeys by non-SOV modes Data on commute journeys come from Replica. Replica mode share data is generated using a combination of mobile location data, land use information, and travel behavior models to estimate the number of trips taken via various transportation modes within a given region. The data is calibrated against “ground truth” observations—such as traffic counts, transit ridership, economic activity reports, and other public datasets—to improve accuracy.

SOV trips are calculated using US Census data. Replica reports data on auto person trips but does not differentiate between SOV and carpool trips. To reconcile this, US Census data on the average occupancy of carpool trips was used to separate SOV trips from carpool trips.

To calculate the percentage of passenger vehicles that are zero emissions for a given year, the number of light-duty BEV that are registered in San José is divided by the total number of lightduty vehicles registered in San José.

Reduced Car Dependency: Percentage of trips taken in SOVs Single occupancy vehicle (SOV) and total trip data are both derived from Replica. Replica mode share data is generated using a combination of mobile location data, land use information, and travel behavior models to estimate the number of trips taken in San José via various transportation modes (such as single occupancy vehicle) within a given region. The data is calibrated against “ground truth” observations—such as traffic counts, transit ridership, economic activity reports, and other public datasets—to improve accuracy.

SOV trips are calculated using US Census data. Replica reports data on auto person trips but does not differentiate between SOV and carpool trips. To reconcile this, US Census data on the average occupancy of carpool trips was used to separate SOV trips from carpool trips.

2.4. Develop integrated, accessible public transport infrastructure VMT Reduction: Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita per day Data on daily VMT come from Replica. Replica VMT data is generated by modeling individual trip patterns using a synthetic population informed by US Census data, land use, mobile location data, and other “ground truth” observations—such as traffic counts, transit ridership, economic activity reports, and other public datasets. Each trip is assigned a travel mode and route, allowing Replica to simulate and calculate total vehicle miles traveled across time periods and geographies.

Population data are from the US Census.

VMT per capita per day is calculated in the DSS by dividing daily VMT by population data.

Public Transit: Percentage of total trips taken on public transit Public transit ridership and total trip data are both derived from Replica. Replica mode share data is generated using a combination of mobile location data, land use information, and travel behavior models to estimate the number of trips taken in San José via various transportation modes (such as public transit) within a given region. The data is calibrated against “ground truth” observations—such as traffic counts, transit ridership, economic activity reports, and other public datasets—to improve accuracy.

Accessible Transit: Percentage of households within 1/2 mile of a high-quality transit stop Data on residential properties (location, number of units, year built) are from the Santa Clara County Tax Assessor’s Office. Only properties with Use Code Category “Residential (Classified by Dwelling Type)” are included, and properties with Use Code Description “Parking for Existing Apartment Complex” are excluded.

Total number of dwelling units in the city are from California Department of Finance’s Demographics Unit (Table E-5).

Transit stop locations include both existing transit stops based on General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data and transit stops that are planned as part of Plan Bay Area 2050. Highquality transit stops are defined as those where wait time is less than 15 minutes in the morning and nighttime.
50 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 51 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 27 Heavy Duty Vehicles: Percentage of heavy duty vehicles that use alternative fuels This metric uses vehicle population estimates for Santa Clara County from the California Air Resources Board’s EMFAC2021 Emissions Inventory model. It assumes that the percentages of alternative-fuel heavy-duty freight vehicles in both San José and Santa Clara County are the same.

The EMFAC2021 model provides data for a long list of different vehicle types (described in Appendix 4 of the User’s Guide). This metric is based on data for heavy-duty vehicle types that are often used for moving freight (T6 CAIRP Class 4-7, T7 CAIRP Class 8, T6 Instate Delivery Class 4-7, T6 Instate Tractor Class 6-7, T6 OOS Class 4-7, T7 NNOOS Class 8, T7 NOOS Class 8, T7 Other Port Class 8, T7 POAK Class 8, T7 Tractor Class 8). For this metric, “alternative fuels” includes compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles.

3.2. Improve our commercial building stock
Distributed Generation: Rooftop solar generation on commercial and industrial buildings (MW) Renewable energy capacity in San José is pulled annually from the California Distributed Generation Statistics (CDGS) Interconnected Project Sites Dataset. For this metric, the data are filtered to include only projects categorized as “Commercial” or “Industrial” and occurring in ZIP codes that lie entirely within San José’s city boundary. Technology Type is filtered to only include Solar PV and Photovoltaic projects. Data under System Size AC is summed for each year of interest and converted from kWh to MWh. Each year’s total includes all projects that were approved by December 31st of that year.

Baseline value re-calculated. The baseline value for this metric was recalculated to match an updated, more accurate methodology that will be used going forward (as outlined above).

Commercial/Industrial Building Energy Use (Natural Gas): Commercial and industrial natural gas use (therms)
Data on natural gas use by commercial and industrial customers in San José are provided by PG&E. Data represents total citywide natural gas use by both commercial and industrial customers for a given calendar year. Natural gas use by institutional customers is not included.

Commercial/Industrial Building Energy Use Intensity (Natural Gas): Natural gas use per square foot (therms/sq ft)
Data on natural gas use by commercial and industrial customers in San José are provided by PG&E. Data represents total citywide natural gas use by both commercial and industrial customers for a given calendar year. Natural gas use by institutional customers is not included.

Data on commercial and industrial building square footage come from the Santa Clara County Tax Assessor’s Office.

EUI is calculated by dividing total commercial and industrial natural gas use by total square footage of commercial and industrial building space for a given year.

3.3. Make commercial goods movement clean and efficient Local Delivery Vehicles: Percentage of local delivery vehicles that are electric This metric uses vehicle population estimates for Santa Clara County from the California Air Resources Board’s EMFAC2021 Emissions Inventory model. It assumes that the percentages of electric local delivery vehicles in both San José and Santa Clara County are the same.

The EMFAC2021 model provides data for a long list of different vehicle types (described in Appendix 4 of the User’s Guide). This metric is based on data for vehicle types that are often used as local delivery vehicles (LHD1, LHD2, MDV, and T6 Instate Delivery Class 4-7). For this metric, “electric” includes both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). 52 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 53 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 28 Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Original metric (if
revised)
Rationale

1.3 Protect
and Expand
Natural and
Working
Lands
NWL Preservation
& Expansion
New Metric: Acres of land
with a General Plan Land
Use Designation specified in
the NWL element21
NA Added as part
of the inclusion
of NWL into this
update.

Regenerative
Agriculture
New Metric: New acres
of land with regenerative
agriculture practices applied
NA Added as part
of the inclusion
of NWL into this
update.

NWL Restoration
& Enhancement
New Metric: New acres of
NWLs with restoration or
enhancement practices
applied
NA Added as part
of the inclusion
of NWL into this
update.

Urban Greening New Metric: Acres of
neighborhood/community
serving parkland per 1,000
people
NA Added as part
of the inclusion
of NWL into this
update.

2.1 Densify
our city
City Density in
Growth Areas
Density of new residents in
planned growth areas
NA Unchanged
Complete Streets Revised Metric: Percentage
of streets that meet San
José Complete Streets
criteria30
Percentage of
primary streets
in San José that
meet California
Complete Streets
Act standards
Changed to align
with existing
DOT metrics. San
José uses a cityspecific Complete
Streets Index,
which differs from
state standards
to reflect local
priorities.

Transit-Oriented
Development
Revised Metric: Commercial
space located within 1/2 mile
of a high-quality transit
stop18 (millions of sq ft)
Commercial space
located within 1/2
mile of transit
Changed to align
with available
data that has
been used to
calculate the
metric.
53 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table E1: Detailed list of updates made to Climate Smart metrics (continued) APPENDIX E.

Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Original metric (if
revised)
Rationale

1.1 Transition
to a
Renewable
Energy
Future
Renewable
Energy
Share of eligible renewable
energy generation in SJCE
portfolio
NA Unchanged
Local Renewables Revised Metric: Amount
of distributed renewable
energy capacity installed in
San José
Amount of
renewable energy
capacity installed
in San José
Revised to specify
“distributed”
renewable energy
capacity
Carbon-Free
Energy
New Metric: Portion of
electricity generation in
SJCE’s portfolio that is
carbon-free
NA Added to convey
the carbon
intensity of SJCE
electricity and
proportion of
renewable sources
in electricity mix

1.2 Embrace
our
Californian
climate
Total Water
Consumption
Total volume of water
consumed in the city per
day
NA Unchanged
Residential Water
Use
Residential water use per
capita per day
NA Unchanged
Reused &
Recycled Water
Sources
Percentage of water
captured and reused or
treated then recycled
NA Unchanged
This appendix provides a detailed overview of the updates made to Climate Smart metrics, explaining what has changed and why. These refinements ensure the metrics remain aligned with San José’s carbon neutrality goals, are measurable, and reflect the most impactful strategies.

For each metric, this section highlights whether it is new, revised, or unchanged, along with the rationale for the update. These changes were informed by advancements in data availability, shifts in regulatory priorities, and the integration of the Natural and Working Lands (NWL) element. Together, they enhance the City’s ability to track progress transparently and focus on the strategies that drive the greatest impact.
53 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table E1: Detailed list of updates made to Climate Smart metrics 29 Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Original metric
(if revised)
Rationale

2.4 Develop
integrated,
accessible
public
transport
infrastructure
VMT Reduction Revised Metric:

Vehicle miles traveled
per capita per day
Vehicle miles
traveled per
capita per day
reduction
Revised due to difficulty
tracking old metric of
“reduction.”
Public Transit Revised Metric:

Percentage of total
trips taken on public
transit
Percentage of
commute trips
taken on public
transit
Revised to get a more
holistic view of travel
patterns.

Accessible Transit Revised Metric:

Percentage of
households within 1/2
mile of high-quality
transit stop18
Percentage
of households
within 1/2 mile of
high frequency
(less than 15
min) transit
7am to 10pm
Changed to align with
available data that has
been used to calculate the
metric.

3.1 Create
local jobs in
our city
Jobs to Employed
Resident Ratio
Jobs to employed
resident (J/ER) ratio
NA Unchanged
Transit-Accessible
Jobs
Revised Metric:

Number of jobs within
1/2 mile of high-quality
transit stop18
Removed
Metric: Jobs
within 1/2 mile of
rail and 1/4 mile
of HCT
Changed to align with
available data that has
been used to calculate the
metric.

Commuting Revised Metric:

Percentage of
commute journeys by
non-SOV modes
Percentage
of commute
journeys by
walking and
cycling
Revised to capture more
modes that are lower
intensity, not just active
transportation.
55 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table E1: Detailed list of updates made to Climate Smart metrics (continued) Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Original metric
(if revised)
Rationale

2.2 Make
homes
efficient and
affordable
ZNE Homes NA Removed
Metric: Number
of Zero Net
Energy (ZNE)
homes
Removed due to lack of
available data.

All-Electric Homes NA Removed
Metric:

Percentage of
homes that are
all-electric
Removed due to lack of
available data. Progress
towards residential
building electrification
will be reflected in other
metrics under Strategy 2.2.

Household Energy
Use
Revised Metric:

Citywide natural gas
use (therms)
Household
energy use (gas
and electricity)
Removed electricity
use since natural gas
use is a better indicator
for progress towards
electrification.

Household Energy
Use Intensity
New Metric: Average
natural gas use
intensity (EUI) per
dwelling unit
NA Added to better reflect
progress toward GHG
reduction goals. Overall
energy use can fluctuate
due to factors such as
increases in population,
building stock, and
economic growth.

2.3 Create
clean,
personalized
mobility
choices
Zero-Emission
Vehicles
Revised Metric:

Percentage of
registered passenger
vehicles that are zero
emission
Percentage
of passenger
vehicles
(including SUVs)
that are electric
Revised from “electric” to
“zero-emission,” to better
reflect GHG reduction
goals.

Reduced Car
Dependency
Revised Metric:

Proportion of total
trips that are taken
in single occupant
vehicles (SOVs)
Reduction in
passenger cars
and SUVs from
public or shared
mobility
Consolidated with the
Single Occupancy Vehicles
indicator, which was
changed from commuter
trips to total trips to get a
more holistic view of travel
patterns.

Single-Occupancy
Vehicles
NA Removed
Metric:

Percentage
of commutes
taken in single
occupant
vehicles (SOVs)
Updated from commuter
trips to total trips to get
a more holistic view
of travel patterns and
consolidated with the
Reduced Car Dependency
indicator. This indicator
is still captured under
Commuting, which now
tracks the percentage of
commute journeys by nonSOV modes.
54 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table E1: Detailed list of updates made to Climate Smart metrics (continued) 30 57 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Pillar and
Strategy
Indicator Metric Original metric
(if revised)
Rationale

3.2 Improve
our
commercial
building
stock
ZNE Commercial
Buildings
NA Removed
Metric: Gross
Internal Floor
Area of ZNE
commercial
buildings
Removed due to lack of
available data.

Distributed
Generation
Revised Metric:

Distributed renewable
energy capacity on
commercial and
industrial buildings
Rooftop solar
generation on
commercial
and industrial
buildings
Revised to specify
“distributed renewable
energy capacity” is being
measured.

Commercial and
Industrial Building
Energy
New Metric:

Commercial and
industrial natural gas
usage (therms)
NA Added to complement
household energy use
metric of Strategy 2.2.

Commercial and
Industrial Building
Energy Intensity
New Metric: Natural
gas use intensity per
square foot (EUI)
NA Added to complement
household energy use
intensity metric of
Strategy 2.2.

3.3 Make
commercial
goods
movement
clean and
efficient
Local Delivery
Vehicles
Percentage of electric
local delivery vehicles
NA Unchanged
Heavy Duty
Vehicles
Percentage of
alternative fuel heavy
goods vehicles
NA Unchanged
56 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update
Table E1: Detailed list of updates made to Climate Smart metrics (continued) 31 1. Based on the 2021 communitywide inventory. Discludes emissions from the following sectors not covered under the original Climate Smart plan: process and fugitive,
aviation, and heavy rail.

2. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC). (2023). Sixth Assessment Report: Synthesis Report. Retrieved from www.ipcc.ch/ report/ar6/syr/

3. The Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan
can be accessed here:
www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/22359/637928744399330000

4. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate
Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France,
on 12 December 2015. It entered into force
on 4 November 2016. Additional information:
unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement

5. The Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030
can be accessed here:
www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/93082/638065452005070000

6. The City of San Jose 2023 Inventory of
Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Emissions can be accessed here: www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/122510/638866287441830000

7. California Air Resources Board. (2022). Advanced Clean Cars II rule. Accessed from:
ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/california-moves-accelerate-100-new-zero-emission-vehicle-sales-2035.

8. State of California. (2022). AB 1279. Accessed
from: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1279.

9. More information about Plan Bay Area 2050
and the full plan can be found at planbayarea.org/.

10. Bay Area Air District. (2023). Rule 9-4 and
Rule 9-6 Building Appliances. Accessed
from: www.baaqmd.gov/rules-and-compliance/rule-development/building-appliances.

11. The Natural and Working Lands Element can be accessed here: www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/91813/638223658589470000

12. Climate Smart defines NWLs as areas designated in the Envision San José 2040 General Plan as OpenSpace, Parklands, and Habitat,
Agriculture, and Open Hillside.

13. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to reduce the amount
of carbon in the atmosphere and slow climate change.

14. Learn more about SJCE, community choice
energy, and available options at sanjosecleanenergy.org/.

15. A phenomenon where urban areas experience significantly warmer temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to the
concentration of buildings, roads, and other
heat-absorbing infrastructure that retain
heat.

16. Envision San José 2040 General Plan designations of Open Hillside, Agriculture, and Open Space, Parklands, and Habitat.

17. Baseline values reflect the original Climate
Smart or Natural and Working Lands Element baseline. 2023 values reflect the most recent actual performance. 2027, 2030, and
where applicable 2040 targets are adopted
or recalculated by interpolating a straight
line from 2023 to the next long-term goal.

Appendix C shows 2040 and 2050 goals;
Appendix D provides methodology for any
recalculations.

18. City of San José. (2024). Envision San José
2040 General Plan. Page 16. Retrieved from
www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/22359/637928744399330000 Also see map on page 31 of the Envision San José
2040 General Plan.

19. Complete Streets Index score is between 0
and 3. A score of 1.5 would be equivalent to
every street in the census tract having sidewalks on both sides and about half of the streets having either bike facilities or transit.

Endnotes
58 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update 59 Climate Smart San José 2025 Update

20. Climate Smart defines high-quality transit
stops as those where wait time is less than 15
minutes in the morning and nighttime.

21. The baseline value for this metric was recalculated to match the updated, more accurate methodology. Information on methodologies can be found in Appendix D of this update and on the online Climate Smart
Data Dashboard.

22. Rocky Mountain Institute. (2022). All-Electric
Buildings are Healthy Buildings. Accessed
from: rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/
all_electric_buildings_healthy_factsheet.pdf.

23. More information about building electrification in San José can be found at: www. sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/energy/climate-smart-sanjose/building-electrification.

24. Move San José is the strategic plan for the
City’s Department of Transportation. The
plan can be accessed from: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/096082d53c5c4e5baf9eb6afe15a1f0f.

25. More information about these transportation projects can be found at: www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/transportation/transit.

26. The 362,000 jobs figure reflects the projected increase in local employment from 2008 to 2040, based on the City’s GHG emissions
forecast. The 2040 projection is aligned with
updated land use and economic growth assumptions from the Envision San José 2040 General Plan 4-Year Review Report. This figure differs from the original Climate Smart plan due to updated planning assumptions
and methodology.

27. The number of jobs in San José in 2022 data
source: State of California Employment Development Department edd.ca.gov/

28. Although the city’s 2030 goal and most of
the programs related to Strategy 3.2 focus
on commercial buildings, commercial building data consists of both commercial and industrial energy usage. Industrial energy use cannot be disaggregated from commercial.

29. The City’s Green Fleet Policy can be accessed
here: www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/17915/637164315982600000.

30. See original Climate Smart plan, Section 32,
for a list of general funding mechanisms.

31. Recent Climate Smart Semi-Annual Updates
can be accessed here: www.sanjoseca.gov/
your-government/departments-offices/energy/climate-smart-san-jose and others are available upon request.

32. Envision San José 2040 General Plan designations of Open Hillside, Agriculture, and Open Space, Parklands, and Habitat.

33. The Complete Streets metric represents the
percentage of streets in San José that accommodate all intended users—including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers— based on the presence of sidewalks, Class II or better bikeways in accordance
with the Better Bike Plan, and transit service
on Grand Boulevards.

34. The California Air Resource Board 2022 Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality can be accessed here: ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/2022-sp.pdf

35. Offroad transportation covers numerous
types of mobile equipment such as boats,
tractors, lawn equipment, and construction
vehicles. Freight rail refers to emissions from
goods-moving trains operating within San
José, which are distinct from light rail used
for public passenger transit.
32 Climate
Smart
San José

A P E O P L E - C E N T E R E D P L A N F O R

A LOW-CARBON CITY
2025 UPDATE
October 2025
This publication can be made available upon
request in alternative formats, such as Braille,
large print, audio tape, or computer disk.

Requests may be made by calling
408-535-3500 (voice), 800-735-2929
(California Relay Service), or 408-294-9337
(TTY). To receive a publication in a different
language, such as Spanish or Vietnamese,
email [email protected].
© City of San José
33 2023 Inventory of
Communitywide
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
SAN JOSÉ, CA
Produced By:

I C L E I - L o c a l G o v e r n m e n t s
f o r S u s t a i n a b i l i t y U S A
A p r i l 2 0 2 5
Prepared For:

S a n J o s é , C A
Attachment B – 2023 Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Inventor Table of Contents
03 Tables and Figures
04 Credits and Acknowledgments
05 Abbreviations
07 Executive Summary
08 Key Findings: Total Emissions
09 Introduction to Climate Change
12 Greenhouse Gas Inventory as a Step Toward Carbon Neutrality 13 ICLEI GreenClimateCities Framework
14 Inventory Methodology
14 Understanding a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
15 Community Emissions Protocol
16 Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions
16 Sources and Activities
17 Base Year
17 Quantification Methods
18 Community Emissions Inventory Results
21 Key Findings: Transportation
22 Key Findings: Buildings
23 Key Findings: Process & Fugitive Emissions
24 Avoided Emissions
24 Comparison Discussion
26 Projections and Current Progress
28 Conclusion
28 Future Considerations
29 Appendix: Methodology Details
29 Buildings: Electricity
30 Buildings: Natural Gas
31 Buildings: Non-utility Fuels
33 Transportation: On-road
33 Transportation: Off-road
36 Transportation: Aviation
37 Transportation: Public Transit
38 Transportation: Rail
39 Solid Waste
41 Wastewater
42 Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use
43 Process & Fugitive Emissions
45 Avoided Emissions
45 Inventory Calculations
City of San José 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 0 2 Tables and Figures
List of Tables
14 Table 1: Global Warming Potential Values (IPCC, 2021) 16 Table 2: Types of GPC Emissions
16 Table 3: Source vs. Activity for Greenhouse Gas Emissions 18 Table 4: 2023 Communitywide Emissions Inventory
24 Table 5: Avoided Emissions
24 Table 6: San José Communitywide Emissions by Sector and Activity for All Years 29 Table 7: Building Electricity Methodology
30 Table 8: Building Natural Gas Methodology
32 Table 9: Building Non-utility Fuel Methodology
33 Table 10: On-road Transportation Methodology
34 Table 11: Off-road Transportation Methodology
36 Table 12: Aviation Transportation Methodology
37 Table 13: Public Transportation Methodology
38 Table 14: Rail Transportation Methodology
39 Table 15: Solid Waste Methodology
41 Table 16: Wastewater Methodology
42 Table 17: Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use Methodology 43 Table 18: Process & Fugitive Emissions Methodology
45 Table 19: Avoided Emissions Methodology
List of Figures
08 Figure 1: Communitywide Emissions by Sector
12 Figure 2: Co-Benefits and ICLEI Pathways to Accelerated Climate Action 13 Figure 3: ICLEI GreenClimateCities Framework
14 Figure 4: Relationship of Community and Government Operations Inventories 21 Figure 5: Transportation Emissions by Activity
22 Figure 6: Building Emissions by Activity
23 Figure 7: Process & Fugitive Emissions by Activity
27 Figure 8: Climate Smart San José Emissions Projections and Current Progress 28 Figure 9: Comparison of Communitywide GHG Emissions from Each Sector over All Inventory Years
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. It may not be used for any commercial purpose. Any non-commercial use of this material must provide attribution to ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 0 3 Credits and
Acknowledgments
LEAD AUTHORS CITY OF SAN JOSÉ (CONT.)
Jadon Basilevac, ICLEI - Local Patrick Hansen, San José Mineta Governments for Sustainability USA International Airport (SJC) (ICLEI USA) Uyen Mai, SJC
Hannah Greenberg, City of San José, Andrea Arjona Amador, Department Of Environmental Services Department Transportation (DOT)
(ESD) Sara Davis, DOT
CITY OF SAN JOSÉ
Jocelyn Arce, ESD OTHER AGENCIES
Julie Benabente, ESD Madison Hodges, ICLEI USA
Seena Eghtedar-Shenas, ESD Patty Boonlue, Santa Clara Valley Sarah Emerson, ESD Transportation Authority (VTA)
Derek Hentschke, ESD Lani Ho, VTA
Jorge Luna, ESD Leonel Sanchez, Capitol Corridor
Ria Varghese, ESD Grant Vinson, Capitol Corridor
Josh Chanin, Energy
Department (ED)
Gary Luong, ED
Gabe Ruiz, ED
Kate Ziemba, ED
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 0 4 Abbreviations
ACE Altamont Corridor Express
C Carbon
Cal e-GGRT CARB Electronic Greenhouse Gas Reporting Tool CalRecycle California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery CARB California Air Resources Board
CARB OFFROAD CARB Off-Road Emissions Inventory v1.1.0
City City of San José
CH4 Methane
Climate Smart Climate Smart San José
CNG Compressed Natural Gas
CO2 Carbon Dioxide
CO2e Carbon Dioxide Equivalent
CRF Global Covenant of Mayors Common Reporting Framework C&D Construction & Demolition
DOT San José Department of Transportation
eGRID Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database EIA U.S. Energy Information Administration
EV Electric Vehicle
FAA OPSNET Federal Aviation Administration Operations Network EPA FLIGHT EPA Facility Level Information on Greenhouse Gases Tool g Grams
GGE Gasoline Gallons Equivalent
GHG Greenhouse Gas
GIS Geographic Information System
Google EIE Google Environmental Insights Explorer
GPC Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories GSE Ground Support Equipment
GWP Global Warming Potential
HFCs Hydroflurocarbons
ICLEI ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IWM Integrated Waste Management Division
kg Kilograms
kWh Kilowatt Hours
lbs Pounds
LEARN ICLEI Land Emissions and Removals Navigator
LPG Liquified Petroleum Gas
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 0 5 MRR California Regulation for the Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
MSW Municipal Solid Waste
MT Metric Tons
MWh Megawatt Hours
N2O Nitrous Oxide
PFCs Perfluorocarbons
PG&E Pacific Gas & Electric
RHV Reid-Hillview County Airport
scf Standard Cubic Feet
SF6 Sulfur Hexafluoride
SJC San José Mineta International Airport
SJCE San José Clean Energy
SJSU San José State University
SUMC Shared Use Mobility Center
USCP U.S. Community Protocol for Accounting and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
U.S. EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled
VTA Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Wastewater San José - Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility Facility
WARM EPA Waste Reduction Model
ZWED Zero Waste Energy Development
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 0 6 Executive Summary
The City of San José (“City”) recognizes that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity are catalyzing profound climate change, the consequences of which pose substantial risks to the future health, wellbeing, and prosperity of our community.

Furthermore, acting quickly to reduce community GHG emissions can have many local benefits, such as reducing energy and transportation costs for residents and businesses, creating green jobs, improving the health of residents, and making the community a more attractive place to live and locate a business.

Since 2018, the City has been a leader among local governments in addressing the sources of climate change and adapting to its consequences. San José has been recognized internationally for its climate achievements, earning the Climate Registry’s Climate Leadership Award, a spot on CDP’s Cities A-List in 2023, and both the Mitigation and Adaptation badges from the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

The City’s goals for reducing GHG emissions are laid out in the Climate Smart San José plan (“Climate Smart”) and more recent Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030, which also contain strategies to guide the City in reducing communitywide GHG emissions by 2030. Both Climate Smart and the Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030 lay out the City’s goals for reducing GHG emissions to meet and exceed the goals of the Paris Agreement. In alignment with these goals, the City has pursued a number of major initiatives to mitigate climate change and its impacts. These initiatives include (but are not limited to):
2018 - Approved the largest single jurisdiction community choice aggregation program to purchase cleaner power for the community
2019 - Adopted a building reach code incentivizing all-electric new construction, the largest city in California to do so
2020 - Prohibited natural gas infrastructure in all new construction with minimal exceptions
2022 - Removed minimum parking requirements for new developments This report provides estimates of GHG emissions resulting from activities in San José as a whole in 2023. This GHG inventory, along with San José’s previously conducted 2008, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2021 inventories, provide a benchmark for San José’s progress towards its carbon neutrality goal. This will help the City to evaluate the impact of it’s initiatives and programs, and to prioritize areas for new action or revision to existing climate action.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 0 7 Key Findings: Total
Emissions

EMISSIONS

AT A GLANCE
0 8
1 Transportation
51%
2 Natural Gas
21%
3 Process &
Fugitive
12%
Figure 1: Communitywide Emissions by Sector
Transportation (51%)
Solid Waste (8%)
Electricity (8%)
Process & Fugitive Emissions (12%)
Natural Gas (21%)
Figure 1 shows San José’s 2023 communitywide emissions by sector, totaling 5,045,659 MT CO e. This almost equal to the gross emissions in 2021 - just 0.2% higher. The largest contributor is Transportation at 2,584,263 MT CO e (51%). The next largest contributors are Natural Gas with 1,057,228 MT CO e (21%) and Process & Fugitive Emissions at 608,304 MT CO e (12%). Actions to reduce emissions in all of these sectors will be a key part of a climate action plan. Solid Waste’s 389,385 MT CO e (8%) and Electricity’s 386,029 MT CO e (8%) also accounted for a significant portion of total emissions. Water & Wastewater and Non-utility Fuels made up the remaining 20,450 MT CO e (<1%). 2 2
2 2
2 2
2 Sequestration by forests & trees totaled 79,597 MT CO e, leading to net emissions of 4,966,062 MT CO e. With sequestration accounted for, emissions remain 0.2% higher in 2023 when compared to 2021.
2 2
The Community Emissions Inventory Results section of this report provides a detailed profile of emissions sources within San José - information that is key to guiding local reduction efforts. These data will also provide a baseline against which the city will be able to compare future performance and demonstrate progress in reducing emissions.

Water & Wastewater (0.1%)
Non-Utility Fuels (0.3%)
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions Introduction to
Climate Change
Naturally occurring gases dispersed in the atmosphere are a major determinant in the Earth’s climate by trapping solar radiation. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect. Overwhelming evidence shows that human activities are increasing the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases and changing the global climate.

The most significant contributor is the burning of fossil fuels for transportation, electricity generation and other purposes, which introduces large amounts of carbon dioxide and other GHGs into the atmosphere.

Collectively, these gases intensify the natural greenhouse effect, causing global average surface and lower atmospheric temperatures to rise, threatening the safety, quality of life, and economic prosperity of global communities. Although the natural greenhouse effect is needed to keep the earth warm, a human-enhanced greenhouse effect with the rapid accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere leads to too much heat and radiation being trapped. Globally, each of the last 10 years were individually the ten warmest years on record, with 2024 setting a new record [1]. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report confirms that human activities have unequivocally caused an increase in carbon emissions [2]. Many regions are already experiencing the consequences of global climate change, and San José is no exception.
[1] World Meteorological Organization. 2025. State of the Global Climate 2024. Retrieved from https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-report-documents-spiralling-weather-and-climateimpacts#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%202024%20setting,the%20start%20of%20the%20year [2] IPCC, 2021: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [MassonDelmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S. L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M. I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J. B. R.

