The city of Vernon, California, fought hard recently to avoid disincorporation. The price of that fight has drained the city's coffers, and now some say it's too deep in the hole to function properly.
The city paid out roughly $9 million in various legal fees to stop a plan to disincorporate the small and sparsely populated city. This is in addition to the $60 million concession the city agreed to make to nearby cities as part of its deal to remain an independent city in Los Angeles County.
"'The law firm is running the city,' said Councilman Daniel D. Newmire. 'That's the way I smell it.'
...John Van de Kamp, the former state attorney general who is Vernon's ethics advisor, said he also believes the firm's rates are too high. He praised Latham & Watkins' performance but said the hefty legal fees underscore a larger problem Vernon has in paying attorneys far too much.
'If you look at the history of Vernon in the last 10 years and the amount of money law firms have taken out before, it's much too high and there's no question about it,' Van de Kamp said. (He charges the city $550 an hour, which he described as a discounted rate.)"
Thanks to Nate Berg
FULL STORY: Vernon's problems lead to huge legal fees

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont