Board of Supervisors adopts County’s first-ever Climate Resilience Comprehensive Action Plan 

On Sept. 10, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to make the County government carbon-neutral by 2030, the latest in a series of actions taken by supervisors to slow climate change and protect county residents from its increasingly dangerous effects. The Climate Resilience Comprehensive Action Plan follows two tracks. The first outlines a series of actions to make County government facilities and operations carbon neutral, zero waste, and climate resilient. The second track outlines a year-long community engagement strategy to develop a deeper understanding of climate resilience priorities, barriers and opportunities in communities across Sonoma County, and prioritize actions the County could take to support community progress. Highlights of the Climate Plan are available here in English and Spanish, along with the full plan, and links to underlying sources, and the community engagement strategy.

Measures in the Climate Plan will increase resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the sectors of Energy, Transportation and Waste. Nature-based solutions will increase resiliency and carbon storage in the sectors of Water, Wildfire and Natural and Working Lands. The measures will be implemented by the County’s departments and agencies with support from climate staff in the County Administrator’s Office. Near-term measures will be implemented over the next two years, while mid-term measures will be implemented between 2026 and 2030, and longer-term measures beyond 2030.

The near term and mid-term measures in the Plan will make County operations carbon neutral by 2030. Carbon neutrality occurs when the amount of carbon taken out of the atmosphere is equal to the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. By reducing carbon emissions and implementing nature-based solutions on a large scale, the entire county – not just County government – could become carbon neutral. Making Sonoma County carbon neutral by 2030 is the overarching goal of the Climate Action and Resiliency pillar of the County’s five-year Strategic Plan. Supervisors Susan Gorin and Lynda Hopkins, serving as the Board’s ad hoc committee on Climate Action and Resiliency, championed this goal and supported development of the Climate Plan.

Along with the Climate Plan, the Board of Supervisors approved $2.27 million to jumpstart implementation of the near-term measures and a community engagement strategy for the next two years. Work on the measures has already begun, and staff will solicit interest later this fall from community representatives and organizations to support the community engagement strategy. In collaboration with the Regional Climate Protection Authority, staff will develop a dashboard to track the County’s progress. Staff will propose priorities to begin mid-term implementation, along with a Community Climate Plan shaped by input from the upcoming engagement initiative, for consideration by the Board of Supervisors in 2026.

Board of Supervisors approves $28.2 million in energy upgrade projects for County facilities

Existing County facilities are getting important energy and water efficiency upgrades, with work underway now and expected to be completed in 2026. On Aug. 13, the Board of Supervisors approved $28.2 million for energy efficiency upgrade projects aimed at reducing the use of electricity, water and natural gas in County buildings. These projects include the installation of a 1.8-megawatt solar energy system at the County Administration Center, which will place photovoltaic panels on parking lot canopies and generate nearly a quarter of the campus's electricity needs. Energy-efficient LED lighting in 45 County buildings and one parking area, water-saving fixtures in 44 buildings, and heat pump water heaters in three buildings will increase efficiency and reduce energy use. Battery storage systems will be installed at the Santa Rosa and Los Guilicos campuses, allowing the County to store electricity for use during peak demand times when energy costs are higher.

The upgrades will be carried out through Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s Sustainable Solutions Turnkey Program and are expected to be completed within two years. To finance the improvements, the Board of Supervisors approved the issuance of Certificates of Participation through a public offering, a financing method commonly used by California counties for long-term capital projects. The projected savings on electricity, water, and natural gas over the next 20 years will fully offset the cost of the upgrades, including debt service payments.

The upgrades are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10.2 million pounds over the project's lifetime and generate an average annual utility savings of $1.3 million during the 20-year term of the loan. One-time incentives totaling $4.5 million have been identified to help offset the project's overall costs.

This project aligns with the County's 2021-2026 Strategic Climate Action and Resiliency goals and Resilient Infrastructure objectives. By approving the financing for this initiative, the Board of Supervisors has demonstrated its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building energy and resiliency upgrades – project status update

Installation of a 110kWh Solar Electric system situated on the north side of the Santa Rosa Veterans Hall parking lot. This portion of the project scope is expected to be completed by early November.

By the end of this year, the County is on track to complete a major upgrade of the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building to make the community hub more energy efficient and resilient to power outages and climate change.

The $3.5 million project, approved by the Board of Supervisors in August 2023, is designed to save money on energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions while creating a reliable source of electricity during blackouts and other emergencies. In addition, the project will allow the building to be used as a public cooling center during extreme heat events.

The improvements that have been installed include: high-efficiency LED lighting throughout the building; new digital building management controls for the lighting, solar photovoltaic, battery storage, heating and cooling systems; and the replacement of the natural gas boiler serving the main auditorium with a high-efficiency electric heat pump system. The heat pump system provides air conditioning for the auditorium as well as heating, enhancing its capacity to serve as a community cooling center in addition to providing a gathering space for veterans, and for community and emergency events.

