Committee approves Safe Clean Water updates, urges stronger LAUSD partnership on school greening and O&M planning

The Energy and Environment Committee voted 3-0 May 20 to approve a Bureau of Sanitation report on Safe Clean Water Program coordination with the Los Angeles Unified School District and nongovernmental organizations, and to adopt the fiscal year 2024-25 Watershed Investment Strategic Plan (WISP) update.

Committee members and staff said school greening is a significant opportunity to capture stormwater, expand green space and improve community health. Michael Scudillo, principal engineer for the Safe Clean Water program at Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment (LASAN), told the committee that staff had identified the top 20 LAUSD school sites for potential stormwater greening and had shared concept-level plans with the district. He also warned of a recurring problem: projects developed through county-funded technical resource programs are sometimes returned to the city without early coordination with landowners or city departments.

"One of the challenges ... is a lack of communication between the technical resource programs at the county funds and the projects that are within the city that are lacking communication with the appropriate real estate, landowners of those projects and the various city departments," Scudillo said.

Bruce Resnick, executive director of Los Angeles Waterkeeper, urged more accountability and said school greening provides multiple benefits beyond water capture. "Green space in communities ... enhances community health, public health, mental health, including mental health and physical health of students as well as academic performance," Resnick said.

The WISP update presented a financial and programmatic outlook. LASAN staff told the committee the municipal program receives about $36 million annually from the Safe Clean Water program to fund staff, capital improvements and planning. The county-administered regional program collects roughly $45 million per year; the city has secured about $315 million in regional returns in the program's first five years, including roughly $40 million for third-party nonprofit projects within Los Angeles.

Committee members raised long-term costs and maintenance concerns. The WISP estimates that implementation costs for desired future outcomes could exceed about $7.4 billion over the next 25 years. Committee members and staff discussed a growing backlog of deferred maintenance and the need for dedicated operations-and-maintenance (O&M) funding and a trained workforce to maintain green infrastructure. LASAN noted success securing regional O&M funds for specific Prop O sites and plans to pursue additional regional funding for long-term maintenance where appropriate.

The LASAN report recommended continued collaboration with LAUSD, watershed coordinators and NGOs and urged development of clearer communication protocols so proposals developed through county-funded technical assistance are fully vetted with city departments and landowners before seeking final approvals. The WISP update recommended prioritizing funded regional projects, creating on-call design-build procurement to speed delivery, appropriating funding for positions to support project delivery and expanding planning for O&M and workforce development.

The committee approved the LASAN recommendations and the WISP annual update by unanimous roll call: Nazarian — aye; Yaroslavsky — yes; Padilla — yes. Committee members asked staff to return with contact points and to continue outreach to LAUSD facilities staff and the superintendent's office to resolve liability and long-term-use concerns raised by the district.

Speakers on record included Michael Scudillo (LASAN), Bruce Resnick (Los Angeles Waterkeeper) and multiple council members. The committee moved on after recording the approvals.