CityWatchLA - LA Gets Another Shot at Planning for Its Future

CityWatch, July 2, 2010
Vol 8 Issue 52

Gail Goldberg's resignation as the head of City Planning offers Mayor Villaraigosa another shot at positioning Los Angeles as a Great City, but only if he's willing to select a Planning Director who is a combination Visionary, Strategist, Administrator, and Diplomat.

Most importantly, he must be willing to give that person his complete support, knowing that in doing so, he may be positioning his replacement.

It's for this reason alone that the people of Los Angeles must step up and participate in defining the selection criteria for the new head of City Planning.

In addition this is the time to clarify the City of LA's commitment to positioning Planning as a city department empowered to steer Los Angeles into the future.

Four and half years ago, Gail Goldberg and Gloria Jeff addressed a small gathering in the Tom Bradley Room, high atop City Hall, and promised the Livable Places crowd that LA's Planning and Transportation departments "were now joined at the hip" and the people of LA could look forward to a new era of connectivity that started in City Hall.

Ah, those were heady times! But, they didn't last for long.

Grand visions gave way to debates over curbcuts, cutouts, and community plans. The 45 departments that make up the City of LA continued to operate as bureaucratic Fiefdoms, the dozen departments that regulate private projects continued to implement their unique mandates, and the half dozen departments that actually build in the public realm did so with complete contempt for any hope of connectivity.

Along the way the people of LA were given the "Do Real Planning" presentation, a vision for City Planning that laid down 14 commitments to principled land use. Unfortunately, they turned out to be negotiable, just like the General Plan, the Municipal Code, the Zoning Code, the Community Plans, the Master Plans, the Specific Plans and anything else that the community relied on as tools for guiding the growth and development of Los Angeles.

This soft landscape of commitment left community members at odds with developers, housing advocates at battle with the city council, the planning department at the mercy of the budget cuts, and the Mayor estranged from his vision for Los Angeles. Along the way, the Planning Department was eviscerated during the budget crisis and the City of Los Angeles gave proof to the "Failing to plan is planning to fail” axiom.

Much will be written of the circumstances that led to the departure of Goldberg from her post at City Planning and LA Observed, California Planning & Development Report, and the Architect's Newspaper have already begun the postmortem but suffice it to say, this is an opportunity for the people of Los Angeles to step up and to double down on the most important element of LA's journey, the PLAN.

This brings us to the opportunity and to the actions that the people of Los Angeles must take in the selection of the new head of City Planning.

• The people of Los Angeles must insist that the Mayor and the City Council put the full weight of their collective authority behind City Planning, complete with a budget worthy of a Great City commitment.

In addition, the Mayor and the City Council must end the provincial bickering that undermines the efficacy of City Planning and the many plans that enrich consultants only to collect dust. The commitment to connectivity starts in City Hall.

• The people of Los Angeles must insist that City Planning connect with the biggest developers in town, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the Metro, and the Community Development Agency (CRA).

As community members debate parking and height variances, the biggest developments in town and the ones with the most significant quality-of-life impact simply slide along a fast-track that is lubricated with public funds.

The LAUSD, the Metro, and the CRA operate with the diplomatic immunity that comes with funded projects, barreling through the process with an arrogance that wears out the community and destroys relationships, all wrapped up in a "We know what's best for you!" package of contempt. The commitment to connectivity continues with LA's public development partners.

• The people of Los Angeles must insist that City Planning connect with the many authorities and agencies that have a piece of our community. From the State of California to LA County, from the CHP to the Sheriff's Department, from the Army Corps of Engineers to the Metro, the people of Los Angeles can't discuss a trip to the park or a visit to a fruit stand without unleashing a balkanized fragmentation of authority capable of discouraging even the hardiest of pioneers.

The bureaucrats of LA have bemoaned this fact for too long, accepting it as their fate. That must change if LA is to move forward. The commitment to connectivity must include LA's funding, administrative, and enforcement partners.

• The people of Los Angeles must insist that City Planning connect the 45 City of LA departments, serving as the hub for the department who actually build, the departments who have a role in the regulation and oversight development, and of the other departments that contribute to the quality of life in their unique and vital capacity.

The commitment to connectivity must include the entire city family, from Planning to Police and from Communication to Cultural Affairs. The commitment to connectivity relies on a department that can serve as the head and as the tail, setting the vision and with authority to implement.

• The people of Los Angeles must insist that City Planning connect with the community, the developers, and the advocates. It's time to end the development based battles that result from a vacuum of vision and a soft plan that is vulnerable to attack from every direction.

The commitment to connectivity must be built on a foundation of community support balanced with the interests of developers and advocates but administered with the authority of a strong, standards-driven City Planning Department.

