CLIMATE SMART SAN JOSÉ
SEMI-ANNUAL STATUSREPORT
AND UPDATED PLAN
City Council Meeting
December 2, 2025
Lori Mitchell, Director – Energy Department
Julie Benabente, Deputy Director – Energy Department
Anne Balis, Supervising Environmental Services Specialist – Energy Department
1. Background
2. Climate Smart 2025 Update
3. 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
4. Semi-annual Update
(March – August 2025)
5. Looking Forward
6. Recommendation
OVERVIEW
2 • 2018 – Adopted Climate Smart San José plan
• 2019 – Declared climate emergency
• 2021 – Adopted carbon neutrality by 2030 goal
• 2022 – Approved Pathway to Carbon Neutrality
• Four Key Strategies:
BACKGROUND
1. Zero emission vehicles
2. Reduce vehicle miles
traveled
3. Building electrification
4. Carbon neutral power
3 2025 CLIMATE SMART PLAN UPDATE
• What This Update Is:
• Administrative refinement to formally incorporate
Council-approved plans, policies, and goals since
2018.
• Keeps core strategies and long-term goals intact
• Updates metrics and milestones to match current data
and practice
• What This Update Is Not:
• Not a full revisit of the plan components or analysis • Does not introduce new long-term goals or major
financial commitments
• Leaves detailed implementation actions for annual
workplans
• Programs and policies continue to be approved by City Council through regular City and budgeting processes
4 2025 CLIMATE SMART PLAN UPDATE
Climate Achievements Include:
• San José Clean Energy
• Electrification and EV infrastructure building
reach codes for new construction
• Bike Plan 2025
• Climate Advisory Commission
• Building electrification incentive programs
The City’s climate work has received local,
national, and worldwide recognition.
5 2025 CLIMATE SMART PLAN UPDATE
Key Changes:
• Incorporates approved carbon neutrality goal and
Natural & Working Lands Element
• Streamlines metrics to focus on key strategies
• Aligns with new local, state, and regional policies
• Interpolates interim milestones for 2027 and 2030
• 2040 & 2050 goals unchanged
• Replaces City Action Plan with more flexible,
annual departmental workplans
6 Community and Staff Engagement
• Outreach at events, libraries, and community centers
• Multilingual engagement (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese)
• Digital outreach: ads and newsletters
• Engagement channels: webinars, Konveio comment
platform, letters
• 200+ comments received on the Plan Update
• Input from 40+ staff across eight City departments
2025 PLAN UPDATE - ENGAGEMENT
7 2023 COMMUNITYWIDE GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY
8 • 2023 emissions are 16% lower than 2017 baseline
• Slight (0.2%) increase since last inventory (2021)
• Need a steeper trajectory in emissions reductions to stay on track with our carbon neutrality by 2030 goal
2023 COMMUNITYWIDE GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY
9 Over 40 significant initiatives supporting Climate
Smart goals across multiple City departments:
CLIMATE SMART INITIATIVES
• Highlights include:
• Deployed 500 new bikeshare e-bikes and added 7.4 miles of bikeways • 50 ports at 11 properties in progress as part of Multifamily EV Charger Pilot:
• Launched battery storage incentive for residential customers • EcoHome program funded installation of over 600 heat pumps and 55 zero- interest loans for building electrification
• Airport
• Energy
• Environmental Services
• Office of Economic
Development and Cultural
Affairs
• Public Works
• Transportation
10 • Translated materials and multilingual customer support • Increased and/or reserved incentives for equity
communities
CALeVIP: 31% of incentive funds issued or reserved for low-income and disadvantaged communities
Solar Access Program: 20% bill discount and 100% solar energy for low-income customers in disadvantaged
communities
EQUITY HIGHLIGHTS
Low-income solar + storage offer: No- and low-cost solar and storage systems to low- income homeowners
Battery Storage Incentive Program: Higher incentive and 30% of budget reserved for Environmental Justice Communities
EV Instant Rebates Program: Available only to income-qualified (below 100% AMI) EcoHome Rebate: Higher incentives for Environmental Justice Communities 11 • Expanded services and/or pilots serving equity communities Bike Share Service Expansion: Expands bikeshare access in East San José and offers reduced-cost memberships for low-income riders
Electrification Workforce Development: Will fund scholarship program focused on students with barriers (low-income, single parents, formerly incarcerated, unhoused, etc.) EQUITY HIGHLIGHTS (CONT’D)
Direct Current Fast Charging Hubs Pilot: Siting in
"charging deserts," typically low-income communities
East San José Equity Mobility project: Will provide bike education and mobility wallet programs for low-income
communities in East San José
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Planning and Policy:
Targeting EV charging siting in charging deserts and
disadvantaged communities
• Targeted engagement in equity communities to inform City initiatives 12 • Supporting: Transit-Oriented Communities Policy, biking and EV charging infrastructure, and extreme heat resilience projects
• Federal funding reductions remain a challenge
EXTERNAL FUNDING
Total Amount of
Grants Submitted in
Reporting Period
(March – August 2025)
Total Amount of
Grants Awarded in
Reporting Period
(March – August
2025)
Total Amount of
Awards Executed
in
FY 2024-2025
Direct Funding $687,755 $4,595,000 $3,995,000
In-Kind
Resources
$2,963,383 $35,000 $0
Total $3,651,138 $4,630,000 $3,995,000
13 Highlights
• Clean Transportation
• Launch engagement for San José Mobility Hubs
• Roll out East San José Mobility Project
• Launch EV Instant Rebate program (up to $4,000 for income-qualified SJCE customers)
• Install new bikeways (pavement program and Downtown Better Bikeways) • Building Electrification & Energy
• Launch Go Electric Advisor (EVs, home electrification, solar, batteries) • Expand Peak Rewards for Smart Homes to EVs, chargers, and batteries • Climate Analysis and Planning
• Complete 2024 Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• Release Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan Public Review Draft • Present final Connect North San José Multimodal Plan to City Council • Convene a strategy session to evaluate Climate Smart 2030 goals in fall 2025
LOOKING AHEAD
14 • Accept Climate Smart semi-
annual update
• Approve 2025 Climate Smart
Plan Update
• Transition to annual Climate
Smart updates
(starting Fiscal Year 2025-2026)
RECOMMENDATION
15 Lori Mitchell, Director – ED
Julie Benabente, Deputy Director – ED
Anne Balis, Supervising Environmental Services Specialist – ED 16