Table B-10 provides a consolidated listing of the policies and implementation programs included in the 2040 General Plan.
Table B-10 GHG Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Measures
| GHG Reduction Measure | Climate Adaptation Measure | Both | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LU-1.1: Guidelines for Orderly Development The County shall continue to promote orderly and compact development by: working with cities in Ventura County and the Ventura Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to promote and maintain reasonable city boundaries and Spheres of Influence to prevent growth-inducing urban development in unincorporated areas, and require unincorporated urban development to be located in areas designated as Existing Communities and unincorporated urban centers consistent with the Guidelines for Orderly Development and as defined in Policy LU-1.2. (RDR, IGC) | ● | ||
| LU-11.3: Design The County shall require new commercial and industrial developments to be designed to be generally compact, grouped and consolidated into functional units providing for sufficient off-street parking and loading facilities, maximize pedestrian and vehicle safety, reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), encourage electric vehicle charging, and minimize land use conflicts and traffic congestion. The County shall require that commercial and industrial discretionary development is designed to provide adequate buffering (e.g., walls, landscaping, setbacks) and operational conditions (e.g., hours of operation, and scheduling of deliveries) to minimize adverse impacts (e.g., noise, glare, and odors) on adjoining and adjacent residential areas. (RDR) | ● | ||
| LU-11.4: Sustainable Technologies The County shall encourage discretionary development on commercial- and industrial- designated land to incorporate sustainable technologies, including energy- and water-efficient practices and low- or zero-carbon practices. (RDR) | ● | ||
| LU-16.5: Multimodal Access to Commercial Development The County shall encourage discretionary commercial development to promote ease of pedestrian/bicycle access to encourage walk-in business, while providing sufficient off-street parking. (RDR) | ● | ||
| LU-16.9: Building Orientation and Landscaping The County shall encourage discretionary development to be oriented and landscaped to enhance natural lighting, solar access, and passive heating or cooling opportunities to maximize energy efficiency. (RDR) | ● | ||
| LU-18.5: Participation in Climate Change Planning The County shall encourage stakeholders in designated disadvantaged communities who are vulnerable to sea level rise or other climate change impacts to have the opportunity to learn about and participate in the decision-making process for adaptation planning within Ventura County. (PI) | ● | ||
| LU-22.2: Implementation Program Monitoring The County shall maintain and annually review the General Plan Implementation Programs before the preparation of the County’s Annual Budget. As part of this process, the County shall update the prioritization of programs based on applicability, relevance, timing of initiation, and availability of funding. (PSR, SO) | ● | ||
| LU-A: Guidelines for Orderly Development Implementation The County shall continue to implement the Guidelines for Orderly Development and work with cities to promote orderly and compact development, increased options for affordable housing, minimize vehicle miles traveled, and limit sprawl development. | ● | ||
| LU-P: Annual General Plan Implementation Review The County shall review the General Plan annually, focusing on the status and progress of program implementation. The County shall prepare a report to the Board of Supervisors summarizing the status of implementation programs and any recommendations for General Plan amendments. | ● | ||
| CTM-2.1: Complete Streets The County shall prepare and adopt Complete Streets Design Guidelines to be used when constructing new roadways or improving existing roadways where Complete Streets would be appropriate/feasible. The Complete Streets Design Guidelines shall employ a context-sensitive approach to planning and designing the road and street network to reflect the distinct agricultural, rural, or urban character of a particular location. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.2: Functional Classification The County shall plan a roadway system that has adequate capacity and is designed to provide reasonable and safe use by vehicles, public transportation, bicycles and pedestrians with minimum delay pursuant to LOS standards described in Policy CMT-1.2. The road system should follow Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) classification as identified on Figure 4-4. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.3: County Road Access The County shall require discretionary development with access onto a County road to have the access point(s) designed and built to County standards. (RDR) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.4: Transportation System Safety The County shall strive to provide safe operating conditions for all appropriate modes and uses of County roadways. (RDR, MPSP, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.5: Emergency Services The County shall coordinate the development and maintenance of all transportation facilities with emergency service providers to ensure continued emergency service operation and service levels. (ICG) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.6: Regional Transportation Planning The County shall work with Caltrans, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), and cities in the county to plan, develop, and maintain regional transportation facilities and services, and to identify existing and future transportation corridors that should be linked across jurisdictional boundaries so that sufficient right-of-way may be preserved. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.7: Congestion Management Program The County shall coordinate with Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to implement and update the Congestion Management Program (CMP). The County shall also encourage consideration of multimodal performance measures as part of future updates to the CMP. (MPSP, IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.8: Congestion Management Program and County Regional Network Consistency For those portions of the County’s Regional Road Network currently not designated as part of the Congestion Management Program (CMP), the County shall coordinate with Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to formally designate applicable County maintained roadways as part of the CMP. (MPSP, IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.9: State Route 118 Improvement in Saticoy Area The County shall work with the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and Caltrans to reprioritize the re-striping of SR 118 from Vineyard Avenue to Darling Road on the Ventura County Congestion Management Plan and the Caltrans list of projects to provide for an additional lane in each direction of travel.(IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.10: Safe Routes to School The County shall work with public and private schools to identify and expand safe routes to school, where feasible. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.11: Efficient Land Use Patterns The County shall establish land use patterns that promote shorter travel distances between residences, employment centers, and retail and service-oriented uses to support the use of public transportation, walking, bicycling, and other forms of transportation that reduce reliance on single-passenger automobile trips. (RDR, MPSP) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.12: Countywide Bicycle Lane and Trail System The County shall coordinate with the cities in the county and Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to plan and implement a system of bicycle lanes and multi-use trails that link the cities, unincorporated communities, schools including colleges and universities, commercial/retail, employment centers, health care service facilities, public transportation, and other points of interest. (MPSP, IGC) | ● | ||
|
CTM-2.13:
Transportation System Connectivity The County
shall strive to eliminate “gaps” in roadways, bikeways, and pedestrian
networks by planning for and seeking funding to construct necessary
improvements to remove barriers and improve transportation system
connectivity as well as connections that support first and last mile
accessibility to and from public transportation. (MPSP, PSR, FB)
| ● | ||
| CTM-2.14: Bicycle Facility Design When designing new bicycle facilities, or modifying existing roadways with bicycle facilities, the County shall prioritize and install features to improve the safety and visibility of bicyclists. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.15: Bicycle/Pedestrian Design The County shall rely on the guidelines and design standards for bicycle and pedestrian facilities established by the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD) and supporting guidelines provided the Federal Highway Administration, Caltrans, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). (MPSP, PSR, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.16: Pedestrian Planning The County shall consider the safety and accessibility of pedestrians when preparing transportation plans, studies, and reports. (MPSP) | ● | ||
|
CTM-2.17:
Support Regional Bicycle Infrastructure The County shall support regional bicycle efforts to improve
infrastructure that will make biking more attractive to residents and
tourists. (IGC, SO, JP) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.18: Complete Streets Standards in Existing Communities The County shall require discretionary development in designated Existing Communities to construct roadways to urban standards and Complete Streets principles, including curb, gutter, sidewalks, and bike lanes when there is a nexus for improvement. The County shall rely on the guidelines and design standards for Complete Streets design established by the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), Caltrans in the Highway Design Manual, and Complete Streets Guidelines (pursuant to Deputy Directive-64-R2), Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). (RDR) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.19: Safety Metrics The County shall continue to examine and update safety metrics for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) impact analysis as appropriate. Options include but are not limited to: queue spill-back at intersections; mid-block unprotected crossings; and, increased crossing distances. (RDR) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.20: Safe Pedestrian Crossings The County shall improve pedestrian safety at intersections and mid-block locations in Existing Communities through approved features consistent with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), Highway Design Manual, Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 498 (Application of Pedestrian Crossing Treatments for Streets and Highways). (RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.21: Pedestrian/Bicycle Conflicts along Overweight Vehicle Corridor and Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) Truck Routes Within Existing Communities, the County shall provide/retrofit separated or buffered pedestrian and bicycle paths from the outside travel lane along County Road Network roads that are designated Overweight Vehicle Corridors and STAA designated Terminal Access Routes. Where the application or retrofitting of separated or buffered facilities is not feasible, the County shall prioritize alternative pedestrian and bicycle connections that encourage and attract pedestrian and bicycle traffic off designated Overweight Vehicle Corridors or STAA designated truck routes. (MPSP) | ● | ||
