This is a great step forward for a sustainable future and there are many great proposed solutions.

I would like to recommend two things:

1. To decarbonize, the language should be technology agnostic. for instance, there should be Zero Emission Vehicles or Buses which allows for any future renewable technology that would come to have the same support. One example is hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles which are ZEV.

2. Both natural gas grid and electricity grid need to be decarbonized. the electricity grid is currently being decarbonized with renewable electricity and the help of OCPA but, there isn’t much discussion about decarbonizing the pipelines

I am an elderly person and am dismayed that there will be intense lights which affects me. I am concerned I might have to stop taking those refreshing walks and confine myself at home.

As a concerned California resident I'm surprised that Irvine's lights have gone from being very calm to unnecessarily harsh and uncomfortable on the eye. So I urge you to look into gentler, glare-free yet safe lighting as part of your initiative.

As an Irvine resident, I notice that many of the lights in the city are far brighter than necessary and cause significant glare. These lights disrupt wildlife and can also be a hazard to human health (for those with light-sensitive disabilities).

As a physicist by training, I believe that there are many ways to reduce the glare and brightness of these lights while maintaining safety and the stated climate goals. These include, but are not limited to, lowering the spectrum (e.g., 2200K lighting) of lights, having them focused on the regions of interest (per Dark Sky), and reducing the overall output toward a more pleasing city for pedestrians, drivers, and other commuters at night.

Light pollution from overly bright streetlights is a health and wellbeing issue that should be included in this initiative. In Northwood, the brightness is so intense that even blackout curtains can’t prevent sleep disruption, which affects health and quality of life. Street lighting is of course an important component of public safety, but best practices from the International Dark-Sky Association and other cities show that shielded fixtures, warmer color temperatures, and adaptive dimming can reduce glare and skyglow while maintaining safety and efficiency. Incorporating these measures would strengthen the plan’s commitment to both sustainability and community wellbeing.

As a resident with photophobia, developing vitreomacular traction, and a retinal macroaneurysm, I urge Irvine to recognize the environmental harms of unshielded and harsh outdoor lighting. While the CAAP emphasizes protecting people and ecosystems and building an efficient, healthy environment, current lighting practices undermine these goals.

Glare from streetlights, parking lots, and security fixtures have left me effectively housebound at night, but I am not alone in being discriminated against. Currently, over a hundred (and growing) neighbors have signed a petition against light pollution in Irvine. Several city officials have already begun to validate and take action to remove the discriminatory barriers posed by harsh lighting, by modifying over a hundred fixtures with glare shields and warmer hues in certain neighborhoods and assuring us of limiting temperature to 2700 K on all future installations. But their effort needs to be supported through public ordinance that addresses ALL outdoor lighting in Irvine. Not that wildlife is also at risk: artificial light disrupts circadian rhythms, feeding, and migration; and these creatures don't have window blinds to escape the horror that is replacing night as they have known it.

Irvine must adopt earth-centric design standards:
a) Fully shielded fixtures to eliminate glare.
b) 2700K or lower color temperature on all fixtures including parking lot lights, security bulbs outside homes, ebike lights, and so on.
c) Exploration of induction lighting or other alternatives to harsh LEDs.

Cities like Phoenix, Davis, Chesterfield, and many others have already acted. As a city noted for its commitment to the environment and public safety, Irvine has the scope to join these growing efforts by integrating lighting standards that protect health, biodiversity, and climate goals together.

LED lighting has been marketed as a step towards sustainability on account of the reduction in the use of electricity. However, the sustainability should not be solely based on energy efficiency alone. The light pollution from high-power LED luminaires has reached a precarious level, undermining the health of residents, disrupting the ecology, and lowering the quality of the night sky.

Light pollution creates ecological and public health problems. Excessively intense, blue-rich light alters human circadian rhythms, reducing sleep quality and promoting long-term health issues. Ecosystems and wildlife are affected as well: migratory birds are disoriented by the skyglow, pollinators have the nighttime feeding cycles removed from them, and nocturnal animals suffer from behavioral disruptions. These secondary effects demonstrate that the environmental cost of ineffectively installed lighting can be greater than the benefit of reduced electricity consumption.

Increasingly, residents of Irvine view this problem and call for reform. A petition has already accrued nearly 400 signatures, a clear sign of public support for policy that finds a balance between the health of the environment and efficiency.