The 110 kW solar photovoltaic system is being constructed in the parking lot, where canopies will shade cars from the sun, and is projected to be completed by the beginning of November. An accompanying battery energy storage system will allow the facility to operate as a fully powered island during electricity outages. The systems will also save money during normal grid operation, enabling facility managers to charge the battery when electricity rates are lowest and use the stored energy from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. when energy is more expensive.

The upgrades are expected to save 157,920 kWh of electricity and 1,770 therms of natural gas each year. The project will pay for itself by qualifying for $588,410 in incentives and generating more than $4.9 million in energy savings over the lifetime of the equipment.

CARD kicks off campaign to help Latino-owned businesses become more environmentally sustainable 

Aug. 30 presentation at the Green Business Workshop in Santa Rosa

Helping Latino-owned businesses become profitable and environmentally sustainable was the focus of an Aug. 30 workshop hosted by CARD staff at Red LatinX the Hub, which connects local small businesses to resources, tools, and trainings. Staff provided a presentation in Spanish about the Sonoma Green Business Certification program, followed by a workshop with one-on-one technical support for navigating the Green Business program certification website. Representatives of local retail, automotive and restaurant businesses learned about energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction and pollution control strategies.

The Sonoma County Green Business Program provides no-cost energy and sustainability technical assistance, including energy and water efficiency assessments, to small- and medium-sized businesses seeking to become a certified Green Business. To be certified, participants must meet standards for saving water, conserving energy, preventing pollution and minimizing waste.

Sonoma County Green Businesses receive free technical assistance and access to marketing campaigns that boost their visibility as leaders in their community. They are listed in the California Green Business Directory (search.greenbusinessca.org) and can use the Green Business logo in marketing materials. Program support and marketing materials are available in both English and Spanish.

The workshop kicked off a new campaign by CARD to inform Spanish-speaking businesses about energy and sustainability. Staff will be coordinating with trusted community-based organizations to promote the benefits of Green Business certification and educate Latino business owners throughout Sonoma County about available resources and best practices. CARD staff will be conducting additional workshops in Spanish in the upcoming months. More information is available at Sonoma County Green Business Program.

Why grazing? Stewardship of Sonoma County rangelands to promote climate resilience

Sonoma County’s grasslands support diverse species and are vital for ecosystem health, making landowner stewardship essential. By adopting conservation practices, public, private, and nonprofit landowners improve habitat, manage invasive species, and enhance natural resources, all while supporting agriculture and climate resilience. One key conservation practice is prescribed and targeted grazing, which helps to sequester carbon, restore ecosystems, and lower wildfire risk across 387,670 acres of grazable land. In October 2022, the County allocated funding from the Climate Resilience Fund to support a collaborative grazing program led by UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE). 

At the heart of this program is a vision to support our local communities by providing tools, training, and economic opportunities related to climate resilience. Sonoma County has a unique opportunity to support the economic development of a full-scale grazing program including cooperative grazing units, contract grazing, and commercial grazing for livestock producers. This project provided trainings, resources and mentorships on grazing management and business/ workforce development. The UCCE worked with 4H clubs, Future Farmers of America chapters, and local schools. UCCE led more than 12 outreach programs that informed landowners on grazing as a vegetation management tool, connected qualified grazers with work on wildfire-prone lands, and facilitated tool and equipment sharing. Through these collaborations the program will cultivate a new generation of grazers, herd managers, and land stewards and create a more sustainable and resilient workforce.

Grazing collaboratives bring together ranchers, landowners, and local agencies to leverage the proximity of neighboring parcels to move herds across the landscape and promote climate resilience regionally. UCCE connected with local landowners and land managers to identify potential grazing collaboratives. The UCCE developed case studies on the potential for grazing on different parcel types with research on stewardship goals, grazing plans, economics, and potential carbon sequestration associated with prescribed grazing. The properties highlighted in the case studies could sequester as much as 130 MT of CO2e if all potential grazable land on these properties was managed as proposed. Continuing grazing practices on these lands at current levels could still sequester over 60 MT of CO2e annually.

This project builds on programs developed by partnerships amongst UCCE, Gold Ridge and Sonoma Resource Conservation Districts, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and County departments and partners managing grazing lands. For example, UCCE established Match.Graze, an online a map displaying locations of grazers with herds for hire, as well as locations available for grazing, connecting grazing herds and landowners in need of fuel reduction.

Want to Learn More?

Explore how local grazing collaboratives are transforming landscapes and fighting climate change across wildfire-prone regions at UCCE’s Fact Sheets on Grazing or See other Climate Resilience Fund Projects at the Climate Action & Resiliency Division’s Website. 