|
CTM-2.22:
Funding and Maintenance for Sidewalks The County
shall seek funding sources first for construction of new sidewalks in
designated disadvantaged communities and then for sidewalk
maintenance, particularly in low-income areas. (FB) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.23: Intercommunity and Countywide Public Transportation System The County shall continue to work with Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), Naval Base Ventura County, and local public transportation regional bus service providers to promote the expansion of a safe, efficient, convenient, integrated, and cost-effective intercommunity and countywide public transportation and bus service that provides county residents with access to employment, commercial services, health and medical facilities, social services, educational facilities and institutions, and personal business destinations. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.24: Non-Drivers Living in Rural Areas The County shall work with Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and local public transportation providers to address the needs of non-drivers living in rural areas to provide public transportation and paratransit service. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.25: Amtrak Service Improvements The County shall support the recommendations of the California State Rail Plan for Amtrak trains, including track and signalization upgrades, increasing service frequencies by adding additional round-trip service to regional destinations north and south of Ventura County, improving passenger information and comfort, and reducing travel time. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.26: Abandoned Railroad Rights-of-Way When railroad rights-of-way are abandoned, the County shall evaluate the feasibility of acquiring the land for public use as public transportation, bicycle, pedestrian, or equestrian paths. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| CTM-2.27 : Discretionary Development and Conditions of Approval to Minimize Traffic Impacts The County shall require that discretionary development be subject to the following permit conditions of approval, where feasible, to minimize traffic impacts by incorporating pedestrian and bicycle pathways, bicycle racks and lockers, ridesharing programs, transit improvements (bus turnouts, shelters, benches), and/or transit subsidies for employees or residents of the proposed development. (RDR) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.1: Bicycle Network Strategy and Prioritization The County shall identify and prioritize components of a bicycle network to increase public access and ridership on bicycle routes. (MSPR, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.2: Inclusive Bicycle Network The County shall develop a bicycle network for all user types and routes across the county. (MPSR, SO, PI) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.3: Regional Destination Focus for Bicycle Network The County shall encourage the development of a bicycle network that connects to regional destinations such as parks, trails, educational institutions, employment centers, transit, park and ride lots, and tourist destinations. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.4: Interjurisdictional Bicycle Network Connectivity The County shall promote bicycle network connectivity between Ventura County communities as well as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Counties. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.5: Bicycle Routes in Rural Areas The County shall plan for bicycle network connectivity in rural, agricultural, and open space areas in a way that supports and complements business and agricultural activities in those areas. (JP) ] | ● | ||
| CTM-3.6: Coordination with Bicycle Wayfinding Plan The County shall support the Complete Streets effort by, when feasible, constructing bicycle lanes on County maintained roads listed in the Ventura County Transportation Commission Bicycle Wayfinding Plan. (SO, JP, IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.7: Bicycle Trail along Santa Paula Branch Line The County shall encourage the construction of a bicycle trail along the Santa Paula Branch Line Railroad in the unincorporated area between the cities of Ventura and Santa Paula. (SO, JP, IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.8: Bicycle Network Routes and Wayfinding The County shall use clear and consistent message and placement for on- and off-street regional bikeways and to regional destinations. (PI, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.9: Funding for Bicycle Network and Wayfinding Planning and Improvements The County shall actively pursue outside funding opportunities for bicycle network improvements. (FB, JP) | ● | ||
| CTM-3.10: Bicycle Storage Facilities The County shall require adequate bicycle storage facilities (e.g., bicycle racks, lockers) for discretionary development as determined by allowable land uses at a given site. (RDR) | ● | ||
| CTM-4.1: Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) The County shall work with Caltrans and Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to reduce VMT by: facilitating the efficient use of existing transportation facilities; striving to provide viable modal choices that make driving alone an option rather than a necessity; supporting variable work schedules to reduce peak period VMT; and providing more direct routes for pedestrians and bicyclists. (MPSP, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-4.2: Alternative Transportation The County shall encourage bicycling, walking, public transportation, and other forms of alternative transportation to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), traffic congestion, and greenhouse gas emissions. (PI) | ● | ||
| CTM-4.3: Vehicle Occupancy The County shall work with a broad range of agencies (e.g., Caltrans, Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), Amtrak, Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, public transportation providers and shared mobility vendors) to encourage and support programs that increase vehicle occupancy including the provision of traveler information, shuttles, and preferential parking for carpools/vanpools. (IGC, PI) | ● | ||
| CTM-4.4: Park-and-Ride Facilities The County shall coordinate with Caltrans and Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to identify future park-and-ride lots within the unincorporated areas of Ventura County to facilitate more carpooling, vanpooling, and public transportation use. (IGC) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.1: Routine Use of Alternative Transportation Options The County shall support the integration of emerging technologies that increase the routine use of alternative transportation options to decrease single-passenger automobile travel. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.3: Permeable Pavement As part of new roadway planning and design as part of discretionary development, the County shall promote the use of permeable paving and other passive drainage features such as bio-swales to prevent flooding, particularly in urban areas (RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.4: Facilities for Emerging Technologies The County shall support the development of alternative fueling stations (e.g., electric and hydrogen) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology for emerging technologies. (SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.5: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations The County shall support the installation of electric vehicle charging stations, where feasible, at County facilities, parking lots, park-and-ride lots, truck stops, and new development. (RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.6: Neighborhood Electric Vehicles The County shall encourage developments and street systems that support the use of properly licensed Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) where appropriate. (MPSP). | ● | ||
| CTM-6.7: Shared Mobility Operations The County shall encourage and support car share operators at multimodal facilities including public transportation hubs, passenger rail stations, and park-and-ride lots. (RDR) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.8: Micro-Mobility Operations The County shall evaluate the feasibility and work to establish requirements for shared micro-mobility (e.g., bike sharing) vendors within unincorporated areas. (RDR) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.9: Mobility-as-a-Service Enterprises – Vehicle Operations The County shall encourage Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) providers to park between service calls versus driving within unincorporated communities (RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| CTM-6.10: Mobility-as-a-Service Enterprises – Support Public Transportation The County shall encourage Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) providers to coordinate with public transportation providers that serve unincorporated areas to increase the attractiveness of public transportation through the provision of free or subsidized public transportation patron first and last mile connections within unincorporated communities (IGC, JP) | ● | ||
|
CTM-A:
Traffic Impact Mitigation Fee Program The County shall update its Traffic Impact Mitigation Fee Program and perform a comprehensive update to the program a minimum once every ten (10) years pursuant to Government Code Section 66000 et seq. | ● | ||
|
CTM-B:
Initial Study Assessment Guidelines The County shall update and adopt its Initial Study Assessment Guidelines (ISAG) no later than 2025 to address Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and safety metrics pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.3. This program shall consider inclusion of the following components: Establishment of screening criteria to define projects not required to submit detailed VMT analysis, such as infill projects, inclusion of locally serving commercial, transit supportive projects, or transportation enhancements that reduce VMT; Establishment of thresholds of significant for identifying VMT related transportation impacts to meet or exceed State requirements; at minimum the thresholds will be equivalent to the threshold values for different project types identified in Mitigation Measure CTM-1; Standard mitigation measures for significant transportation impacts; and Specify the County’s procedures for reviewing projects with significant and unavoidable impacts, under CEQA, related to VMT. | ● | ||
