Jerry Meral, Deputy Secretary of Resources in California, discusses balancing myriad stakeholders and goals in pushing for Governor Brown's controversial Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta plan.
Jerry Meral was recruited by California Governor Jerry Brown to head the California Department of Natural Resources' efforts to improve, update, and manage water infrastructure in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The Planning Report spoke with Deputy Secretary Meral about his role in the Bay Delta conservation planning process, the challenges associated with creating a plan for the Delta, and what the future of water in California will look like.
Meral holds that decades after the environmental battles over the Delta in the early 1980s, when he was Deputy Director of the Department of Water Resources, the stakeholders have changed, and opposition and support have grown more nuanced. No longer can one sweepingly characterize the positions of different environmental groups or farming advocates. Meral's work tests whether states can still unite stakeholders in efforts to make bold investments in infrastructure and natural space.
Thanks to Kevin Madden
FULL STORY: Deputy Resources Secretary Jerry Meral Expresses Optimism over Gov. Brown's Delta Plan

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path
Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.

Congestion Pricing Drops Holland Tunnel Delays by 65 Percent
New York City’s contentious tolling program has yielded improved traffic and roughly $100 million in revenue for the MTA.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service