Climate-smart farming showcased in Sonoma County Crop Report

The annual Sonoma County Crop Report, presented to the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 10, highlighted climate-smart agriculture and the $10 million investment currently underway in Sonoma and Marin counties. During the five-year project, the Sonoma-Marin Ag and County Climate Coalition will help producers deploy farming, ranching and forestry practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon. In parallel, the project also supports development of a market for products produced with climate-smart practices and seeks to catalyze the development of a regional carbon finance program to sustain regional implementation of climate-smart practices. This project is funded by a grant from the U.S Agriculture Department and is identified as an early action in CARD’s new Climate Resilience Comprehensive Action Plan. Read the Sonoma County 2023 Crop Report here.

A septic system under construction.

Septic Systems: County regulations, mapping study and community engagement

On Aug. 13, Sonoma County updated its Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Manual and its Local Area Management Program, which outlines how the County’s septic regulations will comply with state policy. The program is currently pending approval by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Manual contains the County’s policies, regulations and standards for septic systems, and includes specific provisions for systems affected by the state’s action plans to reduce pathogen and bacteria levels in the Russian River, Petaluma River and Sonoma Creek.

With the assistance of a consultant, the County has completed a study analyzing the use of septic systems in Sonoma County and created an interactive, web-based map for use by the public and government officials. The project, which provides foundational information to help government and residents make decisions about wastewater treatment alternatives, will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 8.

The County also has continued its efforts to engage the community on wastewater issues. On June 29, it helped convene a community meeting to discuss the Monte Rio/Villa Grande Wastewater Solutions Pilot Project. On July 14, the County’s Clean Water Ombudsman gave a presentation at the Fitch Mountain Association’s annual membership meeting about septic system regulations and potential impacts to the area. The Ombudsman has also continued his bi-monthly, in-person office hours in the afternoons on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays of each month at the Monte Rio Community Center.

Devising an equitable future for EV charging 

Closing gaps in electric vehicle charging stations, especially in underserved communities, is the focus of a new plan under development by the Climate Action and Resiliency Division and several partner agencies. On July 11, CARD secured a $247,000 grant to develop a countywide plan for equitable EV charging. The County will partner with the Regional Climate Protection Authority and Latino Service Providers to bring this plan to life, with a consultant to be hired for expert analysis and recommendations. The final plan will guide both the County and other local governments in strategically placing EV charging stations and position the region for implementation funding opportunities. This work will begin in early 2025.

As directed by the Strategic Plan, the County has been investing in its Clean Commute Program to promote our employees’ use of alternate modes of transportation, including bike and carpool incentives, and last-mile solutions connecting bus and train stations to County worksites. This quarter, County staff saved 113.3 metric tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere by clean commuting. Check out the impact of the Clean Commute Program below.

Data as of Sept. 22, 2024

Want to know why more and more chefs are replacing their gas stoves with induction cooktops? Learn about the benefits of this energy-efficient alternative on Oct. 19 at the Induction Cooking Expo in Santa Rosa.

The free event features a demonstration of induction cooking by professional chef Lisa Ham, hands-on opportunities to try induction cooking, and valuable information on rebates and incentives for energy efficient upgrades to your home.

The expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Premier Bath & Kitchen, 3201 Cleveland Ave. Register at SocoInductioncookingexpo.eventbrite.com to qualify for an additional entry into a drawing for a full set of induction cookware and other great prizes.



Induction cooking is gaining popularity as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional cooking methods. By utilizing magnetic fields to directly heat cookware, induction cooktops offer faster cooking times, precise temperature control, improved indoor air quality, and increased safety.

The event is hosted by the County’s Climate Action and Resiliency Division in partnership with the Bay Area Regional Energy Network.

Water Ombudsman sails on to new horizons

With gratitude for his service to Sonoma County communities, the Climate Action and Resiliency Division bids farewell to Michael Makdisi, the County’s Clean Water Analyst and Ombudsman. Michael is joining the local law firm of Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery. During his tenure with the County, Michael established strong working relationships with communities on the Russian River and worked extensively with the Lower Russian River Community Advisory Group, earning the respect of colleagues and external partners. Among many contributions, Michael oversaw a countywide study of septic systems (see the Water Stream), supported the Monte Rio Villa Grande Pilot Project, and secured a grant from the State Water Quality Control Board for a Pathogen Reduction Planning Project to support the development and funding of solutions to reduce pathogen pollution in the Russian River. We will miss his thoughtful insight and good humor, and we wish him and his family well on their next adventure.

Changes are coming to the Climate Action and Resiliency Division

With the approval of the Climate Resilience Comprehensive Action Plan, the County is reorganizing its climate staff. Temporary positions that were established in the Climate Action and Resiliency Division to create the plan will expire over the course of 2025. The division’s permanent staff will remain in the County Administrator’s Office in the Policy, Grants and Special Projects Division and the Operations and Budget Division. Staff will continue to support climate action and resiliency work by the County and in Sonoma County communities. Details about the new organization and how to reach staff contacts will be provided in the December Newsletter.

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The Climate Action and Resiliency Division (CARD), within the County Administrator’s Office,

is dedicated to helping the County and the community address the climate crisis

and achieve its climate-related goals and objectives.