The Power of Collective Change is a force to be reckoned with. Much like the butterfly effect, our combined efforts ripple across communities, regions, and beyond, leaving lasting change.
Here at Climate Action Campaign, we are not just harnessing this collective force; we’re embarking on a transformative journey to create a world where every step forward and every effort—when combined and amplified—paves the way for a safer and healthier clean energy future right here in Southern California.
Driving Change in San Diego County
Switch on Success: Igniting a Brighter Future for Schools
In 2023, our push for safe and healthy schools gained traction, focusing on addressing indoor air pollution and methane gas threats. We successfully championed all-electric resolutions in San Diego Unified School District and Sweetwater Union High School District, marking TWO historic wins.
Now, with two districts embracing an all-electric future, let's amplify our impact and advocate for replication across Southern California districts!
Tapping into Historic Funding Opportunities
Funding Under-Resourced Cities
This year, we partnered with CivicWell and The San Diego Foundation to launch a grant matchmaking pilot program to help smaller, under-resourced cities apply for and secure historic climate funding to invest in the health and well-being of our communities.
NEXUS
We had another successful annual climate conference, NEXUS, alongside over 150 advocates, policymakers, leaders, and community members. The message of NEXUS was clear: this is our moment to work together and secure unprecedented investments for our communities. Panelists emphasized that regional collaboration is needed to maximize these funds and offered pathways to address the climate crisis across sectors.
Connecting Community Projects with State and Federal Funding
We partnered with communities throughout San Diego County to enhance community involvement with the County’s Regional Decarbonization Framework and gather input for climate action plans, programs, projects, and policies.
Tackling the demand for more centralized information on funding sources, we coalesced the list of projects communities identified and worked to connect them with state and federal funding opportunities for a more equitable and sustainable San Diego.
RDF Impact By Numbers
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number of organizations who gave feedback
50
submitted surveys
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classes at which we gave presentations
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number of individuals who gave feedback
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community events attended across San Diego County
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universities at which we were invited to present
23
OCEANSIDE
SAN MARCOS
VISTA
CARLSBAD
ESCONDIDO
BORREGO SPRINGS
cities reached
ENCINITAS
DEL MAR
SAN DIEGO
RAMONA
LAKESIDE
EL CAJON
JULIAN
VIEJAS RESERVATION
JAMUL
NATIONAL CITY
SAN YSIDRO
CHULA VISTA
IMPERIAL BEACH
BOULEVARD
JACUMBA
POTRERO
credit: City Heights CDC
SD Green New Deal Alliance
Last year, the SD Green New Deal Alliance played a vital role in successfully advocating for the expansion of a 2022 pilot program for Youth Opportunity Passes, a program spearheaded by member organization Mid-City CAN. This program grants youth 18 and under free, unlimited access to transit. With this program, the data shows we are seeing increased transit riders, increased access to school, work, and career opportunities, and reduced gas emissions. In the upcoming year, the alliance will continue to push for accessible and affordable transit opportunities.
Building Momentum in Orange County
OC CAP Report Card
Climate Action Plans
We launched the first-ever Orange County Climate Action Plan (CAP) Report Card. Extending our successful track record from San Diego, this groundbreaking report empowers communities with high-level insights and holds local governments accountable, showcasing significant progress in climate action and offering key recommendations for an equitable and sustainable future.
The release of our report card led to action. Six cities have now committed to developing a CAP or strengthening their outdated CAP in this upcoming year. These cities are developing or strengthening a CAP: Santa Ana, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, Buena Park, and San Clemente.
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LA HABRA
FULLERTON
BUENA PARK
Cities with a CAP
Cities strengthening a CAP
Cities developing a CAP
IRVINE
HUNTINGTON BEACH
SANTA ANA
COSTA MESA
LAGUNA BEACH
SAN CLEMENTE
REPORT CARD SCORES
We graded Orange County cities on their Climate Action Plans. Here are their scores
19%
Laguna Beach
27.25%
Fullerton
24.25%
La Habra
24.75%
San Clemente
26.25%
Santa Ana
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OC Climate Coalition
With five new member organizations and many more individual volunteers, the OC Climate Coalition is rapidly expanding its impact across the region. In 2023, the coalition successfully advocated to pause a dangerous hydrogen gas experiment proposed by SoCalGas and partners at UCI that put the health and safety of our UCI students and faculty on the line. With plans in 2024 to further block the gas experiment, OCCC continues to play a key role in driving safe, equitable, and sustainable change across the County.
Onwards to Los Angeles and UCLA!
This year, we expanded our efforts to Los Angeles. In partnership with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), we’re helping to lead the charge on pathways to decarbonize the university and transition to safe, healthy electric systems, centering the voices and needs of workers, surrounding communities, students, and faculty.
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Astonishing National Success of 100% Clean Energy & Community Choice
Lasting change starts with local action. San Diego and all the CA Community Choice power programs have reshaped the national energy landscape.
In 2015, our movement toward 100% renewable energy began right here in San Diego when we became the largest city in the United States to commit to 100% clean energy by 2035. The state of CA then embraced that goal, and we are thrilled to share that there are now 23 U.S. states that have enacted a law or executive order committing to 100% renewable electricity!
Our pioneering work in launching three Community Choice Energy programs across San Diego and Orange County has also led to extraordinary success.
San Diego Community Power and Orange County Power Authority are recognized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as two of the top ten energy providers in the US for the number of green power customers.
Overall, sit on this statistic: Community Choice programs in CA outperform all other national utilities in clean power. Collectively, these CCEs have committed an impressive $30 billion to 14GW of renewable generation, leading to the creation of 29,000 green construction jobs in California.
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HERE'S THE BUZZ
Our Team
Our team’s dedication, innovation, and passion for a sustainable and equitable future have played pivotal roles in creating meaningful change.
These efforts do not go unrecognized. Our Orange County Policy Director, Ayn Craciun, has been recognized as one of the Top 125 Most Influential People in Orange County in 2023 for her work with CAC.
REVENUE