There are solutions based on energy conservation and environmental health. Lower-luminosity bulbs, full shielding to cast light downward, and higher color temperatures all can significantly eliminate detrimental effects. Standard sodium-vapor bulbs, while ever so slightly less efficient, release a warmer, more concentrated spectrum of light that eliminates skyglow and minimizes ecological disturbance. Induction lighting is something to be considered when dealing with this monumental issue. Adaptive devices such as dimming controls, motion sensors, and limited night-time operation can also significantly eliminate excess light without compromising security.

The purpose of sustainable development has to be better than cost savings and kilowatt hours. Light that degrades human health, harms wildlife, and ruins the night sky cannot be environmentally friendly. In addressing light pollution through good design and technological choices, Irvine can lead—demonstrating that sustainability hinges on a comprehensive view of energy use as well as on environmental impact.

With this type of resident support already being brought to light by the petition, it's obvious that this isn't some vague or esoteric issue, but a question of urgent community health. To continue with smart lighting policies will ensure Irvine remains the progressive city that it's known to be, and that values people and the planet.

I want Irvine's CAAP to CEQA-qualified. This is critical if we are to meet the climate crisis head on.

Beyond that, I'm glad Irvine is continuing to stay in the OCPA and that we have community choice energy. We should also have a building standard to electrify new and existing buildings. And we really new a proper public transit system.

Thank you!
Kathy Orlinsky

I appreciate the city of Irvine for taking on yet another CAAP update. 1. The CAAP needs to be legally binding through CEQA-certification, otherwise we risk not implementing the plan once it is adopted. We also need to repeal the General Plan amendment that contradicts the CAAP by locking in emission increases.

2. Irvine needs to commit to 100% renewable energy through our participation in Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) - I recommend that the city opt up its municipal accounts to 100% renewable energy in order to do so.

3. Since the 9th Circuit Court ruling in 2023 struck down the city's previous Building Electrification ordinance, Irvine should pass a Building Performance Standard to recommit the city to building decarbonization that circumvents the ruling.

4. There is only one mention of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in the CAAP. A firm commitment to this model of development is necessary to reduce sprawl, increase access to public transit, and build more housing for our growing population.

Can we address light pollution in this quest for energy efficiency? It’s seems this has been missed in this initiative. We live in Northwood. The street lights are so unnecessarily bright that even the blackout curtains in any bedroom don’t prevent light from seeping in. It has seriously disturbed sleep and hence affected the overall health and wellbeing of every person in our household. We’re respectfully asking for, and hoping you seriously consider a reasonable solution to address this issue.

Just stop…We want lower utility costs. The City’s/ County ill conceived OCPA driving up electricity costs. And leave nat gas alone. It’s clean burning and hasn’t doubled in price like the other utilities. In summary, let the market drive the most efficient and cost effective solution.

Commitment to Community Choice Energy (CCE): As we have told the council for almost one year now, OCPA's renewable energy underpins most of the emissions reductions in the CAAP. We need to tell the city to remain in OCPA and opt municipal energy accounts up to Smart Choice or 100% Renewable Energy.

So happy to see a desire for Urban forests. It can be social justice through habitat restoration.
Let's talk about a few items here:
1) NATIVE: Can we add NATIVE Urban Forests? The native urban forests give people, birds and insects so much. I am so thrilled at the increase of monarchs, native Western blue birds and the precious Towhee on our street since we added native trees, shrubs, grasses. There is absolutely NO LOGIC to making an urban forest anything but California Native trees, plants, etc. Irvine is overrun with non-native species and the benefits of natives are many.

2)SIZE: Let's indicate that Native urban forests can be large and/or small. We can tuck them into so many places! Micro-forests is the term.
link can be adapted for Irvine.

3) MIYAWAKI method: I happen to be meeting today with Katherine Pakradouni who has planted a successful Miyawaki native urban forest in LA on West LA Campus. She is coming to advise us on adapting this method to OC specific native tree/plant density for our front and back yards. link

4) MAINTENANCE: Tree planting events can be successful, but let's remember maintenance is the key. One of the most successful plantings by Tree People was MLK Blvd - where FAMILIES living there each adopted a tree, named them and watered them and have cared for them for 20 years. Creating an adoption program is highly advised for resident and business buy-in and community cultivation.

5) NON-PROFIT ORGS: We love EarthRoots Field School. link They have been educating adults and children for years. We have even discussed approaching Irvine with the desire to brand small native urban forests for OC. Branding them with the native Ajachamen references and the cooperating non-profits can be inspiring and beneficial from a tax perspective.

