A growing number of cities in California have prohibited the construction of new gas stations. Los Angeles could soon consider an ordinance to do the same—in a landmark move for the city some believe to be a symbol of car-dependent sprawl.
The city of Petaluma in the North Bay Area in California in 2021 was the first city in the country, and maybe the world, to prohibit the construction of new gas stations as a climate action.
It turns out, that Petaluma was first, but it hasn’t been the last.
“Since Petaluma’s decision, four other cities in the Bay Area have followed suit, and now, leaders in California’s most car-centric metropolis are hoping to bring the climate-conscious policy to Southern California,” reports Grace Toohey for the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles, the state’s largest city by population, and a symbol of sprawl in public perception, is among those cities to have consider a similar change, although a proposal by Councilmember Paul Koretz to begin drafting a ordinance to ban new gas stations hasn’t yet produced results.
“While Petaluma officials at the time called its new gas pump ban ‘completely uncontroversial,’ it’s unclear how such a policy would go over in Los Angeles, a city with about 65 times as many people and a transportation infrastructure that still heavily relies on vehicles,” writes Toohey. “Lobbyists for gas stations said they will oppose the motion in L.A. if it moves forward.” A 2020 executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom to sunset the sale of gas vehicles in the state by 2035 provides some context, and incentive, for Los Angeles to figure it out.
FULL STORY: California cities ban new gas stations in battle to combat climate change
California City the First to Ban New Gas Stations
With the state mandating a switch to electric vehicles by 2035, Petaluma is aligning its land use regulations with its climate goals.
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