Michael Cacciotti, recognized as “an environmental hero whose impact is felt far beyond city limits,” earned one of his highest honors last Sunday as he continues to facilitate a clean energy future.
A longtime South Pasadena City Councilmember and current vice chair of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Cacciotti was among five recipients to receive a prestigious Smith-Weiss Environmental Champion Award from the League of Conservation Voters (LALCV).
Making the presentation and calling out his efforts for cleaning the air was presenter Angela Babcock, a senior advisor for Southern California Edison, who lauded Cacciotti as an environmental advocate during the award ceremony portion of the event at the Audubon Center in Los Angeles’ Debs Regional Park, a short distance from South Pasadena down the scenic 110 Arroyo Seco Freeway, off Avenue 43.
“With a public service career rooted in action and advocacy, Michael has consistently demonstrated that local leadership can drive meaningful environmental change,” Babcock told a gathering of about 150 people, enjoying ideal weather inside the park. “Michael has been a steadfast voice for clean air initiatives across Southern California. His leadership has helped shape regional strategies to reduce emissions and protect public health, especially in communities most impacted by air pollution.”
Other honorees joining Cacciotti included State Senator Caroline Menjivar, Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, Coalition for Clean Air Executive Director Dr. Joe Lyou, and former California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols.
Like the others earning recognition, Cacciotti was presented a sage plant to help protect the environment following his talk.
“I would like to recognize the League of Conservation Voters for nearly 50 years, a half century, for environmental advocacy supporting great elected officials like we have here today,” Cacciotti told the crowd.
The councilman highlighted four projects he was actively involved with over the years aimed at reducing air pollution in the region, and signaled out some of those who helped make it happen.
First, Cacciotti was instrumental in preserving open space on the border of Los Angeles in South Pasadena, what’s now known as the Arroyo Seco Woodland and Wildlife Park. At one point late in the 1990s before he joined the council and relatively new to the city, Cacciotti was among a group of vocal residents who pushed to save the land as city government looked to sell it to developers.
“I was a soccer coach, a hiker, and told the city, ‘Let’s put a soccer field in the area and a park for the kids,’ They said, sorry, we’re selling it off.’ I said, not so fast. I was new in town, got involved, had support of 12 volunteers, and from 1998 to 2004 we fought the city. With the help of current United States Senator Adam Schiff, a member of the California State Senate at the time, we fought the city, and he got us a quarter of a million dollars to save the park.”
Today, the 4-acre nature park dedicated to wildlife and nature is a quiet refuge visited by many, some of whom continue to remove litter and weeds one Saturday morning every month.
Second, Cacciotti introduced Dan Mabe, president and CEO of the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA), who was instrumental in South Pasadena electrifying its fleet of leaf blowers, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, weed whackers and other garden and maintenance equipment. As a result, the city became the first city in the nation where all parks and municipalities were maintained through electrification efforts. It started with Garfield Park in 2015 and eventually included the city’s entire park system.
“Dan has gone around the nation, meeting with dozens of cities, colleges, municipalities that have followed the same example of what we established in South Pasadena and like us have received AGZA certification,” proudly said Cacciotti before Mabe showed the power of an electric leaf blower, its strong force blowing back the hair of one of Sunday’s attendees, drawing laughs.
Cacciotti pulled out the battery from the leaf blower and explained that over its lifetime it will save more than two thousand gallons of gas, or dangerous pollutants harmful to the air.
Thirdly, Cacciotti brought up Wes Reutimann, representing Active SGV as a deputy director, who was key to creating a major cyclivia open space bicycle event from the former South Pasadena Gold Line light rail station, now the A Line, to Azusa Pacific University, through eight different cities. The councilmember also introduced Jose Zavala, the founder of Aztlan Athletics, who Reutimann brought on for transportation planning and helped support the event that became the largest cyclivia event of its kind in North America.
Zavala, a South Pasadena resident, is well known in the community for launching the Tiger Run 5k/10k, coming up for the 28th year in December, that annually supports the local high school Booster Club.
And fourth, South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky and Lt. Shannon Robledo were asked to join Cacciotti at the microphone, the councilmember praising their efforts along with Sgt. Tony Abdalla, not in attendance, for transitioning the city’s gas-powered police fleet to all electric vehicles, the first municipality in the nation to make that happen.
“Through many years, a lot of hard work, a lot of testing, eventually the City Council and the police saw that the technology was there, the Tesla was selected and since last July we have an all-electric police patrol, saving the city an incredible amount of money on fuel, energy, maintenance and operational costs,” said Cacciotti. “We’ve been getting calls about it from all over the world after taking a risk to go electric with our police fleet and so far, it is working great.”
Noting that Cacciotti’s career has been rooted in action and advocacy, Babcock applauded the councilman for consistently demonstrating local leadership that can drive meaningful change.
“Whether it’s through policy, public engagement, or hands-on demonstrations – like the city’s leaf blower raffle and showcase – Michael Cacciotti leads with purpose and persistence,” she said. “His work reminds us that environmental progress often begins at the local level, powered by leaders who are willing to challenge the status quo and inspire others to do the same.”
