Subject
Motion - The 2006 "Jobs in LA's Green Technology Sector" report by the Economic Roundtable found that Los Angeles has "unrealized opportunities" to grow the green goods production and service sectors to create good jobs. Los Angeles has to make up lost ground because it has a below-average share of jobs in every significant green technology industry as compared to the nation.
Construction jobs account for six of the city's top 20 green technology occupations. The construction occupations that can become "green" range from entry-level union jobs as apprentices in buildings and trades to high-skilled journeymen. Additionally, construction industry career ladders allow workers, who earn entry-level wages of $9-18 an hour, to become advanced skilled workers such as plumbers, sheet-metal workers and electricians, earning $15-50 an hour.
The City of Los Angeles has become a national role model, promoting "greening" new and existing buildings in both the private and public sector. The City has recently adopted "green" standards to construct new City-owned buildings, and to expedite permit processing for private-sector green buildings. We should now consider how to retrofit existing, deteriorating City-owned buildings and public spaces to meet "green" standards, while creating jobs and improve the quality of life for inner city communities.
THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council instructs the General Services Department, with the assistance of the Department of Building and Safety, Community Development Department, Environmental Affairs Department, Department of Water and Power, and the City Administrative Officer, to prepare a report for Council consideration within 60 days. This report would include a series of recommendations, and possible draft ordinances, in order to phase-in retrofitting of all existing City-owned buildings and public spaces to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
FURTHER MORE that the City Council requests the Workforce Investment Board (WID), with the assistance of the Community Development Department, prepare a status report for Council consideration within 60 days. This report would include an update on the WIB's "Green Building" Sector Initiative, to create jobs for low-income individuals residing in the City to perform the work of retrofitting City-owned buildings and public spaces.
File History
8-16-06 - This day's Council session
8-16-06 - Ref to Information Technology and General Services and Housing, Community and Economic Development Committees
8-16-06 - File to Information Technology and General Services Committee Clerk
12-11-06 - File to Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee Clerk
4-27-07 - File to Information Technology and General Services Committee Clerk
6-13-07 - Council Action - Motion ADOPTED to APPROVE Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee report and Communication recommendations from Information Technology and General Services Committee *AS AMENDED to:
1. REQUEST the Department of Water and Power (DWP) to prepare a monthly status report for the Housing Community and Economic Development (HCED), Information Technology and General Services (ITGS), and Energy and Environment (EE) Committees on the on-going Energy and Water Audit of City-owned Buildings and Facilities, including a representative sample of buildings and facilities in the City, as well as a range of cost estimations for each type of retrofit.
2. INSTRUCT the City Administrative Officer (CAO) to prepare a report for the HCED, ITGS, EE, and Budget and Finance (BF) Committees on the potential range of financing options for comprehensive retrofits of City-owned buildings and facilities.
3. INSTRUCT the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD), in conjunction with the Department of General Services (GSD), to prepare a report for the HCED, ITGS, and EE Committees on local purchasing policies to stimulate local green manufacturing.
4. INSTRUCT the WIB, with the assistance of the Community Development Department (CDD), to prepare a monthly status report for the HCED and EE Committees, including an update on the "Green Building" Sector Initiative to create jobs for low-income individuals residing in the City to perform the work of retrofitting City-owned buildings and public spaces.
5. INSTRUCT the GSD and REQUEST the DWP to:
a. Report in 30 days detailing what additional personnel are needed, if any, to expedite the completion of the Energy and Water Audit of City-owned Buildings and Facilities.
b. Report in 60 days relative to the status of the Energy and Water Audit of City-owned Buildings and Facilities.
6. ESTABLISH a Green Building Jobs Taskforce, to be chaired by Council District 10, and consisting of representatives from the Office of the Mayor, the WIB, GSD, DWP, Council District 13, labor, and the Apollo Alliance, to oversee the development and placement of jobs as part of the implementation of the Energy and Water Audit of City-owned Buildings and Facilities.
*7. INSTRUCT the Bureau of Engineering to report on sustainability and energy efficiency. (Alarcon-Wesson).
6-29-07 - File to Information Technology and General Services and Housing, Community and Economic Development Committees Clerks OK
7-3-07 - File in files