Last year, the small city of Petaluma, California made the first ban of its kind in the nation: the construction of new gas stations. Since then, four other Bay Area cities have jumped on the bandwagon and now, Los Angeles is looking to enact a gas station ban, too. It should come as no surprise that gas stations are unsafe for those who live nearby since they leak petroleum and other toxic pollutants into the air and groundwater.

This gas station ban is one of many innovative laws enacted by communities across California. With the car-centric state phasing out fossil fuel use by banning the sale of new gas cars in 2035, gas stations (especially new ones) will become increasingly unnecessary. The already large volume of gas stations throughout the state has led LA city officials to consider prohibiting new ones. Earlier this year, LA City Council banned new oil wells and phase out those already in operation, and the LA County Board of Supervisors drafted an ordinance for service wear to be compostable or recyclable over the next two years.

Andy Shrader, director of environmental affairs for Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, emphasized, in a conference, the urgency in getting rid of gas stations and pursuing other types of climate action: "If you have lung cancer, you stop smoking; if your planet’s on fire, you stop pouring gasoline on it.”