|
CTM-C:
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Reduction Program To support climate change related goals and CEQA related VMT policies pursuant to SB 743 (2013), the County shall develop a VMT Reduction Program no later than 2025. This program will contain a range of project- and program-level mitigation measures and VMT reduction strategies, that could include: Preparation of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program to promote mode shifts from single occupant vehicle use to transit, ridesharing, active transportation, telecommuting, etc.; and, Transportation System Management applications such as park-and-ride lots, intelligent transportation system (ITS) field deployment, pavement management, etc. This program shall identify measures to achieve an additional five percent overall reduction in VMT by 2030, and 10 percent by 2040 relative to 2030 and 2040 business as usual scenarios, respectively. During implementation of the 2040 General Plan, the County will review and update the VMT Reduction Program as warranted to provide additional mitigation measures and programs that achieve these levels of VMT reduction. | ● | ||
| CTM-D: Regional Road Network Coordination The County shall continue to coordinate across its own agencies as well as with cities in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties and CalTrans to identify needed improvements to the Regional Road Network. This will include identification of funds available and needed for County and cities inter-city road-building purposes to construct improvements. | ● | ||
|
CTM-H:
Complete Streets Guidelines The County shall prepare and adopt Complete Streets Design Guidelines/standards to be used when constructing new roadways or improving existing roadways where Complete Streets would be appropriate/feasible. Complete Streets Design Guidelines/standards should be consistent with the pedestrian and bicycle design guidelines and design standards established by Caltrans and supporting state/federal guidelines when designing bicycle/pedestrian facilities. These include the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), Highway Design Manual, Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The County shall improve pedestrian safety at intersections and mid-block locations in developed communities by providing pedestrian crossing treatments where appropriate. | ● | ||
|
CTM-I:
County Road Standards Update The County shall update Road Standards to include the Complete Street Design Guidelines/Standards. | ● | ||
| CTM-J: Vision Zero The County shall develop a Vision Zero strategy for the County of Ventura with the goal of reducing all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. | ● | ||
| CTM-K: Safe Routes to School The County shall support the Safe Routes to School Program by identifying opportunities to support bike and pedestrian routes to schools, identify needed improvements and opportunities to increase public access and use of these routes. | ● | ||
| CTM-L: Master Bicycle Network Plan The County shall develop a master bicycle network plan that includes the recommendations from the Bicycle Wayfinding Study and the prioritized list of bike lanes from the Board approved criteria. ] | ● | ||
| CTM-M: Bicycle Wayfinding Plan Participation The County shall continue to participate in and support the Ventura County Transportation Commission in updates to the Bicycle Wayfinding Plan linking all Ventura County cities, unincorporated communities, and CSUCI. | ● | ||
| CTM-N: Storage Facilities for Shared Mobility Enterprises The County shall work with the Ventura County Transportation Commission to analyze the feasibility of shared micro-mobility (e.g., bike sharing) vendors being required to provide storage/parking areas or facilities to be designated and/or physically placed outside of the public right-of-way if private shared mobility vendors are allowed to operate within the unincorporated areas of the county. | ● | ||
|
CTM-O:
Mobility-as-a-Service Enterprises – Parking The County shall consider designating parking areas in County parking facilities for Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) vehicles to use between customer service runs and will work with cities to provide locations as well. | ● | ||
| CTM-P: Interim VMT CEQA Assessment Criteria Following June 30, 2020 and prior to completion of Implementation Program CTM-B, all projects (not otherwise exempt from CEQA analysis) shall be evaluated for potential environmental impacts relative to VMT using the State’s minimum reduction standards, as follows: Project Type Measurement Unit Model Trip Types Minimum Criteria Baseline VMT Threshold VMT Residential VMT/Capita Average of all Home Based Trip Types 15% Reduction of Regional Average 9.66 8.21 Office VMT/Employee Home Based Work Trips 15% Reduction of Regional Average 13.52 11.49 Industrial VMT/Employee Home Based Work Trips 15% Reduction of Regional Average 13.52 11.49 Retail Unincorporated VMT All Trip Types No Net Increase in Regional VMT 7,500,249 7,500,249 Agriculture Unincorporated VMT All Trip Types No Net Increase in Regional VMT 7,500,249 7,500,249 Infrastructure Unincorporated VMT All Trip Types No Net Increase in Regional VMT 7,500,249 7,500,249 All Other Project Types Unincorporated VMT All Trip Types No Net Increase in Regional VMT 7,500,249 7,500,249 If a proposed project is found to have a significant impact on VMT, the impact must be reduced, as feasible1, by modifying the project’s VMT to a level below the established thresholds of significance and/or mitigating the impact through multimodal transportation improvements or mitigations to enhance transportation mode shift (use of alternative transportation modes). Following completion and adoption of VMT thresholds as part of the Ventura County ISAG, this implementation program shall no longer apply. 1. “Feasible” means that this mitigation measure shall be applied to future discretionary projects under the 2040 General Plan when and to the extent it is “capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, legal, social, and technological factors” as determined by the County in the context of such future projects based on substantial evidence. This definition is consistent with the definition of “feasible” set forth in CEQA (Pub. Res. Code, § 21066.1) and the CEQA Guidelines (§ 15164). The County shall be solely responsible for making this feasibility determination in accordance with CEQA. | ● | ||
| PFS-1.2: Resilient Facilities and Services The County shall monitor the projected impacts of climate change and natural disasters to make adaptive improvements and upgrades to public facilities and services. (SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-1.3: Location of New Essential Public Facilities The County shall review plans for constructing new essential public facility, such as a hospital, health care facility, emergency shelter, emergency command center, or emergency communications facility, so that these facilities are located outside of at-risk areas whenever feasible. If such a location is infeasible, then the County shall require the use of construction methods and site design features to minimize potential damage to these facilities. (RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-1.10: Efficient County Operation and Maintenance The County shall operate and maintain County facilities in an efficient manner that meets community needs while conserving financial and natural resources. (SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-2.1: Sustainable Plans and Operations The County shall encourage energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction features, and resiliency planning into County facility and service plans and operations. (PSP, SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-2.2: Sustainable Community Facility Design The County shall encourage the incorporation of sustainable design features in community facilities to reduce energy demand and environmental impacts, such as solar reflective roofing, permeable pavement, and incorporation of shade trees. (SO, IGC) | ● | ||
| PFS-2.3: Energy Efficient Facility Construction, Purchases, Leases, Retrofits, and Expansions The County shall prioritize energy efficiency and water conservation as key design features when constructing, purchasing, leasing, retrofitting or expanding County facilities. (SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-2.4: Recycling Receptacles and Biodegradable/Recycled-Materials Products The County shall provide recycling and composting receptacles and use of biodegradable or recycled-material products at County facilities and events, where feasible. (SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-2.5: County Employee Trip Reduction The County shall encourage its employees to reduce the number and distance of single-occupancy vehicle work trips. (SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-2.6: County Alternative Fuel Vehicle Purchases The County shall review market-available technologies for alternative fuel vehicles and prioritize purchase of vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions where economically feasible. (SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-2.8: Electric Vehicle Charging Station Infrastructure The County shall include electrical vehicle charging station infrastructure in new County-initiated facility construction to the extent feasible. The County shall also look for opportunities to install EV charging stations as part of any major renovation, retrofit or expansion of County facilities. (SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-4.4: Groundwater Resource Protection The County shall encourage wastewater treatment facilities to provide the maximum feasible protection and enhancement of groundwater resources. (SO, IGC) | ● | ||
|
PFS-4.6:
Reclaimed Water The County shall encourage
public wastewater system operators to upgrade existing wastewater
treatment systems to reclaim water suitable for reuse for landscaping,
irrigation, and groundwater recharge. (SO, IGC) | ● | ||
| PFS-5.4: Food Waste Reduction The County shall continue to provide educational and informational materials to restaurants, grocery stores, and other food providers, as part of food facility inspections, to support donation of safe, unused food to non-profit service agencies. | ● | ||
| PFS-5.5: Agricultural Waste Reuse The County shall support the beneficial reuse of agricultural wastes for activities such as composting and energy generation. (RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| PFS-5.6: Value-Added Alternatives to Waste Disposal The County shall promote value-added alternatives to solid waste management, such as compost, energy, biochar, and wood products to avoid open burning of agricultural biomass wastes. (SO, PI) | ● | ||
