L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has released a new plan setting goals for the city to combat climate change and adapt to a warmer future.
Bass’ Climate Action Plan calls for doubling local solar power in Los Angeles by 2030 and reducing the use of fossil fuels in buildings and city buses.
It outlines how the city intends to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases at the Port of Los Angeles and L.A. International Airport. And it sets targets for reducing water use, addressing risks from extreme heat, and expanding parks and green spaces to cool neighborhoods and restore natural habitat.
“It’s about meeting the moment to protect our city, our people and of course, our planet, our contribution,” Bass said. “The decisions that we make today will shape this city for generations to come.”
Mayor Karen Bass greets workers at the Los Angeles Groundwater Replenishment Project before before talking about her Climate Action Plan.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The mayor spoke about the plan on Thursday at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, where construction is underway on a new water recycling project. Under Bass, city officials decided to double the capacity of the project, which will transform wastewater into 45 million gallons of pure drinking water a day, enough for 500,000 people.
Bass’ strategy expands on a previous plan called the “Green New Deal” that then-Mayor Eric Garcetti adopted in 2019.
City Controller Kenneth Mejia in 2023 called for a reboot of that earlier plan, saying it lacked clear metrics for tracking progress toward goals.
Bass’ plan includes 14 objectives and more than 50 targets and actions, which it says are “designed to deliver concrete, measurable climate outcomes.” The goals include:
- Increasing renewable energy to 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
- Converting all of the L.A. Department of Transportation buses to electric by 2028.
- Working with airlines and fuel suppliers at LAX and Van Nuys Airport to increase the use of sustainable fuel by 28% by 2030.
- Passing an ordinance this year to prohibit new oil and gas drilling, and creating a process to end current oil and gas extraction in the city.
- Installing 120,000 new electric vehicle chargers by 2030.
- Increasing L.A.’s use of local water so the city is 70% locally reliant by 2035, and reducing average per-person water use 25% by 2035.
- Establishing five new parks by 2030 and 10 by 2035, and substantially increasing the city’s tree canopy by 2035.
The plan recognizes a need for urgent, nature-based solutions to address climate change, Cassie Rauser, chief executive of the nonprofit group TreePeople. “We believe the future of Los Angeles depends on designing our neighborhood with the principle of right tree, right place, thoughtfully integrating the green infrastructure where it can deliver the greatest benefit to people and planet alike,” she said.
The city is also working toward a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2045.
One of the most important parts of the effort is moving toward 100% carbon-free energy at the L.A. Department of Water and Power, said Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley, who oversees energy and sustainability.
“If you drive an electric vehicle, you want the electricity that powers the car to be clean,” Sutley said. “And then our buildings are big users of energy. … So as we both electrify buildings and improve the efficiency of buildings, we’ll be able to meet those targets.”
Bass, a Democrat, is running for reelection this year. Some of her spending plans over the last year have been limited by a budget shortfall, which led to cuts at the bureaus of engineering, transportation, street lighting and street services, among others.
The mayor’s budget proposal this year will include $841 million in climate-related spending that will support the efforts, Sutley said.
Other goals in the plan call for reducing trash, phasing out single-use plastic by 2032 and increasing composing of organic waste.
The plan says the city will work to make the 2028 Olympics and other major upcoming public events “models of sustainability.” That includes working with Olympic organizers to ensure all concession containers are reusable, recyclable or compostable, and taking steps such as planting more trees and installing shade structures to help cool areas around venues.
Bass wrote in a letter announcing the plan that Angelenos are already experiencing global warming in the form of more intense wildfires and heat waves.
“Cities are on the front line of the climate crisis,” Bass said during her visit to the wastewater treatment plant. “The impacts of climate change are felt right here in our neighborhoods, and we know that the most vulnerable residents, low-income families, communities of color, our unhoused neighbors, are often hit the hardest. The impact of this crisis is local, but thankfully, so too are the solutions.”
The mayor toured the construction site of the water recycling project, called the L.A. Groundwater Replenishment Project, which she called “a huge win for sustainability.”
Orange County has been treating and purifying sewage into clean drinking water for years. L.A. has also recycled wastewater for decades but has previously used it outdoors on golf courses and parks. With this $1-billion project — financed with help from state and federal loans and grants, and with funds from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — Los Angeles will for the first time transform wastewater into purified drinking water.
The facility is scheduled to be operating before the 2028 Olympics.
Bass’ climate strategy provides the city direction in addressing climate change. But like its predecessor, the Green New Deal, the plan won’t be legally binding.
City departments will be tasked with meeting many of the goals, and the City Council could adopt some of them as binding policy, Sutley said.
City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo is also working on a separate Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, as the City Council directed following a motion by City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky in 2023. This plan is meant to align with a state requirement that local governments maintain climate adaptation and resiliency strategies in their general plans.
Councilmember Adrin Nazarian said he supports the mayor’s effort to prioritize climate investments that can serve as a leading example for the country.
“If we continue on this track, we can hit our goals,” he said. “It’s continuing to put us at the forefront of not just innovation and progress, but also on being able to monetize and benefit from that as well.”
Time staff writer Blanca Begert contributed to this report.
