On the heels of one of LA’s wettest winters in decades, the value of a robust, dynamic stormwater capture program has become crystal clear to the public and policymakers alike. LA County voters were ahead of the curve when they passed Measure W in 2018 to better equip the region for the extremes of climate change. The resulting Safe Clean Water Program (SCWP) is the most ambitious stormwater capture program in the country and has already brought myriad benefits to LA’s communities. 

In just over four years, LA County has gotten the SCWP off the ground and allocated more than $1 billion in funding for a wide variety of projects. Now is the perfect time for an objective evaluation of how the program has worked to date, and an opportunity to make needed changes to ensure the program meets its ambitious aims, especially maximizing community and environmental benefits.    

The SCWP has a built-in feature to review and improve the program on a biennial basis. To that end, LA Waterkeeper recently convened a research showcase with a wide variety of expert speakers to review successes and opportunities for improvement in the SCWP, in preparation for its first-ever biennial review, due by the end of this year.  (The full day of presentations was captured on video and can be viewed here: Part 1 and Part 2.)

Held at the Japanese American National Museum, the July 27th showcase included speakers and organizations representing a trove of relevant expertise. Bruce Reznik presented findings from, “Changing the Course? What’s Worked, What Hasn’t, and What’s Next for the SCWP,” which was originally released earlier this year. They highlighted some notable successes of this complex program and pointed out that new opportunities are now opening for funding to shift from municipal infrastructure projects toward more multi-benefit projects, like removing hardscape to create new park space and green schoolyards.  

One overarching message that emerged from the showcase is that the SCWP must do better at engaging with and providing benefits to disadvantaged communities. Kristen Torres Pawling, from the Office of LA City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, moderated a conversation focused on community engagement, with Jon Christensen of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Tiffany Wong of SCOPE (Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education). They talked about the spectrum of community engagement that runs from marginalization to community ownership and shared findings from reports prepared by SCOPE and UCLA Luskin/Stantec.  

Christensen, sharing a finding he recently learned from his colleagues at UCLA, noted, “Some colleagues of mine at UCLA public health…found that if you were able to take all of the areas of the neighborhoods of Los Angeles County that are below average in tree canopy and park space, and if you just brought those up to the average for LA County…you would add nearly a million years of life expectancy to the current residents of LA County.” In making this point, he emphasized that this is one tangible reason why the program must find a way to accelerate investments in significantly greening disadvantaged communities.   

The ARLA (Accelerate Resistance LA) SCWP Working Group presented recommendations using watershed science to build consensus and maximize benefits. The panel included Lisa Rapp from the City of Lakewood (retired); Susie Santilena of the LA Sanitation & Environment Department (LASAN); and Kelsey Jessup of The Nature Conservancy, with Deborah Bloome of ARLA moderating. 

LA Waterkeeper’s Maggie Gardner presented recommendations on behalf of Our Water LA (OWLA), a diverse coalition of community leaders and organizations from across LA County. The recommendations focused on the importance of the SCWP Regional Program shifting its focus from reactive grants, where groups bring projects to Watershed Area Steering Committees for approval, to a visionary, proactive investment program. This focus would draw from existing data and community needs assessments to identify the best projects and project types for various locations to maximize overall program benefits, then solicit bids that align with that vision. Most importantly, SCWP leaders should continue their efforts to actively engage the public with the goal of providing more and relevant benefits to disadvantaged communities. 

OWLA’s stated priorities include hardscape removal and creating new green space, particularly at schools and in park-poor communities; adopting more metrics and clearer definitions to help guide the program as it continues to develop; ensuring water quality and supply benefits are being fully met; and moving to a proactive program with a clear vision about what projects to prioritize in which communities. 

“Having all of these researchers together in one place was a huge help for the Regional Oversight Committee, which is charged with conducting the SCWP’s first-ever biennial review this year,” said Belinda Faustinos, Regional Oversight Committee member and Strategic Advisor for LA Waterkeeper. “I believe we’re in a better position to make clear recommendations for improving the efficacy of the program after attending this showcase.” 

Research Showcase Speakers

Deborah Bloome
Senior Director of Policy at Accelerate Resilience LA (ARLA)

Jon Christensen
Adjunct Assistant Professor, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Kelsey Jessup
Urban Conservation Projects Director at The Nature Conservancy

Kristen Torres Pawling
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy & Planning for LA City Council District 5

Lisa Rapp
Director of Public Works for the City of Lakewood (retired)

Susie Santilena
Acting Senior Environmental Engineer in the Safe Clean Water Implementation Division of LA Sanitation and the Environment

Tiffany Wong
Senior Policy & Research Associate at Strategic Concepts in Organizing & Policy Education (SCOPE)