| PFS-6.3: Climate Change Impacts on Flood Control and Drainage Facilities – Capacity The County shall monitor projected climate change impacts, and coordinate with local, regional, state, and federal agencies to identify existing and potential projected impacts and develop strategies to maintain and improve flood control facilities accordingly. (SO, IGC) | ● | ||
| PFS-6.4: Climate Change Impacts on Flood Control and Drainage Facilities – Retention The County shall coordinate with local, regional, state, and federal agencies to identify existing and potential infrastructure improvements to increase water retention to respond to drought conditions. (SO, IGC) | ● | ||
| PFS-7.2: Reduce Transmission Facility Fire Hazard Risk The County shall work with utility companies to modernize and upgrade transmission lines and associated equipment to reduce the risk of fire in areas with a high wildfire hazard risk. (JP) | ● | ||
| PFS-7.6: Smart Grid Development The County shall work with utility providers to implement smart grid technologies as part of new developments and infrastructure projects. (JP) | ● | ||
| PFS-12.4: Consistent Fire Protection Standards for New Development The County, in coordination with local water agencies and the Fire Protection District, shall require new discretionary development to comply with applicable standards for fire flows and fire protection. (RDR, IGC) | ● | ||
| PFS-A: Infrastructure Improvements and Funding The County shall prepare, adopt, and periodically update capital improvement programs for all County-owned and operated facilities and services to maintain adequate levels of service and consistency with the General Plan. | ● | ||
| PFS-C: Sea Level Impacts Monitoring The County shall conduct, and periodically update, Climate Change Impacts Monitoring reports to map locations of communication, energy, public service, transportation facilities, and infrastructure that are vulnerable to rising sea levels and coastal flooding. | ● | ||
| PFS-D: Sea Level Adaptation Response Based on findings from the Climate Change Impacts Monitoring reports, in cases where existing County facilities are found to be vulnerable to sea-level rise or coastal flooding, the County shall identify funding and create an action plan to protect, accommodate, or manage the retreat of County facilities to areas of higher elevation or reduced flood exposure. For facilities operated by other entities, the County shall work with these entities create an action plan to protect, to protect, accommodate, or manage the retreat of their facilities to areas of higher elevation or reduced flood exposure. | ● | ||
| PFS-E: County Purchasing Policy The County shall prioritize the procurement of products made from recycled materials (e.g., office products and equipment, recycled asphalt use in roads and bike paths) and for reusing or sharing equipment/resources, when feasible. | ● | ||
| PFS-F: Trip Reduction for County Staff The County shall provide support for the following trip-reduction methods for County staff members: carpooling/vanpooling, active transportation options (e.g., pedestrian or biking), use of electric or alternative energy vehicles, and public transit use. These will be accomplished through incentives, such as dedicated parking areas, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at County facilities, carpool/vanpool coordination, and flexible work shifts. | ● | ||
| PFS-G: Local Agency Management Program The County shall review and update the Local Agency Management Program plan every five years consistent with the State Water Resources Control Board Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Policy. | ● | ||
| PFS-J: Public Education of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Care The County shall promote and support programs to educate homeowners on the care and maintenance of private onsite wastewater treatment systems and environmental implications of improper maintenance. | ● | ||
| PFS-K: Coordination on Large Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Repairs The County shall coordinate with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board to address compliance and repair issues for large onsite wastewater treatment systems (over 5,000 gallons) and package treatment systems. | ● | ||
| PFS-L: Solid Waste Reduction The County shall continue to support and promote programs focused on solid waste prevention, reduction, recycling, and composting efforts, including food waste reduction in cases where consumable food can be redistributed rather than disposed. | ● | ||
| PFS-R: Biogas Control Systems The County shall review and update regulations to allow the development of appropriate biogas facilities near the source of organic waste materials and develop a program to coordinate public-private local investment in biogas control systems to encourage their development. | |||
| PFS-S: Organic Waste Recycling at County Facilities and Events The County shall evaluate the feasibility of establishing organic waste recycling programs at County facilities and County-sponsored events. | ● | ||
| COS-1.13: Partnerships for Protection of Natural and Biological Resources The County shall continue to work in partnership with agencies, organizations, and entities responsible for the protection, management, and enhancement of the county’s biological resources. (IGC) | ● | ||
| COS-1.15: Countywide Tree Planting The County shall establish and support a countywide target for the County, cities in Ventura County, agencies, organizations, businesses, and citizens to plant two million trees throughout the county by 2040. (SO, JP, IGC) | ● | ||
| COS-2.2: Beach Nourishment The County shall support activities that trap or add sand through beach nourishment, dune restoration, and other adaptation strategies to enhance or create beaches in areas susceptible to sea-level rise and coastal flooding. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| COS-2.10: Saltwater Intrusion The County shall work with Federal, State, and local jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations to monitor saltwater intrusion and take proactive steps to reduce intrusion, including: working to maintain and restore coastal wetlands buffers; enhancing groundwater management to prevent excessive pumping in order to restore groundwater levels needed to reduce saltwater intrusion; and implementing mitigation measures to prevent saltwater intrusion into estuaries and groundwater basins including, but not limited to, implementation of reactive barriers and use of pumps to divert saltwater. (PSR, IGC, JP) | ● | ||
| COS-3.2: Tree Canopy The County shall encourage the planting of trees and the protection of existing urban forests and native woodlands, savannahs, and tree canopy throughout the county, including along State or County designated scenic roadways and in residential and commercial zones throughout the county, especially those located within designated disadvantaged communities. (MPSP, RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-3.3: Utility Undergrounding Priority The County shall give overhead utility undergrounding within high fire hazard areas and Scenic Resource Areas first priority when allocating County Utility Undergrounding Funds. (MPSP, FB) | ● | ||
| COS-5.3: Soil Productivity The County shall encourage landowners to participate in voluntary programs that reduce soil erosion and increase soil productivity. To this end, the County shall promote coordination between the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ventura County Resource Conservation District, University of California Cooperative Extension, and other similar agencies and organizations. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-7.2: Oil Well Distance Criteria The County shall require new discretionary oil wells to be located a minimum of 1,500 feet from residential dwellings and 2,500 from any school. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-7.4: Electrically-Powered Equipment for Oil and Gas Exploration and Production The County shall require discretionary development for oil and gas exploration and production to use electrically-powered equipment from 100 percent renewable sources and cogeneration, where feasible, to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from internal combustion engines and equipment. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-7.7: Conveyance for Oil and Produced Water The County shall require new discretionary oil wells to use pipelines to convey oil and produced water; oil and produced water shall not be trucked. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-8.1: Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels The County shall promote the development and use of renewable energy resources (e.g., solar, thermal, wind, tidal, bioenergy, hydroelectricity) to reduce dependency on petroleum-based energy sources. (IGC, RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-8.2: Incentives for Energy Efficiency The County shall encourage the State, community choice aggregation programs, and energy utility companies to provide programs, rebates, and incentives for energy efficiency installation and retrofit projects. (IGC) | ● | ||
| COS-8.3: Coordinate Climate Action Plan with Cities and Organizations The County shall facilitate the coordination of its Climate Action Plan implementation and maintenance with the cities in the county, the Air Pollution Control District, and other organizations to promote countywide collaboration on addressing climate change. (SO, IGC) | ● | ||
| COS-8.4: Clean Power Alliance The County, as a signatory to a legal entity created under a Joint Powers Authority with neighboring communities, shall continue to serve as an active member of the Clean Power Alliance or similar organization providing local customer access to electricity generated from low carbon renewable energy sources in excess of State requirements. (SO, IGC) | ● | ||
| COS-8.5: Decarbonize Communitywide Electricity Supplies The County shall work with utility providers to offer residents options to purchase and use renewable energy resources. (SO, IGC, JP) | ● | ||