Matthews, T. K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. In Press.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 0 9 San José is expected to face multiple impacts of
climate change over the coming decades, including
more frequent and extreme heat events, water
shortages and wildfires, as well as the disruption of
ecosystems, habitats, and agricultural activities. In
combination with factors such as housing
affordability, these impacts are expected to
increasingly affect migration patterns and
contribute to the displacement of residents.

Over the past 120 years, California has become
increasingly dry. In the Bay Area, annual rainfall is
expected to decrease by 1 to 3 inches by 2050, and
by 4 to 5 inches by 2090. The increasingly arid nature
of California sparked two of the most destructive
fires in state history in 2025: the Palisades and Eaton fires. These fires rampaged deep into the urban Los
Angeles area, damaging billions of dollars of homes,
infrastructure, and businesses. Though these
wildfires struck further south, the Bay Area also faces vulnerabilities to such destruction, seeing 500 over
the past 60 years [3]. The frequency of these fire
events will only increase as climate change
continues to foster the conditions suitable for their
spread.

The increasing severity and longevity of drought has
resulted in San José and other communities
throughout the region imposing limits on water
consumption. Limited availability of this precious
resource could also reduce hydropower, which fuels
low-carbon generation from our electricity providers.

In addition to the climate change impacts outlined
above, San José and many other California coastal
communities are threatened by sea level rise and its
consequences. Sea levels on the California coast are
projected to rise by 0.8 – 1.3 feet by 2050 and 3.1 – 6.6 feet by 2100. Flooding from sea level rise will impact
several highways, railways and hazardous facilities in
low-lying areas in the San José area such as Alviso
[4].

Flooding can also damage the water and
wastewater treatment facilities that support our
community, cause saltwater intrusion that may
infiltrate drinking water supplies, and increase the
frequency of tropical cyclones, which could bring
more occurrences of high winds and precipitation
that floods and damage homes and businesses
within the San José community. This would most
[3] Association of Bay Area Governments. Wildfire - Wildfire Risks and Resources. Retrieved from https://abag.ca.gov/ourwork/resilience/data-research/wildfire [4] U.S. Global Change Research Program. 2023. National Climate Assessment – Ch 28: Southwest. Retrieved from https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/chapter/28/
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 0 likely result in the displacement of residents that are directly impacted [5].

Many communities in the United States, including San José, have started to take responsibility for addressing climate change at the local level. Reducing fossil fuel use in the community can have many benefits in addition to reducing GHG emissions.

More efficient use of energy decreases utility and transportation costs for residents and businesses. Retrofitting homes and businesses to be all-electric and more efficient creates local jobs. In addition, when residents save on energy costs, they are more likely to spend at local businesses and add to the local economy. Improving our active transportation and public transit infrastructure and densifying our city reduce the need to drive and reduce the distances of everyday trips, improving access to needed services and reducing the time spent sitting in traffic. Reducing fossil fuel use improves air quality, and increasing opportunities for walking and bicycling improves residents’ health.

In order to address climate change and to achieve the benefits of reducing GHG emissions, communities must set science-based targets. Science-Based Targets are calculated climate goals, in line with the latest climate science, that represent a community’s fair share of the global ambition necessary to meet the Paris Agreement commitment of keeping warming below 1.5°C [6]. To achieve this target, the IPCC has determined we must reduce global emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050. The City has established an aggressive target for San José that exceeds the global standard, intending to reduce emissions 100% by 2030. [5] U.S. Global Change Research Program. 2023. National Climate Assessment - Ch 1: Overview. Retrieved from https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/#overview
[6] “Science Based Climate Targets: A Guide for Cities.” Science Based Targets Network, November 4, 2021. https://sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org/.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 1 Greenhouse Gas Inventory as a Step
Toward Carbon Neutrality
Facing the climate crisis requires the concerted efforts of those that are closest to the communities directly dealing with the impacts of climate change, with local governments and their partners playing a crucial role.

Cities, towns and counties are well-placed to curate coherent and inclusive plans that address integrated climate action — climate change adaptation, resilience and mitigation. Existing targets and plans need to be regularly reviewed to bring in the necessary level of ambition and outline how to achieve the City’s net-zero emissions goal by 2030. Creating a roadmap for carbon neutrality requires San José to identify priority sectors for action, while considering climate justice, inclusiveness, local job creation and other benefits of sustainable development.

To complete this inventory, the City utilized tools and guidelines from ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). ICLEI provides authoritative direction for GHG emissions accounting and defines carbon neutrality as follows:

The targeted reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and GHG avoidance in government operations and across the
community in all sectors to an absolute net-zero emission level at the latest by 2050. In parallel to this, it is critical to adapt to climate change and enhance climate resilience across all sectors, in all systems and processes.

To achieve ambitious emissions reduction and move toward carbon neutrality, the City has set a clear goal and will need to continue to act rapidly following a holistic and integrated approach. Climate action is an opportunity for our community to experience a wide range of co-benefits sourced from meeting its goals, including core goals within the City’s control (e.g. electrifying the fleet), partner-dependent goals that require coordination (e.g. improving public transit service), and aspiration goals with a broader impact (e.g. reducing VMT).

Figure 2: Co-Benefits and ICLEI Pathways to Accelerated Climate Action San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 2 ICLEI GreenClimateCities Framework
For this inventory, the City’s process is informed by ICLEI’s GreenClimateCities Framework for integrated climate action. The City follows the stepwise approach shown below in Figure 3, which involves collecting and analyzing climate data, action, implementation, leadership, and collaboration—always with an equity lens.

The Framework is organized into Analyze, Act, and Accelerate phases for communities pursuing integrated climate action. The Framework incorporates GHG emissions reductions, climate adaptation actions, and equitable, inclusive decision-making. San José’s 2023 inventory follows its 2021 inventory and supports the continued monitoring of emissions reduction progress under Climate Smart, serving as Step F in this cyclical process.

Over 600 U.S. communities have followed this basic Framework, previously known as ICLEI’s Five Milestones for Emissions Management, and today, it is represented through the streamlined Analyze-Act-Accelerate model shown below.

Figure 3: ICLEI GreenClimateCities Framework
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 3 Inventory
Methodology
Understanding a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
The first step toward achieving tangible GHG
emission reductions requires identifying baseline
emissions levels and sources and activities
generating emissions in the community. This
report presents emissions from the San José
community as a whole. This differs from a local
government operations inventory, which focuses
on activities that generate emissions under local
government operational control. Government
operation emissions are mostly a subset of the
community inventory, as shown in Figure 4.

As local governments continue to join the
climate protection movement, the need for a
standardized approach to quantify GHG
emissions has proven essential. This inventory
adheres to the approach and methods provided
by the U.S. Community Protocol for Accounting
and Reporting GHG Emissions (USCP), Global
Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas
Inventories (GPC), and Common Reporting
Format (CRF).

Three GHGs are included in this inventory: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Many of the charts in this report represent emissions in “carbon dioxide equivalent” (CO2e) values, calculated using the Global Warming Potentials (GWP) for methane and nitrous oxide from the IPCC 6th Assessment Report. GWP is a measure of how much heat a GHG traps in the atmosphere over a specific time period compared to carbon dioxide.

Figure 4: Relationship of Community
and Government Operations Inventories

COMMUNITY

EMISSIONS

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

EMISSIONS
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 4 Table 1: Global Warming Potential Values (IPCC, 2021)
Greenhouse Gas Global Warming Potential
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 1
Methane (CH4) (Fossil Origin) 29.8
Methane (CH4) (Non-Fossil Origin) 27.2
Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 273
Community Emissions Protocol
Version 1.2 of the U.S. Community Protocol for Accounting and Reporting GHG Emissions [7] was released by ICLEI in 2019, and represents a national standard in guidance to help U.S. local governments develop effective community GHG emissions inventories. It establishes reporting requirements for all community GHG emissions inventories, provides detailed accounting guidance for quantifying GHG emissions associated with a range of emission sources and community activities, and provides a number of optional reporting frameworks to help local governments customize their community GHG emissions inventory reports based on their local goals and capacities.

The community inventory in this report includes emissions from the five Basic Emissions Generating Activities required by the Community Protocol. These activities are:

Use of electricity by the community
Use of fuel in residential and commercial stationary combustion equipment On-road passenger and freight motor vehicle travel
Use of energy in potable water and wastewater treatment and distribution Generation of solid waste by the community
The community inventory includes the following additional activities:

Use of fuel in industrial stationary combustion equipment Public transit
Off-road, rail, and water transportation and equipment use Aviation travel
Biologic treatment of waste (composting)
Wastewater treatment processes
Hydrofluorocarbon and refrigerant emissions
Fugitive emissions from natural gas distribution
Electric power transmission and distribution losses
This community inventory also meets the requirements of the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Version 1.1 of the GPC [8] was released by a partnership of ICLEI, World Resources Institute, and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group in 2019, and represents a robust framework for accounting for and reporting communitywide GHG emissions. The GPC Protocol offers two reporting levels: BASIC or BASIC+. The BASIC level covers scope 1 and scope 2 emissions from stationary energy and transportation, as well as scope 1 and scope 3 emissions from waste. Types of emission scopes are defined further in Table 2. BASIC+ involves more challenging data collection and calculation processes, and additionally includes emissions from IPPU and AFOLU and transboundary transportation. The community inventory in this report includes emissions required by the GPC Protocol BASIC sectors with limited BASIC+ sectors.

The activities included are as follows:

All scope 1 emissions from stationary energy sources
All scope 1 emissions from transportation sources
All scope 1 emissions from waste sources (excluding imported waste) All scope 2 emissions from stationary energy and transportation sources Scope 3 emissions from the treatment of exported waste sources Scope 3 emissions from transportation sources
[7] ICLEI. 2019. US Community Protocol for Accounting and Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Retrieved from http://www.icleiusa.org/tools/ghg-protocol/community-protocol [8] WRI, C40 Climate Cities Group, & ICLEI. 2014. Global Protocol for Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

Retrieved from https://ghgprotocol.org/ghg-protocol-cities San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 5 Communities contribute to GHG emissions in many ways. Two central categorizations of emissions are used in the community inventory: 1) GHG emissions that are produced by “sources” located within the community boundary, and 2) GHG emissions produced as a consequence of community “activities.”
Source Activity
Any physical process inside the
jurisdictional boundary that releases
GHG emissions into the atmosphere.

The use of energy, materials, and/or
services by members of the
community that result in the creation
of GHG emissions.

Table 3: Source vs. Activity for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Sources and Activities
Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions
By reporting on both GHG emissions sources and activities, local governments can develop and promote a deeper understanding of GHG emissions associated with their communities. A purely source‐based emissions inventory could be summed to estimate total emissions released within the community’s jurisdictional boundary. In contrast, a purely activity‐based emissions inventory could provide perspective on the efficiency of the community, even when the associated emissions occur outside the jurisdictional boundary. The division of emissions into sources and activities per the USCP is used in combination with the scopes framework of the GPC protocol to provide a comprehensive overview of communitywide emissions.

Emissions Type Definition
Scope 1 Emissions produced directly by an activity such as CO emitted by a vehicle or N O produced at a wastewater plant.
2 2
Scope 2 Indirect emissions associated with electricity or heat generation.

Scope 3 Indirect emissions produced by local government operations.

Table 2: Types of GPC Emissions
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 6 Activity Data x Emission Factor = Emissions
Most emissions sources in this inventory are quantified using calculation-based methodologies. Activity data refers to the relevant measurement of energy use or other GHG-generating processes such as fuel consumption by fuel type, metered annual electricity consumption, and annual vehicle miles traveled. Please see the appendices for a detailed listing of the activity data used in composing this inventory.

Known emission factors are used to convert energy usage or other activity data into associated quantities of emissions. Emissions factors are usually expressed in terms of emissions per unit of activity data (e.g. lbs CO /kWh of electricity). For this inventory, calculations were mostly made using ICLEI’s ClearPath Climate Planner tool, and in some cases were externally calculated. See Appendix: Methodology Details for details on calculation methods.
2 Base Year
The inventory process requires the selection of a base year with which to compare current emissions. San José’s community GHG emissions inventory utilizes 2008 as its baseline year because it is the baseline used for the development of Climate Smart. 2021 is the most recent year for which the necessary data are available, and therefore will also be used to compare current emissions and measure more recent progress.

Quantification Methods
GHG emissions can be quantified in two ways:

Measurement-based methodologies refer to the direct measurement of GHG emissions (from a monitoring system) emitted from a flue of a power plant, wastewater treatment plant, landfill, or industrial facility.

Calculation-based methodologies calculate emissions using activity data and emission factors. To calculate emissions accordingly, the basic equation below is used:

San José’s Rosicrucian Museum has achieved Net Zero Carbon status through being fully powered by solar energy and adopting energy efficient technologies.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 7 1 8
Table 4: 2023 Communitywide Emissions
Inventory
2 San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions Sector Fuel or Source Activity 2023 Emissions
(Mt CO2e)
% of Sector
Emissions
Buildings
Electricity
Residential 35,534 2.46%
Commercial 37,144 2.57%
Industrial 8,992 0.62%
Direct Access 288,930 19.98%
Transmission &
Distribution Losses 15,204 1.05%
Electricity Total 385,804 26.67%
Natural Gas
Residential 614,944 42.52%
Commercial +
Industrial +
Governmental
342,282 23.66%
On-site Electric
Generation 87,234 6.03%
Natural Gas Total 1,044,460 72.21%
Non-Utility Fuels
Liquid Propane Gas
(Residential) 15,511 1.07%
Kerosene (Residential) 251 0.02%
Distillate Fuel Oil No. 2
(Residential) 121 0.01%
Wood (Residential) 80 0.01%
Distillate Fuel Oil No. 2
(Industrial) 8 0.001%
Liquid Propane Gas
(Industrial) 142 0.01%
Non-Utility Fuels
Total 16,113 1.11%
Buildings Total 1,446,377 100%
Transportation &
Mobile Sources
On-Road Private + Commercial 2,207,761 85.43%
Off-Road All Equipment 226,284 8.76%
Aviation
Local Flights 5,084 0.20%
Non-local Flights 102,599 3.97%
Community Emissions
Inventory Results
Table 4: 2023 Communitywide Emissions Inventory (Continued) Emissions % of Sector Sector Fuel or Source Activity (Mt CO2e) Emissions VTA Light Rail 581 0.02%
Public Transit Buses 27,598 1.07%
Paratransit 3,081 0.12%
Biodiesel + Distillate 2
Freight Rail Diesel + Renewable 7,944 0.31% Transportation & Diesel Mobile Sources Amtrak (Capitol 260 0.01% Corridor)
Commuter Rail Caltrain 2,601 0.10%
Altamont Corridor 470 0.02% Express (ACE)
Transportation & Mobile Sources Total 2,584,263 100%
Landfill 101,214 25.99%
Residential Recycling Not Estimated* N/A
Composting 37,178 9.55%
Landfill 69,678 17.89%
Recycling Not Estimated* N/A
Solid Waste Commercial
Composting 0 0.00%
Anerobic Digestion 4,990 1.28%
Landfill 176,325 45.28%
C&D Recycling Not Estimated* N/A
Composting 0 0.00%
Solid Waste Total 389,385 100%
Electricity 225 1.30%
Energy**
Natural Gas 12,768 73.68%
Wastewater Nitrification/Denitrifica 2,319 13.38%
tion
Process Emissions
Treated Effluent 2,018 11.64% Discharge
Wastewater Total 17,330 100%
*Recycling is a landfill diversion measure therefore emissions from recycling are not estimated. **Wastewater - Energy emissions are included in the stationary energy sectors in ClearPath, but listed separate here to match previous inventory reports. Energy data comes from Cal e-GGRT.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 1 9 Table 4: 2023 Communitywide Emissions Inventory
(Continued)
Sector Fuel or Source Activity Emissions
(Mt CO2e) % of Sector Emissions
Process & Fugitive
Emissions
Fugitive HFCS and
PFCs
Residential 138,531 22.77%
Commercial 260,596 42.84%
Industrial 71,285 11.72%
Transportation 99,245 16.32%
Fugitive Natural Gas All Sectors 33,482 5.50%
Fugitive SF6 All Sectors 5,165 0.85%
Industrial Process
Emissions
Electronics
Manufacturing 0 0.00%
Process & Fugitive Emissions Total 608,304 100%
Total Gross Emissions 5,045,659 100%
Agriculture, Forestry,
and Other Land Use
Trees Outside of
Forests
Sequestration by Urban
Trees -64,061 N/A
Forests
Sequestration by
Undisturbed Forests -15,652 N/A
Sequestration by Newly
Forested Lands -3 N/A
Emissions from Forest
Disturbances (Insects,
Fires, Harvests)
119 N/A
Emissions from Forest
Loss 0 N/A
Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use Total -79,597 100% Total Emissions with Forests and Trees 4,966,062 100%
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 0 Key Findings: Transportation
1 EMISSIONS

AT A GLANCE
On-road
Transportation
86%
2 Off-road
Transportation
9%
3 Non-local
Flights
4%
Figure 5: Transportation Emissions by Activity
On-road Transportation (86%)
Buses (0.6%)
Freight Trains (0.2%)
Aviation - Non-local Flights (4%)
Off-road Transportation (9%)
As in previous years, Transportation & Mobile Sources was the largest contributor to emissions in San José, accounting for 2,584,263 MT CO e, which was a 7% increase from 2021. Figure 2 shows the breakdown of emissions by activity. The largest contributor is On-road Transportation (commercial and private vehicles) accounting for 86% of emissions. Emissions from on-road transportation increased by 6% compared to 2021 and for the first time since the City began conducting inventories. 2 The next largest contributors are Off-road Transportation (9%) and Non-local Flights (4%).

Off-road vehicles and equipment are numerous and varied, and emissions from them were mainly estimated using a county-level model created and maintained by CARB.

Buses, Freight Trains, Local Flights, Commuter Trains, and Light Rail account for the remaining (1.3%) emissions. Overall, Transportation & Mobile Sources represent 51% of San José’s communitywide emissions.

Aviation - Local Flights (0.1%)
Commuter Trains (0.1%)
Light Rail (0.01%)
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 1 Key Findings: Buildings
1 EMISSIONS

AT A GLANCE
Residential
Natural Gas
43%
2 Commercial
Natural Gas
24%
3 Industrial
Electricity
21%
Figure 6: Building Emissions by Activity
Residential Natural Gas (43%)
On-Site Electricity Generation (6%)
Commercial Electricity (3%)
Industrial Electricity (21%)
Commercial + Industrial Natural Gas (24%)
Also consistent with previous years, Buildings (consisting of Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Energy, not including energy used at the wastewater facility) were the second largest contributor to emissions in San José, accounting for 1,446,377 MT CO e.

This is a 12% decrease from 2021, mainly due to a significant (40%) decrease in emissions from electricity use. While the amount of electricity used in San José did slightly increase (by less than 1%) compared to 2021, emissions from electricity use have reduced significantly due to SJCE and PG&E providing much cleaner power. 2 Figure 3 shows the breakdown of emissions by activity. Total Natural Gas use accounted for 72% of overall Building emissions. The largest contributor is Residential Natural Gas with 43% of overall emissions. The next largest contributors are Commercial + Industrial Natural Gas (24%) and Industrial + Direct Access Electricity (21%). The remaining emissions (~13%) are made up of natural gas used for On-site Electricity Generation, Commercial Electricity, Residential Electricity, Residential Non-Utility Fuels, and Industrial Non-Utility Fuels.

Residential Electricity (2%)
Residential Non-Utility Fuels (1%)
Industrial Non-Utility Fuels (0.01%)
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 2 Key Findings: Process & Fugitive Emissions
1 EMISSIONS

AT A GLANCE
Fugitive HFCs
and PFCs
92%
2 Fugitive
Natural Gas
7%
3 Fugitive SF6
1%
Figure 7: Process & Fugitive Emissions by
Activity
Fugitive HFCs and PFCs (92%)
Electronics Manufacturing (Semiconductor
Manufacturing) (0%)
Fugitive SF6 (1%)
Fugitive Natural Gas (7%)
Process & Fugitive Emissions were the third largest contributor to San José’s total emissions in 2023, accounting for 608,304 MT CO e. This was a 2% increase from 2021, where emissions were 595,559 MT CO e.
2 2
Per the U.S. Community Protocol, process emissions refer to “Emissions from physical or chemical processing rather than from fuel combustion. Examples include emissions from manufacturing cement, aluminum, adipic acid, ammonia, etc.” Fugitive (leaked) emissions refer to the unintentional release of gases or vapors into the atmosphere from various processes, equipment, or infrastructure.

Of these, Fugitive HFCs and PFCs make up the majority of the emissions from this sector, representing 92%. These high-GWP gases were adopted internationally as replacements for ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons. HFCs and PFCs are frequently used in refrigeration and airconditioning equipment and can leak during equipment use or during equipment disposal.

Fugitive Emissions from Natural Gas (7%) and SF (1%) made up the remaining portion of emissions. Fugitive natural gas is released from natural gas pipes and distribution lines.

Fugitive SF is released from electricity transmission and distribution equipment such as circuit breakers and switchgears, where it is used as an insulator. There were no industrial process emissions from electronics manufacturing in 2023 and there have been no reported sources of industrial process emissions in San José since 2014. 6 6
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 3 Table 5: Avoided Emissions
Sector Fuel or Source Activity
Avoided
Emissions
(Mt CO2e)
Transportation & Mobile
Sources Avoided Emissions
Electric Vehicles 130,276
Carpool Commutes 61,604
Public Transit Commutes 50,995
Walking 22,806
Biking (Not Including
Bikeshare) 7,920
Bikeshare 507
Vanpool Commutes 541
Scooters 432
Transportation & Mobile Sources Avoided Emissions Total 275,081 Avoided Emissions
The below table shows estimates for San José’s transportation-related avoided emissions in 2023. The following activities account for 275,081 MT CO e fewer emissions than would be expected if residents instead used on-road fossil fuel transportation. 2 Comparison Discussion
The 2023 GHG emissions inventory measures San José’s progress in reducing communitywide emissions, using the 2008, 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2021 inventories as reference points. After seeing steady progress since 2008, San José saw a slight increase in emissions between 2021 and 2023. Table 6 provides a full breakdown and comparison of emissions in each of San José’s six communitywide inventories. Sectors that are included in the Climate Smart plan are highlighted in pink.

Sector
Emissions (MT CO2e) %
Change
from
2008
%
Change
From
2021
2008 2014 2017 2019 2021 2023
Transportation 3,856,884 3,523,541 3,125,874 2,857,093 2,415,812 2,584,263 -33% 7% On-road vehicles 3,451,004 3,172,509 2,747,265 2,463,769 2,076,057 2,207,761 -36% 6% Off-road vehicles 224,439 211,574 220,378 222,817 223,468 226,284 1% 1% Buses and
paratransit 26,884 22,263 23,113 21,871 14,903 30,679 14% 106% Table 6: San José Communitywide Emissions by Sector and Activity for All Years San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 4 Table 6: San José Communitywide Emissions by Sector and Activity for All Years (Continued)
Emissions (MT CO2e) % %
Change Change Sector
2008 2014 2017 2019 2021* 2023 from From
2008 2021
Aviation - non-local 121,725 96,437 120,905 134,856 85,168 102,599 -16% 20% flights Aviation - local 12,767 4,871 4,570 3,818 6,269 5,084 -60% -19% flights Freight rail 12,450 9,206 4,819 5,730 6,503 7,944 -36% 22% Commuter rail 4,048 4,049 4,085 3,790 2,885 3,331 -18% 15% Light rail 3,566 2,633 737 440 559 581 -84% 4%
Buildings 3,099,053 2,274,873 1,788,153 1,712,149 1,646,499 1,446,377 -53% -12% Natural gas 1,060,660 897,230 990,544 1,046,701 991,658 1,044,460 -2% 5% Electricity 2,022,068 1,367,353 783,991 649,299 638,410 385,804 -81% -40% Other residential 16,325 10,290 13,618 16,149 16,279 16,113 -1% -1% fuels Process and 392,161 558,164 605,548 594,282 595,559 608,304 55% 2% Fugitive Fugitive HFCs and 281,122 477,254 556,030 544,426 547,142 569,657 103% 4% PFCs Fugitive natural 47,831 40,053 44,138 44,853 42,041 33,482 -30% -20% gas
Fugitive SF6 8,231 5,005 5,380 5,003 6,375 5,165 -37% -19% Solid Waste 311,659 261,148 339,755 317,170 358,881 389,385 25% 8% Residential 141,884 130,568 117,283 109,440 119,008 138,392 -2% 16% C&D/other 99,718 83,021 163,285 146,345 169,318 176,325 77% 4% Commercial 70,057 47,560 59,186 61,385 70,555 74,668 7% 6% Wastewater 21,271 25,865 23,039 22,304 20,166 17,330 -19% -14% Treatment Total emissions 7,681,028 6,643,591 5,882,368 5,502,998 5,036,766 5,045,659 -34% 0.2% Forests and Trees -79,818 -73,846 -70,647 -80,038 -78,540 -79,597 0.3% -1% Net emissions 7,601,209 6,569,746 5,811,721 5,422,959 4,958,377 4,958,937 -35% 0.2% *2021 inventory data was revised for the 2023 project, updating proxy data with year-specific activity data and emissions. These updates resulted in a roughly 1.6% increase in 2021 emissions.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 5 San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 6 Below, notable changes in each sector between 2021 and 2023 are discussed.

Transportation
Overall, transportation emissions rose by 7% from 2021 to 2023, primarily contributed to by additional on-road travel and more non-local flights. Emissions increased in all transportation activities except for local flights. It can be theorized that 2021's transportation emissions were impacted by COVID-19, contributing to fewer San José residents leaving their homes, avoidance of higher density travel like transit, rail, and aviation, and lower commercial activity to drive freight rail. The increase in emissions likely reflects a return to typical activity levels, driven by a rise in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as residents resumed pre-pandemic travel, often commuting longer distances from more affordable, distant areas. This trend is further compounded by persistently low public transit use.

Buildings
Building emissions decreased by 12% from 2021 to 2023, driven mostly by reductions in electricity emissions, which were reduced by 40%. This was due to the electricity supply being much cleaner in 2023, as overall electricity consumption was almost the same between the two years. Natural gas emissions rose a small amount (5%), however, it’s worth noting that emissions from natural gas used specifically for on-site electricity generation (e.g. fuel cells) rose by nearly 12%. Due to data privacy laws, commercial and industrial natural gas usage are combined, so it currently isn’t possible to analyze trends separately for those two sectors.

Process & Fugitive Emissions
Process & fugitive emissions grew only 2% from 2021-2023, mainly from HFCs and PFCs.

Natural gas and SF6 fugitive emissions fell, in contrast, by nearly 20% each - potentially due to less leakage in distribution. Emissions estimates for this subsector are scaled down from statewide estimates, and so more research would be needed to confirm if emissions from this subsector truly increased in San José in recent years, and if so, why.

For background on the sources of these emissions, refer to Key Findings: Process & Fugitive Emissions.

Solid Waste
Overall, solid waste emissions increased by 8%. Based on tonnage alone, San José generated roughly 3% more waste in 2023 than 2021; however, the amount of recycled waste decreased while the amount of landfilled and composted waste increased. This contributed to the disproportionately higher increase in emissions as more paper, food, yard, and lumber material ended up decomposing in landfills or through compost.

Emissions in the residential sector increased by 16% from 2021 levels - the largest increase among the 3 sectors. The increase in this sector likely reflects the gradual economic recovery from the pandemic and increased consumer spending which may have resulted in heightened waste disposal. The amount of commercial organic waste sent to anaerobic digestion more than doubled, which could be attributed to more businesses generating waste compared to 2021.

Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater emissions were roughly 14% lower in 2023. Both electricity and natural gas use were lower in 2023 (by 9% and 12% respectively), possibly due to recently implemented energy efficiency projects. Because SJCE now provides much cleaner energy, emissions from energy use took an even greater dip and were roughly 17% lower. Emissions from effluent and nitrification/denitrification were nearly the same among the two years.

Projections and Current Progress
When considering only sectors that are addressed under Climate Smart (shaded in pink in Table 6), overall emissions are in line with Climate Smart Plan Pathway goals despite a slight increase in emissions since 2021. The Climate Smart Plan Pathway goal for 2023 is 5 million MT CO2e. San José’s 2023 net emissions are just slightly under this goal. This indicates that the progress San José has made related to each Climate Smart strategy is effectively mitigating communitywide emissions and keeping us on track. Most strategies target stationary energy and transportation, which is represented in Table 6 with these sectors and activities serve as the largest contributors to the City outpacing the Pathway projection.

In 2021, the City adopted a carbon neutrality by 2030 goal to accelerate the goals of the Climate Smart plan. The carbon neutrality definition under Resolution 80284 does not encompass process and fugitive emissions, therefore carbon neutrality in this report refers to net zero emissions in all other sectors. To stay on track for meeting this goal, San José must have achieve a more aggressive target of 4.4 million MT CO2e in 2023.

However, San José’s net emissions were 0.6 million MT CO2e higher. San José will need to upscale its current efforts and/or develop new strategies and actions to meet the reductions required by this pathway.

Figure 8* compares the Climate Smart plan pathway, the Carbon Neutral by 2030 pathway, and San José’s progress so far.

Figure 8: Climate Smart San José Emissions Projections
and Current Progress
*Figure 8 represents emissions covering all sectors included under San José’s greenhouse gas inventories and uses data from a new climate model (2025) that was developed for the upcoming Climate Smart Plan update. The Carbon Neutral 2030 Pathway line ends above 0 because the definition of carbon neutrality under Resolution 80284 does not include process & fugitive emissions. The model used to develop the Climate Smart Plan Forecast standardized transportation data across all years, resulting in slight discrepancies between the forecast line and the inventory dots. Emissions from forest and trees are not included in the data that was used to create the graph, but forecasted avoided emissions from Natural and Working Lands strategies are included.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 7 Conclusion
This 2023 GHG emissions inventory measures San José’s progress in reducing communitywide emissions, using inventories for 2008 through 2021 as reference points.

