News

April 17, 2024

Charting a New Course: Mayor Bass' Vision for Los Angeles

Mayor Bass' State of the City speech illuminates a bold vision for Los Angeles, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and decisive action to address pressing challenges and seize new opportunities. Highlighting the city's progress and resilience in the face of adversity, Mayor Bass underscores the importance of disrupting the status quo and embracing change to build a stronger and more inclusive future for all Angelenos. From tackling homelessness with urgency and compassion to revitalizing public safety and driving economic growth, Mayor Bass articulates a comprehensive strategy grounded in partnership and purpose. With a focus on transparency, efficiency, and equitable outcomes, Mayor Bass charts a course towards a revitalized Los Angeles that prioritizes the needs and aspirations of its diverse communities, ensuring a brighter tomorrow for generations to come.

April 17, 2024

Revitalizing Downtown Los Angeles: A Conversation with Nella McOsker, Central City Association's Visionary Leader

In this illuminating interview with Nella McOsker, we delve into the core mission of the Central City Association (CCA) and its strategic approach to navigating the post-pandemic challenges facing downtown areas across the globe. As the CCA's spokesperson, McOsker discusses the multifaceted initiatives aimed at ensuring a vibrant and resilient future for Downtown Los Angeles. From addressing the impact of remote work on urban centers to outlining the pivotal findings of the RISE Cross-Sector Collaboration report, McOsker provides insights into key strategies encompassing public space revitalization, economic incubation, public safety enhancement, and envisioning the city's future. Additionally, she sheds light on CCA's involvement in the planning for the 2028 Olympics, fostering cultural investments, and addressing pressing issues such as homelessness. Through collaborative efforts and innovative approaches, McOsker and the CCA are spearheading transformative initiatives to shape the future landscape of Downtown LA, fostering a dynamic and inclusive environment for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.

April 17, 2024

Curbivore 2024: Recent Wins in Curbs, Roads, Sidewalks and Transit Systems

Curbivore 24 - As urban downtowns and their transit serving systems begin recovering from the pandemi’s impact on urban street life, cities have begun blessing innovative ways to utilize their streets and manage their curbs. With permission of Curbibore, TPR shares here excerpts from a recent Curbivore L.A. panel masterfully moderated by Laura Bliss of Bloomberg News that included: Jordan Justus (Co-Founder & CEO, Automotus), Marcel Porras (Deputy Chief Innovation Officer, LA Metro), Debs Schrimmer (Senior Advisor, Joint Office of Energy & Transportation) and Gene Oh (CEO, Tranzito). The panel’s focus; actual examples of the ways varying metropolises are transforming their streets, curbs & public transit systems to better serve the evolving needs of their citizens.

April 16, 2024

Randall Winston on LA’s Opportunities to Transform Its Infrastructure

Amidst a flurry of bills, executive orders, and local measures reshaping the housing narrative in California and Los Angeles, assessing the true impact of these legislative endeavors remains a challenge. At a recent Curbivore event, Randall Winston, Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure for Los Angeles, spoke to the attendees hoping to shed light on the ongoing discourse surrounding LA’s housing landscape and the incoming Capital Infrastructure Plan. TPR shares here the full address given by Winston, in which he discusses the implications of Executive Directive 1, the supply-demand paradox facing California, and UCLA's recent acquisition of the Westside Pavilion shopping mall.

April 12, 2024

GO-Biz’ Tyson Eckerle on the Plan to Build Out California’s Hydrogen Market

Over the years, the state of California has consistently positioned itself at the forefront of clean energy initiatives, recognizing the potential of hydrogen as a key player in the sustainable energy landscape. Now, as the ARCHES project has emerged as a cornerstone of California's hydrogen strategy, underwritten by up to $1.2 billion in federal funding, California aims to accelerate the development of its hydrogen hubs, creating a robust ecosystem that aligns with its vision for a sustainable energy market. In a presentation during a Japan-California hydrogen webinar, GO-Biz’ Tyson Eckerle outlines how the state aims to establish a statewide hydrogen market by 2030. Eckerle highlights reduced emissions, substantial health cost savings, and the creation of over 220,000 jobs.

April 12, 2024

How the Healthy Streets Initiative Aims to Reshape LA’s Streets and Mobility

As cities grapple with the challenges of urbanization, transportation remains a central concern in fostering sustainable, vibrant communities. In this exclusive interview, we delve into the recent passage of Healthy Streets LA (HLA) with two key figures at the forefront of this transformative initiative: Michael Schneider and Yuval Bar-Zemer. In this exclusive interview with TPR, Schneider, a driving force behind the HLA campaign, offers insights into the significance of this ordinance and its far-reaching implications for urban mobility, while Yuval Bar-Zemer, renowned for his extensive involvement in the Arts District and community initiatives, shares his perspective on the campaign and its potential impact on Los Angeles' diverse neighborhoods.

March 14, 2024

Rick Cole on the Need for Community Empowerment

After a three-decade career in municipal management, Rick Cole is reclaiming his old seat on the Pasadena City Council, representing District 2. In the March primary, he defeated incumbent Felicia Williams by a 60% margin, the first challenger to unseat a sitting member of the Council since 1987. Decrying what he called the “complacency” of Pasadena City Hall, Cole ran on bringing a “sense of urgency” to the issues of homelessness, climate change, housing affordability, city planning, public education and a changing economy. He takes office in December and reflects here on his aspirations to “move the needle” and “make Pasadena a leader again.”

March 14, 2024

David Waite on How California is Trying to Legislate Housing

With numerous bills, executive orders, and local measures all stirring the pot of how, when, and where housing in the State of California should happen -amongst those Mayor Bass’ own Executive Directive 1- the answer of just how successful the legislative efforts have been continues to be elusive, especially with similar attempts in Vancouver, Chicago, and Syndey having appeared to miss the mark. TPR, to inform the debate, spoke with David Waite, partner and real estate guru at Cox Castle, about how the many legislative efforts are aiming to change how housing in California is done. In the interview, Waite talks about ED1, California’s supply-demand paradox, and UCLA’s exciting acquisition of the Westside Pavilion shopping mall.

March 14, 2024

LA Councilmember Blumenfield on CD3’s Big Investment’s in Public Projects

Over the past decade, the San Fernando Valley has witnessed a transformative period marked by significant economic development, cultural revitalization, and community-driven initiatives. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield has played a pivotal role in steering the region's trajectory, leveraging funds from former CRA resources to kickstart the Reseda Rising Initiative, channeling over $100 million into Reseda. In this interview with TPR, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield provides a comprehensive overview of his impactful initiatives, developing community hubs, and his approach to revitalizing Ventura Boulevard and the Warner Center. Blumenfield further explores housing challenges, his strategies for effective communication with constituents and concern over diminishing media coverage of public interest stories in Los Angeles county.

March 1, 2024

David White Bringing City of Santa Monica Back Online Post-Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced worldwide shutdowns in tourism, retail, dining, and public events, few cities took it harder than Santa Monica, a city which had long utilized its massive dining, retail, and hotel tax revenues to superfund their city budget. Post-pandemic, the city continues to be challenged by COVID related revenue losses, homelessness, crime, as well as pricey court rulings. TPR, in this exclusive interview, spoke with Santa Monica City Manager David White on how the city is successfully recovering from its difficult position and why he maintains a positive outlook on Santa Monica’s future. In the interview, White talks about reviving the 3rd Street Promenade, civic engagement, their novel approaches to homelessness and crime, as well as projects like the Civic Auditorium and the potential Santa Monica Airport park.

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© 2024 The Planning Report | David Abel, Publisher, ABL, Inc.