During the preparation of the Mayor's Budget, the Central Planning District's budget reps called on the Mayor and the City Council to make all budget decisions based on five guiding principles.

First on the list was "Honor the Charter - Protect Charter Departments over Ordinance Departments. Look for redundancies, look for opportunities to consolidate, pursue efficiencies by supporting Charter Departments and always pursuing the Great City commitment it represents."

Daniel Burnham, architect, urban planner, and author of the Plan of Chicago, is quoted as saying "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not themselves be realized."

Now it the time for LA to go beyond the Big Plan and to commit to City Planning, starting now with the selection of a Planning Director possessing the Charter specified "adminstrative and technical qualifications, with special reference to actual experience in and knowledge of accepted practice in the field of city planning."

Most importantly, this person must have the skills and vision necessary to connect the City of Los Angeles with its destiny as a Great City.

(Stephen Box writes for CityWatch and can be reached at Stephen@thirdeyecreative.net)

CityWatchLA - Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Dream Blows a Fuse!

CityWatch, Dec 4, 2009
Vol 7 Issue 99

Mayor Villaraigosa selected the LA Auto Show as the backdrop for the announcement of his "Plug-In Infrastructure" scheme that proposes to create a network of electric charging stations throughout Los Angeles, all in anticipation of the onslaught of electric vehicles that he is convinced will be the next expression of LA's love affair with the car.

"The car culture started here, and it’s here that the new generation of vehicles should also begin.” The Mayor bemoaned the fact that LA is typically #1 in traffic congestion and #1 in air pollution.

"We need to find new, cleaner ways to travel,” Villaraigosa intoned … with a sense of discovery.

Then he offered up the details of the latest strategy in his ongoing pursuit of the "Greenest Big City" title, this time banking on a partnership between Edison, the DWP, Nissan, GM, Ford and the neighboring communities of Burbank, Pasadena, Santa Ana and Santa Monica.

This "Plug-In" team would offer electric car owners incentives ranging from tax rebates for home chargers to high-occupancy-vehicle lane access to preferential or free parking.

This news failed to resonate in Hollywood where small business owner Bechir Blagui stands alone, on Hollywood Boulevard, electric community car-share business plan in one hand and electric plug in the other hand, waiting for help in establishing one simple, solitary charging station in front of his business so he can offer locals and tourists alike a sustainable car-share program … and contribute to Mayor V’s grand green plan.

Bechir has turned to the LADOT, the LADWP, Councilman Tom LaBonge and City Council President Eric Garcetti for help but his vision of a charging station on Hollywood Boulevard is still just a dream.

Meanwhile, Garcetti found time to stand as Villaraigosa's wingman for the "Plug-In" press conference where they committed to a network of 500 charging stations consisting of 400 refurbished stations and 100 new stations complemented by the subsidized installation of private charging stations at homes and businesses.

Villaraigosa said "It is crucial to prepare for the expected influx of thousands of electric vehicles."

Garcetti added, "This initiative will bring together regional stakeholders to coordinate efforts that will streamline charging station installations at homes, business, and multi-family residential buildings, explore and expand public charging options, and create incentives for EV drivers."

Critics point out that vehicles, regardless of power source, take up space and LA's new focused support of zero emission vehicles hardly qualifies as a congestion relief solution.

Max Utility explains that there are almost six million registered vehicles in LA County which, at 119 square feet of space each, occupy 25 square miles of space when parked. (For perspective, note that Manhattan Island is just 22 square miles!)

Max concludes by pointing out that the average vehicle spends 95% of its life parked, which leaves all vehicles equal environmental offenders and consumers of valuable real estate in LA, America's capital of congestion.

Somehow lost in the rush to "Plug-In" is the recent report issued by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) which offers up "First Mile, Last Mile" solutions that would encourage people to get out of their cars and onto mass transit.

Recognizing that getting to and from a Transit Hub is an obstacle for many potential transit passengers, SCAG spent $125,000 to come up with solutions that would help people navigate the home-to-transit and transit-to-home journey.

LADOT's GM Rita Robinson and City Planning's GM Gail Goldberg gave a co-presentation at a special combined meeting of the Planning Commission and the Transportation Commission where they unveiled the SCAG report with great fanfare.

The $125,000 ideas included ... brace yourself ... Carpooling, Taxis, Short-Term Car Rental, Folding Bikes, Bike-Share, and Car-Share."

Less than three months ago Villaraigosa, again at a press conference, attacked congestion and air pollution and offered as the remedy a car-share program.

