Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO)

What Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) does

The Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) is a public-sector government office established by the LA County Board of Supervisors on May 3, 2016, to coordinate countywide sustainability and climate resilience efforts. The CSO provides policy support and guidance to the Board of Supervisors, County departments, and 88 cities, serving roughly 11 million residents across Los Angeles County. Its mandate is centered on advancing equity, economic opportunity, and climate resilience through the OurCounty Sustainability Plan, which contains 179 action items and long-horizon targets including 100% fossil-fuel-free operations by 2050, 80% local water sourcing by 2045, 95% waste diversion from landfills, and 50% of trips by foot, bike, or transit by 2045.

The CSO's core "products" are policy programs and planning frameworks rather than commercial software. These include the Climate Vulnerability Assessment (released October 2021), the County Heat Action Plan (CHAP) with its data viewer, the Community Forest Management Plan ("Room to Grow") adopted October 2024, the Just Transition Strategy for oil phase-out, the Single-Use Plastic Food Service Ware Ordinance, the Goldspotted Oak Borer Initiative, and the Youth Climate Commission (formalized June 2022). Underlying technology is composed of interactive data visualization tools—the Climate Vulnerability Assessment Mapping Tool, the CHAP Data Viewer, and the LA County Tree Canopy Viewer—each providing county-scale geospatial and climate data. The CSO also co-chairs InfrastructureLA's Environmental, Sustainability, and Resiliency Subcommittee and partners with the UCLA Luskin Center, Clean Power Alliance, Native Nations, and the California Air Resources Board.

The CSO is funded entirely through public tax revenues and County budget allocations; there is no commercial revenue, pricing model, or paid customer relationship. Distribution occurs through government channels: direct policy implementation within County departments, formal Board motions and ordinances, the Resource Library for Cities, community workshops (e.g., 25 workshops for the Urban Forestry Management Plan), events such as LA Climate Week, and digital channels including the cso.lacounty.gov website, a LinkedIn page, and a GovDelivery email newsletter. The office is led by Chief Sustainability Officer Rita Kampalath, with a team that includes a Climate Resilience Officer, Sustainability Policy Director, policy advisors, analysts, and administrative staff, and is headquartered at Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles.

Name

Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO)

Legal name

County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office

Website

https://cso.lacounty.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) is a public-sector government office that coordinates countywide sustainability and climate resilience policy for the Board of Supervisors, County departments, 88 cities, and 11 million LA County residents through the OurCounty Sustainability Plan and 179 action items.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Sustainability Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regulatory & Disclosure Strategy (CSRD/ESRS, ISSB/IFRS S2, SEC, TCFD) (EUABAKAH), GHG Accounting & Net-Zero/Decarbonization Planning (Scopes 1–3) (EUAHAJAC), Sustainability & ESG Reporting (GRI/SASB/ISSB/CSRD) (EUAHAJAB), Audit-Ready Controls, Assurance & Compliance Workflow Tools (CSRD/SEC/ISSB) (EUABAEAG)

Keywords

• Climate resilience planning
• Sustainability policy development
• Environmental program management
• Government climate services
• Regional sustainability planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: The Chief Sustainability Office is a County government department funded through public tax revenues and County budget allocations. No commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) is a Los Angeles County government department that develops and implements regional sustainability policy, climate resilience planning, and environmental equity programs. It produces planning frameworks and policy initiatives such as the OurCounty Sustainability Plan, Climate Vulnerability Assessment, County Heat Action Plan, Community Forest Management Plan, and the Just Transition Strategy, and coordinates with the Board of Supervisors, County departments, 88 cities, and community stakeholders.

