News

In August, after years of citizen protestations, the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in favor of Culver City’s decision to restore a lane of traffic on each side of Washington Boulevard by modifying the new bus and bike lane additions originally included as part of the Move Culver City project.

VXNews excerpts LA84 Foundation President & CEO Renata Simril addressing a recent LAEDC Board of Governors’ meeting highlighting the Foundation’s origins and ongoing work as a grantmaking organization promoting play equity, its historic building  and internationally acclaimed sport history library.

Leah Goold-Haws, CEO of the Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP), discusses the economic opportunities tied to Long Beach’s key assets, such as the Port of Long Beach, ongoing efforts to transition to clean energy, and the role of offshore wind projects.

With recent research estimating over half of the world’s population lacks access to safe, clean drinking water, VX News interviewed Robert Hertzberg, who, as chair of the advisory board for SOURCE Global, shares insights on how the technology that uses solar power to extract water from the air is addressing the global water crisis with innovative, scalable solutions that can provide clean drinking water to communities around the world.

With California alone requiring roughly 150,000 new megawatts to meet the state’s clean energy goals and keep the the lights on, how the energy sector can harness this increasing demand to accelerate deployment of emerging technologies is the focus the latest Pathways to Commercial Liftoff Topic Brief from the US Department of Energy.

Ara Najarian, recently elected as President of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (BGPAA), updates readers on the status of the  Hollywood Burbank Airport’s long-awaited, replacement passenger terminal project.

House Republicans' resistance to green spending is waning as they face the economic impact of green investments in their districts. Speaker Mike Johnson received a letter from 18 GOP members urging him to preserve clean technology subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act, despite many having opposed it. Their concern is that dismantling these subsidies could lead to lost jobs and unfinished projects in their areas. With a significant share of the IRA’s $200 billion investment and job growth slated for Republican districts, these members are balancing ideological stances with economic realities, especially in competitive or moderate districts.

In this comprehensive interview with Mark Pestrella, Director of the Los Angeles County Public Works, Pestrella delves into the multifaceted responsibilities of overseeing the largest public works agency in the United States. Outlining the agency’s extensive scope, which includes managing water systems, roads, airports, and emergency responses for over 10 million residents across 4,000 square miles, he emphasizes the challenges of maintaining such vast infrastructure while simultaneously addressing climate change, which he describes as an ever-present threat that the agency has been planning for over the years.
Pestrella also discusses the agency’s strategic approach to leveraging historic federal funding from recent bills, such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), securing $1.5 billion to fund projects that prioritize climate resilience and equity. He underscores the ongoing challenge of workforce development in the face of a competitive labor market and highlights innovative approaches like AI and digital twins to enhance infrastructure maintenance and planning. As the 2028 Olympics approach, Pestrella shares his vision for showcasing LA County’s infrastructure, particularly along the LA River, as a reflection of the region's evolution and resilience.

CEC Vice Chair Siva Gunda discusses California's clean energy goals, emphasizing the need for 150,000 new megawatts to meet targets. He highlights the CEC's role in leveraging federal funds, including those from the Inflation Reduction Act, to support energy projects and coordinates with state agencies for efficient resource application. Gunda addresses challenges in grid reliability, affordability, and extensive planning. He highlights the importance of storage solutions, CCS, and hydrogen in achieving a balanced energy grid and underscores global collaborations, particularly with India, to enhance climate solutions and renewable energy efforts.