Climate Change
Project established to address climate change in California by engaging in policy and environmental changes.
California Climate Policy Dashboard
The Berkeley Law Climate Change Dashboard provides an accessible overview of California’s climate laws, programs, and key regulators, offering detailed resources for readers and researchers.
Berkeley Law – Insuring Extreme Heat Risks Policy Report
The policy report provides policy solutions to environmental and energy challenges from cities across the United States.
Extreme Heat: The Economic and Social Consequences for the United States
This ordinance reports socioeconomic impacts of heat in the United States under current and possible future conditions.
Heat Action Platform – Policy Tool
The Heat Action Platform Policy Tool provides solutions for communities based on needs.
SB-852 Climate Resilience Districts: Formation: Funding Mechanisms
Authorizes a city, county, special district, or combination of these entities to form a climate resilience district for the purpose of raising and allocating funding for eligible projects designed to address climate change mitigation, adaptation or resilience. Defines eligible projects as projects, including capital projects, that address sea level rise, extreme heat, extreme cold, drought, and the risk of wildfire and flooding.
AB-2238 Extreme heat: Statewide Extreme Heat Ranking System
This bill helps communities plan public health initiatives related to combating the effects of extreme heat, insurance options that will support specified adaptation, preparedness, and resilience measures, and recommendations for overcoming barriers encountered by local governments that are trying to use insurance or other financing tools to fund or support heat risk mitigation or adaptation strategies.
Environmental Conditions
California Assembly Bill 98 (AB 98):
This bill establishes new requirements for warehouses of 250,000 square feet or more. Beginning in 2026, these facilities must include electric vehicle charging infrastructure, use zero-emission forklifts by 2030, and adopt truck routing plans that avoid schools and other sensitive receptors.
Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Clean Truck Program:
This program exempts zero-emission trucks from fees and phases in requirements that all drayage trucks serving the ports must eventually be zero-emission. This program directly reduces emissions from trucks that also serve nearby warehouses and logistics hubs.
This policy requires suppliers of vehicle fuels to reduce the lifecycle carbon intensity of their products.
Ventura County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Strategy
Ventura County’s General Plan includes policy COS-10.4 which commits the county to specific emissions reduction goals and performance standards for land uses and development, aligned with state and regional GHG targets.
SB21-260 Bill Sustainability of the Transportation System
Senate Bill 21-260 addresses the sustainability of the transportation system in Colorado and provides sources of funding to preserve, improve, and expand existing infrastructure to support the widespread adoption of electric motor vehicles and mitigate environmental and health impacts of transportation system use.
Built Environment and Infrastructure
This tracker provides model ordinance language, regulatory comparisons, and examples from U.S. cities to help communities explore and adopt policies such as building code amendments, zoning ordinances, and regional commitments that accelerate Smart Surfaces implementation and reduce costs.
SB 48 (Becker) Building Energy Savings Act
The Energy Commission, in consultation with relevant state agencies, would develop a strategy to track and manage energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings over 50,000 square feet to meet state energy and emission goals.
2022 Five-Year Infrastructure Plan
The Governor’s Budget allocates an additional $20 billion to accelerate California’s transition to zero-emission vehicles, modernize transportation, advance clean energy, improve housing, reduce wildfire risk, and enhance drought resilience. Additionally, California is set to receive an estimated $14 billion over five-years from the federal infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with more funding opportunities yet to be determined.
Revised Ordinance – Cooling August 2025
This ordinance amends Chapter 11.20 of Title 11 – Health and Safety of the Los Angeles County Code to establish a maximum indoor temperature threshold for rental housing units. It provides policies for portable cooling devices and cooling requirements for rental housing units.
Requires emergency plans to include the identification of ADA-compliant transportation resources for individuals who are dependent on public transportation; integrate evacuation and transportation plans to account for local community resilience centers; ensure that local community resilience centers are prepared to serve as communitywide assets during extreme heat events and other disasters; and designate available locations that may be necessary to provide respite to individuals during emergencies, including, but not limited to, extreme heat, cold, or unhealthy air incidents.
Atlanta Roofing Reflectance Standards Ordinance (25-O-1310)
This ordinance amends the Atlanta Building Code to require higher solar reflectance standards for roofing materials in new construction and roof replacements, aiming to reduce the urban heat island effect, lower energy costs, and protect public health from extreme heat.
Chronic Disease
Healthy Places Index – Public Transit Access
This California policy guide shows metrics and recommendations for how transit access (within a half-mile / 10-minute walk) improves access to healthcare, supports physical activity, and reduces chronic disease, especially for people without cars.
Healthy Neighborhood Investments: A Policy Scan & Strategy Map
Outlines policy strategies for health and racial equity through community-led investments and neighborhood revitalization in California.
Heat-Related Illness and First Aid – OSHA
This ordinance ensures the planning and oversight necessary to protect outdoor workers from extreme heat, with a particular focus on individuals with chronic health conditions. It also outlines preventive measures and strategies to reduce heat-related risks.
This fact sheet summarizes and compares local ordinances that require cooling systems or temperature limits in residential units to protect health during extreme heat.
SB-568 Deductibles: Chronic Disease Management
This bill ensures that health care plans do not require deductibles for prescription drugs and equipment for chronic diseases and limits out-of-pocket costs, while also protecting preventive care for high deductibles
Safe Routes to Healthy Food: Strategies for Local Governments:
This guide provides examples of local policies (zoning, transit-oriented development, healthy food retail location, pedestrian/bike infrastructure) that improve food access and connect healthy food-grocery stores with community mobility for chronic disease prevention.
Phoenix Cooling Ordinance (Chapter 39-5)
Phoenix’s ordinance requiring landlords to maintain cooling systems in rental housing units such that habitable rooms do not exceed 86 °F (evaporative cooling) or 82 °F (air conditioning), and mandates that systems remain in safe, operable condition.
AB-2420 Perinatal and Infant Children Health: Extreme Heat
This bill requires departments to review available literature on adverse effects of extreme heat on perinatal health, develop guidance for safe conditions and health considerations for pregnant individuals and infant children, and provide guidance to the Legislature by submitting a report that includes legislative or policy recommendations on best practices for connecting perinatal patients with the appropriate health and well-being information relating to extreme heat.
Active Transportation
Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)
The California SHSP is a data-driven, statewide initiative aimed at reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries across all public roads. It brings together federal, state, local, and private sector safety partners to coordinate efforts and resources.
Active Transportation Resource Center – Policy and Planning Guide
This page provides toolkits and local examples to help communities develop policies that make walking and biking safer, more equitable, and better integrated into transportation planning.
Complete Streets Policy Action Guide
This Action Guide is a tool for elected leaders, policymakers, and advocates working to create or improve Complete Streets policies. Whether you’re drafting policy or advocating for change, this guide helps develop a strong policy that benefits its users.
Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan (SMTP)
Minnesota’s statewide transportation policy plan provides objectives, performance measures, strategies and actions to improve and create an equitable transportation system that maximizes the health of all people.
Rancho Cucamonga Bicycle and E-Conveyance Ordinance 1039
This ordinance establishes rules for the safe use of bicycles and e-conveyances (e.g. e-bikes, scooters) in public spaces within Rancho Cucamonga, including definitions, permissible behavior, and enforcement provisions.
Community Engagement
Executive Order 2005-056 (New Mexico): State Executive Order
Requires state agencies to ensure fair treatment and meaningful involvement of environmental justice communities. Provides a model for strengthening outreach, notice, and participation in decision-making.
RCW 70A.02.110 (Washington): State Statute
Creates the Environmental Justice Council to advise agencies on integrating equity into policies and programs. Demonstrates how government can formalize community representation in decision-making.
RCW 43.06D.040 (Washington): State Statute
Defines the responsibilities of the Office of Equity, including staffing a community advisory board and improving access to engagement. Offers a structure for building equity accountability into government systems.