Los Angeles County Looking for Ways to Fund Stormwater Management

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl made the announcement at the recent VerdeXchange Conference.

2 minute read

March 6, 2017, 10:00 AM PST

By Elana Eden


Echo Park

Songquan Deng / Shutterstock

At the 2017 VerdeXchange Conference in Los Angeles, County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl announced that she plans to introduce a motion "in the next couple of months" to develop a countywide funding measure to pay for distributed stormwater capture facilities.

The point of this is for us all to start to think together … It’s like when the railroads were being built from the east and from the west, and then connected by the golden spike: We have to all think together about recycling, reusing, and recharging. We have to do regional governance and integrated planning—otherwise we’re going to be stepping all over each other.

The announcement was part of a panel on how the Southern California region can collaborate on water issues, including stormwater capture and drought.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia spoke about the unique challenges Long Beach faces as a coastal city at the end of the Los Angeles River, while Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Officer Matt Petersen shared L.A.'s progress on its year-old Sustainable City pLAn.

Jeff Kightlinger, who heads the Metropolitan Water District, charted a course for water management in California, which may soon partner with Arizona and Nevada to manage parts of the Colorado River.

"Never have we had the opportunity to have wastewater, flood control, water supply, and urban greening folks work together at the level that they are now," State Water Resources Control Board Chair Felicia Marcus told the room. "We are poised at a moment to actually break through the gridlock on this issue that we’ve been talking about for a good two decades."

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 in The Planning Report

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Washington

Washington State’s Parking Reform Law Could Unlock ‘Countless’ Acres for New Housing

A law that limits how much parking cities can require for residential amd commercial developments could lead to a construction boom.

May 1 - Streetsblog USA

Bluebird sitting on branch of green bush.

Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire

Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.

May 1 - AP News

1984 Olympics

LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles

LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.

May 1 - Newsweek

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.