Mayor Eric Garcetti outlines plan to make Los Angeles more sustainable

Thursday, April 9, 2015
Los Angeles mayor outlines plan to make city more sustainable
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday an ambitious plan to make Los Angeles the most sustainable city in the country.

ECHO PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday an ambitious plan to make Los Angeles the most sustainable city in the country.

It's a vision for the future of Los Angeles that includes less traffic, affordable housing and solar power.

Garcetti unveiled the city's first sustainability plan at a news conference in Echo Park. The 108-page book lists a set of goals, which include a reduction in air pollution and an investment in parks and opens spaces.

The plan also calls for a 20 percent reduction in household water use by 2017, and a 50 percent reduction in imported water by 2025.

"The people of L.A. have stepped up and we are down by 8 percent already of that 20 percent goal that we need to accomplish by 2017," Garcetti said.

Garcetti signed an executive directive calling for the plan to be implemented across every city department. Some of the proposals call for lifestyle changes, specifically residents love affairs with cars.

By 2035, the plan calls for half of residents trips in Los Angeles to be done on foot, bike or mass transit.

Some Angelenos were skeptical about the plan, while others felt like the proposals were long overdue.

The plan does not specify how the city will pay for some of the proposals, including the construction of more affordable housing, but the city's chief sustainability officer said setting goals is an important first step.