Environment and Energy

Overview

Environment and Energy

Article City Forum Mark Cowin

California’s Water: Drought, Floods And Preparedness

Although we have millions of acre-feet of empty space behind dams to capture storm runoff and snowmelt, that space cannot protect Californians against levee breaks, mudslides or overflowing urban…

Article Features Dan Carrigg

2015 Legislative Year in Review

Significant positive developments for the League included the adoption of a new economic development tool for lower-income communities and the passage of a medical marijuana regulatory bill package.

Salinas Fosters Ag Tech Innovation

Technology will soon be radically transforming agriculture and the Salinas Valley, home to an agricultural industry that generates over $8 billion annually.

Article City Forum Jen JacksonHeidi Sanborn

Extended Producer Responsibility: Protecting Public Health and the Environment

Ensuring that residents properly dispose of hazardous wastes — such as pesticides, batteries, needles and pharmaceuticals — from their homes is an important part of protecting the environment…

Article President’s Message L. Dennis Michael

Preparing Your Community for Fire Danger

The combination of drought, higher temperatures and abundant dry vegetation means that California’s fire season is now a year-round phenomenon.

Article Features Karalee Browne

Palo Alto Builds on a Legacy of Innovation as a Sustainable Community

Many of the more progressive policies and programs in place today started as smaller pilot programs.

Article

Celebrating 60 Years of Service to California’s Local Governments

This year the Institute for Local Government (ILG) celebrates its 60th anniversary. The occasion offers a chance to reflect on ILG’s history of promoting good government at the local level and look to its future in helping create opportunities and establish partnerships that support the work of local agencies throughout California.

Advancing Climate Action, Sustainability and Community Well-Being

A recent symposium brought together state and local leaders to explore opportunities for accelerating sustainability activities in California.

Article Features Ken Farfsing

Stormwater: The Orphaned Utility

How quickly can stormwater utilities be rescued from their financial straitjacket so they can start helping resolve the state’s chronic water supply problems?

Article Features Dave Cogdill

Heeding the Call for Water Conservation

If every home in the state were retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, over 300 billion gallons of water could be saved per year.

Article Features Mark W. Cowin

Seeking Sustainability for California Groundwater

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act establishes a new structure for managing California’s groundwater and gives new authority to local agencies.

Benicia Turns Green Laws Into Greenbacks for Local Businesses

The Business Resource Incentive Program combines economic development and environmental sustainability.

San José’s “Bring Your Own Bag” Ordinance Cuts Plastic Bag Pollution

Plastic bag litter and increasingly stringent regulations signaled it was time to act.

Article President’s Message Stephany Aguilar

Cars of the Future: Connected and Autonomous

Just as the Internet and smartphones changed the world, the advent of connected and autonomous vehicles will have a profound impact on our lives and our cities.

Article Features The Institute For Local Government Sustainability Team

Converting Waste to Energy: How to Make it Happen in Your Community

Local jurisdictions with anaerobic digestion projects in their communities report multiple benefits.

Dublin Uses Public-Private Partnership to Transform Neighborhood

The city converted public housing to privately owned affordable housing and created a new neighborhood. The five-year planning process involved all key stakeholders, including existing residents,…

Article Features Julie Pierce

The Future of SB 375 Implementation and Regional Planning

All 18 metropolitan planning organizations in California will have adopted their first Regional Transportation Plans under SB 375 by May 2015. This article looks at what SB 375 has accomplished…