Council committee assignments announced

In my last column, I shared why I decided to run for Council District 5. Put simply, no other level of government has as much impact on our everyday experience as Angelenos as the Los Angeles City Council. Our quality of life, our ability to raise our children in safe neighborhoods with access to parks, how long we spend in our cars getting to and from work — these are

CD 5 Council Report by Katy Young Yaroslavsky

all impacted by who is working for you at City Hall.

A few weeks ago, the council president announced new committee assignments for each councilmember. I have the honor of serving as chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, and I also will serve on these committees: Budget & Finance; Planning & Land Use Management; Transportation; and Ad Hoc Olympics. Each of these committees has a direct role to play in the quality of life issues I ran on. Livable, walkable neighborhoods, bikeable streets, a sustainable future for our children and new, affordable housing in transit-rich areas are all within reach for our District.

As chair of the Energy and Environment Committee in particular, I plan on tackling our climate crisis head on. It’s why, during my first council meeting, I filed a motion requesting a report from the City Planning Department on how we can adopt a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan into the city’s General Plan. As it stands, the city’s efforts to mitigate climate change are not codified into law, and they are not legally enforceable. If we are to seriously tackle climate change as a city, that must change. And the Energy and Environment Committee is the legislative body to take on that work.

I am looking forward to continuing these updates on our work as your councilwoman, and I ask that you continue to hold me accountable to these critical quality of life issues. Together, we can better the lives of Angelenos across our city and transform our future.

WWII Italian Jews remembered at commemoration

The eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day will include a commemoration ceremony in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy at the Holocaust Museum LA, 100 The Grove Dr.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles will also be represented at the remembrance on Thurs., Jan. 26 at 3 p.m.