LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the city has been awarded $23 million in state cap-and-trade funding for environmental projects, zero-emission transportation, and workforce development programs in Pacoima and Sun Valley.
“The people of Pacoima-Sun Valley have been tireless in their pursuit of a healthier, more prosperous future for their children and grandchildren — and today that hard work is paying off,” Garcetti said.
“These funds will help to improve public health, create good-paying jobs, and enhance the quality of life for Angelenos in an extraordinary community.”
The Department of City Planning and several community organizations were also awarded a $200,000 planning grant to position South L.A. for more significant state cap-and-trade funding in the future, Garcetti’s office said.
Both grants are administered by the state’s Transformative Climate Communities program, which is overseen by the California Strategic Growth Council, a committee formed by the state Legislature to advance local community revitalization efforts.
The Pacoima-Sun Valley TCC implementation grant will fund 14 new battery-electric DASH buses to service the area, the installation of solar panels on 175 single-family homes and the planting of 2,000 street trees, Garcetti’s office said.
The funding also will finance safety improvements along 2.4 miles of streets and more than 900 feet of new sidewalks, and renovations at David M. Gonzalez Park, while also creating jobs that residents can access through workforce development programs, Garcetti’s office said.
“This is a tremendous win for the Northeast San Fernando Valley,” Councilmember Monica Rodriguez said. “I look forward to working with our partners to reverse decades of injustice and accelerate greener, healthier neighborhoods for our kids and future generations.”
The programs are linked with an anti-displacement plan for businesses and residents, including efforts to bring existing accessory dwelling units up to code, which will enable homeowners to legally rent the units.
“Fed up with decades of incompatible land uses and the burden of negative health impacts, the residents of the Northeast San Fernando Valley came together and crafted a real plan with real deliverables,” Councilmember Nury Martinez said. “Through the Strategic Growth Council’s proposed award of $23 million, it is clear that environmental justice neighborhoods not only have a voice, but they are the front line in the fight against climate change.”