Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman shared their views on the environment and climate during a forum on Sept 3, with the incumbent describing herself as a champion of environmental justice, and her challenger saying City Hall needs to do more.
The two candidates battling for the mayor’s office took part in a forum organized by a coalition of environmental justice, climate, labor, public health and community organizations, including the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, SCOPE LA, Sierra Club, Los Angeles Neighborhood Sustainability Alliance, Communities for a Better Environment and Clean and Healthy California.
Bass and Raman spoke separately during the forum, fielding questions about issues such as environmental justice, extreme heat, air pollution, oil drilling, rising energy costs, housing affordability, public safety, emergency response and community health.
“I have devoted my entire adult life to working in inner-city communities, which is why environmental justice is such a critical issue,” Bass said during the forum moderated by LAist senior reporter Erin Stone. “I have a background in health, which is why environmental justice, and to me, (environmental justice) is also a health issue, and it’s an economic issue.”
Bass touted what she called a history of fighting for the environmental health of communities while serving in the state Assembly and in Congress. And she said she has continued that fight during her time as mayor.
“The last two years alone, we have had … 100,000 new green jobs,” she said. “We soon are going to have, by 2028, our entire city bus fleet will be electric. We are coal-free. We’re one of the few cities in the nation that is coal-free, and we have 160 new electric buses right now.
“I regularly interact with international and national leaders, and I want to assure you, we have an international and a national reputation for our work on environmental concerns.”
She said her focus going forward will be “on the communities that are disproportionately impacted by greenhouse gases and by the environment, impacted economically, impacted in a health way.”
Raman, who is looking to unseat Bass in November, countered that she believes City Hall has not done enough to respond to environmental concerns. “Our transition to clean energy has slowed,” she said. “Efforts to build a resilient water supply, close neighborhood drilling sites, make our streets safer – all of these have slowed over the last four years. I’m here because I believe it’s time to make a change. Los Angeles needs to lead again on climate.”
With the Southland recently emerging from an extended heat wave, Raman said the city needs to improve conditions for residents facing rising utility bills due to rising temperatures, including support for a city heat officer and taking steps such as planting trees in communities that lack them.