| COS-8.6: Zero Net Energy and Zero Net Carbon Buildings The County shall support the transition to zero net energy and zero net carbon buildings, including electrification of new buildings. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-8.7: Sustainable Building Practices The County shall promote sustainable building practices that incorporate a “whole systems” approach for design and construction that consumes less energy, water, and other non-renewable resources, such as by facilitating passive ventilation and effective use of daylight. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-8.8: Renewable Energy Features in Discretionary Development The County shall encourage the integration of features that support the generation, transmission, efficient use, and storage of renewable energy sources in discretionary development (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-8.9: Urban Tree Canopy Improvements for Energy Conservation The County shall encourage discretionary development to include the planting of shade trees on each property and within parking areas to reduce radiation heat production. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-8.10: Battery Energy Storage Systems The County shall encourage battery energy storage systems as an option for optimizing the management of electricity generated by renewable resources. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-9.1: Open Space Preservation The County shall preserve natural open space resources through: the concentration of development in Urban Areas and Existing Communities; use of cluster or compact development techniques in discretionary development adjacent to natural open space resources; maintaining large lot sizes in agricultural areas, rural and open space areas; discouraging conversion of lands currently used for agricultural production or grazing; limiting development in areas constrained by natural hazards; and encouraging agricultural and ranching interests to maintain natural habitat in open space areas where the terrain or soil is not conducive to agricultural production or grazing. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-9.3: Open Space Preservation The County shall place a high priority on preserving open space lands for recreation, habitat protection, wildlife movement, flood hazard management, public safety, water resource protection, and overall community benefit. (PSP) | ● | ||
| COS-10.1: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Strategy The County shall maintain and refer to the General Plan and its integrated greenhouse gas (GHG) Reduction Strategy as the County’s comprehensive plan for reducing community-wide GHG emissions in the unincorporated County. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-10.2: Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Target for 2030 The County shall work toward achieving a community-wide GHG emissions reduction target of 41 percent below 2015 levels by 2030. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-10.3: Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Goals for 2040 and 2050 The County shall work towards achieving longer-term, post-2030 community-wide GHG emissions reduction goals, as follows: 61 percent below 2015 levels by 2040, and 80 percent below 2015 levels by 2050. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-10.4: Greenhouse Gas Reductions in Existing and New Development The County shall reduce GHG emissions in both existing and new development through a combination of measures included in the GHG Strategy, which includes new and modified regulations, financing and incentive-based programs, community outreach and education programs, partnerships with local or regional agencies, and other related actions. (RDR) | ● | ||
| COS-C: Update Tree Protection Ordinance The County shall update existing Tree Protection Regulations in the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance to further enhance conservation of our urban forests and the preservation of the County’s oak woodland resources. Updates shall include incorporation of Board-adopted recommendations from the Ventura County Oak Woodlands Management Plan (2007), which includes tree replacement offsets for ministerial development projects that remove protected trees. The County shall also re-evaluate and modify, if necessary, mitigation ratios for tree removal and oak woodland impacts for discretionary development projects, evaluate existing protections for invasive, non-native trees and consider the degree to which they provide habitat for a species during critical life stages (e.g., colonial roost sites, breeding sites, etc.). In addition, the evaluation shall also include anticipated effects of climate change on the urban forest environment. | ● | ||
|
COS-H:
County Tree Planting Program The County shall plant at least one thousand trees annually. | ● | ||
| COS-I: Grants for Climate Change Adaptation Activities The County shall apply for grants through the California Coastal Commission and other organizations for beach nourishment, dune restoration, and other adaptation activities to improve the resilience of county beaches to sea-level rise and coastal flooding. | ● | ||
| COS-M: Oil and Gas Tax The County shall evaluate the feasibility of establishing a local tax on all oil and gas operations located in the unincorporated county. | ● | ||
| COS-N: Sustainable Building, Siting, and Landscaping Practice Guidelines The County shall prepare sustainable building, siting, and landscaping practice guidelines that promote a whole systems approach to building designs and construction techniques that reduce consumption of non-renewable resources such as oil, gas and water and promote renewable energy use. | ● | ||
| COS-O: Assessment of Land Near Electrical Transmission and Distribution Lines The County shall conduct a study and prepare a publicly available assessment of suitable undeveloped lands near electrical transmission and distribution lines that serve as priority areas for the development of utility-scale solar energy generation and storage projects. If suitable locations are identified, the County shall establish a new zone, if necessary, called a Renewable Energy Priority Zone, for these sites in the County’s Coastal and Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinances. | ● | ||
| COS-P: Study to Demonstrate Energy and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Savings The County shall conduct a study that demonstrates the energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) savings of the options identified in Implementation Program COS-R using modeled building prototypes. To satisfy state regulatory requirements for Energy Reach Code adoption, the study shall also demonstrate long-term cost savings of the options through a life-cycle cost analysis that considers the initial costs of efficiency improvements offset by utility bill cost savings and other relevant factors. | ● | ||
| COS-Q: Incentives for Development of Renewable Energy Projects To incentivize the development of the Renewable Energy projects, the County shall consider waiving permit fees for renewable energy generation or storage projects. | ● | ||
| COS-R: Performance-Based Building Code for Green Building The County shall maintain and update as needed the Building Code to establish performance-based standards that incentivize green building techniques. | ● | ||
| COS-S: Building Code Update The County shall update the Building Code to include a mandatory Energy Reach Code. | ● | ||
| COS-T: Energy Consumption Performance The County shall continue to review its energy consumption performance and implement programs designed to increase energy efficiency in County-owned buildings, including, but not limited to: reduced operating hours for heating, ventilating and lighting systems, installation of weather stripping on all openable doors and windows, development of energy audit and energy management programs, implementation of operation and maintenance programs which contribute to energy conservation, develop energy audits and energy management programs for all County-owned facilities, develop a plan to re-invest utility company rebates and utility savings into a long-range funding program for on-going conservation projects, implement operational and maintenance programs which contribute to energy conservation, investigate and implement new energy technologies such as solar and fuel cells, install energy management systems in all County-owned facilities to control air conditioning and lighting systems where beneficial, install ceiling, wall, and roof insulation whenever feasible, install plumbing flow restrictors in toilets, lavatories and showers, and provide energy conservation training and literature to all County agencies. | ● | ||
| COS-U: Solar Canopies in Non-Residential Projects The County shall amend the County’s Coastal and Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinances to require parking lots for new non-residential construction projects, with floor area of greater than 50,000 square feet, to include solar canopies. | ● | ||
| COS-V: Improve Energy Conservation Awareness The County shall encourage community members to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase awareness about energy efficiency and conservation and climate change and adaptation, to conduct targeted outreach to homeowners and contractors to encourage installation of electric appliances upon routine replacement of natural gas appliances and heaters and provide information regarding financial incentives. | ● | ||
| COS-W: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program The County shall develop a behavior change program for energy efficiency and conservation. This program would provide energy literacy training for low-income customers on buying energy-efficient products or using energy more efficiently; develop and offer digital applications offering real-time energy use information to residents and businesses; offer anonymized data on community energy use for residents to compare performance; and provide rewards or rebates for improved energy conservation. | ● | ||
| COS-X: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy Implementation The County shall implement the General Plan GHG Strategy through specific policies, programs, and implementing actions integrated throughout the General Plan and summarized in Appendix B. | ● | ||
| COS-Y: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy Monitoring The County shall implement, under the overall direction of the CEO and with support of RMA, PWA, GSA, AGC, FD, and other departments as appropriate, the GHG Strategy through specific policies, programs, and implementing actions integrated throughout the General Plan and summarized in Appendix B, Climate Action Plan, as well as other appropriate actions adopted from time to time. The greenhouse gas reduction strategy shall consist of a comprehensive program to systematically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet adopted emission reduction targets and deadlines from all sectors – transportation, buildings, solid waste, stationary sources, agriculture, water and wastewater, and off-road equipment. | ● | ||
| COS-Z: Public Reporting on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy Progress The County shall prepare public reports on the results of GHG Strategy implementation and monitoring and present these reports to the Board of Supervisors. The first report shall be submitted to the Board of Supervisors two years after the approval of the General Plan, after which the Board of Supervisors will determine the appropriate reporting interval. The County shall also present a more detailed progress report to the Board of Supervisors, including results of the latest GHG inventory update, every five years. | ● | ||