From 2008 – 2021, communitywide emissions steadily decreased. The 2023 inventory results show us that for the first time in years our total emissions have plateaued, and many individual sectors have increased (see Figure 9.) While electricity emissions continue to decrease due to a cleaner electricity supply, natural gas emissions have slightly increased. Transportation emissions increased for the first time since the 2008 inventory, driven by rising on-road vehicle emissions and low public transit use. This underscores the ongoing challenge of reducing transportation-related GHGs, especially as high housing costs contribute to urban sprawl and longer car-dependent commutes.

The City of San José has already taken several important steps to reduce major sources of communitywide emissions, including establishing SJCE, adopting a Reach Code and Natural Gas Prohibition Ordinance, and developing programs to support EV adoption, transportation mode shift, and building electrification. This inventory shows the impacts of some of these actions, but also shows that more work remains. In particular, it supports a continued focus on EV adoption, transportation mode shift, and building electrification. In addition, further emissions reductions are likely to get more difficult over time, as easy changes are usually made first.

Recognizing the need for immediate and accelerated action, the City is updating Climate Smart, which will incorporate the more ambitious goals set in the Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030. The City will continue to track progress towards its Climate Smart and carbon neutrality goals by regularly conducting communitywide inventories and tracking additional sustainability indicators via the Climate Smart Data Dashboard.

There is much to be gained by continuing the City of San José’s efforts to reduce GHG emissions. In addition to the emissions reductions themselves, emissions reductions programs bring additional benefits including improved resident safety, health, economic stability, and quality of life. By continuing to implement the Climate Smart plan, the City can keep working towards a thriving future San José with walkable and transit-rich climate smart communities providing residents with comfortable homes, local jobs, access to nature, and protection from environmental hazards such as flooding and heat.

Figure 9: Comparison of Communitywide GHG Emissions
from Each Sector over All Inventory Years
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 8 Appendix:

Methodology Details
Buildings - Electricity
Table 7: Building Electricity Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
PG&E
Residential 64,124,944 Citywide kWh PG&E
Commercial 119,574,984 Citywide kWh PG&E
Industrial 492,791,705 Citywide kWh PG&E
Direct Access 1,453,799,480 Citywide kWh PG&E
Total 2,130,291,113 Citywide kWh Calculated
SJCE
Residential - Total
Green 5,866,343 Citywide kWh SJCE
Residential - Green
Source 1,551,410,832 Citywide kWh SJCE
Residential - Solar
Activity Data Access 5,245,394 Citywide kWh SJCE
Commercial - Total
Green 85,651,358 Citywide kWh SJCE
Commercial - Green
Source 1,626,216,741 Citywide kWh SJCE
Industrial - Total
Green 53,167,227 Citywide kWh SJCE
Industrial - Green
Source 271,012,393 Citywide kWh SJCE
Total 3,598,570,288 Citywide kWh Calculated
Total (PG&E + SJCE) 5,728,861,401 Citywide kWh Calculated Transmission &
Distribution Losses 4.10% Regional Percent eGRID
PG&E Base Plan 12 Regional lbs CO2e / MWh Power Content Label Emission Factors SJCE Total Green 0 Regional lbs CO2e / MWh Power Content Label SJCE Green Source 50 Regional lbs CO2e / MWh Power Content Label San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 2 9 2023 Scale Units Source
Emission Factors SJCE Solar Access 0 Regional lbs CO2e / MWh Power Content Label Table 7: Building Electricity Methodology (Continued)
Activity data for San José were received from PG&E in a Community Inventory report, which provides aggregated data on electricity use by sector. Activity data were also received from SJCE, which also provides aggregated electricity use by sector and electricity rate program. PG&E reports electricity supplied by SJCE as part of the direct access sector, and so the total amount of electricity supplied by SJCE was subtracted from the direct access usage reported by PG&E to calculate electricity use by direct access customers.

Due to California’s 15/15 Aggregated Data Access Rule, commercial non-government data failed to meet aggregation rules in the report provided by PG&E. In order to ensure commercial non-government consumption was represented, 2021 data was used as a proxy. Likewise, industrial non-government data failed to meet aggregation rules and was dropped from the report. In 2021, the same non-government category was also dropped, but county and total consumption were provided. County use was subtracted from total industrial use, which was then used as a proxy for 2021 non-government data.

Calculations were computed according to U.S. Community Protocol Method BE.2.1.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which provides transit services to the San José area, maintains various forms of electric transportation, including light rail and transit buses. Fuel use (kWh) for these emissions activities was reported independent of stationary energy data. as this is considered to be electricity consumed in operation. Any electricity consumed as a result of charging is accounted for by Commercial Energy.

Transmission and distribution losses represent electricity lost when transporting energy from generation plants to consumers, and are accounted for for all electricity providers in the San José boundary. Utility-specific rates of loss were not reported by both PG&E and SJCE, so a default eGrid rate of 4.10% for the Western region was utilized.

Buildings - Natural Gas
Table 8: Building Natural Gas Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Activity Data
Residential 115,627,328 Citywide therms PG&E
Commercial 63,955,689 Citywide therms PG&E
Industrial 2,809,889 Citywide therms PG&E
Emissions Data
SJSU Cogeneration -
CO2e
27,313 Facility MT CARB MRR
Equinix Great Oaks
Bloom Energy
Servers - CO2e
46,811 Facility MT CARB MRR
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 0 Table 8: Building Natural Gas Methodology (Continued)
2023 Scale Units Source
Emissions Data
Equinix Lundy Bloom
Energy Servers -
CO2e
13,110 Facility MT CARB MRR
Natural Gas - CO2 53.02 National kg / MMBtu USCP
Emission Factors
Natural Gas - CH4
(Residential +
Commercial)

0.005 National kg / MMBtu USCP
Natural Gas - CH4
(Industrial) 0.001 National kg / MMBtu USCP
Natural Gas - N2O 0.0001 National kg / MMBtu USCP
Activity data for San José were received from PG&E in a Community Inventory report, which provides aggregated data on natural gas use by sector. All data provided by PG&E met aggregation rules. Natural gas was computed according to U.S. Community Protocol Method BE.1.1. Fuel use was estimated from CO2 emissions and the CO2 emission factor for natural gas use at facilities reporting emissions to CARB MRR.

As of 2020, PG&E does not include natural gas used to generate electricity in the Community Inventory reports it supplies to municipalities. Emissions data for on-site electricity generation facilities in San José were taken from the CARB Mandatory GHG Reporting website (CARB MRR; https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/mrr-data).

Buildings - Non-utility Fuels
Table 9: Building Non-utility Fuel Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Distillate Fuel Oil No.
2 (Residential) - CO2
121 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Distillate Fuel Oil No.
2 (Residential) - CH4

0.0006 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Distillate Fuel Oil No.
2 (Residential) - N2O 0.0003 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory Emissions Data
Biodiesel
(Residential) -
Biogenic CO2
4 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Biodiesel
(Residential) - CH4

0.00007 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Biodiesel
(Residential) - N2O 0.000007 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory Renewable Diesel
(Residential) -
Biogenic CO2
24 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 1 Table 9: Building Non-utility Fuel Methodology (Continued) 2023 Scale Units Source
Renewable Diesel
(Residential) - CH4

0.0003 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Renewable Diesel
(Residential) - N2O 0.00003 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory Kerosene
(Residential) - CO2

0.2 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Kerosene
(Residential) - CH4
9 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Kerosene
(Residential) - N2O 0.002 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory Emissions Data
LPG (Residential) -
CO2
LPG (Residential) -
CH4
15,451

0.7 Statewide
Statewide
MT
MT
CARB GHG Inventory
CARB GHG Inventory
LPG (Residential) -
N2O 0.1 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Wood (Residential) -
CH4
1 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Wood (Residential) -
N2O 0.2 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Distillate Fuel Oil No.
2 (Industrial) - CO2
8 Facility MT EPA FLIGHT
Propane Gas
(Industrial) - CO2
142 Facility MT EPA FLIGHT
CA Households
Bottled, tank, or LP
gas 468,722 Statewide Households AmericanCommunity Survey Fuel oil, kerosene,
etc.
29,683 Statewide Households American
Community Survey
Scaling Factors
Wood
San José Households
176,013 Statewide Households American
Community Survey
Bottled, tank, or LP
gas 5,248 Citywide Households AmericanCommunity Survey
Fuel oil, kerosene,
etc.
219 Citywide Households American
Community Survey
Wood 337 Citywide Households American
Community Survey
All emissions generated from household fuel use of non-utility fuels were gathered from CARB’s current California GHG Emission Inventory Data. This inventory reflects California’s emissions as of 2022, which are used as a proxy for 2023. Emissions were San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 2 originally calculated using AR4 GWPs, and were updated to reflect AR6 GWPs.

Emissions were then downscaled to San José by house heating fuel household counts per the American Community Survey. Fuel use was estimated using CO2 emissions and CO2 emission factors.

Industrial non-utility fuels were collected from EPA FLIGHT reports. This energy represents fuels in use in machinery and other equipment at major industrial facilities in the community. Motor gasoline, though reported, was not accounted for as there is a risk of double counting with gasoline off-road equipment.

Transportation - On-road
Table 10: On-road Transportation Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Activity Data On-road
Transportation 4,983,222,817 Citywide VMT Google EIE
Emissions Data On-road
Transportation - CO2e 2,207,761 Citywide MT Google EIE
Google EIE has been used to account for the City’s VMT from 2019 onwards. Prior to the switch, San José used its own VMT model, though an alternate data source was necessitated by the lack of data validation after 2015. This data uses the origindestination model and is GPC compliant. This VMT represents 100% of all in-boundary transportation and 50% cross-boundary transportation (Inbound & Outbound). This data is assumed to include all types of on-road fuels, as well as motorcycles, passenger vehicles, light trucks, and heavy trucks.

Google EIE VMT data represents on-road transportation after sources of avoided emissions have interacted with the data. Walking and biking (no bikeshare) are already represented in the EIE methodology, and are reported as is. In addition to those alternate modes of travel, San José also sees residents utilize several other modes unaccounted for in EIE, including electric vehicles, carpool, vanpool, public transit commutes, scooters, and bikeshare. The reduced emissions from these activities were calculated using the Shared-Use Mobility Center’s Shared Mobility Benefits Calculator, as with past emissions accounting. Updated scooter and bikeshare counts were provided by the City, and EVs collected from the City’s dashboard, while other modes maintained values used in previous inventories.

Transportation - Off-road
Table 11: Off-road Transportation Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
CARB Off-Road Emissions Inventory v1.1.0 (CARB OFFROAD) Activity Data
Agriculture - Gasoline 4,723 Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 3 Table 11: Off-road Transportation Methodology (Continued) 2023 Scale Units Source
Agriculture - Diesel 156,472 Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Commercial Harbor - 113,117 Diesel Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Construction - 232,049 Gasoline Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Construction - Diesel 3,160,772 Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Forestry - Diesel 1,948 Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Industrial - Gasoline 3,114,238 Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Industrial - Diesel 1,030,584 Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Industrial - CNG 5,564,439 Countywide GGE CARB OFFROAD
Lawn and Garden - 2,625,392 Gasoline Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Lawn and Garden - 49,180 Diesel Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Activity Data Light Commercial - 3,342,749 Gasoline Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Light Commercial - 382,063 Diesel Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Light Commercial - 393,480 CNG Countywide GGE CARB OFFROAD Pleasure Craft - 251,199 Gasoline Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Portable Equipment 3,706,420 - Diesel Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Recreational - 64,749 Gasoline Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD Transport 1,273,942 Refrigeration - Diesel Countywide Gallons CARB OFFROAD San José Mineta International Airport
Aviation - Gasoline 34,354 Facility Gallons SJC / Public Works Aviation - Diesel 13,351 Facility Gallons SJC / Public Works Santa Clara County
4 2
Scaling Factors
Agriculture, Forestry,
Fishing & Hunting
Construction
2,463
52,167
Countywide
Countywide
Jobs
Jobs
OnTheMap
OnTheMap
Manufacturing 170,116 Countywide Jobs OnTheMap
Wholesale Trade 32,409 Countywide Jobs OnTheMap
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 4 Table 11: Off-road Transportation Methodology (Continued) 2023 Scale Units Source
Retail Trade 73,309 Countywide Jobs OnTheMap
Transportation &
Warehousing 18,590 Countywide Jobs OnTheMap
Arts, Entertainment,
& Recreation 17,185 Countywide Jobs OnTheMap
Total Jobs 1,123,624 Countywide Jobs OnTheMap
Population 1,902,799 Countywide People CA Dept. of Finance San José
Agriculture, Forestry,
Fishing & Hunting 317 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap
Scaling Factors Construction 28,257 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap Manufacturing 53,013 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap
Wholesale Trade 13,503 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap
Retail Trade 39,645 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap
Transportation &
Warehousing 10,914 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap
Arts, Entertainment,
& Recreation 8,589 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap
Total Jobs 449,805 Citywide Jobs OnTheMap
Population 970,772 Citywide People CA Dept. of Finance
Transportation Fuel
Gasoline - CO2 8.78 National kg / gal USCP
Diesel - CO2 10.21 National kg / gal USCP
CNG - CO2 0.054 National kg / scf USCP
Emission Factors Airport Ground Support Vehicles
Gasoline - CH4 0.5 National g / gal USCP
Diesel - CH4 0.58 National g / gal USCP
Gasoline - N2O 0.22 National g / gal USCP
Diesel - N2O 0.26 National g / gal USCP
Fuel consumption for Santa Clara County off-road vehicles and equipment was collected using CARB’s OFFROAD model. Using the U.S. Census Bureau OnTheMap tool, job counts were obtained for each NAICS sector for Santa Clara County and San José, and used to downscale the fuels per CARB vehicle category that most closely aligned with San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 5 the NAICS sector provided by OnTheMap. Exceptions include the grouping together of wholesale trade, retail trade, and transportation & warehousing to downscale light commercial and transportation refrigeration and using total jobs to downscale portable equipment. For off-road vehicles and equipment associated with ownership by the general populace (pleasure craft, lawn and garden), total population from the California Department of Finance was used for the scaling factor.

