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January 21
1914 - Signal newspaper owner-editor Scott Newhall born in San Francisco [story]
Scott Newhall


The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the OurCounty Sustainability Plan on Tuesday, the boldest, most comprehensive regional approach to sustainability ever issued by a county in the United States.

The plan, drafted over the course of two years with the help of nearly 1,000 community and expert stakeholders from every part of the County, sets forth an ambitious agenda that promises to transform the region in the years and decades ahead.

Recognizing the urgency of existing regional challenges and the climate crisis, the plan aims to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement by creating a fossil-fuel free Los Angeles County within the next three decades. It includes nearly 160 health-focused strategies centering on communities that have been disproportionately affected by environmental pollution for decades.

“At its heart, this plan is both a call to action and a commitment to future generations,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who, with Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, sponsored the motion to create the County’s Chief Sustainability Office, which led to development of the plan.

“This is our unequivocal statement that climate change is real, and that our County will not stand around waiting for the federal government to wake up and create the policies and programs needed to address it. By taking this leadership role, we are positioning the County to move our region into a greener future and advance the effort to reverse global warming,” Kuehl said.

“Our most marginalized communities have suffered the brunt of impacts from pollution and greenhouse gas emissions for far too long. Today is a new beginning for a sustainable L.A. County,” Solis said. “This plan takes a bold and broad approach to making the County not only more sustainable, but it will also expand economic mobility and improve health outcomes for workers, families and all County residents. We will work with our cities and other partners to implement these goals so that we may realize a more equitable L.A. County for current and future generations.”

“The OurCounty Sustainability Plan charts a path forward to not only confront climate change and pollution, but to do so in ways that also address other challenges, like traffic, the housing affordability crisis, and longstanding inequality,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn. “We don’t have to choose between clean air and good jobs, or between investing in a greener economy and an economy that works for everyone, or even between preserving local ecosystems and building abundant housing that our residents can afford. These false choices force us to think small when the real solutions are so much bigger.”

“This Sustainability Plan takes a strategic approach to improving the health and quality of life in communities across Los Angeles County,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. “The demand for more affordable housing, well-paying jobs, healthier living, and clean and green transportation are all intertwined. Collectively, we must pursue bold and holistic strategies if we are serious about prioritizing the sustainability of our region.”

Unlike other sustainability plans, the OurCounty plan is unique in its regional focus as it moves to confront a wide range of environmental, social and economic challenges.

Overall, OurCounty proposes to make Los Angeles County a more equitable, prosperous and resilient region in the years ahead. The plan’s goals and milestones include:
– Powering unincorporated areas and County facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2025
– Increasing urban tree canopy coverage by 15% by 2035
– Diverting more than 95% of waste from landfills
– Developing land-use tools to limit new development in high climate-hazard areas
– Phasing out single-use plastic by 2025 to ensure a cleaner ocean and less landfill waste
– Cutting back on imported water by sourcing 80 percent of water locally by 2045
– Ensuring that all residents have safe and clean drinking water, and that rivers, lakes and the ocean meet federal water quality standards
– Leading efforts to make sure that at least 65% of new housing is built within 1/2 mile of high frequency transit by 2035
– Supporting construction of more than half a million affordable housing units by 2045 to improve public health and community sustainability
– The County will not be making these changes alone, but in concert with the region’s cities and residents.

“Our future depends not just on the County’s actions, but also on the 88 cities of Los Angeles County stepping up to the plate to collectively help achieve the strategic plan’s vision for sustainability,” said Chief Executive Officer Sachi A. Hamai. “We look forward to building and growing these partnerships as we work toward common goals on behalf of all the communities we serve.”

Gary Gero, the County’s Chief Sustainability Officer, credited the many groups and individuals who brought unique perspectives to the plan.

“Before a word of the plan was written, we undertook an in-depth public engagement process that recruited groups who do not typically focus on environmental issues to fully participate as architects of the plan,” Gero said. “The results were remarkable, and we are so grateful to all who participated. As a result of their efforts, Los Angeles County will be guided by an equity-centered document with nearly all the content born out of community ideas about what a sustainable region should be.”

The County’s Chief Sustainability Office is charged with overseeing implementation of the plan and will report annually on progress. Keep up with the progress or download a copy of the plan here.

For more information, or to request a media interview, please contact Gary Gero, Chief Sustainability Officer (213) 974-1160, GGero@ceo.lacounty.gov.

Watch a short video about how the plan was created: vimeo.com/349545144

Take a 90-second animated tour of the plan’s highlights:

English or Spanish

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1 Comment

  1. John Bunce says:

    The only thing sustainable about this plan it that is will sustainably suck money from taxpayers and most of it will not be attainable. I really love the “..sourcing 80 percent of water locally by 2045.” LA Co is a desert…where ya gonna get the water? Sucking it out of already depleted ground water basins is not an option. And the #2 joke of this list is “Leading efforts to make sure that at least 65% of new housing is built within 1/2 mile of high frequency transit…”, people don’t want to ride this ‘high frequency transit’; but OH wait!, did y’all forget to make sure your transit hooks up to CA’s 10+ Billion $$ high speed rail on it’s way to nowhere? All these plans will do is drive taxpayers and businesses out of LA CO/CA. But I bet Supervisors FEEL good making this plan to save us all from the doom of plastic trash and weather boogeymen. BTW, I agree that climate change is ‘real’, and the good Lord makes it hot and cold and wet and dry at His whim, and there is nothing politicians can do to “fix” this natural occurring change. All they really want to do is suck money/resources from the people so as to have more control.

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY HEADLINES
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025
The Los Angeles County Joint Coordination Information Center has released the following information as of 11 a.m. on the Palisades and Eaton Fires. A total of 37,734 acres has been consumed in the two fires. More than 17,000 structures have been confirmed as destroyed or damaged.
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District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has announced the appointment of Michael Gennaco as Special Prosecutor who is among the nation’s foremost experts in civil rights and police misconduct cases.
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The Los Angeles County Department of Military & Veterans Affairs will resume normal operations at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall (1816 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, California, 90015) on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is issuing a windblown dust and ash advisory following strong Santa Ana winds expected to affect the region through Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 10 p.m.

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Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The Los Angeles County Joint Coordination Information Center has released the following information as of 11 a.m. on the Palisades and Eaton Fires. A total of 37,734 acres has been consumed in the two fires. More than 17,000 structures have been confirmed as destroyed or damaged.
Palisades, Eaton Fire Updates, 27 Dead, 15,798 Buildings Destroyed
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of four productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Jan. 20 to Sunday, Jan. 26.
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The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley is collecting gift cards to assist club families impacted by the recent Los Angeles area fires.
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Too many turnovers turned costly for The Master's University women's basketball team in an 85-79 loss to the Park-Gilbert Buccaneers Saturday, Jan. 18 in Chandler, Ariz.
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The Los Angeles County Department of Military & Veterans Affairs will resume normal operations at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall (1816 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, California, 90015) on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
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