| COS-AA: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Updates The County shall update the County’s GHG emissions inventory at least every five years. | ● | ||
|
COS-BB:
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy Amendments The
County may amend the GHG Strategy to ensure that the County is on
track to achieve its 2030 target and making substantial progress
towards achieving its longer-term, post-2030 goals. ] | ● | ||
| COS-CC: Climate Emergency Council The County shall establish a Climate Emergency Council (CEC) by a resolution of the Board of Supervisors to advise the Board of Supervisors on climate action planning and implementation of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) goals, policies, and programs. The County agency or department responsible for implementation of this program shall draft, administer, and maintain the CEC bylaws. Initial establishment of the CEC and its bylaws shall include the following terms, duties, and membership composition: Term of each member is two years. At the conclusion of a term, a CEC member may be re-appointed or re-selected, as applicable, for a consecutive term by the appointing authority. Duties of the CEC members include attendance at duly called meetings; review, in advance, of all written material provided in preparation for CEC meetings; serve and participate on committees and/or sub-committees; and contribute to the CEC’s advisory recommendations to the Board of Supervisors; The officers of the CEC shall be Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. Officers shall be elected annually at regular meeting each year by CEC members. Nomination shall be made from the floor. Election shall be by simple majority. Officers shall serve a one-year term. An officer may be re-elected, but no individual shall serve more than three full consecutive terms in the same office. No member shall hold more than one office at a time. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the CEC, sign all correspondence, reports, and other materials produced by the CEC, and perform any and all other duties prescribed by the CEC from time to time. The Chairperson may serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. The Vice-Chairperson shall represent the Chairperson and/or substitute in performance of the Chairperson during their absence. Membership of the CEC shall be comprised of the following: One person representing each Supervisorial District who has demonstrated interest in and knowledge of climate action planning shall be nominated by each of the five members of the Board of Supervisors, and confirmed by a majority of the Board of Supervisors resulting in a total of five Supervisorial District representatives; One resident from each of the designated disadvantaged communities identified in the 2040 General Plan who has demonstrated an understanding of their community’s needs as well as an interest in and knowledge of climate action planning shall be appointed by a majority of the Board of Supervisors; and Two additional at-large members who have demonstrated special interest, competence, experience, or knowledge in climate action planning shall be selected by a majority of the CEC members. Each member is entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the CEC. | ● | ||
| COS-DD: Budget and Staffing Plan for CAP Implementation The CEO shall, within six months from the adoption of the General Plan Update and Climate Action Plan, present to the Board of Supervisors a proposed budget and staffing plan (including qualified technical consultants) to implement the Climate Action Plan, and shall update the budget and staffing plan each year. | ● | ||
| HAZ-1.1: Fire Prevention Design and Practices The County shall continue to require development to incorporate design measures that enhance fire protection in areas of high fire risk. This shall include but is not limited to incorporation of fire-resistant structural design, use of fire-resistant landscaping, and fuel modification around the perimeter of structures. (RDR, PI) | ● | ||
| HAZ 1.2: Defensible Space Clear Zones The County shall require adherence to defensible space standards, or vegetation “clear zones,” for all existing and new structures in areas that are designated as Hazardous Fire Areas by the Ventura County Fire Protection District and High Fire Hazard Severity Zones by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. (IGC, PI, RDR) | ● | ||
| HAZ-1.3: Controlled Burns and Other Fire Prevention Measures The County shall continue to recognize the role of fire in local ecosystems by supporting controlled burns and other fire prevention measures. (IGC) | ● | ||
| HAZ-1.4: Development in High Fire Hazard Severity Zones and Hazardous Fire Areas The County shall require the recordation of a Notice of Fire Hazard with the County Recorder for all new discretionary entitlements (including subdivisions and land use permits) within areas designated as Hazardous Fire Areas by the Ventura County Fire Department or High Fire Hazard Severity Zones by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). (RDR) | ● | ||
| HAZ-1.6: Wildfire Risk Education The County shall continue to develop and distribute educational materials and conduct educational outreach activities informing the public about wildfire risk and protection strategies. (PSR, IGC, PI) | ● | ||
| HAZ-3.1: Sea Level Rise Planning and Adaptation The County shall continue to actively plan for sea level rise by using the best available science to analyze critical vulnerabilities, identify measures to conserve coastal resources, minimize impacts on residents and businesses, maintain public services, and strengthen resiliency. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| HAZ-3.2: County Infrastructure Projects and Sea Level Rise County-initiated infrastructure projects sited along or seaward of Highway 101, such as bridges and levees, that will provide 100 years or more of service, shall be planned with the potential to be easily modified to accommodate 100-years of projected sea level rise in accordance with the H++ extreme risk aversion sea level rise scenario. (PSR, IGC) | ● | ||
| HAZ-3.3: Sea Level Rise Educational Outreach To the extent feasible, the County shall incorporate education elements into coastal adaptation projects to inform the public about the risks of sea level rise and options for adaptation. (RDR, SO, JP) | ● | ||
| HAZ-10.1: Air Pollutant Reduction The County shall strive to reduce air pollutants from stationary and mobile sources to protect human health and welfare, focusing efforts on shifting patterns and practices that contribute to the areas with the highest pollution exposures and health impacts. (MPSP, RDR, SO, IGC, PI, JP) | ● | ||
| HAZ-10.5: Air Pollution Impact Mitigation Measures for Discretionary Development The County shall work with applicants for discretionary development projects to incorporate bike facilities, solar water heating, solar space heating, incorporation of electric appliances and equipment, the use of zero and/or near zero emission vehicles and other measures to reduce air pollution impacts and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. (RDR) | ● | ||
| HAZ-10.6: Transportation Control Measures Programs The County shall continue to work with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to develop and implement Transportation Control Measures (TCM) programs consistent with the APCD’s Air Quality Management Program (AQMP) to facilitate public transit and alternative transportation modes within the county. (IGC, FB) | ● | ||
| HAZ-10.7: Fuel Efficient County Vehicles When purchasing new County vehicles, the County shall give strong preference to fuel efficient vehicles, including the use of zero emission vehicles when feasible. (SO, FB) [ | ● | ||
| HAZ-10.8: Alternative Transportation Modes The County shall promote alternative modes of transportation that reduce single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) travel and enhance “last-mile” transportation options to improve air quality. (IGC, JP, PI) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.1: Critical Vulnerable Infrastructure The County shall identify and protect critical infrastructure locations that are vulnerable to damage from extreme heat. (SO, FB, PSR, IGC) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.2: Climate Change-Related Partnerships The County shall partner with Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), utilities, nonprofit organizations and other entities to implement future and ongoing heat-related climate change initiatives. The County’s partnership in ongoing programs and future initiatives could include helping other organizations increase participation in existing programs through education and promotion, and by using and integrating them in County programs and activities, where feasible. (JP) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.3: Limit Impacts of Climate Change on Designated Disadvantaged Communities The County shall work with public, private, and nonprofit partners to limit impacts of climate change on Designated Disadvantaged Communities by focusing planning efforts and interventions on communities with the highest need and ensuring representatives of these communities have a role in the decision-making process for directing climate change response. (MPSP, SO) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.4: Education and Outreach on Effects of Climate Change The County shall support efforts of agencies and organizations that provide effective education and outreach to Designated Disadvantaged Communities on the effects of climate change, including increasing temperatures, wildfires, flooding, sea level rise, poor air quality, extreme weather events, disease prevention, and other public health effects. (PI) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.5: Outdoor Worker Protection The County shall work with State and County health agencies and local organizations to provide educational programs and resources targeted at reducing the impacts of exposure to sun and heat. (ICG, JP, PI) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.6: Accessible Cooling Centers The County shall expand partnerships with local governments, non-government organizations, churches, and businesses to provide additional cooling centers, particularly in designated disadvantaged communities. (SO, IGC, JP, PI) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.7: Green Building Design Features The County shall encourage development to include new building designs or retrofits to improve building performance through strategic building design features, including insulation to reduce energy usage, solar-reflective white roofs, solar panels, green roofs (vegetation on roofs), and battery storage for energy. (RDR) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.8: Undergrounding Utilities The County shall work with utility providers to underground overhead power lines (both existing and as part of discretionary development) to increase the resilience of the energy grid and reduce wildfire potential, especially in Existing Communities. (JP) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.9: Urban Greening The County shall promote the use of urban greening techniques, such as cool pavement technology, parking lot shading, landscaping, and other methods to offset climate change impacts and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for discretionary development and County-initiated projects. (RDR, FB, SO) | ● | ||
