(;9,,.96>:053( Newly appointed TreePeople CEO Cindy Montaez on creating a climate-resilient Los Angeles
the world. There is no better place to
show how a city can adapt to climate, address issues of the drought, deal with increasing air and water temperatures, look at sea-level rise; I mean, LA really is the perfect laboratory to develop the science, to develop public SROLF\ WR GHYHORS SURMHFWV DQG SURgrams that can be implemented to fundamentally transform and improve and prepare communities to become more climate resilient. When the opportunity came up to work with TreePeople and work with a legend like [TreePeople Founder] Andy /LSNLVLWMXVWFRXOG not have been more perfect.
seeing how the implementation of their
mission and vision was transforming communities. TreePeople continues to be that. We have a mission and a vision WKDWV DERXW SUHSDULQJ FRPPXQLWLHV especially [in] L.A., to become more climate resilient by increasing the local water supply and the tree canopy.
What are some of your responsibiliWLHVDV&(2"
My responsibility as CEO of By Mina Riazi TreePeople is going to be to make sure that this great vision of making LA the You served in the California State lic agencies like most climate resilient city in the world Assembly from 2002 to 2006. How the Los Angeles JHWVLPSOHPHQWHGP\MRELVWRFRQWLQof did that experience prepare you for Department ue to encourage our team here to dream Power, L.A. WKLVUROH" about what it is that we can do to make and When I was a member of the state Sanitation LA and the greater region the most County legislature, one of my biggest passions L.A. climate resilient and sustainable city was issues of the environment and Public Works. So Tell us more that we can, and ultimately implement natural resources, particularly environ- we brought everyabout TreePeople. that dream. I will do everything from PHQWDO MXVWLFH 0\ SROLF\ ZRUN ZDV body together to I came across getting my hands dirty and planting very much about urban sustainability start coordinating TreePeople when WUHHV WR PHHWLQJ ZLWK PDMRU LQYHVWRUV DQG SURWHFWLQJ &DOLIRUQLDV EHDXWLIXO and start having I was in my late donors and believers of TreePeople to environment, as well as looking at the the discussion V D PHPEHU RI bring us all together on a mission and XUEDQHQYLURQPHQW+DYLQJWKHRSSRU- about how we the legislature and a vision that most Californians share. tunity to be CEO of TreePeople allows as a region can working for very Two out of three Californians will say me to connect big policy issues like start increasing poor, underserved that climate change is a real issue that climate change and how cities adapt our local water c o m m u n i t i e s , needs to be addressed. to becoming more climate resilient. supply by turnlike the northeast [The position also allows me to] work ing to ancient, part of the San TreePeople works with different levconcepts with local neighborhoods all over the old Fernando Valley. els of government to create poliGreater Los Angeles Area to actu- of storm-water I came across cies that facilitate a greener L.A. The ally create models of sustainability capture. this brilliant mind infrastructure. Tell us about some of that, from my perspective, have to be r e l a t i o n s h i p s and man named those policies. available so that we can take what that I established The overall Stormwater Capture Andy Lipkis, who ZHUHGRLQJLQQHLJKERUKRRGVWKURXJK- as an Assistant was talking about Master Planthe first of its kind says out Los Angeles and scale it county- G e n e r a l storm-water cap- that we are going to move towards of wide, California-wide, country-wide Manager ture and connect- JHWWLQJDWOHDVWSHUFHQWRIRXUZDWHU are and, even at some point, export these LADWP ing the importance from local water supply. The numideas to developing countries all over r e l a t i o n s h i p s of the work that ber one energy user in California is and partnerships the world. TreePeople is doing all the energy that goes into bringing that will allow with my reality of water imported from the SacramentoMost recently, you were Assistant usalong with being a state leg- 6DQ-RDTXLQ'HOWD%\LQFUHDVLQJORFDO General Manager of the Department T r e e P e o p l e , islature for a very water supply, we save energy, we make RI :DWHU DQG 3RZHU <RXUH QRZ LADWP, LA poor, underserved it more sustainable, we create a greener helming an environmental organiza- Sanitation and HQYLURQPHQWDO MXV- environmentand all of that leads County tion that promotes sustainable local LA tice community. WRZDUGV MRE FUHDWLRQ KHDOWKLHU FRPwater supplies. How are the two Department of [Andy] spoke to munities and preparing us for climates. Public Works LQWHUUHODWHG" the work that we ,WVDPLVVLRQDQGDYLVLRQWKDWEHQHILWV When I was brought into the Los to make these were doing and I everyone and anyone, regardless of Angeles Department of Water and SURMHFWV ZLWK saw the work that where you live and what your backPower, it was specifically to be part of s t o r m - w a t e r was done. In one ground might be. TreePeople is about the team that was looking at how the capture a realof the poorest parts investing in all of us. largest municipal utility in the coun- ity in neighborin the entire city of try, which is LADWP, could become hoods throughLos Angeles, they did a storm-water :KDWLV\RXUWRSSULRULW\" cleaner in its energy and more sustain- RXW/$6RWKHUHFRXOGQWKDYHEHHQD FDSWXUH SURMHFW ZKHUH WKH\ WRUH XS D My top priority is to be a chamable with its water supply and delivery. more perfect training. concrete asphalt playground and put pion all over Los Angeles, the State of 1RZ ZHUH GLVFXVVLQJ WKH 6WRUPZDWHU in a storm-water system that allowed California and the country in pushing Capture Master Plan, groundwater con- Why were you drawn to this oppor- for water to be cleaned and recycled these ideas that are practical and can be tamination cleanup in the San Fernando WXQLW\ZLWK7UHH3HRSOH" back onto the property. Where there implemented that are coming out of this I want to make a difference in issues ZDVRQFHDQDVSKDOWMXQJOHLWEHFDPHD beautiful village that is TreePeople. [I Valley, increased recycling efforts and conservation. Being at TreePeople, I of environmental sustainability and I beautiful running track with grass and want to] create those partnerships and have the ability to work with one of our want to be a leader in the City of trees and a playground for kids to actu- find additional supporters to make Los main partners in what we have called Los Angeles with TreePeople to make ally be able to play in. I saw the work Angeles the most climate resilient and the Multi-Agency Collaborative, or L.A. a model for climate resiliencya that TreePeople was doingI saw a sustainable city in the country, and take MAC. The Multi-Agency Collaborative model that can be scalable and taken visual, tangible transformation of com- WKDWPRGHODOORYHUWKHZRUOG0\MRELV LVDXQLTXHRQHRIDNLQGFRQFHSWWKDW to communities throughout the region, munities. I believed in the mission and to be the champion and make sure that has actually brought together pub- throughout the state and throughout the vision that they had because I was happens every day.
The number one
energy user in California is all the energy that goes into bringing water imported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. By increasing local water supply, we save energy, we make it more sustainable, we create a greener environmentand all of that leads towards job creation, healthier communities and preparing us for FOLPDWHV