Los Angeles becomes the largest city in the state and the second largest city in the country to mandate a definitive shift away from fossil fuels in new construction
Los Angeles City Council put an end to the expansion of local natural gas infrastructure on Dec. 7, when they unanimously approved an ordinance requiring all new buildings within city limits be constructed all-electric. With this vote, Los Angeles became the largest city in the state and the second largest city in the country to mandate a definitive shift away from fossil fuels in new construction and did so with significant community engagement and local advocacy shaping the pathway.
As dozens of smaller cities in California stood up similar policies sooner, Los Angeles was laying careful groundwork in ensuring its own path to decarbonized buildings was responsive to needs from impacted residents. Community-driven research on how the energy transition would affect workers, renters, and low-income residents made it possible for local advocates to define a set of energy justice priorities, which framed the official launch of a building decarbonization policy process.