Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles have stopped the city's elected Council from using a misleading title for a ballot initiative facing voters in November. The volunteer groups are moving closer to providing a voice for the community at City Hall.
Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles -- volunteer groups of concerned citizens who make policy recommendations to the city -- have scored a victory against their elected counterparts in the City Council as a judge has ruled that a ballot initiative intended to lengthen term limits was misleadingly titled.
"On Aug. 31, Superior Court Judge Robert O'Brien agreed with a coalition of neighborhood council members that the wording of Measure R, the half-baked ballot initiative to extend City Council term limits and weaken lobbyist restrictions, was misleading. Council members cleverly titled the measure, 'Councilmember Term Limits of Three Terms.' Almost sounds like they're creating term limits, rather than extending them, doesn't it?"
"In changing Measure R's title to the more accurate 'Lengthening Councilmember Term Limits,' as originally suggested by the city attorney, Judge O'Brien handed our diverse band of neighborhood council Davids a powerful victory over the insular Goliaths of City Hall."
With this victory, the 86 Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles have moved closer to living up to their mandated power of attaining a "reasonable opportunity to provide input before decisions are made" as approved by voters in 1999.
FULL STORY: Noise in the 'Hood

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

Austin’s Building Boom Not Reaching Lowest-Income Families
Despite having the highest rate of affordable housing construction in the nation, Austin is still underproducing housing for the neediest households.

New Indianapolis Bridge Prioritizes Walking, Biking
Over half the surface of the Fall Creek Bridge is devoted to walking and biking paths.

New Hampshire House Passes Parking Reform Bill
The revised bill, which caps parking requirements at one spot per residential unit and eliminates exemptions, will go back to the Senate for a new vote.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions