The city of Bell made news in 2010 with rampant misappropriation of public funds, but the problem is still (as ever) more widespread than anyone realizes.
Rick Cole, the current city manager of Ventura and former city manager of Azusa, details some of the causes and effects of the corruption making news in cities like Bell and Vernon in L.A. County in this exclusive interview:
"Yes, government corruption is outrageous. But shortchanging half a million people from vital local services is far more devastating. The most astounding story is the impact of relegating a huge swath of our workforce to conditions that guarantee we can't compete in the global economy."
"We know the checks and balances that keep most communities functioning: governmental transparency and accountability, the oversight of a free press, professional public managers, and honest elections. These are not exotic, complicated, Ivory Tower panaceas. These are everyday realities that keep local government working in the vast majority of California communities. We simply need to ensure that the residents of this region have the same rights and protections the rest of us take for granted."
Thanks to James Brasuell
Read the full story: Rick Cole: Cities of Bell, Vernon Expose Governance Failures
Amtrak unveils proposal to restructure, split into 3 divisions
Agency officials say the new structure would offer more transparency and accountability.
Review: Why Nothing Works
In “Why Nothing Works,” Marc Dunkelman argues that America’s political gridlock stems from an internal progressive conflict between Hamiltonian centralized efficiency and Jeffersonian individualized safeguards.
New Book Sheds Light on Rural Governance
Learn more about a new book that provides some overdue attention to public governance and administration in small towns and rural communities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic place names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority