California Cities Object To Greenhouse Gas Law

"The most public attack so far came last week from Ty Schuiling, planning director for the San Bernardino Associated Governments – a group of local governments that can be expected to be hostile to SB 375's goals. At a conference last week, Schuiling challenged the idea that land use changes are required to meet the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals because the goal cannot be met by making cleaner vehicles, as the California Air Resources Board has suggested. "That is simply not true," Schuiling said.

A similar but more subtle argument came from Hasan Ikhrata, the executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments, which is charged with implementing SB 375 in the Los Angeles region. Speaking on the same panel as Schuiling, Ikhrata said: "I don't think 375 should be thought of as a global warming bill. I don't think it's the most cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions. When I speak about 375 I speak about a land use bill, an urban form bill.""