In 2018, L.A. County voters approved Measure W, a parcel tax to provide local, dedicated funding for multi-benefit stormwater projects via the Safe, Clean Water Program (SCWP). Given the SCWP’s potential to advance resilience in L.A., ARLA saw the need to equip SCWP stakeholders, including community and government leaders, with tools and processes to understand the implications of various approaches. To this end, ARLA convened a Working Group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and municipalities to explore and analyze the benefits and tradeoffs of various Program and project implementation scenarios. The goals of the Working Group were to develop metrics for balanced watershed projects stemming from the SCWP and provide consensus-based recommendations to the County regarding potential refinements to the Program to maximize investments and project benefits.
The Working Group is composed of three NGO and three municipal representatives with subject matter expertise. They include: Bruce Reznik (LA Waterkeeper and OurWaterLA (OWLA)); Rowan Roderick-Jones and Kelsey Jessup (The Nature Conservancy and OWLA); Tiffany Wong (Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education and OWLA); Susie Santilena (City of Los Angeles); Lisa Rapp (City of Lakewood and Gateway Water Management Authority); and Alex Tachiki (City of Monrovia and San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments). Together, the Working Group members and their broader constituencies represent two-thirds of the municipal permittees in the Region.
ARLA and the Working Group believe the recommendations resulting from this process will be a valuable resource to inform the County’s broader efforts to adaptively manage the SCWP. We invite you to review the Final Report and Recommendations and associated appendices summarizing the Working Group process and results. You will also find below two videos that relay key concepts in a visual format.
Report
ARLA’s SCWP Working Group Report and Recommendations
Videos
A New Vision for Water Management
Using rainwater capture to maximize benefits in the Los Angeles Basin.
Visualizing Multi-Benefit Projects in the Pilot Watershed
Take a virtual tour of the results from the Pilot Analysis, demonstrating how the Working Group’s recommendations can bring multiple benefits to the Alhambra Wash.