To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sustainability Committee
Report Title: Consider Adoption of Contra Costa County Clean Energy Roadmap for Existing Buildings
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. CONSIDER adopting the Contra Costa County Clean Energy Roadmap for existing buildings, as presented to the Sustainability Committee.
2. FIND that adoption of the Contra Costa County Clean Energy Roadmap for existing buildings is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15262.
3. DIRECT staff to file a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk and pay any required fee for the filing.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Measure X funding is allocated to cover the staff time associated with the development and implementation of the Clean Energy Roadmap for existing buildings (Roadmap).
If the Roadmap is adopted by the County, other funding sources will need to be identified to facilitate all-electric building conversions.
BACKGROUND:
On November 5, 2024, the County Board of Supervisors adopted the Contra Costa County 2045 General Plan and Updated 2024 Contra Costa County Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). The CAAP establishes greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals to be 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, and to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2045, consistent with the State’s goals.
CAAP Strategy BE-2, Clean and Efficient Built Environment, includes an implementation action calling for the creation by the County of a detailed roadmap to convert existing homes and businesses to use low-carbon or carbon-free appliances. It also states that the roadmap shall prioritize equity to minimize the risk of displacement or significant disruptions to existing tenants.
On March 10, 2025, the Sustainability Committee (Committee) received a report on the Draft Clean Energy Roadmap for existing buildings (Roadmap), which was released for public review on March 5, 2025. A proposed timeline was provided by staff recommending a 30-day public comment review period with a final draft of the Roadmap planned for consideration by the Committee later in the year for a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. The Committee provided feedback on the draft Roadmap, requesting it include how it will support the Bay Area Air District (BAAD) Rules 9-4 and 9-6, which ban the purchase of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitting water heaters (i.e., gas water heaters) for residential buildings or standard commercial and industrial spaces starting in 2027, ban the purchase of furnaces that emit NOx (i.e., gas burning furnaces) starting in 2029, and ban the purchase of larger commercial water heaters that emit NOx beginning in 2031.
On September 8, 2025, the Committee considered the public comments received on the draft Roadmap, reviewed a new draft of the Roadmap revised to address public comments and asked that it be presented for consideration to the Board of Supervisors for adoption.
Public Outreach
Public comments on the draft Roadmap were accepted from March 25, 2025, through April 24, 2025. Staff created a dedicated webpage with information about the draft Roadmap and how to submit public comments. Two virtual information sessions also occurred in April for the public to attend and provide verbal comments on the draft Roadmap. Information on how to review and submit comments on the draft Roadmap was also included in the Spring 2025 edition of the County’s Sustainability Newsletter. Staff also presented an overview of the draft Roadmap at the Contra Costa County All-Electric Working Group meeting in April, a quarterly meeting that includes industry professionals, non-profit leaders and local government staff within the County interested in transitioning buildings to be all-electric.
Summary of Public Comments Received
The main themes that emerged from the public outreach conducted included information on stakeholder collaboration, questions around timelines and goal setting, and community engagement. The most detailed comments were provided by 350 Contra Costa Action, who provided both written and verbal comments.
A detailed summary of the public comments received, including a summary of edits made to the draft Roadmap in response to comments received, was provided to the Sustainability Committee at its September 8, 2025, meeting. The report to the Committee on this topic is attached.
Clean Energy Roadmap
The Clean Energy Roadmap includes information on the benefits of all-electric buildings, including an initial assessment of the existing landscape in California for transitioning buildings to all-electric, such as existing policies and plans at the local, regional, and State levels. The Roadmap includes a preliminary inventory of residential buildings in the County, a brief overview of the cost issues around transitioning buildings to all-electric, analyzes issues related to electric panel capacity, such as outdated wiring in the home, and discusses the costs of adding solar panels and battery storage.
The Roadmap also provides specific recommendations and next steps based on the research and information included in the report. This includes implementing a specific outreach and engagement strategy on the subject of transitioning buildings to be all-electric, with a focus on gaining feedback from communities historically marginalized; completing additional analysis to obtain more data on buildings and the costs of transitioning existing buildings to be all-electric; working with the County’s Legislation Committee and Board of Supervisors to develop a policy framework that calls for the County to work with regulatory agencies to support the goal of transitioning existing buildings to all-electric. Other recommendations and next steps include, further exploring policy options outlined in the Roadmap, working to develop a strategy to address tenant/landlord rental property constraints, seeking solutions to improve the overall resiliency of households in the County, such as installing solar panels and battery storage, allowing staff to seek funding that supports the implementation of the Roadmap, and identifying opportunities for pilot projects for converting existing buildings to be all-electric, where appropriate. The recommended Clean Energy Roadmap is attached to this report.
Roadmap Implementation Action Plan
To implement the recommendations and next steps detailed in the Roadmap, the Roadmap calls for an Implementation Action Plan to be completed within 12 months of when the Roadmap is adopted by the County and specifies that the Implementation Action Plan be examined on an annual basis to allow for any adjustments, as needed. As part of the Implementation Action Plan, a Clean Energy Roadmap webpage be maintained with regularly updated information on the topic of converting buildings to be all-electric.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
For the purposes of compliance with CEQA, the adoption of the Clean Energy Roadmap is the project. Based on the record before the County, staff has determined that this project is exempt from environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15262, which applies to a project that only involves feasibility and planning studies for possible future actions which the board has not approved, adopted, or funded.
The Clean Energy Roadmap is a planning study on how to support converting existing homes and businesses to use low-carbon or carbon-free appliances. The roadmap is an implementation action of Strategy BE-2 in the County’s 2024 CAAP. The updated 2024 CAAP was adopted as part of the County’s 2045 General Plan adopted in 2024.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The County would not implement an action item in the updated 2024 CAAP, CAAP Strategy BE-2. The County would also likely not meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets included in its updated 2024 CAAP.