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SUSTAINABILITY GAME PLAN

  2. SUSTAINABILITY GAME PLAN

Sustainability Game Plan

The newly updated OurCounty sustainability plan will guide sustainability and climate resiliency efforts in greater L.A. for the next 20 years.

What is a sustainability plan? 

A sustainability plan is a roadmap for achieving environmental, economic, and social well-being for today’s and future generations. These plans typically aim to reduce environmental impacts of society, such as climate pollution, improve quality of life for residents, and foster economic opportunity. The OurCounty plan in particular approaches this broad set of challenges with an equity focus, centering people and communities.

How did the initial OurCounty Plan come about?

The L.A. County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) was established in 2016 to develop a vision for advancing the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of all L.A. County communities. Through an 18-month engagement process, CSO held hundreds of meetings to gather stakeholder feedback and synthesized thousands of comments during the drafting. On Aug. 6, 2019, the Board of Supervisors adopted OurCounty, the first-ever regional sustainability plan for the County of Los Angeles. 

How does it guide policy amongst the County’s various units?

One of the key elements of OurCounty is that it brings together the vast array of sustainability policies, programs, and projects that County departments are working on under one umbrella plan. That makes it easier for residents, partners, and cities to see the collective regional vision in one place. This allows for cross-departmental coordination that is key to advancing ambitious goals within the most populous county in the nation. In addition, by assigning “Priority” status to specific plan actions, that work is then elevated through annual public reporting and funding opportunities.

What makes L.A. County’s ambitious and bold?

Grounded in the co-equal values of environment, equity, and economy, OurCounty puts the focus on people. The plan is both comprehensive and ambitious while recognizing the need to work proactively and across jurisdictions to implement these actions in order to meet the goals.  It envisions streets and parks that are accessible, safe, and welcoming to everyone; air, water, and soil that are clean and healthy; affordable housing that enables all residents to thrive in place; climate ready communities that are informed and prepared, and that have infrastructure that supports them today and that will perform in a changing climate; and a just economy that runs on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

What are the 12 key goals?

  • Goal 1: Resilient and healthy community environments where residents thrive in place
  • Goal 2: Buildings and infrastructure that support human health and resilience
  • Goal 3: Equitable and sustainable land use and development without displacement
  • Goal 4: A prosperous L.A. County that provides opportunities for all residents and businesses and supports the transition to a green economy
  • Goal 5: Thriving ecosystems, habitats, and biodiversity
  • Goal 6: Accessible parks, beaches, recreational waters, public lands, and public spaces that create opportunities for respite, recreation, ecological discovery, and cultural activities
  • Goal 7: A fossil fuel-free L.A. County
  • Goal 8: A convenient, safe, clean, and affordable transportation system that enhances mobility while reducing car dependency
  • Goal 9: Sustainable production and consumption of resources
  • Goal 10: A sustainable and just food system that enhances access to affordable, local, and healthy food
  • Goal 11: Inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance that facilitates participation in sustainability efforts, especially by disempowered communities
  • Goal 12: A commitment to realize OurCounty sustainability goals through creative, equitable, and coordinated funding and partnerships

How successful have we been in implementing the current 159 Actions?

Overall, more than half of all actions are either achieved or on track to be achieved by the target date, while fewer than a quarter remain “Not Started.” These tend to be actions where the County has less direct control, or long-term initiatives that are not yet underway. 

Why are we updating it?

When the Board of Supervisors adopted the plan in 2019, they included a requirement to regularly update it to ensure it remains relevant and responsive. In those six years since its release, the world has changed significantly — from the COVID-19 pandemic, to changes in federal approaches to climate action and resilience, to devastating wildfires in LA County. This update is an opportunity to reflect the current landscape, build on lessons learned, and strengthen and refine the strategies needed to advance and accelerate progress toward a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future.

What are some of the new initiatives in the 2025 OurCounty Plan?

The 12 overarching goals remain in place, and one key area that the 2025 OurCounty Plan more deeply emphasizes is climate resilience. With record breaking heat, prolonged droughts, wildfires, and intense storms growing in frequency, more work is needed to be done to keep people safe today and into tomorrow. 

One of the priority actions in the 2019 plan was to develop a Climate Vulnerability Assessment, which was completed in 2021. It provides foundational information on social and physical vulnerabilities to climate hazards that help guide revised and new actions in the 2025 OurCounty Plan. This along with other major topic-specific plans -- the County Water Plan, Community Forest Management Plan, Parks Needs Assessment Plus, Coastal Resilience Plan, and others -- provide the framework for climate resilience. The 2025 OurCounty Plan builds on and uplifts those plans to advance the overarching sustainability and climate resilience goals.

What role did residents play in updating the document?

The CSO worked with partners and communities to discuss progress and the future direction of sustainability actions through pop-up events, a countywide survey, and a series of topical stakeholder workshops. The countywide survey gathered 3,625 responses on sustainability priorities and concerns, and eight stakeholder workshops offered the opportunity to take a deep dive on sustainability topics.

What feedback did we get from residents about what matters most to them?

Across every part of L.A. County, air quality is by far the number one concern for residents. After that, water pollution, affordable housing, utility costs, and clean energy rounded out the top five. Residents said they directly felt the impact of these issues on their lives and their communities. For more details on the survey, please review the summary report here.

Is it still possible to make suggestions? Where can I make my voice heard?

The plan is open for public comment until Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, and the CSO is hosting a webinar about the plan on Thursday, Aug. 7. You can register for the webinar, learn more about the plan, and provide public feedback at our website here. 

When will this new plan be approved and what happens next?

After public feedback is reviewed and incorporated, the final OurCounty Plan will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors for consideration by Oct. 31, 2025.