Bell Gardens adopts Climate Action Plan, certifies mitigated negative declaration

The Bell Gardens City Council voted to approve the Bell Gardens Climate Action Plan and certify a mitigated negative declaration on March 23, adopting resolution 2026-31.

City planners and consultants presented the plan and the associated Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) before the council adopted the resolution. Associate Planner Adrian Flores said the plan—prepared by staff and consultants Blue Streak Environmental and Impact Sciences—includes a community and a municipal greenhouse gas inventory and a roadmap of strategies across energy, buildings, transportation, resource conservation, green community and resilience. "This was prepared by staff and our consultants with Blue Streak Environmental and Impact Sciences," Flores said during the presentation.

The CAP uses a 2023 community greenhouse gas inventory to set reduction priorities; consultants told the council transportation accounts for roughly 51% of community emissions, with electricity and natural gas following at about 25% and 14%, respectively. Impact Sciences’ Brett Pomeroy summarized the CEQA review: the draft IS/MND was published December 23, 2025, the public comment period ran through January 23, 2026, and staff received three comment letters (Caltrans District 7, LA County Sanitation Districts, and the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians, Kizh Nation). Pomeroy said written responses and a mitigation monitoring and reporting program were prepared and that the comments did not provide substantial evidence requiring additional CEQA review.

Councilmembers praised the plan's focus on urban greening and equity and asked for clarification about timing and outreach. Staff said the CAP work began in 2024 and took about a year to 18 months to develop, and that the city held in-person and virtual engagement events (a bilingual outreach effort produced 85 English and 18 Spanish survey responses). Anna Bukavova of Blue Streak described strategies such as cooling-center microgrids and transit-fleet electrification planning; consultant Sol Shepherd highlighted the inventory and the need to pair local strategies with state-level decarbonization to meet the target of net-zero community emissions by 2045.

During the public hearing, a virtual commenter urged more pocket parks, and Edwin Gonzalez of Communities for a Better Environment urged the council to emphasize reduced vehicle trips and to scrutinize the environmental impacts of battery mineral extraction. City staff responded that the CAP is intended as a living document and a tool to pursue funding and implementation.

The council moved to find the IS/MND prepared in accordance with CEQA and to adopt the resolution approving the CAP and certifying the IS/MND. The motion was seconded by Jorge Chavez. Roll call recorded Chavez, Sanchez, Mayor Pro Tem Guillen and Mayor de la Rosa in favor; the motion passed 4–0 (one member was excused). The resolution includes direction to implement mitigation monitoring, pursue funding, and use the plan to streamline future CEQA GHG analyses under state guidance.

The council indicated staff will continue outreach and report back on implementation steps and funding opportunities. The certified plan and associated mitigation monitoring and reporting program are now part of the city's planning documents and are intended to guide capital projects and policy decisions going forward.