Los Angeles County is moving forward with an aggressive sustainability plan that includes ambitious goals for addressing climate change and providing affordable housing.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously adopted the “OurCounty” Sustainability Plan.
“The ‘OurCounty’ Sustainability plan charts a path forward to not only confront climate change and pollution, but do so in ways that also address other challenges, like traffic, the housing affordability crisis, and longstanding inequality,” Janice Hahn, 4th district county supervisor and chair, said in a statement. “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.”
County officials say the plan is aimed at making the county a healthier and more livable community.
The plan includes targets such as becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 and diverting more than 95% of waste from landfills.
It includes nearly 160 health-focused strategies centering on communities that have been disproportionately affected by environmental pollution for decades.
According to a county press release, here are some key highlights from the plan:
• 65% of new housing is built within half a mile of high frequency transit by 2035
• Ensuring that all residents have clean drinking water, and that rivers, lakes and the ocean meet federal water quality standards
• Supporting construction of more than half a million affordable housing units by 2045
The plan encompasses all of LA County and will address air quality, traffic reduction and access to charging stations in Long Beach, according to Hahn’s office.
