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Pico Rivera wins Gateway Cities Energy Action platinum award for sustainability initiatives
Summary
Pico Rivera received the first-ever platinum designation in the Gateway Cities Council of Governments Energy Action Awards for a package of sustainability measures, including development of a climate action and adaptation plan, resident solar-plus-storage offers, heat pump water-heater replacements and fleet electrification supported by grants.
Pico Rivera was recognized with the Gateway Cities Council of Governments Energy Action Award platinum designation at the City Council meeting on Jan. 14, 2025, honoring the city’s recent energy-efficiency and sustainability efforts.
The award recognizes cities that complete high levels of energy-efficiency activities. The city cited its development of a climate action and adaptation plan, use of U.S. Department of Energy block grant funds, a local program offering solar panels and Tesla battery backup to residents with no upfront cost, replacement of aging water heaters with heat-pump units, and steps toward an electrified city fleet.
Victor Farrar, who introduced the presentation, said the platinum award “is given to the city that has achieved the most activities through innovation, energy efficiency, and sustainability initiatives.” Farrar described the Gateway Cities program’s rubric and noted that the platinum level was added in 2024 to recognize a higher tier of achievement.
Hector Dela Torre, director of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, congratulated Pico Rivera and said the city’s work “broke the curve” for the region, noting that the platinum tier was created because cities were starting to exceed existing gold-level expectations.
Council members and staff described several projects that contributed to the award. The city used federal energy-efficiency block grant funds from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop its first climate action and adaptation plan, officials said. The city also reported replacing eight older water heaters with energy-efficient heat-pump units and deploying programs that offer resident solar and battery storage systems with no upfront cost. Council members noted the city has acquired electric vehicles with grant support from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD); city staff clarified the fleet count as four vehicles.
Office of Sustainability staff members Paola and Stephanie were recognized by council and staff for their roles in the effort. Councilwoman Dr. Monica Sanchez and Mayor Pro Tem Camacho praised the award in remarks on the dais and thanked staff and community partners.
The Gateway Cities program now covers 27 cities in the region. Officials said 23 cities won awards in 2024 at bronze, silver or gold levels and that Pico Rivera was the first to reach the newly created platinum level.
The recognition does not itself create local policy or new funding; city officials said the award acknowledges work already completed and ongoing projects that officials intend to expand.