Transportation - Aviation
Table 12: Aviation Transportation Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Local Aviation
Gasoline - RHV 169,653 Facility Gallons RHV
Non-local Aviation
Gasoline - RHV 97,111 Facility Gallons RHV
Activity Data
Local Jet Kerosene -
RHV
Non-local Jet
Kerosene - RHV
16,559
9,479
Facility
Facility
Gallons
Gallons
RHV
RHV
Local Flights CO2 -
SJC 3,507 Facility MT SJC
Non-local Flights CO2
- SJC 101,696 Facility MT SJC
2021 Local Flights -
RHV 85,913 Facility Flights FAA OPSNET
2021 Non-local
Flights RHV 57,765 Facility Flights FAA OPSNET
Scaling Factors
2023 Local Flights -
RHV
2023 Non-local
Flights RHV
102,801
58,844
Facility
Facility
Flights
Flights

FAA OPSNET

FAA OPSNET
Local Flights - SJC 4,658 Facility Flights FAA OPSNET
Non-local Flights -
SJC 159,888 Facility Flights FAA OPSNET
Reid-Hillview Airport provided fuel data in 2021, but did not respond to data requests for the 2023 inventory. 2021 fuel data was scaled to 2023 and allocated to local and non-local flights using flight operations collected from the FAA OPSNET. Landing and takeoff emissions for San José Mineta Airport were attributed to local and non-local flight operations data obtained from FAA OPSNET.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 6 Transportation - Public Transit
Table 13: Public Transportation Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Gasoline Revenue
Fleet (Shuttles) 20,054 Regional VMT Caltrain
Activity Data
Gasoline Revenue
Fleet (Shuttles) 2,747 Regional Gallons Caltrain
Electric Transit Bus -
CO2e 7 Regional MT VTA
Gas Paratransit Bus -
CO2
3,060 Regional MT VTA
Gas Paratransit Bus -
CH4

0.07 Regional MT VTA
Emissions Data Gas Paratransit Bus -
N2O 0.07 Regional MT VTA
Diesel Transit Bus -
CO2
26,428 Regional MT VTA
Diesel Transit Bus -
CH4

0.08 Regional MT VTA
Diesel Transit Bus -
N2O 4 Regional MT VTA
Gasoline Transit Bus -
CO2

7.3 National MPG
2022 US National
Defaults (FHWA &

EPA SIT)
Emission Factors Gasoline Transit Bus -
CH4

0.03 National g / mile
2022 US National
Defaults (FHWA &

EPA SIT)
Gasoline Transit Bus -
N2O 0.004 National g / mile
2022 US National
Defaults (FHWA &

EPA SIT)
Google EIE on-road transportation data does not included buses, ensuring all transit operations are not double counted. VTA provided activity data, however emissions were calculated externally by the transportation authority and were directly entered into ClearPath. Any non-revenue fleets were excluded to avoid double counting with on-road emissions provided by Google EIE. Emissions from Caltrain shuttles were calculated using 2022 US National Defaults, a factor set created from FHWA fuel economy statistics and EPA SIT tool on-road emission factors.

As mentioned in Buildings - Electricity, VTA electricity data represents electricity consumed in operation of light rail and transit bus operations. This data is considered distinct from electricity used in the charging of these transportation options, which falls under Commercial Energy.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 7 Transportation - Rail
Table 14: Rail Transportation Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Caltrain
Diesel Revenue Fleet
(Locomotives) 252,432 Regional Gallons Caltrain
Capitol Corridor (Amtrak)
Activity Data Diesel 28,702 Regional Gallons Capitol Corridor (Amtrak)
Renewable Diesel 27,522 Regional Gallons Capitol Corridor (Amtrak)
ACE
Diesel 45,591 Regional Gallons ACE
Statewide Freight Rail
Diesel - CO2 7,934 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Diesel - CH4 1 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Diesel - N2O 5 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Emissions Data Biodiesel - CH4 0.1 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory Biodiesel - N2O 0.6 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Renewable Diesel -
CO2

0.6 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Renewable Diesel -
CH4
3 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Caltrain
Total System Miles 77 Systemwide Miles Caltrain
San José Miles 5 Citywide Miles GIS Analysis
Capitol Corridor (Amtrak)
Scaling Factors Total System Miles 169 Systemwide Miles 2018 CA State Rail Plan
San José Miles 7 Citywide Miles GIS Analysis
ACE
Total System Miles 86 Systemwide Miles ACE
San José Miles 7 Citywide Miles GIS Analysis
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 8 Table 14: Rail Transportation Methodology (Continued)
2023 Scale Units Source
Statewide Freight Rail
Scaling Factors Total System Miles 5,295 Systemwide Miles 2018 CA State Rail Plan
San José Miles 37 Citywide Miles GIS Analysis
Diesel - CO2 10.15 National kg / gal USCP
Diesel - CH4 0.8 National g /gal USCP
Diesel - N2O 0.3 National g / gal USCP
Emission Factors Biodiesel - CO2 73.84 National kg / MMBtu EPA Emission Factor Hub
Biodiesel - CH4 1.1 National g / MMBtu EPA Emission Factor Hub
Biodiesel - N2O 0.11 National g / MMBtu EPA Emission Factor Hub
All commuter data was provided at a systemwide scale, while freight rail emissions were collected at a statewide level. The scale of the data necessitates a scaling of activity data and emissions to San José via citywide miles of rail track for each rail operator. For freight rail, ClearPath only provides emission factors for standard diesel, resulting in the need to calculate emissions externally using EPA Emission Factors Hub biodiesel emissions for 2023.

Solid Waste
Table 15: Solid Waste Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Landfilled Residential
MSW (Methane 140,859 Citywide Tons IWM
Collection)
Landfilled Residential
MSW (No Methane 15,651 Citywide Tons IWM
Collection)
Landfilled
Commercial MSW 94,983 Citywide Tons IWM
(Methane Collection)
Activity Data
Landfilled
Commercial MSW
(No Methane 10,554 Citywide Tons IWM
Collection)
Landfilled C&D MSW
(Methane Collection) 560,402 Citywide Tons IWM
Landfilled C&D MSW
(No Methane 62,267 Citywide Tons IWM
Collection)
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 3 9 Table 15: Solid Waste Methodology (Continued)
2023 Scale Units Source
Composted
Residential Food
Waste
87,914 Citywide Tons IWM
Activity Data
Composted
Residential Biologic
Waste
159,730 Citywide Tons IWM
Composted
Commercial
Anerobic Digestion
51,664 Citywide Tons IWM
Landfilled Waste
Mixed MSW - CH4 0.0648 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM Newspaper - CH4 0.042 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM Office Paper - CH4 0.1556 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM Corrugated
Cardboard - CH4

0.1048 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM
Magazines/Third
Class Mail - CH4

0.0476 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM
Food Scraps - CH4 0.0648 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM Grass - CH4 0.0228 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM Leaves - CH4 0.026 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM Branches - CH4 0.058 National MT / wet short ton EPA WARM Landfill Gas Capture Rate - National Average Moisture Content & California Regulatory Methane Collection Scenario Emission Factors
Dimensional Lumber 0.0068000 National % EPA WARM - CH4
Mixed MSW LFG 66 National % EPA WARM Capture Rate
Newspaper LFG 65 National % EPA WARM Capture Rate
Office Paper LFG 64 National % EPA WARM Capture Rate
Corrugated
Containers LFG 61 National % EPA WARM
Capture Rate
Magazines/Third
Class Mail LFG 62 National % EPA WARM
Capture Rate
Food Scraps LFG 60 National % EPA WARM Capture Rate
Grass LFG Capture 50 National % EPA WARM Rate
Leaves LFG Capture 58 National % EPA WARM Rate
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 4 0 Table 15: Solid Waste Methodology (Continued)
2023 Scale Units Source
Branches LFG
Capture Rate 59 National % EPA WARM
Dimensional Lumber
LFG Capture Rate 65 National % EPA WARM
Oxidation Rate 0.1 National % EPA WARM
Emission Factors Composting
Green Waste - CH4 0.004 National MT / Ton EPA WARM
Green Waste - N2O 0.00007 National MT / Ton EPA WARM
Biowaste - CH4 0.006 National MT / Ton EPA WARM
Biowaste - N2O 0.00003 National MT / Ton EPA WARM
Waste tonnages were estimated by Climate Smart using 2019 waste characterizations and tonnage estimates and 2023 activity data on waste by sector and disposal method.

Taking this data, ICLEI developed a custom waste characterization based on the tons landfilled for each waste category type listed in ClearPath (see emission factors for landfilled waste). This contrasts previous inventories in which a waste characterization was developed for each stream. Methane emissions were calculated in alignment with the EPA WARM model version 15, but differs in the use of a consistent 10% oxidation rate as opposed to WARM’s 10-30%. This results in slightly higher emissions, but ensures simplicity. Landfilled waste of all sectors was transported to a number of locations with a variety of methane collection scenarios and moisture contents. A national average was used for moisture content to ensure consistency, and waste sent to landfills with methane collection used “California Regulatory” for the landfill gas collection scenario.

For waste sent to landfills with no methane collection, no scenario was selected. These factors determined the landfill gas capture rate in the table above. The amount of waste sent to landfills with methane collection was calculated based on data from CalRecycle and the EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) database.

For composting, commercial organic waste was anaerobically digested at the Zero Waste Energy Development (ZWED) facility in San José, and then sent for further composting to the GreenWaste ZBEST Composting facility in Gilroy. To ensure accurate reporting of emissions associated with this process, emissions were calculated externally by City staff and entered directly into ClearPath. It should also be noted that the amount sent to ZWED differs from the amount composted at ZBEST - the former tonnage was used for activity data. Emission factors for anaerobic digestion account for emissions from composting residuals.

Wastewater
Table 16: Wastewater Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Activity Data Population Served 970,772 Citywide People CA Dept of Finance Population Served - Activity Data 1,500,000 Total Regional People Wastewater Facility San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 4 1 Table 16: Wastewater Methodology (Continued)
2023 Scale Units Source
Discharge Multiplier 1.25 Citywide N/A USCP
Activity Data
Daily N Load 2578.37 Citywide kg / day Wastewater Facility Process Emissions
from Wastewater 7 National g / person USCP
Treatment - N2O
Emission Factors
Process Emissions
from Effluent 0.005 National kg / kg N USCP
Discharge - N2O
The wastewater sector only includes process and effluent discharge emissions associated with wastewater treatment. Emissions from energy use are already captured by the commercial subsector (under the Buildings sector) and are represented as so in the appendix, however energy use from wastewater processes was reported under the Wastewater sector and separately from Buildings in tables throughout the report to remain consistent with previous inventories. Emissions in this sector were scaled down to only include those associated with treatment of wastewater from San José sources.

Because the Wastewater Facility also treats wastewater from other cities and districts, only a fraction of total emissions from the Wastewater Facility are reported here.

Process emissions from N2O use the default ClearPath industrial-commercial discharge multiplier of 1.25, which multiplies the emissions based on the level of commercial and industrial activity within the community. 1.25 is the default for cities with significant commercial and industrial activity. Process emissions from N2O are also impacted by the use of nitrification/denitrification, which leads to higher emissions output. The Wastewater Facility confirmed nitrification/denitrification as a step in the process, resulting in a higher N2O emission factor. Emissions were calculated in accordance to WW.8 of the USCP.

Process N2O emissions from effluent discharge were calculated using daily N load rather than population and industrial-commercial discharge multiplier based on available data.

Effluent is discharged into the South San Francisco Bay, and to remain consistent with previous inventories, the effluent discharge emissions factor for rivers was used. Emissions were calculated using WW.12 of the USCP.

Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use
Table 17: Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use Methodology 2023 Scale Units Source
Trees Outside of
Forests
4,521 Citywide Hectares DOT
Undisturbed Forest 2,619 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN
Forest Disturbances 12
Activity Data
Non-forest to Forest 0.5
Citywide
Citywide
Hectares
Hectares

ICLEI LEARN

ICLEI LEARN
Forest to Settlement 0 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN
Forest to Grassland 0.1 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN
San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 4 2 Table 17: Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use Methodology (Continued) 2023 Scale Units Source
Activity Data Forest to Other Nonforest0 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN Trees Outside of
Forests -4.26 Citywide t C / ha / yr DOT
Undisturbed Forest -1.63 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN
Forest Disturbances 71.98 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN Emission Factors Non-forest to Forest -1.66 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN Forest to Settlement 0 Citywide Hectares ICLEI LEARN
Forest to Grassland
Forest to Other Nonforest
0 0
Citywide
Citywide
Hectares
Hectares

ICLEI LEARN

ICLEI LEARN
ICLEI’s LEARN tool calculates emissions and sequestration associated with land cover change at a resolution of 30 meters - about the size of a baseball field. For this reason, the City’s Department of Transportation chose to utilize its urban tree canopy data on its own dashboard to provide a more accurate assessment of sequestration from urban trees. The remainder of the analysis was performed in LEARN, which analyzes emissions and sequestration associated with land coverage between 2019 and 2021. Land selects emission factors from cities throughout the U.S. based on proximity and shared climate, so San Francisco was used to inform emissions calculations. Emissions and sequestration from the LEARN analysis are excluded from the gross emissions count for San José per the USCP Appendix J: Forest Land and Trees. Refer to Tree Canopy Analysis for further information about Appendix J and the exclusion of LEARN data.

Process & Fugitive Emissions
Table 18: Process & Fugitive Emissions Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Quantity of Natural
Gas 182,392,906 Citywide therms PG&E
Leakage Rate 0.3 National % EDF
Activity Data
Natural Gas Energy
Density 1,034 National btu / scf EIA
Natural Gas Density 0.8 National kg / m^3 USCP
Natural Gas - CH4 93.4 National % USCP
Natural Gas - CO2 1 National % USCP
HFC-134a - CO2e 191,157 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory Emission Data HFC-152a - CO2e 8,514 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory HFC-43-10mee - CO2e 260 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 4 3 Table 18: Process & Fugitive Emissions Methodology (Continued) 2023 Scale Units Source
CF4 - CO2e 54 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
HFC-125 - CO2e 235,407 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
HFC-227ea - CO2e 1,656 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
HFC-236fa - CO2e 1,364 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
HFC-245fa - CO2e 19,080 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory Emissions Data HFC-143a - CO2e 74,975 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory HFC-32 - CO2e 37,117 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
HFC-365mfc - CO2e 10 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
Other PFC and PFE -
CO2e 63 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
SF6 - CO2e 5,165 Statewide MT CARB GHG Inventory
HFC-134a 1,530 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
HFC-152a 164 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
HFC-43-10mee 1,600 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
CF4 7,380 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
HFC-125 3,740 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
HFC-227ea 3,600 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
Scaling Factors HFC-236fa 8,690 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment HFC-245fa 962 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
HFC-143a 5,810 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
HFC-32 771 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
HFC-365mfc 914 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
Other PFC and PFE 8,620 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment SF6 24,300 Global GWP th IPCC 6 Assessment
FPG&E did not provide a leakage rate or information on natural gas characteristics when delivering activity data. As a result, default values in ClearPath were used, obtained from the EDF User Guide for Natural Gas Leakage Rate Modeling Tool. Heat content was updated to the California-specific value per EIA data.

Emissions from hydrofluorocarbons and refrigerants was obtained from CARB’s Current California GHG Emission Inventory Data. CARB’s data already converted each HFC and PFC to CO2e, but did so using AR4 GWPs. CO2e emissions were back calculated to the original quantities of each process emission, then re-calculated using AR6 GWPs. For “Other PFC and PFE”, PFC 51-14 c was assumed to represent this gas category as the AR4 value matched what was reported by the IPCC.

Contrasting with earlier inventories, no emissions were generated from semiconductor manufacturing in 2023. This industrial process is referred to as “electronics manufacturing” in ClearPath.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 4 4 Avoided Emissions
Table 19: Avoided Emissions Methodology
2023 Scale Units Source
Electric Vehicles 310,454,782 Citywide VMT
San José Climate
Smart Data
Dashboard
Carpool Commutes 149,888,490 Citywide VMT SUMC
Public Transit 124,075,852 Commutes Citywide VMT SUMC
Activity Data Walking 51,475,855 Citywide Miles Google EIE Biking (No Bikeshare) 19,270,194 Citywide Miles Google EIE Bikeshare 1,254 Citywide Bikes DOT
Vanpool Commutes 1,316,930 Citywide VMT SUMC
Scooters 2,200 Citywide Scooters DOT
Emissions avoided in 2023 by electric scooters, bikeshare, and commuters traveling by transit, carpool, or vanpool were estimated using the Shared Use Mobility Center (SUMC) benefits calculator. These estimates were based on City data on scooters and bikeshare; SUMC estimates of numbers of transit commuters, carpool commuters, and vanpool commuters; and California Energy Commission data on light-duty EV registration in San José ZIP codes. Emissions avoided by walking and biking were estimated using VMT data for these modes from Google EIE, and Google EIE data on total emissions and VMT for on-road transportation.

