LA City Council Contemplates 30x30 Acquisition for Conservation Campaign

The Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council had the original initiative, in 2022, to steer the L.A. City Council towards considering compliance with the 30x30 Conservation campaign.

Expediting legislation, by the LA City Council, allowed 5 items to move forward lumped as one vote; including an initiative to designate 30% of L.A. as open space/conservation.

Items 1,3,4,6 & 7 of the 2/21/25 LA City Council Meeting were voted on as a group, with public comments held at prior meetings. The 11 members present voted yes (Four council members were absent including).

Item 4 - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE REPORT relative to the feasibility of the City independently joining the 30x30 Conservation campaign, and committing to conserving 30 percent of City land for open space and conservation. Neither the City Administrative Officer nor the CLA has completed a financial analysis of this report.

Recommendation for Council action, pursuant to Motion (Ryu, Koretz, Blumenfield):
INSTRUCT the Department of Recreation and Parks and Department of City Planning, in consultation with the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA) and any other department as needed, to report on the feasibility of the City independently joining the 30x30 Conservation campaign, and committing to conserving 30 percent of the City’s land for open space and conservation.
Fiscal Impact Statement: Neither the City Administrative Officer nor the CLA has completed a financial analysis of this report.
Community Impact Statement: Yes For: Bel AirBeverly Crest Neighborhood

Background - International - 50% of the terrestrial realm is actually under discussion.

• 2017 - 49 scientists authored a landmark paper About | Global Deal for Nature
  • An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm” called for a Global Deal for Nature (GDN) — a companion to the Paris Climate Agreement —
  • To promote increased habitat protection and restoration, national and regional conservation strategies, and the empowerment of indigenous peoples to protect their sovereign lands."
• 2019 article in Science Advances, "A Global Deal for Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets"
  • April 2019, many of these scientists published a new paper called that explains why protecting half the Earth is needed, and presents a science-driven plan to save the diversity and abundance of life on Earth.
  • It builds upon many scientific proposals for protecting key biodiversity areas and the latest climate science, calling for a milestone of at least 30% of lands protected by 2030 with an additional 20% in climate stabilization areas

Background - United States

• October 2020, California governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order declaring it "the goal of the State to conserve at least 30 percent of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030", and directing state agencies to develop and report strategies for achieving the goal by February 1, 2022.
  
• September 2021 $5 billion of US private funding will go towards the initiative called the "Protecting Our Planet Challenge". Private Funders of the New ‘Protecting Our Planet Challenge’ Announce $5 Billion Commitment to Protect and Conserve 30% of Planet by 2030 | Bloomberg Philanthropies
• April 2022 - Pathways to 30x30 California, by the California Natural Resources Agency
  • The report outlines ten pathways, or strategies, to achieving California's biodiversity and protected area goals by 2030:
    1. Accelerate Regionally Led Conservation

    2. ---

       Execute Strategic Land Acquisitions
    3. Increase Voluntary Conservation Easements
    4. Enhance Conservation of Existing Public Lands and Coastal Waters

    5. ---

       Institutionalize Advance Mitigation
    6. Expand and Accelerate Environmental Restoration and Stewardship
    7. Strengthen Coordination Among Governments
    8. Align Investments to Maximize Conservation Benefits
    9. Advance and Promote Complementary Conservation Measures
    10. Evaluate Conservation Outcomes and Adaptively Manage

Background - Los Angeles

• "Own a Piece of L.A."
  • An opportunity initiated in 2008/2009 by Mayor Villaraigosa for L.A. property owners to buy "undevelopable slivers of land and/or remnant parcels" adjacent to their own, which were owned by the city. It was a "program to itemize and account for City-owned undevelopable slivers of land and/or remnant parcels to offer them as to adjoining neighbors as they are incapable of ·independent development and can only be of use to the adjoining property owners."
  • Own A Piece of Los Angeles (OPLA) Program approved by City Council on July 28, 2009 (C.F. 07-1894, Ordinance No. 180834)

• January 1, 2020 AB-1486 goes into effect
  • Amends the process for disposal of gov't surplus land in California
    • Requires that “land shall be declared either ‘surplus land’ or ‘exempt surplus land,’
    • Declaration must be supported by written findings

• September 2020
  • Further parameters of OPLA defined and detailed in compliance with State Law mfc20200924f.pdf

• December 8, 2021 Motion 21-1470
  • Koretz, Raman - Blumenfield) proposed an amendment to the "Own a Piece of LA" initiative related to remnant surplus properties in the Santa Monica Mountains Zone.

• February 16, 2022
  • Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council Impact Statement February 16, 2022 was in response to the February 17, 2022 meeting of the L.A.City Council Information, Technology, and General Services Committee The newly adopted 30x30 goals by Governor Newsom were included by BABCNC: "Further adoption of the Motion will further the State of California s 30x30 conservation goals."

    The same impact statement was presented to the LA City Council March 2nd meeting as part of Motion 21-1470.

• May 2022
  • Motion 21-1470 was eventually passed 5/24/22, and concurred by the mayor on 5/25/22

"and codifying that: the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) shall have the first right of refusal to acquire such lands at the City of Los Angeles' purchase price plus any administrative and management costs incurred by the City"

• The L.A. City Council meets regularly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:00 am.
• All City Council and Council Committee meetings can be streamed live & on-demand on the City Clerk website at https://clerk.lacity.org/calendar.

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