Transform Your Lawn: Class Registration 

Open Now 

Save Water and Energy with a SoCalGas Energy Efficiency Starter Kit 

West Basin 

Becomes 27th South Bay Public Agency to Join SoCalREN

Registration Open for “Transforming Lawns: A Sustainable Approach” Class 

If you want to learn how to remove your grass and turn it into a beautiful, sustainable, and water-efficient landscape, sign up today for the upcoming “Transforming Lawns: A Sustainable Approach” free class at Darby Park in Inglewood. 

This class will give you an in-person opportunity to learn from experts in grass removal and water use efficiency from West Basin, Water Replenishment District (WRD), Metropolitan Water District, and Green Media Creations. The class is just one in a series of free in-person classes that will teach you everything you need to know to get started on your landscape transformation. 

The class takes place on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Register for this class now, as space is limited. Light refreshments will be served, and one lucky attendee will win a free rain barrel to take home at the end of the class.

Read more here!

Apply for an Energy Efficiency Starter Kit 

SoCalGas offers free Energy Efficiency Start Kits to SoCalGas customers. The kit includes three faucet aerators and a low-flow showerhead to help you save energy and water. These devices allow air to enter into the water stream, maintaining high-pressure flow while reducing water usage.  

Apply for an Energy Efficiency starter kit here!  

SBCCOG Welcomes West Basin Municipal Water District to the SoCalREN as a Newly Enrolled Agency! 

West Basin has recently enrolled in the Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN), making it the 267th agency and the 43rd water district in the Network. They are the 27th public agency in the South Bay enrolled, thanks to the continued partnership between the SBCCOG and the SoCalREN.

The West Basin Water District provides safe and reliable water to several South Bay cities, as well as communities beyond the South Bay. In addition to water distribution services, West Basin also offers a range of water conservation programs, from free rain barrel distribution to gardening workshops.

Water and energy conservation go hand in hand. Transporting, pumping, and treating water all require energy. On top of that, 25% of household energy use is spent heating water for showers, washing machines, and dishwashing. Likewise, producing energy requires water for cooling and generation.

Understanding this relationship between water and energy highlights the importance of the collaboration between West Basin and the SoCalREN. 



Learn more about the West Basin Municipal Water District here! 

1,000 Days to Go; LA Metro Powers Ahead Toward America’s Games

With just 1,000 days until the world turns its eyes to the U.S. for the 2028 Games, LA Metro is proud to highlight the transformational progress being made. Metro’s investments of nearly $20 billion in federal, state, and local funding to accelerate projects for America’s Games are already on track to help deliver a world-class experience for athletes, visitors, and residents alike, shaping the legacy these Games will leave behind.

Metro is making historic progress on its Twenty-Eight by ’28 initiative, a comprehensive plan to enhance the region’s transit infrastructure in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. These key projects are not only improving everyday mobility across Los Angeles County but also fueling the national, state, and local economies by creating and sustaining jobs and supporting a wide range of contractors and small businesses from across the country.



To read more, click here.

For more information about LA Metro's Olympic Games Preparations, click here.

The Brackish Groundwater Reclamation Program (BGRP) is an initiative to clean up an area of salty groundwater that was created in the early 1900s as over-pumping allowed seawater to seep into the region’s groundwater basins. By cleaning up the salty groundwater, a new water supply is created, which increases groundwater use for the region and creates more storage space for freshwater supplies.  

A critical step in achieving the objectives of this project is to expand WRD’s Torrance Groundwater Desalter facility. The facility treats up to 3.6 million gallons of brackish (salty) water per day. The expansion project will clean up the southern portion of the 14-square-mile brackish water plume and provide up to 2.3 billion gallons (7,100 acre-feet) of additional drinking water per year. 

WRD began Construction of this project at the end of October 2025 and is expected to be completed in 2028. 

Learn more about the history of brackish water in groundwater basins here. 

Learn more about groundwater desalination here.

Sanitation Districts Celebrate 347 Companies as Exemplary "Good Corporate Citizens"

The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (Sanitation Districts) proudly recognized 347 companies today with certificates recognizing them as “good corporate citizens” for 2024. These distinguished companies that have consistently met wastewater discharge limits, maintained their environmental equipment to high standards, and adhered to all permit requirements. Notably, 74 of them have earned this accolade for five or more consecutive years.

Read more: here.

Visit our booth at these upcoming South Bay events

where we will be providing information about local water- and energy-saving programs, and other opportunities to help the residents of our subregion.

Job Opportunities

Metro is seeking qualified candidates to join one of the nation’s largest and most innovative transportation systems.

• Departmental Systems Analyst
• Engineering Assistant
• Senior Creative Photographer
• Temporary Administrative Intern (Graduate)

For a full list of Metro job openings, visit their career page here.

Learn more about

the South Bay Environmental Service Center (SBESC),

Contact Martha Segovia

310-371-7222 or

martha@southbaycities.org

 Links to Partner Resources En Español:

• Metro - "El Pasajero"

Disclaimer

This newsletter is a collaboration of articles written by the partners of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) and is published as provided.