Podcast - Making Smart Growth Work In Los Angeles
- Artist: Planetizen
- Title: Planetizen Podcast - 2007-03-01 - Making Smart Growth Work In Los Angeles
- Album: Planetizen Podcast
- Year: 2007
- Length: 14:05 minutes (6.5 MB)
- Format: Stereo 22kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
In this episode, we bring highlights from a recent discussion about smart growth between former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening and Los Angeles City Planning Director Gail Goldberg. They look at ways that lessons learned about smart growth at a national scale can be applied to planning in the city of Los Angeles.
Glendening is credited with having coined the phrase "smart growth" in the late 1990s and is currently president of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, a project of Smart Growth America, which helps communities implement smart growth.
Goldberg was appointed director of the Los Angeles City Planning Department in 2006, and was formerly director of the Planning Department of the City of San Diego.
This discussion was part of an event held for the Los Angeles City Planning Department staff. It was recorded February 6, 2007 in Los Angeles.
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smart vs sprawl: the devil in the details
Thankfully, Goldberg is explicit about several key and too rarely examined conflicts in the "smart growth" pantheon: Gentrification, densification, participation, economic growth,..., none of which are limited to LA. If only more of these management debates focused on the problematic challenges before us rather than the generic promises and complaints of well-intentioned folks like Governor Glendening, a la "smart growth is the one true path" and "LA is sprawling out of control." Perhaps he is simply evangelizing to get planners excited about their jobs and options, which is all good, but it's possible to embrace the idea of growing better, and fairer, without losing sight of the pivotal roles of the implementation and place-specific details than may well matter most.
It will be useful to all of us to see how she negotiates this terrain between cultivating political support, with the pat, popular and unambiguous answers that requires, and actually moving the city's vision forward in a world of uncertain change and complexity.
Randall Crane, UCLA
Planners in San Francisco.
Well if your looking for a planning job in SF, I believe you might be too late. I work for a city department, and I believe that the position is already filled. I think I've even seen the cube tagged with a not saying that it now belongs to the new planner. I will look into it though, and post if the position is still open. Last I heard one of the east bay cities was looking for someone. I dont remember which city, but will find out and post about it.
They are
STILL hiring for six more planners in the City of San Francisco. The application and interview process has not concluded yet.
Check out SF Gov and HR for more info.
http://www.sfgov.org/site/jobs_index.asp
Too bad
San Diego lost a gem like Gail Goldberg, due to right-wing political pressure on the part of city council and the mayor's office. Unlike common belief, Ms. Goldberg was single-handedly responsible for coming up with the City of San Diego "City of Villages" general plan update, NOT Bill Anderson. Unfortunately, the plan has been watered down by NIMBY community planning groups and pro-business lobbys to be the useless document it is today.
Now all they have is the king of conservative, small government privatization, Harvard grad Planning Director Bill Anderson. Can't wait to see how his and Jim Waring's plans for handing over most of the San Diego City Planning Dept. jobs to private consultants turns out, and how much MORE in the long run it will cost taxpayers.
Gail Goldberg is now working for a city (and a mayor, Villaraigosa) who truly appreciate her visionary and uniquely talented experience. Los Angeles, with the help of Gail Goldberg, is truly doing great things nowadays. Too bad San Diego couldn't live up to its "new urbanist" potential, or keep Ms. Goldberg in the process.
Info and a SHAMELESS plug
On the privatization front, the planner (actually, all staff) exodus has already begun. Layoffs at Development Services should be announced next week or so. 30 or so jobs now, 30 in a few months. I'm afraid I'm affected by that... not long enough in the job.
I dunno if privatization is the reason we are being laid off THIS time, though. Revenue IS down, and we are an enterprise fund. But I am curious to see who we are replaced with when business picks back up.
Any prospects for me up San Fran way? Or anywhere? ANYONE? Feel free to chime in, I'm not minding a move at this point.
Privatization IS the reason you're being laid off in San Diego
Check it out:
"INDY BY THE SEA?
California dreamin’ with the right-wing think tanks"
http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=4013
"the outsourcing of government jobs, leads not to decreasing but to increasing the number of lousy jobs, and it does little to lower existing taxes. Their study notes that, “What is perfectly clear is that, even if a major privatization takes place, and even if the quality of service goes down, taxes usually remain the same. The difference is that more of those public funds go into private corporate pockets.”
I'm afraid you're being laid off Travis because Mayor Jerry Sanders through his "strong mayor" form of government (in conjunction with political cronies Jim Waring and Bill Anderson), is looking to fulfill the ultimate agenda of the right-wing think tank movement, which is to privatize ALL government services and activities.
Basically, "When government fails (like in the case of the pension scandal - which was of course due to greedy right wing corporate graft), the answer is always to hand over the commons to the corporate world, which, we’re told, does it better and more efficiently than the public sector". However, we all know this self-serving ideology NEVER works in reality.
San Diego is the Reason Foundation's ultimate political and ideological manifestation.
Ronald Reagan would be so proud!!
San Francisco is
hiring for planners right now I believe. You should definitely check it out. And the pay is MUCH better than San Diego, like $20,000/year more for the same experience and qualifications.
http://www.sfgov.org/site/jobs_page.asp?id=56208
http://www.sfgov.org/site/jobs_page.asp?id=55888
http://www.sfgov.org/site/jobs_page.asp?id=54368
http://www.sfgov.org/site/jobs_page.asp?id=56270
I know there are numerous municipal jurisdictions around the Bay Area that are always hiring, most recently in San Rafael, Dublin, Belmont, Richmond, etc etc. ABAG and Bay Area county planning agencies also hire on a regular basis as well.
No municipal fiscal problems up here and the cost of living is equal to or even less than San Diego. And unlike San Diego, which is presently experiencing a period of economic stagnation and decline as a result of the real estate bubble, the Bay Area is really starting to boom again since the dot com bust, due to a much more diversified and resilient economy.
Good luck Travis, get out of San Diego and check out the Bay Area!!!
Plug in.
There's no sunshine for 9 months, but western WA always needs planners, and I suggest looking at APA-WA or APA-CO for ideas.
Good luck.
Best,
D