Inventory Calculations
The 2023 inventory was calculated following the USCP, GPC, CRF, and ICLEI’s ClearPath Climate Planner Climate Planner software. As discussed in Inventory Methodology, the IPCC 6th Assessment was used for GWP values to convert methane and nitrous oxide to CO2 equivalent units. ClearPath Climate Planner’s inventory calculators allow for input of the sector activity (i.e. kWh or VMT) and emission factor to calculate the final CO2e emissions.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. It may not be used for any commercial purpose. Any non-commercial use of this material must provide attribution to ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA.

San José, CA 2023 Inventory of Communitywide GHG Emissions 4 5 1 Attachment C – Climate Smart Initiatives
March – August 2025 Status Report
Ref.

No.

Climate
Smart Key
Strategy
Project Title Project Description March – August 2025
Activities Update
Est. City
Council Date
Lead
Department
1 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
California
Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure
Project
The California
Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure Project
(CALeVIP),
administered by the
Center for
Sustainable Energy
and launched in Dec.
2020, is a $14 million
rebate program for
Level 2 and Direct
Current Fast
Charging
infrastructure cofunded by San José
Clean Energy (SJCE)
and the California
Energy Commission.

As of Aug. 2025, 265
Level 2 and 70 Direct
Current Fast Chargers
funded by the program
are operational,
totaling $4.4 million in
incentives. Six more
projects are in the
pipeline and expected
to be completed
through Dec. 2025.

N/A Energy
Department
2 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Direct Current
Fast Charging
(DCFC) Hubs
Pilot
In Nov. 2022, Council
approved San José
Clean Energy (SJCE)
to implement a
DCFC Hubs pilot
program to increase
access to affordable
and reliable electric
SJCE is currently in
contracting to establish
4-7 hubs (40-70 ports)
at City-owned sites.

The contract is
expected to be signed
by Oct. 2025 and the
first chargers should
be installed by Q1 in
N/A Energy
Department
2 vehicle (EV) charging
in charging deserts.
2027. SJCE will control
variable retail pricing to
encourage midday
charging and improve
charging affordability.
3 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Delivering Zero
Emissions
Communities
(DZEC)
Initiatives
The City was
awarded the DZEC
grant in June 2021 to
support work towards
reducing GHG
emissions from urban
freight. Phase 1,
working with an
Equity Task Force
and interviews with
commercial freight
companies,
consisted of an
analysis of
commercial freight
GHG emissions data
and strategies the
City could use to
address urban freight
emissions. In Phase
2, City staff
collaborated with a
working group of
women from the
Santee
Neighborhood, to
identify community
priorities.

Through Phase 3
(summer 2025) staff
have conducted site
visits and interviews to
shape the direction of
the final phase of this
pilot. Staff expects to
have a draft scope of
work ready by Dec.
2025.

N/A Department of
Transportation
3 4 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Electric microtransit and ebikeshare In 2024, DOT
received $5.2 million
from the California
Air Resources
Board's (CARB) for
the East San José
Equity Mobility
project, a three-year
initiative that includes
bike education,
apprenticeships, and
mobility wallet
programs.

Another CARB grant
for $1.5 million will
expand bikeshare
from downtown to the
Mayfair and Alum
Rock neighborhoods.

In March, City staff
applied for $3,453,094
through the Valley
Transportation
Authority Measure B
Innovative Transit
Service Models
Competitive Grant. A
response is expected
by Sept. 2025.

N/A Department of
Transportation
5 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Electric Vehicle
Service
Equipment
(EVSE)
Installations at
Municipal Sites
The City is interested
in expanding access
to public chargers in
underserved
neighborhoods and
support charging
needs for the City’s
fleet.

The Metropolitan
Transportation
Commission (MTC)
City staff submitted a
funding obligation
request to MTC to
ensure the project is
included in the
Transportation
Improvement Program.

The project remains on
track for delivery in
2027.

N/A Department of
Transportation
4 awarded the City
$2.4 million for the
Community EV
Charging Access
Project, to install EV
and e-bike chargers
at six City-owned
sites in underserved
East San José
neighborhoods that
currently lack public
charging access.
6 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
EVSE Rates
and Fees Policy
The City is pursuing
adjustments to
charging rates and
the introduction of
overstay fees to
reduce operating
costs, encourage
turnover, and
improve access to
public chargers.

In July, the City
Manager approved a
rate change for all of
the City’s EV chargers,
which will cover the
City’s O&M costs,
encourage greater use
of renewable energy,
and align with rates in
the region. The new
time-of-use rate will
take effect on Oct. 1.

The City Council
approved an EV
charger overstay fee in
May 2025 to
encourage faster
turnover and improve
access for fleet and
N/A Department of
Transportation
5 public users. DOT is
coordinating with other
City departments on a
pilot of the new policy
in a downtown garage.
7 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
EVSE
Operations and
Vendor
Strategy
The City is pursuing
updates of
procedures,
contracts, and
agreements to
ensure reliable, costeffective operations
of City-owned EVSE.

The City is reviewing
procurement
procedures to identify
preferred vendors
capable of offering
competitive pricing,
agreements, and
services to better
support future EVSE
projects.

N/A Department of
Transportation/
Public Works
8 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure
Planning and
Policy
The City is working to
support electrification
of the City’s fleet and
installation of
supporting EVSE
through 2035. Work
includes an EV Fleet
and Charging Master
Plan and an EV
charging siting tool
that prioritizes
charging deserts and
disadvantaged
communities.

City staff is working
with the consultant to
develop a scope of
work for a custom web
map application, to
support EV charging
planning and siting.

N/A Department of
Transportation/
Energy
Department
9 Move to
ZeroEV Instant Rebates
Program
In April 2025, the City
Council approved
SJCE to offer
Staff are preparing to
launch the program on
September 1, 2025.

N/A Energy
Department
6 Emission
Vehicles
incentives for new
and used EVs to
income-qualified
customers. The
incentive will be
offered at point-ofsale at participating
dealerships.
10 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
EV Advisor In April 2025, the City
Council approved
SJCE to offer an EV
Advisor service to
provide customers
with multilingual
(English, Spanish,
and Vietnamese)
customer telephone
hotline, email and
live chat advisory
service to assist
customers on EVs,
EV charging, eMobility, home
electrification, energy
efficiency, resilience,
home battery storage
systems, solar, and
demand response or
virtual power plant
participation.

City staff completed a
Request for Proposals
process and is working
with the implementer
(SMUD) to launch the
EV Advisor service by
the end of October
2025.

N/A Energy
Department
7 11 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Residential
Super Off-Peak
Charging Rate
Pilot
In August 2024,
SJCE created a new
residential rate plan
for EV drivers that
adds a new super
off-peak period from
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with
the lowest rates to
incentivize charging
when solar is
abundant on the grid.

The pilot ended in midAugust 2025. Staff are
analyzing results.

N/A Energy
Department
12 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
EV Education City staff undertake
various initiatives to
support and promote
EV uptake in San
José.

Staff completed a
competitive bid
process to identify
organizations with
community roots and
environmental
knowledge to
implement
electrification
education campaigns.

Staff developed an EV
education plan for
FY25-26. In August
2025, SJCE sponsored
the Silicon Valley
Clean Cities Coalition’s
annual EV ride-anddrive, which saw an
attendance of 70
N/A Energy
Department
8 residents and over 100
test drives.
13 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
Multifamily EV
Charger
Incentive
Program
In October 2024, ED
launched an EV
charger incentive
pilot program for
multifamily
properties. The
program offers up to
$5,000 in incentives
for Level 2 charging
ports or up to $2,000
in incentives for lowpower Level 1/Level
2 charging outlets.

City staff expanded the
original pilot program
to a full program in July
2025. As of August
2025, 10 properties
have reserved
incentives for 50 EV
charging ports. The
program will continue
through FY25-26 with
an expanded $1 million
incentive budget. The
Program is working
with other grant
programs to ensure
that incentives make
the most impact in
driving projects over
the finish line.

N/A Energy
Department
14 Move to
ZeroEmission
Vehicles
EVSE Low
Carbon Fuel
Standard
(LCFS)
Reporting
City staff are
reporting EVSE
usage to the
California Low
Carbon Fuel
Standard program to
generate credits,
providing an
additional revenue to
offset some EVSE
costs.

City staff submitted the
quarterly report to
California Air
Resources Board to
generate LCFS credits.

Working with a broker,
Transportation and
Airport Department
staff secured net
transactions exceeding
$100,000, with
N/A Department of
Transportation
9 revenues supporting
minor EV charging
repairs and community
engagement to
advance electric
mobility programs.
15 Reduce the
Mile We
Travel in
our
Vehicles by
at least
20%
Better Bike Plan
2025
In 2020, City Council
adopted the City’s
Better Bike Plan
2025. As of the end
of 2024, the City has
a 550-mile bikeway
and trail system.

Each Spring, the
Department of
Transportation
provides an annual
update to the
Transportation and
Environment
Committee (T&E).

Bikeway upgrades in
2025 will be delivered
through the pavement
program, with
additional
improvements coming
through the Downtown
Better Bikeways
project. Most
implementation occurs
in the Fall and is
reported in the
following Spring.

Additional mileage
delivered between
March and September
2025 will be included in
the next annual update
in 2026.

Spring 2026
(T&E)
Department of
Transportation
16 Reduce the
Mile We
Travel in
our
Vehicles by
at least
20%
San José
Mobility Hubs
Project
In 2024, the City
received a $1.5
million MTC grant to
build two mobility
hubs on San
Fernando Street with
amenities like bike
and scooter parking,
The City submitted a
request to MTC to
advance the project to
Preliminary
Engineering,
anticipated to begin in
2026. Community
engagement planning
N/A Department of
Transportation
10 e-bike charging,
seating, and realtime transit info to
support multimodal
travel
is underway for a fall
2025 start, and the
project remains on
schedule.
17 Reduce the
Mile We
Travel in
our
Vehicles by
at least
20%
Multimodal
Transportation
Improvement
Plan
In 2024, the City
initiated work on a
Connect North San
José – Multimodal
Transportation
Improvement Plan.

During the reporting
period, City staff
hosted the final
community
engagement event and
convened a follow-up
business focus group
to review proposed
project ideas and draft
recommendations. City
staff developed an
administrative draft of
the Connect North San
José – Multimodal
Transportation
Improvement Plan,
currently under internal
review with publication
anticipated in fall 2025.

City staff also
developed a draft
concept for North First
Street, focusing on
improving safety and
enhancing transit
operations along the
corridor. The team is
currently conducting an
N/A Department of
Transportation
11 operational analysis to
evaluate the feasibility
and performance of the
proposed changes to
North First Street.
18 Reduce the
Mile We
Travel in
our
Vehicles by
at least
20%
Bike Share
Service
Expansion
DOT staff are
working with MTC,
Lyft and community
partners to expand
bikeshare access in
East San José. A
State grant (Clean
Mobility Options) and
MTC investments will
fund 500 new e-bikes
and 22 new stations
and community
programs.

City staff deployed 500
e-bikes and initiated
site planning for new
dock stations, with 12
new stations expected
by the end of 2025.

The expansion effort is
on track for completion
by May 2026.

N/A Department of
Transportation
19 Reduce the
Mile We
Travel in
our
Vehicles by
at least
20%
SMART Curbs:

Curb Digitization
and Curb
Management
Pilots
The City’s SMART
Curb Management
Pilot used camerabased LiDAR to track
downtown curb
activity. In March
2025, MTC awarded
the City $2 million to
pilot curb space
reallocation, deploy
sensors to detect
bikes and
pedestrians, and
launch a public data
The SMART Curb
Management Pilot
ended on June 30,
2025. It included a
LiDAR inventory of 140
miles of Downtown
streets, installation of
160+ solar-powered
cameras, and
integration of real-time,
historical, and citation
data into a centralized
platform. Extensive
community
engagement informed
N/A Department of
Transportation
12 platform to share
findings.
curb use strategies.

City staff will provide a
final report to USDOT
by August 29, 2025.

With new MTC
funding, the project will
expand to monitor
multimodal activity,
update curb
regulations, and launch
a public-facing tool for
real-time curb visibility.
20 Reduce the
Mile We
Travel in
our
Vehicles by
at least
20%
Department of
Transportation
Data Dashboard
DOT acquired a
comprehensive data
source with real-time
and historical travel
data to support
analysis of travel
patterns, traffic
conditions, VMT and
mode-shift. This data
will help prioritize
projects aligned with
Climate Smart goals
Following onboarding
with a data analytics
consultant, DOT began
integrating the data
into its Decision
Support System, which
combines travel, land
use, and safety data to
support planning,
evaluation, and
equitable project
prioritization, along
with other tools for
project and program
analysis
N/A Department of
Transportation
21 Switch our
appliances
from fossil
fuel to
electric
EcoHome
Rebate
SJCE’s EcoHome
Rebate program
launched in
December 2024. It
provides rebates to
As of late August 2025,
customers have
installed 445 heat
pump HVAC systems
and 159 heat pump
N/A Energy
Department
13 residential customers
for heat pump water
heaters, heat pump
HVAC systems,
insulation, panel
upgrades, circuit
splitters/pausers, and
pre-wiring for future
home electrification.

The incentive budget
for FY25-26 is
approximately $2.7
million.
water heaters. Nearly
$1.6 million in
incentives have been
delivered to SJCE
customers.
22 Switch our
appliances
from fossil
fuel to
electric
EcoHome
Payment Plan
SJCE’s EcoHome
Payment Plan pilot
program launched in
December 2024.

SJCE provides $1.25
million in zerointerest payment
plans to customers
who install a heat
pump. Loans are up
to $5,000 for 2, 3, or
5-year terms.

As of August 19, 2025,
55 loans have been
issued and over
$250,000 in loans has
been dispersed. Over
70% of funds are still
available for future
loans.

N/A Energy
Department
23 Switch our
appliances
from fossil
fuel to
electric
Home
electrification
advisor service
The Go Electric
Advisor provides a
multilingual (English,
Spanish, and
Advisor service set to
launch early November
2025.

N/A Energy
Department
14 Vietnamese)
customer telephone
hotline and email
advisory service
providing
comprehensive
customer assistance
on electric vehicles,
EV charging, eMobility, home
electrification, energy
efficiency, resilience,
home battery storage
systems, solar, and
demand response or
virtual power plant
participation.
24 Switch our
appliances
from fossil
fuel to
electric
Heat Pump
Education
City staff undertake
various initiatives to
support and promote
heat pump uptake in
San José.

City staff completed a
competitive bid
process to identify
organizations with
community roots and
environmental
knowledge to
implement
electrification
education campaigns.

