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Loma Linda council adopts resolution opposing proposed South Coast AQMD rules on gas appliances
Summary
The council voted to adopt a resolution opposing proposed South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) amendments that would require replacement of natural‑gas residential and commercial appliances with electric models, citing concerns about cost, safety during power shutoffs and impacts on vulnerable residents.
The Loma Linda City Council voted to adopt Council Bill R‑2025‑01, a resolution opposing proposed amendments to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) rules (Rule 1111 and Rule 1121) that would limit replacement of natural‑gas appliances to electric models.
City council members who supported the resolution said the rules, as drafted, would impose immediate and potentially severe costs on residents and could create safety problems in high‑fire, public‑safety power‑shutoff conditions. Council members who opposed the resolution said electrification advances can yield long‑term public‑health benefits and reduce pollution, and urged careful planning for transitions.
The resolution expresses the city’s opposition to AQMD rule amendments that, according to the staff memo presented at the meeting, would require an electric replacement when a gas appliance fails. Supporters of the resolution said that requirement could force households, including lower‑income and vulnerable residents, to pay for costly electrical upgrades or face loss of hot water or cooking capacity during power outages; opponents countered that the city should pursue public‑health and climate benefits where feasible.
Council discussion included requests for additional information from Southern California Edison about grid reliability and programs to assist residents transitioning to electric appliances; the mayor’s office said Edison staff (Mark Cloud) has agreed to present to the council at a future meeting to explain de‑energization practices and available transition assistance programs.
After debate, a council member moved and another seconded adoption of Council Bill R‑2025‑01 opposing AQMD’s proposed Rule 1111 and Rule 1121 amendments; the clerk called the vote and recorded that the motion carried.
The resolution will be transmitted to AQMD and to regional partners as part of a coordinated group of local governments expressing concern about the timing and consequences of mandatory appliance electrification, the staff report said.
