The Los Angeles Post

As Los Angeles Grapples with Heat Wave, O’Farrell & StreetsLA Bring “Cool Streets” to East Hollywood

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The “Cool Neighborhoods” program is bringing innovative cooling pavement technologies to Council District 13

EAST HOLLYWOOD – Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell was today joined by leaders from the Department of Public Works and Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA) to install a new “cool” street and street trees on Berendo Street in East Hollywood, part of the “Cool Neighborhoods” program designed to help underserved communities fight the “heat island” effect and target climate change at the local level.

“As a lifelong environmentalist and longtime member of the Public Works committee, I’m excited to implement the ‘Cool Neighborhoods’ program in the 13th District, and at such a critical time,” said Councilmember O’Farrell. “This month’s heat wave, combined with yet another year of the megadrought, reminds us that the climate crisis is already here. We need to take every step we can to reduce the ‘heat island’ effect and be better stewards of our environment — and this is one of those steps.”

As the chair of the Los Angeles City Council’s environmental committee, O’Farrell is leading L.A.’s transition to 100% carbon-free, renewable energy by 2035 – an ambitious goal that the City is on track to achieve, according to the Department of Water and Power. The “Cool Neighborhood” program is one of the City’s efforts to fight the climate crisis and advance the goals of L.A.’s Green New Deal.

Cool pavement reduces ambient temperatures by reflecting more sunlight and absorbing less heat during the day, and studies have also shown that cool pavement has the greatest impact when paired with new trees. StreetsLA is currently piloting cool neighborhood projects in ten vulnerable communities by 2025. The initiative is also helping achieve another key goal in L.A.’s Green New Deal: increasing tree canopy in areas of greatest need by at least 50% by 2028.

“With climate change contributing to the hot weather we are experiencing now and will more so in the future, StreetsLA continues its combination of installing cool pavement and planting trees, especially in the most vulnerable areas of the City, as part of a collective effort to reduce the temperature,” said Board of Public Works President Aura Garcia.

Berendo Street is one of 14 streets in Council District 13 receiving cool pavement in the current fiscal year, in which nine Council Districts are each participating in the program. This fiscal year, Council District 13 will also see the installation of 144 new street trees as part of the initiative.