Uplift Indigenous and Frontline Community Leadership for a Regenerative Future Rooted in Climate Justice and Reciprocity with Nature
LEAP LA’S VISION
Located on unceded Tongva, Tataviam, and Chumash lands, LEAP LA aims to reconnect people to nature and transition our society to have a reciprocal, non-extractive relationship with our plant relatives, rivers, and mountains in order to create spaces to practice healing, rematriation, and community resilience. Recognizing that BIPOC, economically exploited, and frontline communities bear the burden of the existing settler-colonial extractive and toxic economy, we mobilize our intergenerational, multiracial, and intersectional community-based organizations and coalition members. Our objectives are to:
Uphold the principles of Tribal Sovereignty and community self-determination in order to influence systemic change, governance structures and achieve climate justice.
Center and uplift frontline communities in the co-creation of a community-defined vision for environmental and climate justice.
Co-develop community-driven solutions that address their immediate needs while preventing further harms.
Transition Los Angeles to a regenerative, non-toxic, and just economy.
ABOUT US
LEAP LA is a coalition of dynamic and intersectional community-based organizations united in the fight for environmental and climate justice, and the transformative power of frontline leadership.
Each of our partners contributes unique expertise in transitioning Los Angeles to a non-extractive, regenerative economy. Our collective brings decades of experience mobilizing Indigenous, Black, Latino, immigrant, and low-income populations across Los Angeles to confront systemic inequities and environmental harms.
OUR GOALS
Develop a community led response to environmental and climate justice with an equity lens, putting frontline communities at the forefront.
Support a Just Transition by investing and prioritizing in vibrant resiliency hubs, green infrastructure, and economic opportunity in neighborhoods burdened by toxic sites and polluting industries.
Co-create, support, and uplift, local responses to the climate crisis that include concrete community and tangible benefits within equitable development and maximize opportunities for the benefit of communities.
Transition Los Angeles to a regenerative economy, where the economy produces postive contributions to society and the environment.
OUR WINS
Community Voices at the Forefront of Climate Action: The Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO)
noviembre 3, 2025
LEAP LA champions community-driven solutions to the climate crisis. Our advocacy led to the establishment of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO), the Commission, and Climate Equity LA, ensuring that the voices of frontline communities are central to shaping LA’s climate action plan. These initiatives empower residents to directly influence decisions affecting their neighborhoods and
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Equipping Communities to Combat Extreme Heat
noviembre 3, 2025
As Los Angeles faces increasingly intense heat waves, LEAP LA is taking direct action to protect vulnerable communities. In partnership with USC and Occidental College, we developed a culturally relevant curriculum on extreme heat, empowering residents with the knowledge and tools to stay safe. Through interactive workshops and heat resilience toolkits containing essential supplies like
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OUR VALUES
LEAP LA values the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples, BIPOC, and frontline communities who are hit first and worst by climate impacts and environmental exposures. We acknowledge the intersection of oppressions that are experienced by economically-exploited and communities of color, particularly those of race, class and gender. Grounded in the belief of cumulative impacts and intersectional oppressions, we believe these communities should be the driving force to achieve climate and environmental justice.
Deep Democracy, Capacity Building and Community Empowerment
Social & Systems Transformation Guided by a Just Transition
Accountability & Transparency with Frontline Communities
Solidarity and Equitable Partnerships & Collaboration
COMMUNITY VOICES
Debbie Exum, SCOPE
“Utility bills have affected me because they are so high… I have to have the AC on because it’s so hot. I hardly ever used it before but now at my age a little bit of sun will drain me. I’m trying to do whatever I can to lower it… We need immediate relief and long-term affordability.”
Jessa, Sacred Places Institute For Indigenous Peoples
“I look forward to the day that the rivers and streams in LA are de-concretized, re-Indigenized and have the salmon and trout revitalized throughout the county.”
