To the Los Angeles City Council:

We urge the City of Los Angeles to become a Bee City USA affiliate to protect pollinators and create more sustainable habitat throughout our city.

So many Angelenos have responded very positively to the creation of the Lincoln Heights California Native Plant Corridor. This grassroots project, started in 2022 on a strip of vacant land next to the 5 freeway onramp, transformed a trash-filled strip of neglected public land into a vibrant habitat garden featuring California native plants that support local wildlife. When walking by the Corridor you are bound to see so many different pollinators, lizards and birds—proof that creating habitat in an urban space will benefit pollinators and other wildlife.

The success of this community-driven native plant corridor demonstrates what's possible when we prioritize pollinator habitat in Los Angeles. We are reaching out to you because we would like Los Angeles to do more to protect pollinators citywide. One meaningful way to accomplish this would be to become a Bee City USA affiliate—an initiative of the Xerces Society that helps cities develop comprehensive pollinator conservation strategies.

I'm sure that you, like so many of us, have seen the headlines about the struggles facing bees and other pollinators. The population of monarch butterflies has crashed, a quarter of bumble bees are declining, managed honey bee hives are lost—but these are just the well-known examples. Thousands of species of bees and butterflies are threatened due to habitat loss, pesticides, diseases, and climate change. Pollinators touch our lives every day. In addition to the beauty of wildflowers in a meadow, pollinators are responsible for one in three bites of food we consume and are at the heart of a healthy environment on which we all rely.

If we work together as a community, we can have a positive impact on the future of pollinators. As our city grows and evolves, we have an opportunity to adopt innovative pollinator conservation policies: create habitat in our neighborhoods, change how we use pesticides, and find ways to engage more people.

We, the constituents of Los Angeles, urge the City Council to make Los Angeles a Bee City USA affiliate. As a Bee City, Los Angeles would work to develop more sustainable landscape practices to help protect bees and other pollinators. The European honey bee is important for local agriculture, but we also have many dozens of species of native bees that are a necessary part of our local environment as well as supporting harvests on farms, community gardens, and backyards. Together, these bees support the vitality and economy of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles has already set up initiatives that align with the commitments for the Bee City USA certification. For example, the LA Zoo recently launched Project Pollinator which creates native habitat and serves as an example of the simple steps Angelenos can take in their homes and communities to support and create native habitats for birds, butterflies, bees, bats, and other species. Taking the next step to become a Bee City will bring national recognition to what we are already doing. If Los Angeles achieves becoming a Bee City USA affiliate, it would be the largest Bee City in the US! Currently San Diego is Xerces Society's largest Bee City.

We are excited for the opportunity to join Bee City USA, an initiative where cities can collaborate and support one another to make an impact. You can learn more at beecityusa.org. Let's make Los Angeles a Bee City USA affiliate!

Sincerely,