Los Angeles Region Report

The Los Angeles (LA) region contains all of Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties, along with adjacent urbanized portions of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Topography in the region includes a large swath of coastal plains along the Pacific Ocean; the Santa Monica, San Gabriel, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, and San Jacinto Mountains; along with the western tip of the Mojave Desert in the Antelope Valley of northern Los Angeles County. Home to roughly 18 million people and growing, this region contains approximately half the population of California, and has a higher population than 45 other states. Countless ecosystems thrive throughout the region’s coasts, mountains, and interior landscapes. The region also has immense economic value to California and the nation, including its entertainment and digital media industries, international trade through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, defense contracting, medicine, and a growing high-tech sector. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that the human, economic, and natural systems across the LA region continue to thrive under a changing future climate.