The Los Angeles City Council voted on May 23 to set up a framework for the City and Israel to exchange ideas on technology, particularly in the areas of sustainability and the environment.
The City will tap into a 55-year-old sister-city relationship with the Israeli city Eilat by setting up a task force of representatives from the two cities, according to City Councilman Bob Blumenfield.
“Israel is a true start-up nation,” he said. “They have made the desert bloom, launched satellites into orbit, led the world in microprocessor and cellular technology and even advised our own airports in security matters.”
The partnership “makes sense,” he said, “as we grapple with a changing environment and the economic challenges that go with it.”
The panel will explore ways of tackling issues such as water scarcity, port security and solar technology and report back to the City Council after one year.
The two cities “share many things in common,” said David Siegel, Israel’s consul general in Los Angeles.
“Through this task force we will be able to identify opportunities where Israel can assist Los Angeles on issues like water recycling and conservation, renewable energy and climate change,” he said.
The task force comes after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a pact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March to share trade and research opportunities between California and the Jewish state.
