Los Alamitos Area included in Smart Cities Initiative

LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Huntington Beach will be one town in the White House's "Smart Cities Initiative" it was announced today. Huntington Beach will take part in a national program to address climate change, transportation, public safety and improved public services, according to a directive from the White House.

$80 million in federal funds will be spent on Smart Cities Initiative programs. Each city has different needs and will look at the Smart Cities Initiative in a different way, according to the White House program.

Los Angeles County and Huntington Beach will take part in a U.S. Department of Energy program called the "Better Communities Alliance." The cities involved in this program will serve by providing support in tackling energy and climate challenges. More than 30 municipalities and counties will take part in the program, along with more than 25 community and trade organizations.

"If we can re-conceive of our government so that the interactions and the interplay between private sector, nonprofits and government are opened up, and we use technology, data, social media in order to join forces around problems, then there's no problem that we face in this country that is not soluble," President Barack Obama said in a statement.

The Smart Cities Initiative program is a one-stop shop for cities and counties to plug into DOE and AmeriCorps resources. In California, the cities of Chula Vista and San Francisco, and Sonoma County, will also be part of the alliance.

Los Angeles is among more than 20 cities launching an initiative to ensure responsible and equitable deployment of smart city technologies, according to the White House.

The effort, led by the city of New York, aims to provide a common framework to help governments develop and expand policies and procedures related to the internet of things -- which refers to network connectivity of appliances and other common objects.

“Every community is different, with different needs and different approaches. But communities that are making the most progress on these issues have some things in common. They don't look for a single silver bullet; instead they bring together local government and nonprofits and businesses and teachers and parents around a shared goal," President Obama said, regarding the initiative.

The program goals also include ensuring openness and transparency regarding the use of public space or assets for smart city technologies, and advancing public dialogue about how government, the private sector and academia can collaborate to ensure the technologies are used in a way that maximizes public benefit.

The cities of San Diego, Palo Alto and San Francisco are also taking part in the initiative.

City News Service contributed to this report. Shutterstock image.