On September 28 the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) hosted a reception celebrating the 20th anniversary of its South Bay Environmental Services Center (SBESC). Since 2003, the SBESC has collaborated with its 16 member cities and portions of Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles, public utility providers and various agencies, to provide a wide variety of environmental resources to South Bay cities, school districts, residents and businesses.
SBCCOG Chair and Carson Council Member Cedric Hicks welcomed and then led everyone down memory lane with “The South Bay’s Journey to Green”—a presentation highlighting SBESC programs through the years. First Vice Chair and Gardena Council Member Rodney Tanaka and Second Vice Chair and Lawndale Council Member Bernadette Suarez assisted in telling how the SBESC programs grew from a single energy efficiency campaign to eventually include energy and water efficiency giveaways, extensive community outreach and education, climate action planning, technical assistance and much more.
Several federal, state and local elected representatives joined the reception remotely to offer congratulations, including U.S. Representative Nannette Barragan, 44th Congressional District; U.S. Representative Ted Lieu, 36th Congressional District; California State Senator Ben Allen, 24th District; California State Senator Steven Bradford, 35th District; State Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, 66th District; Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, 2nd District; and LA City Council Member Tim McOsker, 15th District.
Learn more about the SBESC and its programs and read the complete “South Bay’s Journey to Green Timeline” at southbaycities.org/environmental-services-center.