Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced his commitment to the planning process in Los Angeles by proposing a program that would hire new planners and launch new planning efforts at the community level.

Josie Huang reports that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced an initiative to hire a 28 new city planners that will be tasked with updating the city's community plans.
"There are 35 of these blueprints, each one containing housing and transportation policy for one or several neighborhoods," explains Huang. "But many plans have been unchanged for decades, and Garcetti said they do not reflect the city's changing landscape and growing mass transit infrastructure."
The redoubling of efforts on community plans in Los Angeles follows a highly controversial initiative proposed for the March 2017 ballot, known as the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative. The article allows John Schwada, a spokesman for the initiative, a platform to respond to the mayor's proposal. According to Schwada, as paraphrased in the article, "the city's primary problem is not outdated community plans, but developers who try to build larger projects regardless of what the plans say by getting special exemptions from the city."
Huang provides additional details on the community plans proposal, which would cost $1.9 million in the first year and $4.2 million in subsequent years. "Garcetti said that he will direct planning staff to work on a dozen community plans at any given time," according to Huang.
FULL STORY: LA mayor answers backlash to 'mega-developments' with plan of his own

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

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.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Judge Halts New Conditions for HUD, Transportation Grants
The Trump administration attempted to impose new restrictions on federal grants aimed at eliminating DEI programs and aligning with the administration’s immigration policy.

States File Lawsuit Over EV Charging Funds
A coalition of states sued the Trump administration over its suspension of funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.

Portland Council Tentatively Approves Sidewalk Repair Plan
The proposal would address sidewalk needs in Portland’s District 1 and District 4.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions