Per California’s 2006 Assembly Bill 32 (AB32), every county in the state is required to develop and implement a climate change plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Sacramento County has shown leadership by conducting a greenhouse gas inventory in 2005, and has begun developing a climate change action plan.

Sacramento County completed Phase 1 of the county’s Climate Action Plan in May 2009. The Phase 1 plan includes a greenhouse gas inventory and targets for emissions reductions, and summarizes existing and potential actions in all sectors, including the county’s human, natural, and built systems, transportation, land use, energy, water, waste, agriculture, and open space. The Phase 2 plan will be a guidance document on implementation of strategies with two components: (1) Phase 2A actions that address the county’s operations (Government Operations), and (2) Phase 2B actions that address the unincorporated community (Community Actions). Phase 2A planning began in August 2010 and a draft plan is expected to be presented to the county's Board of Supervisors in early 2012. Phase 2B, the Community Actions plan, will not be initiated until the completion of the Government Operations plan.