MOTION-- In 1998, the City of Los Angeles launched the Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP). The goal of the program is to inspect the City's rental housing stock routinely to prevent dangerous, substandard, unsanitary, or deficient residential buildings and dwelling units. All buildings with two or more living units are inspected every four years to ensure compliance with State and local health and safety codes. In the past, the SCEP program ran an initiative known as Gateway to Green, in which SCEP inspectors provided recommendations to building owners on optional strategies to reduce their utility costs and environmental impacts. The Gateway to Green program offered background information about energy and water conservation measures and information about government or utility programs that can defray the costs of implementing a project.
The energy used to light, cool, and heat Los Angeles' buildings represents roughly 43% of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, more than any other sector. Reducing the environmental impact of buildings offers co-benefits in the form of more comfortable and healthy buildings for tenants, and reduced operating and utility costs. For these reasons, the SCEP program should provide added value to building owners and tenants while also supporting efforts to reduce the environmental impact of Los Angeles' rental housing stock.
I THEREFORE MOVE that the Los Angeles Housing Department report on opportunities to identify voluntary water conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy recommendations in the Systematic Code Enforcement Program as an added service to building owners and tenants. The report should describe strategies to share information about common measures and opportunities to partner with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to reduce the cost of doing this work