SACRAMENTO, Calif --- Today, the Strategic Growth Council, under the California Environmental Protection Agency, voted in support of a $35 million Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program Grant to be awarded to the Watts Rising Collaborative.
“January 29, 2018 is an exciting day for Watts, and I am excited to have been part of it,” said Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson. “This grant will provide new bike paths, better parks, and a vision for a healthier Watts. It will also help reduce local sources of pollution, improve public health, and provide economic opportunities for our community, Watts is worth it and Watts is ready.”
On September 14, 2016, Governor Brown signed AB 2722 (Burke), which created the Transformative Climate Communities Program, a California Climate Investment grant program administered by the Strategic Growth Council, in partnership with the Department of Conservation and other State agencies, to support the implementation of community-led, neighborhood level plans with coordinated greenhouse gas emission reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental and health benefits to disadvantaged communities. The TCC Program funds the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that include multiple coordinated greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects.
“This grant represents an opportunity for economic development, to reduce greenhouse gases, and allow for generational change to occur,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Joe Buscaino (CD-15). “This day would not have been possible if it weren’t for the collaboration of the many partners involved. Watts is rising, and with this new funding, it will soar.”
The TCC grant was unanimously supported by the Strategic Growth Council. The council will now enter into a Pre-Contract Consultation phase with each of the award recipients to refine the grant agreement and comply with administrative, statutory, and TCC program requirements.
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