SAN DIEGO, CA – On Monday, October 5, Climate Action Campaign, with support from the Sierra Club San Diego Chapter, released its 7th Edition Climate Action Plan (CAP) Report Card. The Report Card grades San Diego County and nine cities on whether they are executing their climate plans or leaving them on the shelf.

The report comes as San Diegans endure another unrelenting heat wave and energy bills that have skyrocketed 98% over the last decade.

"The headline of this report card is simple: lowering energy bills is climate policy," said author Anthony Dang, Climate Action Campaign. "This report card exposes which cities are delivering real protections for families, and where the region can lower energy bills, build climate-safe communities, and defend against federal rollbacks."

Climate Action Campaign announced the findings at a press conference alongside California State Senator Catherine Blakespear, Carlsbad Councilmember Teresa Acosta, and regional energy and climate advocates. The event was set against the backdrop of worsening climate extremes across the region, where parts of the county recently exceeded 112 degrees—matching a 133-year-old record—and SDG&E logged 30 unplanned power outages in a single 24-hour period.

Key Findings:

• Encinitas, La Mesa, and Carlsbad lead the region in climate implementation, moving commitments from paper to practice:

  • Encinitas automatically enrolls every customer in 100% clean energy, retrofitted 174 homes, and met its 2030 water conservation goal five years early.

  • La Mesa opened 147 affordable homes near public transit, boosted Power100 enrollment by 2,100%, and diverted 1.28 million pounds of food waste from landfills.

  • Carlsbad planted 3,000 trees, adopted two Safe Routes to School plans, and buffered 3 miles of bike lanes.

• Lowering energy bills is now climate policy. As San Diego families face some of the highest power bills in the country, cities hold untapped leverage to bring bills down.

• No city can close the gap alone. "Climate change doesn't stop at city limits, and neither can our solutions," Dang added. "With federal rollbacks and state budget cuts, no single city can close this gap alone."

State and Local Leaders Urge Coordinated Action

State and local officials reinforced the report’s call for coordinated policy and resources across government levels:

“As a state legislator, I believe it is our job to set strong statewide standards and then provide the tools and resources that communities need. For climate action to work, we need those partnerships. We need state and local governments to work together to push for progress and for the results we deserve and know we can have.” — Senator Catherine Blakespear

“Environmental sustainability is one of my top priorities. As the new president of the League of California Cities, I look forward to working with all the cities of California to strengthen climate change resiliency and disaster preparedness. Such a major effort takes strategy and commitment at every level of government and community. We will do this together.” — Councilmember Teresa Acosta

The 7th Edition Report Card includes an actionable playbook for local elected officials detailing how to advocate at the state level for high-impact regional climate solutions.