Critical City Services

Critical City Services Policies

Expand a policy to view related resilience and adaptation strategies and their implementation statuses.

Policy: Build City capacity to be responsive to future climate change-related events and challenges.

Adaptation Strategy

Develop workforce preparedness training opportunities and programs to quickly restore essential City services.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Build redundancy and/or backup resources available to support critical operations and services during an emergency event.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Implement a knowledge transfer and training program to ensure that natural hazard response procedures are not lost with staff turnover.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Create web map for primary climate change hazard. Update City's geographic information system database as best available science for climate change projections and State guidance is updated.

Completed

Adaptation Strategy

Account for high heat days when planning City staff duties to minimize exposure to extreme heat and/or provide necessary protective measures.

Not Yet Started

Adaptation Strategy

Consider the value of combining renewable generation with battery energy storage systems and/or microgrid installations to increase resiliency in the face of climate change driven energy disruptions, reduce energy costs, and support a stable electric grid.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Implement resilient redesign or identify less intensive land uses for City-owned property exposed to flooding.

Not Yet Started

Adaptation Strategy

Establish a Chief Resilience Officer.

Completed

Adaptation Strategy

Identify City buildings appropriate for installation of distributed energy resources like battery energy storage and microgrids to increase City capacity to respond to climate change driven energy disruption and reduce energy costs.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Explore siting renewable generation projects on City-owned land, landfills, lakes and reservoirs.

In Progress

Policy: Consider cost, effectiveness, lifespan, and core benefits for adaptation strategy prioritization and implementation.

Adaptation Strategy

Create City tracking system to monitor the cost of climate change hazard impacts and response.

Not Yet Started

Adaptation Strategy

Develop a post-hazard tracking system to collect post-event cost data for events that are both above and below the national hazard declaration threshold. Track in a shared asset management database for climate change hazard related cost impacts.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Develop guidance for capital planning, including resilient design standards for City infrastructure upgrades that considers climate change projections.

In Progress

Policy: Improve ability of infrastructure and built systems to withstand climate change shocks and stressors, while maintaining provision of essential services.

Adaptation Strategy

Provide cooling systems for City assets and equipment sensitive to overheating.

Not Yet Started

Adaptation Strategy

Plan for a climate ready transportation network.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Identify and implement flood protection measures for critical infrastructure.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Protect mechanical, electrical, and other key operational equipment from flooding at critical facilities through facility improvements or adaptive action.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Conduct site assessments at City facilities and ensure effective management of vegetation, defensible space, and hardening of assets as feasible for wildfire preparedness.

In Progress

Policy: Prepare City for upcoming funding opportunities from State, Federal, and grant programs to ensure City is competitive to secure funding.

Adaptation Strategy

Explore proven financing tools and emerging grant opportunities to fund resilience focused projects.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Integrate climate adaptation, resilience and hazard mitigation into long range planning documents as well as land use planning, capital, and budget plans.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Form a City department climate adaptation working group to coordinate on climate adaptation implementation efforts.

In Progress

Policy: Protect public health and safety.

Adaptation Strategy

Identify critical transportation network elements and create emergency transportation alternatives and detours for vulnerable routes.  Prioritize corridors that act as evacuation routes or access to critical facilities.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Develop flood assistance program.

Not Yet Started

Adaptation Strategy

Establish levees inspection and maintenance program to ensure the levee system continues to provide an adequate flood protection. Update the Levee System Operation and Maintenance Manual.

In Progress

Policy: Secure and maintain water and wastewater supplies and services.

Adaptation Strategy

Continue to update the Urban Water Management Plan every five years to reexamine future vulnerabilities to the City water supply.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Continue efforts to diversify the City's water supply sources and reduce dependence on imported water.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Promote stormwater as a resource concept by implementing capture and reuse technologies where feasible.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Replace or rehabilitate water and wastewater pipes to maintain a state of good repair, minimize breaks, and ensure structural integrity in the face of climate change hazards such as flooding.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

As Water Design Guidelines and Sewer Design Guidelines are updated, consider climate change impacts, such as sea level rise, coastal erosion, and changes in precipitation.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Account for projected changes in precipitation and sea level rise in water and wastewater planning.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Prepare and implement facility climate change action plan for Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Continue efforts to increase wastewater diversion to further reduce likelihood of sanitary sewer overflow.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Conduct detailed site assessments at active, identified vulnerable waste and wastewater facilities and identify climate change hazard risk mitigation options.

In Progress

Adaptation Strategy

Integrate projected increases in wildfire frequency and intensity into watershed management and planning, dam and raw water reservoir operations, and dam emergency planning in alignment with the City's Climate Action Plan.

Not Yet Started

Adaptation Strategy

Promote water conservation through updates to City irrigation system.

In Progress

Implementation Highlights

Climate Hazard Map

In FY25, City Planning and the Department of IT finalized an internal climate change hazard web map. The web map integrates the latest climate data for flooding, sea level rise, wildfire and heat into one platform for ease of use and access by City departments. The web map allows City departments to add in Geographic Information System (GIS) layers of their assets and is intended to support decision making related to infrastructure planning and investments that considers climate change hazards. City Planning is currently working on a public version that will provide the latest climate change hazard data layers in one central location, provide information to explain each layer and link to resources related to hazard preparedness. 

Encanto Park & Recreation Center

The Department of General Services Energy Division will soon implement Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds focused on Community Resilience Centers. The funding will help the City identify resilience features desired by both internal stakeholders and community members, as well as locations where Community Resilience Centers would be most beneficial. One City facility will be selected for Community Resilience Center design and a follow-on funding application. The Energy Division expects to select a consultant to help facilitate the work in FY26. 

Home Risk Assessment checklist

Launched on July 1, 2025, the San Diego Fire Department now offers a Home Risk Assessment. This assessment includes an educational Defensible Space Inspection that provides homeowners with valuable insight about the defensible space and the 0-5 ft. ember resistance zone. The goal of this personalized service is to educate homeowners about the purpose of defensible space while making homes more insurable, protected and ember-resistant against wildfires.

Requests for this assessment are now being accepted.

volunteers planting trees

The City of San Diego has an Urban Tree Canopy Fee that supports maintenance and expansion of the City's urban tree canopy efforts, helping to meet both Climate Action Plan and Climate Resilient SD goals. The Urban Tree Canopy Fee applies to development projects that are unable to meet the City's tree planting requirements. Funds collected are used for planting and maintaining of trees in public spaces throughout the city. The Urban Tree Canopy Fund collected $19,036 in funds in FY25.

Mid-city aerial view

In FY25, City Planning continued to update the Clairemont, College Area and Mid-Cities Community Plans. Climate hazard projections and climate adaptation and resilience policies are incorporated into these plan updates. For example, the Mid-Cities Existing Conditions Report includes a section on Sustainability, Equity and Climate that considers exposure to extreme heat, flooding, and wildfire events. This report, alongside extensive community engagement, will help shape the concepts and policies included in the Draft Community Plan. Consideration for climate change hazards and resilience opportunities were also incorporated into other long-range planning efforts, including the Chollas Creek Watershed Master Plan and Pure Water program.

water treatment plan

In FY25 the Public Utilities Department continued working on the Integrated Master Plan. The Integrated Master Plan looks across various asset groups, including drinking water, source water, wastewater, reclaimed water, and the City's Pure Water Program to ensure long term sustainability, reliability, and resiliency of the assets. Within this planning effort, the Public Utilities Department will analyze the effects of climate change hazards on its assets and operations. The Integrated Master Plan Climate Change Analysis will inform the prioritization of the department's infrastructure projects.

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