Yesterday the Sacramento City Council adopted the New Building Electrification Ordinance! The Mayor and Councilmembers Valenzuela, Guerra, Harris, Schenirer, Vang, and Jennings voted to adopt the ordinance. This means:
-
Building permit applications filed on or after January 1, 2023, for newly constructed buildings that are three stories or less to be all-electric buildings.
-
Building permit applications filed on or after January 1, 2026, for newly constructed buildings that are four stories or more to be all-electric buildings.
In addition to the known limited exemptions, there were additional changes made by a motion, including:
-
Slight changes to language around exemption and infeasibility process,
-
Adding language about public health to the Finding Sections,
-
Adding specificity about goals and timeline to the existing building strategy,
-
Requiring staff to bring back a work plan for the retrofit strategy in 60 days, and
-
Including a homebuilder representative on the technical feasibility expert panel.
Thanks to everyone who wrote comments, left voicemails or called into the Council meeting! Your input pushed the council to adopt the ordinance. Check out the Mayor’s Office new blog, City Council adopts electrification ordinance crucial to meeting climate goals, to find out more!
What’s next?
In the City of Sacramento: We can’t let up now. We have to make sure that the switch to all-electric is an equitable transition that brings everyone along. Staff will bring back a work plan for the retrofit strategy process within 60 days. The planning process and community outreach will begin this summer and we need to push for an equitable retrofit strategy, as well as a just transition for labor groups – like plumbers and pipefitters that will have a 20% decrease in jobs when the new building ordinance takes effect. Let’s make sure the City follows up on its commitments to introducing new water conservation measures and green workforce training. We must stay engaged in the City’s 18- month process to develop an equitable retrofit strategy that prioritizes low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The County: The County of Sacramento is about to release their draft CAP, which will have their plans for electrification. We have the opportunity to push the County to follow in the City’s footsteps and push for an electrification ordinance or better electrification goals.
Other cities in our region: Can we push other local cities to adopt new building and existing building electrification ordinances? Live in one of these cities and interested in helping in those efforts? Let us know!
For more information about this or our other work, contact us at info@350sacramento.org or join us at our next electrification team meeting this Thursday at noon. Email kate.wilkins@350sacramento.org if you would like the information for that meeting!
