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TRANSLATE

Using Translation

The County of San Mateo has added a translation feature developed by Google Translate to assist web visitors in understanding information on this website in a variety of foreign languages. Please be aware that Google Translate, a free third party service which the County does not control, provides automated computer translations that may not give you an exact translation. The County cannot guarantee the accuracy of translations through Google Translate so translations should not be considered exact and only used as a rough guide. Anyone relying on information obtained from Google Translate does so at his or her own risk. The County disclaims and will not accept any liability for damages or losses of any kind caused by the use of the Google Translate feature.

members of the RICAPS Climate Collaborative group
SAN MATEO COUNTY RICAPS CLIMATE COLLABORATIVE
Protecting our resources for future generations.

San Mateo County RICAPS Climate Collaborative

The RICAPS program helps San Mateo County’s 21 local jurisdictions develop and implement climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet countywide reduction goals. It provides a collaborative space and a suite of planning tools for all 20 incorporated cities and the County to advance climate action efforts.

Program staff host monthly working group meetings for local government staff, fostering collaboration, idea sharing, and problem solving among participants. To join monthly meetings and receive announcements, please contact energy@smcgov.org.

Climate Action Resources

RICAPS offers comprehensive resources for cities to create or update their climate action plans, including a recently updated template for 2030 goals, a menu of measures, and a forecasting tool. Cities can also receive technical assistance from Rincon Consultants, Inc. to support the use of these tools.

These documents undergo frequent revision. Please email Hayley Martinez at hmartinez1@smcgov.org for the most recent version.

Climate Action Data

The RICAPS program provides community greenhouse gas emissions reports for each city in San Mateo County as well as the county’s unincorporated areas every two years. Below, please find a summary of each jurisdiction’s emissions inventory to learn about local efforts to reduce the effects of climate change.

Please contact us if you have questions about these summaries.

Climate Action Plan Template

The RICAPS program provides access to a climate action plan template document that jurisdictions can use to save staff time and resources. The template includes: guidance for collaborating with community groups when developing and implementing the climate action plan, identification of emissions from consumption activities (such as air travel, food, and purchases), and information about carbon sequestration and workforce development. With colorful photos, icons, and informative call-out boxes, the document is designed to be accessible to the public. Since it is formatted in Microsoft Word, jurisdiction staff can edit it to include their own goals and strategies. The document was prepared in collaboration with an ad hoc advisory group of sustainability coordinators from seven San Mateo County cities, with technical support from Rincon Consultants, Inc. It was developed for San Mateo County jurisdictions but any jurisdiction is welcome to use it.

Menu of Climate Action Measures

This Excel-based tool documents the calculations associated with the menu of climate action measures for RICAPS. This Menu of Measures provides a pre-set list of greenhouse gas reduction measures most applicable to the San Mateo County region and a recommended approach to estimating potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided from each measure. It was originally prepared by Rincon Consultants, Inc. This document undergoes frequent revision. 

Forecasting Tool

This Excel workbook provides assistance to estimate the business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions through 2020, 2030, 2040, 2045, and 2050. It assists jurisdictions in calculating the metric tons of greenhouse gasses reduced by California statewide measures and the city-specific measures selected in the RICAPS Menu of Measures Tool, and analyzes whether the reduction targets will be met by the climate action plan. This document undergoes frequent revision. 

Library of Case Studies and Communications Materials

Past Working Group Meetings

RICAPS hosts monthly working group meetings to support city sustainability coordinators in developing and implementing climate action plans.

2026 RICAPS Multi-City Working Group Meetings
DateTopics

January 26 Virtual Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Countywide Transportation Plan; Implementation Group Update

February 24 Virtual Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Heat Pump Water Heater Permit Simplification Pilot; Climate Action and Adaptation Planning with Replica
2025 RICAPS Multi-City Working Group Meetings
DateTopics

January 28 Virtual Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Implementation Group Kickoff, Updates from PCE, Review of RICAPS Tools & Resources

February 25 Virtual Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Charting the Course for 2025 Reach Codes with TRC + Overview of Review of RICAPS’ Goody Bag of Tools and Resources

March 4 In Person Convening

Presentation (PDF)

Power of Local Collaboration on Climate Action + Implementation Group Updates

May 27 Virtual Meeting

Presentation

Announcements + Jurisdiction Round Robin + Reaching Climate Targets with Reach Codes

June In-Person Convening

Presentation

Collective Action: Are We Moving at the Pace & Scale Needed? + Implementation Group Report Outs

July Virtual Meeting

Presentation

Powering Ahead: Community Housekeeping, Dealing with Challenging Policy Shifts & Fall Campaign Launch

August Virtual Meeting

Presentation

From Climate Planning to Implementation: Strategies, Tactics, & Shared Solutions

September In-Person Convening

Presentation

Making Gains in Mode Shift: A Problem Orientation Workshop 

October 28 Virtual Meeting

Presentation

From Planning to Implementation: Supporting Local Climate Leadership 

November 18 Virtual Meeting

Presentation

Local Power, Shared Purpose

December 9 In-Person Convening

Presentation

Local Power: Shared Purpose
2024 RICAPS Multi-City Working Group Meetings
DateTopics

January 23 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Advanced Clean Fleet Regulation Compliance – Municipal Fleet Electrification

February 27 Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Moving Forward from Berkeley – Local Building Electrification Code 2.0

March 26 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Local Building Electrification Codes 2.0 – Local Approach Showcase

April 23 Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Kickstart Projects: Permit Simplification, Collaborative Grant Funding, Countywide Electrification Communication Campaign

May 28 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Creating Countywide Collaboration on Grant Applications

June 27 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Collaborating on Countywide Funding

July Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Collaborating on Countywide Grant Funding Application & Launch of Countywide Electrification Communications Campaign

August Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Green Business Program Update + Discussing Successful Models in Regional Collaboration

September Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

EV Charging Infrastructure: Exploring Possible Municipal Intervention

October 22 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Regional Planning Efforts: Air Quality Management District & Peninsula Clean Energy

November 19 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Creative Approaches to Building EV Infrastructure in Your City + Partner Updates from PCE & C/CAG

December 3 Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Year-In-Review & Visioning 2025: Celebrating our Success and Looking Ahead
2023 RICAPS Multi-City Working Group Meetings
DateTopics

January 23 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Existing Building Electrification

February 28 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Existing Building Electrification

March 28 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Existing Building Electrification, BAAQMD Ruling on Gas-Powered Furnaces and Water Heaters

April 25 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Electrification & Grid Reliability (Grid Basics), Berkeley New Building Electrification Federal Appeals Court Ruling

May 23 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Electrification & Grid Reliability Planning (CPUC, PG&E, PCE Planning and Forecasting Processes), Berkeley New Building Electrification Federal Appeals Court Ruling

June 27 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Municipal Facilities Electrification: Leading Electrification By Example – Local Examples Highlight Successes & Challenges

July 25 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Using the Capital Improvement Plan to Support Municipal Facilities Electrification

August 22 Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

Leading by Example: Municipal Electrification (RICAPS & Facilities Working Group)

September 26 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Municipal Opportunities to Electrify: Implementation Focus

October 24 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

Wrapping up Focus on Capital Improvement Planning for Municipal Facility Electrification & Kicking off Electric Vehicle Theme

November 14 Webinar

Presentation (PDF)

RICAPS & Facilities Working Group: Fleet Electrification – Vehicle Procurement and Charger Installation and Maintenance

December 12 Meeting

Presentation (PDF)

2023 RICAPS Highlights & 2024 Visioning

The Latest News & Events

Fixit Clinic @ Half Moon Bay Library
Mar
22
Fixit Clinic @ Half Moon Bay Library

Fixit Clinics are fun community-based workshops where neighbors, friends, and families work collectively to learn how to repair broken items. We’ll provide a workspace, specialty tools, and volunteer Fixit Coaches to help you troubleshoot and provide routine maintenance to your household items and appliances! Register at https://bit.ly/itemcheckin. 

Interested in being a Fixit Coach?
It’s easy! Provide participants with 1) guidance on tools and 2) encouragement to investigate their broken item. Let them talk about how they used it and how it broke. That often provides valuable hints as to what’s wrong. See how much you can do without actually handling the item. Empower the item’s owner to do the troubleshooting and disassembly. Register to be a Fixit Coach here.

This event is hosted in partnership with the San Mateo County Libraries.

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