LOS ANGELES—A proposal to end the construction of gas stations took a step forward this week with LA City Councilman Paul Koretz announcing he is drafting such policy to bring before the council by the end of the year.
“We are ending oil drilling in Los Angeles. We are moving to all-electric new construction. And we are building toward fossil fuel free transportation,” Koretz said in a statement. “Our great and influential city, which grew up around the automobile, is the perfect place to figure out how to move off the gas-powered car.”
Last March, Petaluma in Sonoma County became the first city in the nation to ban new gas stations.
Councilwoman D’Lynda Fischer, who authored the motion, which is now law, said she is “not surprised” that other cities are following their lead.
“We have an obligation to stop fossil fuel expansion and new gas stations lock communities into many kinds of risks,” Fischer said in a statement.
As of now, Koretz hasn’t brought forth a proposed ordinance, but he hopes to bring something to the council by the end of the year.
The push to limit the use of fossil fuels began in September 2020 when California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to phase out gas vehicles by 2035. Several bills limiting the use of fossil fuels have since made their way through the Legislature, even amid some pushback from Californians.