Product overview

The Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) does not offer a commercial software product but rather provides a portfolio of policy programs, assessment tools, and planning frameworks focused on sustainability and climate resilience. The core offerings include the OurCounty Sustainability Plan as the overarching guiding document, the Climate Vulnerability Assessment for analyzing climate risks, the County Heat Action Plan (CHAP) for heat resilience, the Community Forest Management Plan (Room to Grow) for urban forestry, the Just Transition Strategy for oil phase-out, the Single Use Plastic Food Service Ware Ordinance, InfrastructureLA for regional collaboration, the Youth Climate Commission for youth engagement, and the Goldspotted Oak Borer Initiative for biodiversity protection. These are government policy programs and planning tools rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OurCounty Sustainability Plan The guiding regional sustainability plan for Los Angeles County containing 179 action items to advance equity, economic opportunity, and climate resilience.
• Climate Vulnerability Assessment A countywide assessment examining social and physical vulnerability to climate hazards such as extreme heat, wildfire, and flooding, with equity implications and guidance for climate adaptation efforts.
• County Heat Action Plan (CHAP)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% renewable energy default for unincorporated areas
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• LA County Youth Climate CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 202225-member commission formalized by Board of Supervisors ordinance, overseen by CSO, to empower youth voices and amplify their perspective on climate issues. Meets quarterly to provide recommendations.
• InfrastructureLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfrastructureLA is a partnership of local agencies collaborating across multiple disciplines to seek funding opportunities, build support, and create resilient, equitable infrastructure. The CSO and Public Works serve as co-chairs of InfrastructureLA's Environmental, Sustainability, and Resiliency Subcommittee.
• Clean Power AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean Power Alliance is a public agency and default electricity provider serving over 3 million residents and businesses across 32 communities. The County established CPA to provide clean energy alternatives and achieved 100% renewable energy for unincorporated areas.
• Just Transition Task ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-sector task force including CSO, City of Los Angeles, and stakeholders developing the Los Angeles Just Transition Strategy to support oil workers transitioning to clean energy jobs.
• City of Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on Just Transition Strategy development and implementation, working together on oil well site transition and reuse planning.
• Native Nations (Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, Chumash)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSovereign Native Nations whose ancestral homelands Los Angeles is built upon, integrated into Just Transition Strategy for community visioning, remediation, and land use redevelopment planning.
• 88 Cities in LA CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional collaboration with all 88 cities in LA County through Resource Library for Cities, providing toolkits, guidance documents, model ordinances, and funding opportunities.
• UCLA Luskin CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for data-driven analysis including Plastic Waste in LA County report and Just Transition Strategy research.
• County Sustainability Council Coordination CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCountywide coordination committee for sustainability efforts, with meeting information available through the CSO website.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Global network of city-level climate offices and mayors driving urban climate action. Not a direct office peer, but LA County participates in C40-adjacent climate work; provides broader context and shared frameworks for sub-national sustainability governance.
• California Air Resources Board (CARB): State-level agency that provides the regulatory backbone (Climate Action Portal Map, climate toolkits) on which LA County CSO's local implementation depends. Operates at a much larger scale and broader mandate, but functionally upstream of CSO's deliverables.

Direct peers

• San Francisco Department of the Environment: City-level sustainability and climate office for San Francisco, managing climate action plans, zero-waste programs, and urban ecology policy. Same model of dedicated sub-state government unit focused on cross-departmental sustainability implementation.
• NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice: City-level government office coordinating climate and sustainability policy across New York City departments. Directly comparable to LA County CSO in role, mandate, and function — both serve as the central policy hub for sub-state climate and equity work within a major U.S. jurisdiction.
• Chicago Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Equity: Chicago's central coordinating body for climate action plan implementation and equity-centered environmental policy. Directly analogous role and small-team government-office model.
• Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment: Municipal office driving climate, equity, and sustainability policy across Seattle departments. Comparable function, scope, and small-team structure to LA County CSO.
• City of Los Angeles Office of Sustainability (LA Sanitation & Environment): Municipal sustainability counterpart operating inside the City of LA on pLAy, LA's Green New Deal, and zero-waste goals. Co-develops Just Transition Strategy with LA County CSO and operates in overlapping geography with overlapping mandates, making it the closest sub-regional peer.

Emerging players

• Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN): Peer-learning network of municipal and county sustainability directors across North America. Comparable participants to LA County CSO; functions as a knowledge-sharing forum rather than a competing office.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lacountycso

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office (CSO)