| HAZ-11.10: Solar Photovoltaic Carports The County shall promote the use of solar photovoltaic carports for discretionary development and County initiated projects. (RDR) | ● | ||
| HAZ-A: Develop and Implement Educational Programs for Wildfire Resilience In coordination with federal, state, and local partners (e.g., CAL FIRE), the County shall update and maintain educational programs related to such issues as: Learning how to recognize the first signs of fire and take appropriate action; Living with the risks of fire within the wildland/urban interface; and Methods of improving the resilience of homes and other structures. | ● | ||
|
HAZ-B:
Wildfire Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping In collaboration with the federal, state, and local partners (e.g., CAL FIRE), U.S. Forest Service, other agencies involved in wildfire response planning), the County shall update and map new locations that may be vulnerable to wildfire hazards including: damage to electrical, transportation, and communication infrastructure; increased rates of erosion, landslide, and water quality degradation; loss of residential, commercial, and industrial structures; and ecological disturbance. | ● | ||
| HAZ-F: Develop Climate Change Impact Assessment The County shall work with the Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), other jurisdictions, the Oxnard Harbor District (OHD), California Department of Conservation, and the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a Climate Change Impact Assessment that addresses issues related to climate change and military installations, including sea level rise, wildfires, and stormwater runoff intensities. | ● | ||
| HAZ-G: Communication Program for Property Owners At-Risk from Sea Level Rise The County shall seek funding to prepare and implement a communication program that periodically provides updates to the Board of Supervisors, and other stakeholders regarding impacts from sea level rise and planning decisions to address those impacts. | ● | ||
|
HAZ-H:
Sea Level Rise Analysis in Siting and Design of New
Development The County shall consider the feasibility of amending the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance and Coastal Zoning Ordinance to require technical analysis of projected sea level rise exposure for the siting and design of new discretionary development. | ● | ||
| HAZ-I: Estuaries, Wetlands, and Groundwater Basins Resilience The County shall coordinate with regional stakeholders to assess vulnerabilities from the effects of, and opportunities to enhance the resiliency to, sea level rise on estuaries, wetlands, and groundwater basins. This assessment should consider factors that influence the conditions of an estuary or wetland, including sea level rise, rainfall, surface heat budget, wind, and ocean acidification. | ● | ||
|
HAZ-P:
Identify Critical Infrastructure Vulnerable to Extreme Heat The County shall map locations of county-owned facilities and infrastructure that may be vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat. When necessary, the County will develop a plan to upgrade such infrastructure to be more resilient to periods of high heat, which may include the use of heat-tolerant, reflective, or other resilient types of materials. | ● | ||
| HAZ-Q: Standards for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Carports in County Lots The County shall establish feasible standards for inclusion of solar PV carports in County-owned parking lots. | ● | ||
| HAZ-R: Adaptation Grant Funding The County shall apply for grant funding for climate change adaptation planning efforts from available private and public sources. | ● | ||
| HAZ-S: Extreme Heat Education and Outreach The County shall provide multilingual education and outreach to residents and businesses to publicize the symptoms and dangers of heat-related illness, cooling center locations, how to sign up for the Ready Ventura County VC Alert Program, worker-related protections, and practical methods for preventing heat-related illness during periods of high heat. | ● | ||
| HAZ-T: Cool Roof Ordinance The County shall adopt a Cool Roof Ordinance that exceeds the prescriptive cool roof requirements of the 2019 California Building Energy Efficiency Standard for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings by 25 percent (California Energy Code). Under a Cool Roof Ordinance, the County would require new construction to replace or re-coat 2,500 square feet for nonresidential and 1,250 square feet of roof space for residential buildings, or 72.5 percent or more of roofs. | ● | ||
| HAZ-U: Incentive Program for Passive Solar Home Design and Use of Green Roofs and Rooftop Gardens The County shall develop incentive programs to promote passive solar home design and the use of green roofs and rooftop gardens when feasible. The program shall include but may not be limited to, permit streamlining and permit fee reductions to apply passive solar home design to future residential buildings. | ● | ||
| HAZ-V: Cool Pavements Standards The County shall incorporate cool pavement standards into the County’s development standards for County and private development projects, in both new construction and changes to existing on-site paved surface areas (e.g., parking lots, private roadways, other hardscapes). | ● | ||
| HAZ-W: Incentive Programs for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Carports The County shall establish incentive programs, which may include rebate programs, permit fee reductions, and tax deductions, to incentivize the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) carports in existing and future parking lots. | ● | ||
| HAZ-AA: Prohibit Natural Gas Infrastructure in New Residential and New Commercial Development To support the proposed reach codes under COS-S, the 2040 General Plan shall include a new program in the Hazards and Safety element that prohibits the installation of new natural gas infrastructure in new residential development through amendments to the Ventura County Building Code. This program shall also be extended to new commercial development including but not limited to offices, retail buildings, and hotels. The County may exempt new commercial development from these requirements upon making findings based on substantial evidence that the use of natural gas is critical to business operations, and that it is not feasible1 to replace critical appliances or equipment with electricity powered equivalents. This program shall be completed no later than 2023. 1. “Feasible” means that this mitigation measure shall be applied to future discretionary projects under the 2040 General Plan when and to the extent it is “capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, legal, social, and technological factors” as determined by the County in the context of such future projects based on substantial evidence. This definition is consistent with the definition of “feasible” set forth in CEQA (Pub. Res. Code, § 21066.1) and the CEQA Guidelines (§ 15164). The County shall be solely responsible for making this feasibility determination in accordance with CEQA. | ● | ||
| HAZ-BB: Building Energy Saving Ordinance for Industrial Buildings To address GHG emissions associated with electricity consumption by industrial buildings, which were not quantified in the GHG Inventory and Forecasting due to utility privacy rules, the County shall implement a program to adopt a Building Energy Saving Ordinance, no later than 2025, for industrial buildings over 25,000 square feet in size, modeled after the local benchmarking ordinances adopted in other local jurisdictions in California (CEC 2019). The County shall prepare reports showing the energy performance of industrial buildings relative to similar buildings in California and the United States and make these reports available to the public by request. The County, through its building department shall provide recommendations on energy efficiency retrofits and green building strategies to improve energy performance to property owners and tenants subject to the reporting requirements. | |||
| AG-1.1: Agricultural Land Protection and Preservation The County shall continue to protect and preserve agricultural land by directing growth away from productive agricultural lands into cities, unincorporated urban areas, or existing communities and by supporting the acquisition or voluntary dedication of agriculture conservation easements. (RDR, MPSP) | ● | ||
| AG-3.2 : Integrated Pest Management Practices The County shall encourage and support the use of Integrated Pest Management practices to reduce pesticide use and human health risks. (JP, PI) | ● | ||
| AG-3.3: Public Education for Agricultural Products and Integrated Pest Management The County shall collaborate with the agricultural community to provide information on Integrated Pest Management and agricultural products and practices in Ventura County. (JP, PI) | ● | ||
| AG-4.1: Connections to Local Produce The County shall strive to enhance access to and consumption of fresh, local produce by encouraging direct connections between local farmers/ranchers and markets, restaurants, institutions, schools, hospitals, food banks, and other businesses. (JP) | ● | ||
| AG-4.3: Technological Innovation The County shall encourage the use of technology that supports agricultural production, while enhancing environmental sustainability and natural resource conservation. (JP) | ● | ||
| AG-4.4 : Pest Management The County shall continue to monitor leading research findings on methods and technologies for reducing harm to the agricultural sector from invasive plants, pests, and diseases and modify and expand agricultural practices when appropriate and feasible. (SO) | ● | ||
| AG-5.1: Inorganic Nitrogen Based Fertilizers The County shall encourage farmers to reduce fertilizer application and transition to products that reduce or avoid nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, such as organic composting and enhanced efficiency fertilizers. (MPSP) | ● | ||
| AG-5.2: Electric- or Renewable-Powered Agricultural Equipment The County shall encourage and support the transition to electric- or renewable-powered or lower emission agricultural equipment in place of fossil fuel-powered equipment, when feasible. (PI, JP) | ● | ||
| AG-5.3 : Electric- or Renewable- Powered Irrigation Pumps The County shall encourage farmers to convert fossil fuel-powered irrigation pumps to systems powered by electric or renewable energy sources, such as solar-power, and encourage electric utilities to eliminate or reduce stand-by charges. (SO) | ● | ||
