Climate Action in Davis 

Davis has a long history of incorporating innovative sustainability actions in greenhouse gas reductions, transportation, energy, water, waste and municipal policies, frequently through both City Council action and community engagement and activism. For example, over fifty years ago Davis was the first city in the United States to install bicycle lanes. In 1972, Davis adopted the Energy Conservation Building Code, which eventually was the basis for California’s Title 24 requirements and Energy Code. Davis has been a pioneer in waste recycling, reduction and reuse, beginning with starting curbside recycling in 1974 through implementing organics cart collection in 2016.

The City is currently in the process of a robust 2020 Davis Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Update to identify a vision for City of Davis carbon neutrality, sustainability and climate actions. Davis is committed to attaining carbon neutrality by 2040, ahead of the State of California 2045 target, and the CAAP will identify clear implementation actions and a roadmap toward that goal. The current CAAP was developed and adopted following significant community engagement and input in 2010, when California climate action plans were in their infancy. Since that time, many sustainability milestones have been reached, including significant city measures and climate actions implemented.

Current City Measures and Funding – 2020-present

2020 Climate Action and Adaptation (CAAP) Update supports recent City Council actions to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction progress made since the 2010 CAAP adoption, identify physical and social vulnerabilities, establish and prioritize climate action and carbon reduction policies toward carbon neutrality, and bring the City into compliance with current state legislation. See CAAP webpage for additional information about community engagement and outreach opportunities. Community members can communicate directly with the CAAP Project Management team via the dedicated email, CAAP@cityofdavis.org.  

2020 GHG Inventory  The CAAP Update uses data obtained in a separate regionally integrated 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, completed in partnership with other jurisdictions in Yolo County. The GHG Inventory, with a baseline year of 2016, establishes current baselines, and is a template for annual updates. 2020 GHG Inventory

Cool Davis partner and sponsor – the City works with Cool Davis and other community-based organizations for climate action outreach and engagement. https://www.cooldavis.org/

Electrify Yolo The City is the lead agency for a regional effort to implement electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Yolo County, using funding provided by a Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Green Region Grant. See the Electric Vehicle and EV Charging Infrastructure webpage for more information.

Resolution Declaring a Climate Emergency and Proposing Mobilization Efforts to Restore a Safe Climate approved by Davis City Council on March 5, 2019 – the resolution commits to accelerating the Community’s carbon neutrality goal from 2050 up to 2040 and implement other significant City actions to address climate change by 2030. City Council Climate Emergency Resolution - Adopted March 5, 2019

New Non-residential Energy Reach Code (commercial and high rise residential) approved by Davis City Council in April 2019 – this reach code builds upon an ordinance passed in 2014 requiring solar for all new, single-family residential construction in the City limits. The 2019 code requires additional energy efficiency in building and additional electric vehicle charging. 2019 Non-residential Energy Reach Code. The EV standards are based on the adopted 2017 Electric Vehicle Charging Plan.  

New Residential Energy Reach Code approved by Davis City Council in October 2019 – incentivizes all-electric homes by requiring mixed fuel home building (gas and electric) to have additional energy efficiency requirements, increased photo-voltaic use and battery storage. 2019 Residential Energy Reach Code. 

Solar Leader – Davis has one of the highest solar photovoltaic adoption rates in terms of capacity per capita. As of January 1, 2018, with a population of 68,704, Davis reached 735 watts per capita, more than the leader among US capital cities, Honolulu, as documented in the 2019 Shining Cities report.  https://environmentamericacenter.org/feature/amc/shining-cities-2019. In 2017, City of Davis received the U.S. Department of Energy SolSmart Gold Award, as a national leader in advancing solar energy. SolSmart

Sustainability Award – City of Davis received the Institute for Local Government’s Beacon Award for Sustainability Best Practices. Beacon Award

Urban Forest Plan grant funding received In June 2019 – $500,000 to develop an updated Urban Forest Plan and plant 1,000 trees in Davis neighborhoods.

Valley Clean Energy (VCE)  - Formed by Yolo County and the Cities of Woodland and Davis VCE launched services on June 1, 2018 and provides electricity to customers located within the Cities of Woodland and Davis and the unincorporated areas of Yolo County. Valley Clean Energy. 

Yolo Resiliency Collaborative (YRC) founding member and partner – YRC is an ad-hoc, staff-based organization with membership from jurisdictions across Yolo County that formed in October 2017 to kickstart resilience planning and implementation in our communities for adaptation policies related to climate change. The City also proactively engages in  collaboration with regional partners for groundwater, surface water and other resources.

2019-20 CivicSpark Fellow – Davis contracted with a Fellow to assist with developing measurement methods and tracking protocols to support municipal operations goals and community climate actions, with funding assistance from Yolo Energy Watch. https://civicspark.lgc.org/

Previous City Documents and Actions 

The following reports and documents are related to the City’s current efforts related to community sustainability and climate change. Additional reports and documents will be added as they become available.

In 1999, Davis joined a small group of cities calling for local action and a national policy on climate change. In 2006, the City joined the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement that called for local and national action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). In a clear action in spring 2007, the Davis City Council unanimously adopted a strategy to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Based on this Council strategy, the City joined the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) program along with hundreds of other communities across the globe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the local level. The program is designed to educate and empower local governments to take action on climate change. The CCP is a performance-oriented campaign that offers a framework for local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve livability within their municipalities.

The City joined the California Climate Action Registry. The Registry is a non-profit public/private partnership that serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas registry to protect, encourage, and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions. The Registry provides a verifiable emissions protocol that will ensure that participants receive appropriate consideration for early actions in the event of any future state, federal or international GHG regulatory scheme. This is especially important for communities like Davis that have made significant past investments in GHG reducing programs and infrastructure (e.g. bicycle transportation network).

The City is also coordinating with UC Davis and other organizations to identify where efforts on sustainability and climate change overlap. This will allow the City to partner with other organizations and groups to increase the effectiveness of its actions.

The City is a founding member of the Yolo Resiliency Collaborative, a sub regional member of the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative. https://climatereadiness.info/