We desperately need a community garden spaces in the city of Irvine. How will this plan fund community garden spaces and how will they be mantained?

How are we going to address the fact that many practices of gas-fired and wood-fired cooking are rooted in cultural and ingenious traditions? Many Chinese, Korean, Italian, Native, Mexican, and Latina cooking is based on using gas BBQs and wood fires. Many people prefer to cook on gas-based appliances because their cultural dishes need to be done that way.

How are you going to address and protect agricultural land in Irvine that is being bought up by building developers? How are we going to protect that land that is essential for carbon sequestration and native and natural species

This is an inspiring plan that will help protect Irvine from the worst disasters associated with climate change. I was honored to participate in community meetings during the development of this plan. However, we need to fund, implement and act as soon as feasible as climate changes are already well underway with the potential to impact the entire planet.

As a family physician and member of the City of Irvine Health and Wellness Committee, we have agreed to integrate climate change into all of our subgroups. Let us continue to make the strong case for the interaction of climate and health, and how investments are good for all of us and for future generations.

Let me know how I can help strengthen the connections between climate and health for Irvine.

With appreciation,
Cindy Haq, MD

Community food gardens are badly needed in Irvine, especially as economic challenges continue to squeeze residents. The city could develop plans so that each of our community parks has a possibility of collectively growing food - and replacing some large swaths of unused grassy areas in the process. Imagine the educational possibilities, perhaps a collaboration with UCI and the Great Park Farm and Food lab, and the true community-building that would naturally occur in such spaces, with outreach to and inclusion of local residents. Ideally, gardens might be placed in the large community parks near playgrounds, restrooms, and other amenities. The city might also work with local HOAs, and community members, to disperse grants for more villae specific garden projects.

Loving this CAAP except for this portion.
No way businesses will allow for fees for parking, which will drive down foot traffic. Thus, the fee will not be set at a level that disincentivizes parking, but instead at a fee that the market will bear.

This stinks of a revenue scheme buried in an otherwise stellar climate action plan. Query why paid parking is being proposed in a lot that already has valet parking, which according to this proposal exists to incentivize people to bike to spectrum instead of driving their ferraris.

I'm not sure how this suggestion relates to the measure. Is it an inaccurate copy/paste?

This is a great vision. Beyond reducing greenhouse gases, having schools and services close to housing would significantly improve quality of daily life.

Do these graphs and color coding indicate that under the medium emissions scenario that temperature, precipitation are actually worse than under the high emissions scenario? Or is the legend/color coding swapped?

Keep as many green belts, parks, trees, shrubs as possible. Allow the wildlife areas and corridors to stay natural. Allow incentives for solar. If housing development needs to be added, build it close to train stations.

This CAAP is outside of the original Irvine City charter and should not be supported by city funds. Residents and individuals can promote actions using their own resources (time and money).
The city's CAAP will have negligible impact on climate change; it is a global issue where Russia, China, India, Brazil and African nations far exceed in CO2 emissions (compared with USA, California, and Irvine link) as they promote their economies using coal, oil and natural gas energy.

Blue horizontal lines on page 32 hide content.

EV charging is often in pay to park parking lots and available for many office buildings for their employees. Where's the infrastructure for IUSD schools and staff?

Residents trust climate planning when CEQA is followed, because it guarantees real environmental review and public input. Every development project affects climate—through traffic, emissions, and habitat loss—which is exactly why CEQA exists. Omitting it from the Executive Summary and implementation framework, or burying it in footnotes, undermines confidence in the plan. A complete and credible climate plan must have CEQA woven directly into its goals and actions.

Every development project impacts climate — traffic, emissions, habitat loss. That’s why CEQA exists and is required by the State of CA. This plan cannot be complete without CEQA woven into its goals and actions. Hiding it in footnotes is not acceptable. I expect more from our City. Do the right thing and make CEQA requirements clear.

CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) is only mentioned briefly in the Draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan — once on page iii and again on pages 76–77. That is not enough. CEQA is the cornerstone of environmental protection in California, requiring that projects be fully studied for their impacts on air, water, habitat, traffic, and community health before they move forward.

By minimizing CEQA, this draft risks sending the message that compliance with state law is optional. Without CEQA fully integrated into the Executive Summary, the state legislation section, and the implementation framework, future projects may move ahead without the rigorous review our community deserves. If Irvine is serious about climate leadership, CEQA must be placed at the center of this plan — not buried in footnotes.