Los Angeles mayor proposes suite of green initiatives

The mayor of Los Angeles released a sweeping set of sustainability initiatives Wednesday to summarize his environmental positions.

The plan from Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) includes many proposals the city has recently put forth and aims to incorporate sustainability across the city government, the Los Angeles Times reports.

{mosads}Some ideas for the nation’s second-largest city include increasing the use of electric cars, cleaning the area’s groundwater and more closely watching air quality in poor neighborhoods.

All city-owned cars would be electric by 2035 under the plan, and a quarter of the entire city’s cars would be as well, the Times said.

It includes a previous goal to shrink water use and reduce electricity from coal-fired power plants.

Matt Petersen, Los Angele’s chief sustainability officer, said the plan is the first crack at becoming a more sustainable city.

“If we don’t take the step to set targets, and measure progress to achieve those targets, how will we send the signals to the private sector, to the universities, that this is important as a community to come together,” Petersen told the Times.