Executive Summary: Affordable Homes First: Advancing a Green New Deal for Los Angeles Renters

Los Angeles, which has made great strides in creating a clean energy economy, could be reducing energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a scale in line with meeting the Paris Climate Agreement targets if it more effectively made energy-efficiency programs available for low-income residents of multifamily buildings. By doing so, the city would not only further advance its efforts to stem climate change but also make its buildings healthier and more affordable for one million of the city’s most economically vulnerable renters.

These renters are the hardest hit by California’s housing crisis, pay the highest percentage of their incomes on energy bills, and are among the most vulnerable to climate-change related disasters, including more frequent and intense heat waves and wildfires.

This report finds that expanding effective programs to better serve this population not only is possible and cost-effective, but also comes with meaningful economic and environmental benefits.