| AG-5.4 : Alternative Irrigation Techniques The County shall encourage farmers to continue and enhance the water-saving irrigation techniques designed to reduce water consumption. (RDR, JP) | ● | ||
| AG-5.5: Carbon Farming Practices The County shall encourage and support the efforts of resource conservation districts, farmers, and other stakeholders to expand carbon farming practices, such as reduced tilling, cover-cropping, composting, biochar, and other activities that both reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase carbon sequestration and storage, when feasible. (JP) | ● | ||
| AG-6.1: Monitor Climate Change Research The County shall support and monitor research on the effects of a changing climate on the agricultural industry within Ventura County. (PSR) | ● | ||
| AG-6.2: Crop Resiliency The County shall engage the agricultural sector to understand the tolerance of current crop mixes to withstand the impacts of climate change, including increased temperatures, disease, and pests, and explore options to diversify crops. (JP) | ● | ||
| AG-B: Regionally-Grown Products Sales Incentives The County shall develop a program that encourages sales and distribution of regionally-grown (in Ventura County or neighboring counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, or Kern) produce to local retailers, restaurants, and markets, and encourage chain stores to develop local distribution centers. The program will encourage residents to select locally grown food products for freshness, local economic development benefits, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. | ● | ||
| AG-C: County Procurement The County shall develop a program to identify opportunities to continue to provide organic and locally grown foods into cafeteria services, the jail, Ventura County Medical Center, and other County-sponsored services and events that provide food service, to the extent feasible. | ● | ||
| AG-D: Agricultural Tourism Development Standards The County shall revise the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance to include regulations and development standards for agricultural tourism while protecting both the grower and the public. Ordinance revisions may also include additional development standards for agricultural promotional uses, if necessary. | ● | ||
| AG-E: Specialty Farming Education The County shall continue to collaborate with and support the UC Cooperative Extension Office on education programs that inform and assist local farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers in diversifying and establishing expertise in specialty agricultural products. | ● | ||
| AG-F: Enhanced Access to Locally Grown Products The County shall conduct a study to identify barriers to local farm stands and take action to remove these barriers, which may include an update to the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance, as necessary. | ● | ||
| AG-G: Farm-to-Front Door The County shall study the feasibility of encouraging “Farm-to-Front Door” business model and its potential benefits to businesses and residents in Ventura County. | ● | ||
| AG-H: Nutrient Management Plans The County shall continue to collaborate with the UC Cooperative Extension Office and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources to implement Nutrient Management Plans for commonly grown local crops featuring best management practices for nitrous oxide (N2O) emission reductions. | ● | ||
| AG-I: Fossil Fuel-Powered Equipment Replacement The County shall coordinate with the Air Pollution Control District and electric utilities to develop a program to establish a countywide fossil fuel-powered equipment conversion target, track progress on conversions to renewable energy sourced electric powered systems and provide technical assistance to users considering replacement of pumps. | ● | ||
| AG-J: Alternative Fuel Funding for Agricultural Operations The County shall coordinate with the Air Pollution Control District to develop a program to identify funding sources or develop financial or regulatory incentives to encourage the switch to electric or alternatively fueled agricultural equipment, when feasible. | ● | ||
| AG-K: Water-Saving Irrigation Techniques Program The County shall continue to collaborate with and support the UC Cooperative Extension Office on educational programs on irrigation techniques to maximize water use efficiency, when feasible. | ● | ||
| AG-L: Encourage and Facilitate Carbon Farming The County shall collaborate with University of California Cooperative Extension to encourage and facilitate carbon farming projects, including development of demonstration projects and site-specific carbon farm plans, to guide implementation of carbon farming practices throughout the county, when feasible. | ● | ||
| AG-M: Research on Effects of Climate Change The County shall research the potential effects of climate change on the county’s existing agricultural industry as well as the resulting challenges and opportunities associated with these changes. Research partners may include the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), University of California Cooperative Extension, Ventura County Farm Bureau, and the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. The research shall address, but may not be limited to, loss of chill hours, increased populations of or new species of pests, higher rates of evapotranspiration, and opportunities created by warmer climate to grow crops that were previously unsuitable based on historic climate conditions. | ● | ||
| AG-N: Subsidies for Resilient Crop Production The County should encourage programs and obtain grants to seek funding to subsidize efforts to breed crops that are resilient to high heat, shade crops and installation of light reflectors, and reduce rates of tilling to promote soil health and combat increased temperatures as recommended by federal, state, and local agencies. | ● | ||
| WR-3.1: Non-Potable Water Use The County shall encourage the use of non-potable water, such as tertiary treated wastewater and household graywater, for industrial, agricultural, environmental, and landscaping needs consistent with appropriate regulations. (RDR) | ● | ||
| WR-3.2: Water Use Efficiency for Discretionary Development The County shall require the use of water conservation techniques for discretionary development, as appropriate. Such techniques include low-flow plumbing fixtures in new construction that meet or exceed the California Plumbing Code, use of graywater or reclaimed water for landscaping, retention of stormwater runoff for direct use and/or groundwater recharge, and landscape water efficiency standards that meet or exceed the standards in the California Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance. | ● | ||
| WR-3.3: Low-Impact Development The County shall require discretionary development to incorporate low impact development design features and best management practices, including integration of stormwater capture facilities, consistent with County’s Stormwater Permit. (RDR) | ● | ||
| WR-3.4: Reduce Potable Water Use The County shall strive for efficient use of potable water in County buildings and facilities through conservation measures, and technological advancements. (SO) | ● | ||
| WR-4.1: Groundwater Management The County shall work with water suppliers, water users, groundwater management agencies, and groundwater sustainability agencies to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and manage groundwater resources within the sustainable yield of each basin to ensure that county residents, businesses, agriculture, government, and the environment have reliable, high-quality groundwater to serve existing and planned land uses during prolonged drought years. (IGC, RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| WR-4.3: Groundwater Recharge Projects The County shall support groundwater recharge and multi-benefit projects consistent with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of groundwater. (IGC, RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| WR-4.4: In-Stream and Recycled Water Use for Groundwater Recharge The County shall encourage the use of in-stream water flow and recycled water for groundwater recharge while balancing the needs of urban and agricultural uses, and healthy ecosystems, including in-stream waterflows needed for endangered species protection. (RDR) | ● | ||
| WR-6.1: Water for Agricultural Uses The County should support the appropriate agencies in their efforts to effectively manage and enhance water quantity and quality to ensure long-term, adequate availability of high quality and economically viable water for agricultural uses, consistent with water use efficiency programs. (IGC) | ● | ||
| WR-6.2 : Agricultural Water Efficiency The County should support programs designed to increase agricultural water use efficiency and secure long-term water supplies for agriculture. (PI) | ● | ||
| WR-6.3 : Reclaimed Water Use The County should encourage the use of reclaimed irrigation water and treated urban wastewater for agricultural irrigation in accordance with federal and state requirements in order to conserve untreated groundwater and potable water supplies. (IGC, RDR, SO) | ● | ||
| WR-C: Regional Collaboration on Water issues and Sustainability The County shall continue to provide data and staff resources to support collaboration on climate change and sustainability, and for planning and implementing projects that address local and regional water issues. | ● | ||
| WR-E: Well Guidelines Update The County shall coordinate with the local groundwater management agencies and local groundwater sustainability agencies to update County of Ventura Ordinance 4468 and related guidelines on the location, construction, and abandonment of water wells, if necessary. | ● | ||
| WR-F: Discretionary Development Review for Adequate Water and Wastewater The County shall verify that all discretionary development proposals demonstrate an adequate long-term supply of water, adequate methods for sewage disposal, provide adequate drainage to avoid flooding, prevent erosion, and prevent contamination of local water. | ● | ||
| WR-G: Water Conservation The County shall continue to implement ongoing programs to educate County residents on incentives for water conservation features, including drought-tolerant landscaping, removal of turf, graywater, and water-saving plumbing technologies. | ● | ||
| WR-H: County Water Efficiency Ventura County GSA shall work with County departments and agencies to review water usage and develop recommendations for water saving practices or facility improvements, including turf removal to conserve water. | ● | ||
| EV-4.4: Renewable Energy Facilities The County shall identify appropriate locations to allow for development of renewable energy generation and storage facilities and encourage the development of innovative approaches to renewable energy deployment, including solar power, wind power, wave energy, distributed power systems and micro-grids, and other appropriate renewable sources and storage and distribution systems. (MPSP, JP) | ● |