Jim Kennedy (he/him/his)
Jim Kennedy has been involved in building community support for public works projects through policy formulation, project advocacy, and by facilitating dialogue to expand public engagement in project development and implementation. Jim has been a staff member for several local elected officials. In that capacity he has contributed to developing energy and environmental policies and programs. Jim expanded the “Cool Cities” U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Initiative into a South Bay Regional Partnership to combine cities’ resources to more effectively reduce green house gas emissions. That effort continues through the South Bay Environmental
Services Center (SBESC) Green Task Force. As part of Jim’s effort to advocate for and implement energy conservation and alternative energy programs, Jim lead the organizing effort to stop a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal from being built in the Santa Monica Bay. Jim was involved in preserving green spaces and revitalizing ecosystems in the Ballona Creek and Wetlands, as well as at the Redondo Beach AES power plant site. Jim has been involved in the Ballona Wetlands restoration design and planning as a member of the Ballona Creek Task Force and by serving as an alternate on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission for Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl. He has also worked with the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation on Prop O stormwater filtration projects. Jim coordinated the Los Angeles City Council process for the final approval of the Venice Dual Force Main FEIR. Jim’s work managing community relations covers a wide array of strategies. In building community support for water conservation for the Water Replenishment District’s Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program, the goal was to clarify economic and environmental value.
After identifying stakeholders, crafted informational materials and media strategy reached elected officials, community stakeholders, and environmental organizations. As with the Metropolitan Water District’s Bay Delta Conservation Plan, messages to garner support were developed to reach environmental organizations, and then continued to monitor all project changes and tracked responses by environmental organizations to adapt that messaging. For the Southern California Association of Governments’ Congestion Pricing Pilot Project, the work started with the scope and clarification of the objectives, create a survey of potential stakeholders, and develop toolbox of incentive programs to influence regional transportation choices. At a different phase of coordinating mass transit project implementation for Skanska- Rados Joint Venture Expo Phase 2 Metro Light Rail Construction Project, the mission was to maintain government and community relations, including coordinating with agencies and elected officials’ staff for variance permit approvals and monitoring construction mitigation.
Jim has worked on several local, state, and federal campaigns. He is a California Democratic Party State Central Committee Delegate since 2006, and was an Alternate Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008. He served on the Board of the Los Angeles County Young Democrats from 2005-2007. Since 2007, Jim has been an active Board member of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters; and in 2014, Jim joined the Board of the Friends of Ballona Wetlands. In addition, Jim serves as a volunteer mediator in the Dispute Resolution Program of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
Jim has a background in business development and has degrees in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the College of William & Mary. Jim is a longtime West Los Angeles resident.