Alex Padilla for California State Senate

HIGHLIGHTS OF ALEX PADILLA'S RECORD
ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Alex Padilla’s commitment to a clean and healthy environment began when he stood with neighbors in front of the Lopez Canyon Landfill and was an early part of the fight to shut it down. At the time, he was just 15 years old.

As a Los Angeles City Councilmember, Alex has continued to be a champion for our environment – from working to bring more parks and open space to the Valley to creating an environmental justice zone to fighting with residents to close local landfills.

Examples of his efforts include:

Cleaning Up the City’s Department of Water and Power
Councilmember Padilla introduced the Council Resolution that directed the Department of Water and Power to adopt a renewable portfolio standard. The resolution called for the LADWP to produce 20 percent of the city=s power supply from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, by the year 2017.

Bringing More Parks and Open Space to the Valley
To give families more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, Alex Padilla has worked to bring more parks and open space to the Valley, including new, smaller neighborhood parks, soccer fields, and a splash park where kids can cool off on a hot summer day. He worked with community leaders to have a crime-infested strip club shut down and the land converted into a public park.

Alex led the effort to transform Hansen Dam into an outdoor recreational center that families in the Northeast Valley are proud to call their own. Facilities that were completed, under construction, or being renovated include a boundless playground to serve disabled children, new athletic fields, horse trails, a bike trail, and new soccer fields.

Working to Close the City’s Landfills
Alex Padilla strongly opposed expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills. In February 2006, he was the only City Councilmember to vote against extending the city=s contract with the landfill’s operator for an additional five years. As President of the City Council, he created a committee to focus exclusively on identifying alternatives for disposing our trash.

Alex has also been an outspoken opponent of expanding Bradley Landfill and has voted against proposed expansion. When he was just 15 years old, Alex joined his neighbors in actively protesting for the closure of the Lopez Canyon Landfill.

Creating the Sun Valley Environmental Justice Zone
Alex Padilla authored the motion that created the first-ever Environmental Justice Zone in the City of Los Angeles, and provided funding for its implementation. The Zone is located in a 1,500 acre area in Sun Valley were there was an unusually high rate of cancer and asthma in the community. Designation as an Environmental Justice Zone alerts city officials and planners of the high concentration of existing industrial, solid waste, and recycling facilities so that they can give additional consideration to the impact new construction on the area as a whole.

Revitalizing the Los Angeles River
As President of the City Council, Alex Padilla created the first-ever Ad Hoc Committee on the Los Angeles River. The goal of the committee is to identify ways to restore, enhance, and create more green space around the Los Angeles River. The Committee is presently receiving input from city residents as it develops a master plan for the river.

Cleaning Up Our Rivers, Lakes, and Beaches
As President of the City Council, Alex helped pass Proposition O, the $500 million general bond measure to clean up the polluted storm water that flows to our rivers, lakes, and beaches.

Reclaiming Brownfields
Alex Padilla is leading the effort to convert the 25-acre former Price Pfister site in Pacoima into a new retail shopping center. The Price Pfister site is an example of a brownfield, urban properties previously used for manufacturing where toxins have complicated its reuse. Alex worked with Price Pfister, the community, the State Department of Toxic Substance Control, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, Air Quality Management District (AQMD), and the new owners to responsibly clean up the site to ensure that it protects neighborhood health and safety before any new development begins. Regular meetings with stakeholders are helping to ensure that the community is engaged every step of the way. The new development will transform a site that was a neighborhood blight into a neighborhood benefit, bringing new economic opportunities and jobs for local families.

Building in an Environmentally Sustainable Manner
When the brand new Lake View Terrace Library was being planned, Alex Padilla made it his goal to make it the most environmentally sustainable city building in Los Angeles. Alex helped identify funding for the planning and construction of the library, and insisted that the Lake View Terrace branch be built in an environmentally sustainable manner. As a result, the new library includes the use of recycled and non-toxic materials, extra-high efficiency energy systems, and anti-storm drain pollution devices. In 2006, the U.S. Green Building Council honored the library with the Platinum Level LEED Award. The library is the only library and one of only 17 buildings in the world to receive this award.

Alex worked with TreePeople to bring a storm water management system to Broadus Elementary School in Pacoima to help protect the school from flooding during major storms. The system also allows the school to retain storm water for landscaping use.

Educating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
Alex worked with civic leaders to organize support for building the new Children’s Museum of Los Angeles at Hansen Dam Recreation Center in the San Fernando Valley. When completed, the interactive exhibit space will focus on our relationship with our environment.

Sarah Graham was selected to design the building. Her extensive work in creating green buildings ensures that the 60,000 square-foot museum, will be a work of sustainable architecture and an exhibit in and of itself. The landscaping around the Museum will incorporate a “boundless playground” with access for children with disabilities and a garden-discovery space of flora and fauna native to the Valley.

To help raise environmental education at schools, Alex secured $240,000 from the Air Quality Management District to establish the Cool Schools program at five Sun Valley schools. The program provides shade trees and green space to schools to help provide shade, reduce the need for air conditioners as well as greening otherwise barren school grounds. Students and their families help plant the trees.

Protecting and Enhancing the Valley’s Equestrian Heritage
Alex Padilla sponsored a successful Council motion to provide funding for the Department of Recreation and Parks to study the Valley’s horse trails, and to create a master plan to protect and enhance them. This effort will provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to planning horse trails in the rim of the valley communities with a strong equestrian heritage.