Energy and Environment Committee · Held

Los Angeles City Council Energy and Environment Committee meeting, October 9, 2026

October 9, 2026, 2 p.m. · Updated October 10, 2026

On the agenda: The Los Angeles City Council's Energy and Environment Committee met on Oct. 9, 2026, with eight items on its agenda, including a motion asking for a report on a trust fund, paid for by donations rather than ratepayers, to help DWP customers with utility bills after emergencies, Sanitation requests for $17 million more in County Measure W stormwater money for projects in Wilmington and Lincoln Park, a $1.5 million federal drought grant application for a $41.4 million stormwater project on Oro Vista Avenue, and DWP verbal reports on federal cuts to Colorado River imports and on Pure Water Los Angeles. The council files for the six items that have them, among them the trust fund motion and the Measure W requests, showed no committee action, and the Journal was not posted, as of Oct. 10, 2026.

Agenda only. As of October 10, 2026, minutes for the October 9, 2026 meeting of the Energy and Environment Committee of the Los Angeles City Council had not been posted. This summary is based on the agenda and does not report what was decided.

Items are numbered as on the agenda, posted Oct. 6, 2026, for 2 p.m. in the John Ferraro Council Chamber. Committee members since Aug. 31, 2026, per the Council President’s assignment letter: Adrin Nazarian (chair), Katy Yaroslavsky (vice chair) and Imelda Padilla. The agenda says the committee took public comment in person only. As of Oct. 10, 2026, the last entry on each of the six council files was the Oct. 6 scheduling of the item for this meeting, with no committee action recorded (CF 26-1350, CF 24-0916, CF 21-1208-S6, CF 18-0384-S21, CF 21-1015-S21, CF 21-1015-S20).

Routine items, from the agenda:

• 1: a verbal report from DWP on federal cuts to Colorado River imports, how they will affect water sales by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and changes to conservation efforts. It has no council file.
• 2: a verbal report from DWP and the Bureau of Sanitation on Pure Water Los Angeles, a joint effort to make drinking water by purifying recycled water. It has no council file.
• 5: the Harbor Department’s progress report for 2025 under the City’s zero waste ordinance for City facilities and events, No. 187718. The department reports that it diverted 79% of its waste from landfills in 2025, up from 69% in 2024, and 28% when construction and demolition waste is left out. Its Board of Harbor Commissioners adopted a Zero Waste Plan in November 2025 (CF 21-1208-S6).
• 7: authority for the Bureau of Sanitation to apply for a $500,000 Baldwin Hills and Urban Watersheds Conservancy grant from state Proposition 4 bond money, for pre-design of the Baldwin Vista Green Streets Project on Coliseum Street. The CAO puts the project’s total cost at $30,295,000. The 25% match, $125,000, would be Bureau of Engineering staff time. The application must include a Council resolution, certified by the City Clerk and submitted by Nov. 3, 2026 (CAO report). The item also goes to the Budget and Finance Committee (CF 21-1015-S21).

3. Donor-funded trust fund to help DWP customers after emergencies

• What it does: Asks the City Attorney, with DWP and the City Administrative Officer, to report on whether the City can create a trust fund to cover part of the City utility bills of customers hit by an emergency. Ratepayers would not pay into the fund. It would take private donations, money from philanthropic partners and other sources outside the rates (motion).
• Who brought it: Ysabel Jurado, seconded by Adrin Nazarian, on Sept. 22, 2026. The motion also goes to the Budget and Finance Committee (CF 26-1350).
• Who it affects: The motion cites the June 2026 fire at the Lineage Logistics cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights. It says Mayor Karen Bass’s emergency orders included help for residents paying DWP bills, and that the City’s current trust fund for DWP bill help is paid for by surcharges on other ratepayers (motion).
• Neighborhood council positions: None submitted (agenda).

4. Power outages and surges at the Port of Los Angeles in 2025

• What it does: The Harbor Department and DWP’s annual report, dated April 1, 2026, counts 18 power incidents at the Port from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025: six outages on the main DWP circuit serving the Port, 10 outages on other circuits that may have caused voltage problems for customer equipment, and two outages on customer equipment (joint report).
• Who brought it: The report answers a motion by Tim McOsker, seconded by Katy Yaroslavsky, asking for yearly reports (joint report, CF 24-0916). It was referred to this committee and the Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee on April 17, 2026 (CF 24-0916).
• Money: The departments list a $412 million Environmental Protection Agency Clean Ports Program grant tied to the Zero Emission Port Electrification and Operations project. That project would add 200 megawatts for terminal operators and the Port, and the DWP Board approved its mitigated negative declaration on March 24, 2026. Construction is expected to start in 2026 (joint report).
• Who it affects: Marine terminal operators at the Port, in Council District 15. The report lists short-term steps: immediate alerts to terminal operators about outages, a power quality workshop, semi-annual meetings, and circuits re-routed toward lines with fewer past interruptions. An Electric Power Research Institute study was set to finish by May 2026 (joint report).

6. $17 million more in Measure W funds for Wilmington and Lincoln Park green streets

• What it does: Would approve two Bureau of Sanitation requests to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District for more Safe, Clean Water Program regional money: up to $10 million for the Wilmington Neighborhood Greening Project and up to $7 million for the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Green Street Project. It would note and file three other requests that change schedules or yearly payments without changing award totals, for the Imperial Highway, Baldwin Vista and Lankershim Boulevard projects. It would also let Sanitation’s general manager accept future program funds and sign the related documents (Sanitation report).
• Who brought it: The Measure W Safe, Clean Water Program Administrative Oversight Committee approved Sanitation’s recommendations at a special meeting on Sept. 29, 2026 (transmittal, CF 18-0384-S21).
• Money: Wilmington’s regional funding would rise from $16,683,000 to $26,683,000, and Lincoln Park’s from $18,634,580 to $25,634,580. Sanitation says both projects face shortfalls for construction even after it added local funds. The CAO reports no General Fund impact (Sanitation report).
• Who it affects: Wilmington in Council District 15, and Lincoln Park in Council Districts 1 and 14. The report lists construction starts of July 2, 2027 for Wilmington and June 1, 2029 for Lincoln Park (Sanitation report).
• What’s next: The District must receive the requests by Oct. 31 for them to count in the Round 8 (fiscal year 2027-28) funding cycle. Large changes then go to the watershed area steering committee, the Regional Oversight Committee and the County Board of Supervisors (Sanitation report).

8. Federal WaterSMART drought grant for the Oro Vista Avenue stormwater project

• What it does: Would authorize the Bureau of Sanitation to apply for a $1.5 million U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Drought Response Program grant for the Oro Vista Avenue Local Area Urban Flow Management Project, and to report back if the City wins it. The project would capture and soak in about 22 acre-feet of stormwater a year. It includes 1,393 feet of new storm drain, 13 catch basins, 22 drywells, permeable sidewalk and 37 street trees. The item is subject to the Mayor’s approval (CAO report).
• Who brought it: The City Administrative Officer, in an Aug. 28, 2026 report. The item also goes to the Budget and Finance Committee (CF 21-1015-S20).
• Money: The project costs $41.4 million. It has $7.8 million in regional Safe, Clean Water Program funds and $3 million from the General Fund, and needs $29.1 million more, which the CAO expects from Safe, Clean Water funds. The grant requires a match of at least 50%. The program has $13.5 million for eight to 20 awards, expected around January 2027. Sanitation already submitted the application, which was due July 28, 2026 (CAO report).

Previous meeting: October 1, 2026 · All meetings