On Eric Garcetti's 100th day in office, the new mayor of Los Angeles showed progress on his promise to increase accountability by launching a beta website to track City Hall performance in nine categories and for each city department.
"For better or worse, facts began tumbling forth in the new "performance" section of the mayor's website Tuesday, Garcetti's 100th day in office," report Michael Finnegan and Ben Welsh.
"Modeled on systems set up by Minneapolis, Boston and other cities, the website is supposed to answer the public’s most commonly asked questions," explained Finnegan in an article filed prior to the site's launch. "How many violent crimes have occurred in my neighborhood? How long does it take to get a building permit for a house remodel? Or a pothole filled, or a street light repaired?"
Though Garcetti promised to release the raw data behind the metrics unveiled on the beta site Tuesday, critics aren't waiting to pounce.
"This is a marketing website, not an open government website," said Clay Johnson, a leading advocate of open-government data. "The difference is: open government websites don't just have the PowerPoint deck slides that make you look good."
FULL STORY: Mayor adds departments' performance data to his website

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie