A critical conflict is brewing over the future of San Diego’s environment. The city has a legally binding Climate Action Plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2035. This goal hinges on phasing out 90% of natural gas in buildings.
However, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, this vital plan is now in serious jeopardy, caught between new state legislation and persistent delays by city officials.
A plan derailed by delays and new laws
The city’s inaction is now compounded by a new state law, Assembly Bill 130. While intended to boost housing, the law places a six-year pause on new local building codes. This, combined with a 2023 9th Circuit ruling that hampered outright gas bans, has given the city what Coast Law Group Partner Livia Borak Beaudin fears is an excuse for further inaction.
This lack of progress is not just procedural. It has tangible consequences. The Union-Tribune noted that San Diego’s greenhouse gas emissions actually increased in 2023, snapping a three-year trend of reductions.
A fight for transparency and accountability
Livia Borak Beaudin, representing the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) and the Climate Action Campaign, is at the forefront of the fight for accountability. In a recent San Diego Union-Tribune article, she highlighted the city’s “lack of transparency” and repeated delays in implementing its own climate goals—delays that began long before the new state law was passed.
“That [9th Circuit] ruling is 2 years old now … and I still don’t understand why (there’s been a) two-year delay in putting something in place,” Beaudin stated to the Union-Tribune. “Honestly, I feel like the state legislation (AB 130) is going to be their excuse, a free pass, for why they didn’t do it.”
Beaudin’s frustration with the city’s “lack of transparency” led to a settlement in January 2024, in which CLG, on behalf of its clients, compelled the city to provide more regular public updates on its progress.
Measuring the true cost of inaction
While some point to the high price tag of retrofitting homes, Beaudin counters that the cost of inaction is far greater. As she powerfully argued to the Union-Tribune, “How much is it going to cost to rebuild our homes after continued wildfires or flooding that is more frequent and intense and all of the impacts of climate change we’re dealing with?”
This struggle for environmental accountability in our own backyard is central to the mission of Coast Law Group. Our firm seeks to protect California’s coastline and natural resources, and we are proud to stand with partners like CERF and the Climate Action Campaign.
Holding government bodies accountable to their own legally binding promises is not just advocacy. It’s Your Line In The Sand. We will continue to push for the transparency and decisive action our climate goals demand.