Contracting is in
progress, and staff
N/A Energy
Department
15 developed a home
electrification
education plan for
FY25-26.
25 Switch our
appliances
from fossil
fuel to
electric
Electrification
Workforce
Development
The Energy
Department finished
a consultant study
and interviewed 30
labor stakeholders to
understand how the
City can support the
building electrification
workforce and the
creation of high road
jobs.

In September 2025,
staff will seek Council
approval to launch two
electrification
workforce development
programs, one funding
training equipment and
local training
institutions and the
other funding
scholarships. Staff will
also propose a “high
road” badge to
highlight contractors in
the online EcoHome
Network directory who
meet qualifications
around health care,
prevailing wage, and
training. Energy
Department staff
continue to attend the
High Road Training
Partnership member
meetings and
communicate with
labor stakeholders to
inform current future
program design.

Sept. 9, 2025
(Council)
Energy
Department
16 26 Switch our
appliances
from fossil
fuel to
electric
Building Reach
Code
Present building
reach codes for City
Council consideration
to help to support
Climate Smart goals
such as increased
EV infrastructure,
renewable energy,
and building
electrification.

City staff drafted a
single-family existing
building reach code,
hosted five outreach
webinars, and drafted
a Frequently Asked
Questions document
posted on the City’s
Reach Code webpage.

Sept. 9, 2025
(Council)
Energy
Department
27 Power our
community
with 100
percent
carbonneutral
electricity
Solar Access
Program
The Solar Access
program offers
customers with low
incomes living in
disadvantaged
communities a 20
percent bill discount
and 100 percent
solar energy from a
solar facility in
Northern California.

The program is
entirely funded by the
CPUC. Staff began
enrolling customers
in November 2021,
intending to serve
900 customers. The
program is expected
to run for 20 years.

Between March and
August 2025, SJCE
enrolled 189 new
customers onto the
Solar Access Program,
bringing the total
number of participants
to 926. SJCE is
leveraging a new
permanent solar
resource for Solar
Access with increased
annual production,
allowing SJCE to
gradually increase the
number of customers it
can serve through the
program
N/A Energy
Department
28 Power our
community
with 100
Virtual Power
Plant/ Peak
Rewards
Peak Rewards,
originally launched
for large commercial
SJCE launched Peak
Rewards for Smart
Homes in May 2025.

N/A Energy
Department
17 percent
carbonneutral
electricity
customers in 2023, is
SJCE’s Virtual Power
Plant. Participation in
Peak Rewards is
enabled by three
distinct programs:

Peak Rewards for All
(launched in 2024 for
residential
customers), Peak
Rewards for Smart
Homes (launched
May 2025), and Peak
Rewards for
Business (newly
named in May 2025).

Peak Rewards for
Smart Homes allows
customers to be paid
for enrolling their smart
thermostats, EV
chargers, and EVs
through telematics for
SJCE to adjust.

SJCE has enrolled
2,513 total customers
in Peak Rewards and
added support for
smart thermostats.

SJCE is currently
redesigning incentives
for commercial
customers to better
align with other
programs on the
market and encourage
additional participation
from large commercial
customers.
29 Power our
community
with 100
percent
carbonneutral
electricity
Low-income
solar + storage
offer
In August 2025,
SJCE partnered with
Haven Energy to
offer no to low cost
solar and storage
systems to lowincome homeowners
by utilizing state
incentives.

SJCE promoted the
offer to eligible
customers in August
2025.

N/A Energy
Department
18 30 Power our
community
with 100
percent
carbonneutral
electricity
Pilot Zonal
Electrification
Senate Bill 1221
(Min, 2024) requires
gas corporations by
January 1, 2026, to
designate priority
neighborhood
decarbonization
zones based on the
cost-effectiveness of
electrification versus
gas distribution line
replacement costs
and the CPUC to
develop a program
with 30 pilot project
sites statewide that
facilitates the costeffective
decarbonization of
priority neighborhood
decarbonization
zones.

City staff engaged with
PG&E to review San
José’s priority
neighborhood
decarbonization zones
as designated by
PG&E and collaborate
with PG&E to ensure a
zone in San José can
be one of the 30 pilot
project sites, if desired
by affected residents.

TBD Energy
Department
31 Power our
community
with 100
percent
carbonneutral
power
Home Appliance
Savings
Program and
Energy Efficient
Business
Program
Funded by external
funding, SJCE
offered two energy
efficiency programs:
 The Home
Appliance
Savings Program
offered discounts
on energy-saving
appliances and
free devices to
At the end of 2024,
SJCE sunset its
energy efficiency
programs. The
programs resulted in
lifetime customer
savings of nearly $11
million, more than
18,000 metric tons of
CO2 avoided, and
3,500 megawatt-hours
N/A Energy
Department
19 geographic- and
income-qualified
customers.
 The Energy
Efficient Business
Program offered
rebates for
qualified energysaving upgrades.
of annual electricity
savings over the
lifetimes of the energysaving equipment –
equal to the annual
energy usage of about
720 homes.
32 Power our
community
with 100
percent
carbonneutral
electricity
Battery Storage
Incentive
Program
In May 2025, the
Energy Department
added an incentive
for battery storage
systems through
SJCE’s EcoHome
Rebate program. The
program offers up to
$3,250 in rebates for
any battery system
installed in San José
by an eligible SJCE
customer and up to
$10,400 for eligible
equity, low-income
customers. There are
additional rebates
available for panel
upgrades, EV circuit
pre-wiring, and other
electrification
measures.

From March to May
2025, City staff
finalized the program
design and the
launched the program.

The program has
approved more than
300 applications,
totaling about
$900,000 in funds
reserved (82% of total
budget). Of those
approved, 5 have
already been
completed, meaning
we’ve paid out $25,000
in incentives so far.

N/A Energy
Department
20 33 Crosscutting Zero Emissions
Neighborhood
(ZEN) Pilot
The ZEN is intended
to bring a suite of
Climate Smart
building, mobility,
and water
improvements to
households in the
Santee pilot
neighborhood with
community input.

Previous work
included grant
funding for urban
greening and building
electrification
projects. In 2025, the
City began work on a
$341,000 Extreme
Heat and Community
Resilience Program
(EHCRP) grant,
centered around the
ZEN pilot area, that
will continue through
2027.

In June 2025, the City
began working with
community partners to
finalize the project
work plan. In late Sept.
2025, City staff will
host a community
EHCRP kick-off
meeting and launch a
community survey to
identify community
needs and inform grant
deliverables.

N/A Energy
Department
34 Crosscutting GoGreen
Teams
Launched in 2022,
GoGreen Teams is a
community
engagement program
in San José,
supported by Bright
Action Communities.

A third cohort launched
in October 2024,
implementing targeted
outreach to a diverse
set of local community
groups, including
neighborhood
N/A Energy
Department
21 Thus far, two cohorts
completed, it
encourages residents
and students to form
teams and participate
in meetings on
climate solutions and
track their progress
on the Climate Smart
Challenge platform.
associations, faithbased groups, youth
groups, and business
associations. This
cohort also includes a
pilot led by Bright
Action to engage with
Spanish-speaking
communities in East
San José through
climate education
presentations,
promoting the platform
as a resource. This
cohort has resulted in
over 150 new platform
signups thus far,
engaging and
educating the
community on climate
solutions.
35 Crosscutting Climate Smart
Challenge
Staff continue to
promote the City’s
Climate Smart
Challenge platform.

As of August 31, 2025,
the San José's Climate
Smart Challenge
platform has 1,582
users who have
committed to or
completed over 5,644
climate actions, that
have resulted in
approximately
$144,754 saved, 392
tons of CO2 reduced,
N/A Energy
Department
22 and 535,463 gallons of
water saved.

Energy and Public
Works Department
staff worked together
to develop a new
section of the Climate
Smart Challenge
platform for In-Office
Energy Efficiency,
featuring 10 new
energy saving actions,
which rolled out with
the new City Hall
Energy Efficiency
Campaign in June
2025.
36 Crosscutting Climate Smart
San José Plan
Update
Updates to the
Climate Smart plan
are intended to align
with the General
Plan’s four-year
review cycle, This
first update reflects
progress made,
lessons learned, and
evolving City
priorities since the
adoption of Climate
Smart.

Public comments
closed on June 30,
2025. City staff are
working with a
designer to finalize the
update.

Oct. 6, 2025
(T&E), Oct.
21, 2025
(Council)
Energy
Department
23 37 Crosscutting Climate
Advisory
Commission
In May 2023, Council
directed staff to
establish a Climate
Advisory
Commission. The
commission has an
annual workplan and
meetings every other
month.

City staff facilitated
four Climate Advisory
Commission meetings.

The Commission
provided review and
input on various City
programs and policies,
including the Climate
Adaptation and
Resilience Plan, and
SJCE’s reserves,
rates, and power mix
strategy.

T&E approved the
Commission’s FY
2025–26 Work Plan
and FY 2024–25
Annual Report in Aug.
2025. During the
reporting period, staff
also reviewed
applications to fill two
commissioner
vacancies.

N/A Energy
Department
38 Crosscutting Energy and
Water Building
Performance
Ordinance
(BPO)
The City’s BPO
requires property
owners of large
commercial and
multi-family
properties 20,000
square feet and
above to track the
In April 2025, City
Council approved a
minor amendment to
align the energy audit
requirements with
industry standards.

Sept. 16,
2025
(Council)
Spring 2026
(T&E)
Energy
Department
24 property’s energy
and water use and
report this to the City
annually using the
U.S. EPA

ENERGYSTAR
Portfolio Manager®
platform. On a rolling
five-year cycle,
starting in 2023,
properties also have
to complete one of
two “Beyond
Benchmarking”
Pathways (i.e.
demonstrate high
performance or
complete steps to
improve
performance). Staff
share energy and
water data with
buildings via annual
customized
scorecards and will
be creating a publicfacing map and
dashboard of BPO
data.

City staff drafted an
additional memo to
amend the ordinance
to update the lead
department given the
Climate Smart
Division’s move to the
Energy Department in
FY25-26.

City staff also mailed
out compliance cycle
invoices (April 2025)
and completed the
annual data reporting
requirements to the
California Energy
Commission (July
2025).

City staff will be
evaluating the
effectiveness of the
BPO and returning with
recommendations to
the Transportation and
Environment
Committee in Spring
2026.
39 Crosscutting Climate Art
Program
The Climate Art
Program aims to
build energy and
community support
The Climate Art
program continues to
host bi-weekly events
in person and online
N/A Office of
Economic
Development
25 around the City’s
2030 goal of carbon
neutrality by enlisting
the support of and
reducing the carbon
impact of the San
José arts and culture
sector.
including cross sector
visits to museums to
learn about their
sustainability and
adaptation plans, and
online community
sharing including
presentations from
Climate Smart, Valley
Water and the Climate
Museum. In June
2025, the Climate Art
program hosted an
evening around food
justice at Grateful
Gardens that explored
artists working in urban
agriculture.
and Cultural
Affairs
40 Crosscutting Communitywide
Greenhouse
Gas Inventory
City staff prepare
annual
communitywide
greenhouse gas
inventories to monitor
progress toward
Climate Smart
greenhouse gas
emission reduction
goals
City staff completed
the 2023
Communitywide
Greenhouse Gas
Inventory in April 2025
and will complete the
2024 Inventory by
December 2025.

Oct. 6, 2025
(T&E), Oct.
21, 2025
(Council)
Energy
Department
41 Municipal Municipal
Building
Electrification
City staff pursue
building electrification
at municipal buildings
to lead by example.

In April 2025, the City
received notice of
award for the BayREN
Decarbonization
Showcase to electrify
N/A Public Works
26 appliances at
Roosevelt Community
Center.
42 Municipal Green Fleet
Policy Update
The City adopted a
Green Fleet Policy in
2007 and is seeking
to update it to align
with current City
goals.

The City Auditor’s
Office is reviewing the
current policy and an
update is expected by
October 2025.

TBD Public Works
43 Municipal EV Fleet Master
Plan
The City is
developing a master
plan for converting its
fleet to EVs that
outlines vehicle
conversion and EV
charger installations,
needed in three
phases through
2040, to fully electrify
the City fleet.

In May 2025, Energy,
Public Works, and
Transportation
Department staff
finalized the City of
San José Fleet
Electrification Master
Plan.

TBD Energy
Department/
Public Works
Department
44 Municipal Airport Power
Resiliency and
Delivery
Upgrades Study
The City is
developing a
comprehensive
feasibility study to
assess potential
power delivery
upgrades and
resiliency measures
to support the
Airport’s existing
electrical
infrastructure and
In August 2025, the
Airport began working
with the consultant on
this study. It includes
the evaluation of
distributive energy
resources for campuswide use; exploring
power resiliency
through a potential
Airport microgrid;
assessing Smart Grid
N/A Airport
27 anticipated future
loads from
implementation of the
Airport Capital
Improvement
Program and Master
Plan projects.
integration, microgrid
controls, and high-level
designs for
incorporating Battery
Energy Storage
Systems and power
resiliency solutions.

The study will also
further assess the
potential for
implementation of
decarbonization of the
Airport’s Central Utility
Plant.

Staff anticipate that the
final report for this
study will be completed
by March 2026.
45 Municipal Climate Smart
Training for City
Staff
Provide resources
and training to City
staff to inform and
inspire the integration
of actions supporting
the City’s Climate
Smart in City
initiatives and
operations.

City staff hosted an
inaugural Climate
Smart training session
for over 100 City
executive and senior
leadership staff.

City staff also initiated
work, including
development of a
workplan and timeline,
in coordination with
Human Resources
N/A Energy
Department
28 Department staff for a
Climate Smart elearning module for
new employee
onboarding.
46 Other Climate
Adaptation and
Resilience Plan
In 2023, the
Governor’s Office of
Planning and
Research (now the
Governor's Office of
Land Use and
Climate Innovation)
awarded the City with
a $650,000 grant to
develop a Climate
Adaptation and
Resilience Plan.

In April 2025, City
staff, the project
consultant, and SPUR
hosted Workshop 1 to
gather community
input.

City staff created a
new City Climate
Adaptation and
Resilience webpage
and advertised the
webpage and efforts to
date at five tabling
events.

In May 2025, staff
provided an update to
the City’s Climate
Advisory Commission.

City staff expects to
release a public review
draft in late Sept. 2025.

Feb. 9, 2026
(T&E), Feb.
24, 2026
(Council)
Energy
Department
47 Other New Climate
Smart Zero
Waste Element
(ZWE)
The ZWE will
address GHG
emissions from the
solid waste sector to
assess and
From March through
June 2025, City staff
and the project
consultant worked to
finalize the proposed
Oct. 6, 2025
(T&E), Nov
2025 (Council,
tentative)
Environmental
Services
Department
29 reevaluate the
prioritization of the
City’s zero waste
strategies and
address related
critical issues
regarding recycling
markets, changing
waste regulations,
domestic reuse
potential, local
infrastructure related
to waste, and landfill
capacity.

Element and
developed a
Frequently Asked
Questions document to
aid with preparation to
take this item to
Council for approval in
Fall 2025. The project
consultant developed
an accessible and
translated version
(Spanish and
Vietnamese) of the
ZWE.