Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday the creation of a new Climate Emergency Mobilization Office, which will coordinate efforts among city departments to fulfill the commitments of Los Angeles’ Green New Deal.
“The climate crisis isn’t a distant question, but an everyday reality for families, households, businesses, workers, and frontline communities across Los Angeles — and our Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO) will be a source of solutions for this generational challenge,” Garcetti said.
The office, which will be led by Marta Segura, was created through legislation introduced by Councilman Paul Koretz, which had assistance from the Leap L.A. Coalition.
“With a proven leader like Marta taking the reins, our city will stay focused on the core promises of our vision: greater equity, lower emissions, a thriving economy, and a zero-carbon, green-energy future,” Garcetti said.
As CEMO’s director, Segura will oversee the office’s functions and policy recommendations, as well as serve as a liaison between community groups on behalf of Garcetti’s office and City Council.
She will work to:
— prioritize environmental justice and policy input from people most affected by the climate emergency;
— increase input from disadvantaged neighborhoods by building community and civic engagement; and
— create a strategic plan to mobilize the city’s actions on climate and air quality by collaborating with advocates and local leaders.
The office will be housed in the Board of Public Works and will work with the Climate Emergency Commission, which Garcetti and City Council established to consist of climate, labor and business leaders, as well as representatives from communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
“I am humbled and honored to serve as the city’s first Climate Emergency Mobilization director. Now is the time to work together, with every community and every neighborhood, so we can plan and create the city we want,” said Segura, who Garcetti’s office called a longtime environmental justice advocate.
“We will collaborate with policymakers and community leaders to create opportunities for all families and workers to build thriving, healthy communities for all Angelenos while we strive to be a model for other cities. I’m honored and thrilled to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
Segura holds a master’s of public health from UCLA and founded Segura Strategies 4 Good, which focuses on closing the social and health gaps in Los Angeles. She also served on the L.A. City Planning Commission and was then-City Council President Eric Garcetti’s District Director. She has also worked as a program officer at the California Endowment and associate director of Communities for a Better Environment.
“We look forward to working with the Climate Emergency Mobilization Director and office to uplift community voices and build long-standing solutions rooted in Just Recovery,” said the Leap L.A. Coalition, which includes the Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, Communities for Better Environment, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education, and Pacoima Beautiful.
Councilman Paul Koretz, who authored legislation to create the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office, said:
“The Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO) was created to respond to the worldwide climate crisis, and the hope that, in the short time we have to turn this disaster around, we can take dramatic steps and provide leadership not only in our own city, but as an example others can follow beyond our borders.
“The CEMO was formed in a unique partnership with the Leap L.A. Coalition to address the urgent need to mobilize all sectors of the city with leadership from the most impacted frontline, indigenous and labor communities to address the imminent threats to human health, safety and the very habitability of our planet,” he added. “I appreciate the support from my climate-focused colleagues: Council President Nury Martinez, co-author Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, Budget Chair Councilmember Paul Krekorian, and Mayor Garcetti.”