"Providing alternatives to car ownership will help improve the environment and the city's traffic congestion," he told the gathering. Then he cut the ribbon on a partnership between the City of LA and ZipCar, a large car-share company that made a small commitment to place less than two dozen shared vehicles in a city of four million people, all in return for an exclusive relationship and the use of dedicated parking spaces.

The "Car-Share" concept keeps coming up as a congestion relief solution and successful programs in other cities have demonstrated that a single shared car can replace ten privately-owned vehicles and that car-share participants end up driving less than when they owned a vehicle.

Participants enjoy the use of a vehicle when it's needed without the expense of owning, registering, insuring, storing and maintaining a vehicle that will spend most of its life parked and waiting to be driven.

A survey of the USC and UCLA ZipCar programs reveals that the cars are popular and that car-share participants enjoy easy access to a vehicle and reserved parking when they return, all for a simple membership fee and an hourly rate.

Villaraigosa has promoted the benefits of car-share programs. He has promoted the benefits of electric vehicles. He has committed to supporting both car-share programs and electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, citizen Bechir Blagui puts "car-share" and" electric vehicle" together and gets ... well … ignored.

How can the City of Los Angeles ignore the needs of a small business operator, one who simply needs assistance in the process of installing a charging station on Hollywood Blvd. at a parking space dedicated to the use of electric cars? After all, he's simply asking for the assistance that Villaraigosa promises in his press conferences when the microphones are on and the cameras are flashing.

At Tuesday's Auto Show press conference, Villaraigosa promised that city officials would streamline the permitting and inspection process for the new charging stations.

He promised that local building codes and standards would be revised and that the utilities would modify their customer service process to better accommodate the charging stations.

He even went so far as to claim that his "Plug-In" program would lure battery and charging stations to Los Angeles resulting in masses of green jobs while Angelenos reduced their reliance on foreign oil.

Unfortunately he didn't promise to answer the phone when citizen Bechir called for help.

Earlier this year President Barack Obama proclaimed "Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities and towns across the country. Over the last decade, small businesses created 70 percent of new jobs, and they are responsible for half of all jobs in the private sector. They also help enhance the lives of our citizens by improving our quality of life and creating personal wealth. Small businesses will lead the way to prosperity, particularly in today's challenging economic environment."

When Villaraigosa was first inaugurated as Mayor he referred to Los Angeles as the city that best embodies bold dreams. He asked the people of LA to join him in his dream for LA. He called on LA saying "Fellow Angelenos, let's make Los Angeles a city of Purpose! Let's dare to dream! Let's dare to dream together!"

If Villaraigosa is serious about "daring to dream together" it means supporting others in their dreams.

To do that, he'll need to step out of the limelight of the LA Auto Show and onto the streets of Hollywood where he'll meet people who have big dreams … and can help bring his Plug In program to fruition … who simply need the City to do its job.

If he really wants remove the hypocrisy from his promise … really wants to make a difference … he'll grab LaBonge and Garcetti and together they'll power up Bechir's dreams of LA's first electric car-share program on Hollywood Boulevard.

(Stephen Box is a transportation and cyclist advocate and writes for CityWatch. He can be reached at Stephen@ThirdEyeCreative.net) ◘

LABAC Demands Draft Bike Plan Comment Period Extension

Gail Goldberg, Director of Planning
Jane Blumenfeld, Citywide Planning Division
Department of City Planning
City of Los Angeles

Dear Ms. Goldberg and Ms. Blumenfeld:

The Bicycle Advisory Committee of the City of Los Angeles voted unanimously at its regular meeting of October 6, 2009 to “demand” that the Draft Bicycle Plan Update comment deadline of November 6, 2009 be extended to Friday, January 8, 2010.

The reasons for this action include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Only six weeks were provided for review and comment on a Draft Plan that has taken 18 months to release, including four months after its promised “end of May” release date;
2. The BAC and its subcommittees only meet once every two months, a sixty (60) day cycle;
3. The Draft Plan was released less than two weeks prior to the full BAC meeting, thus providing inadequate time for a thorough review and submittal of comprehensive recommendations by any BAC subcommittee prior to such meeting;
4. The next regular BAC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, 2009;
5. The Draft Plan is a very detailed and lengthy document, containing 195 pages of text and 17 pages of maps citywide as well as a 351-page appendix;
6. The BAC members have not been provided printed copies of the Draft Plan;
7. Some BAC members do not have the ability to print out a document of this length, or at all;
8. The maps are difficult to read online; and
9. There are only a very limited number of printed copies of the Plan available for public review (only at the nine regional City libraries and two City Planning offices).

These are significant challenges to providing meaningful input. The BAC is composed of 19 members appointed by each Councilmember and the Mayor and serve as volunteers without compensation. An extension of the comment deadline will allow the BAC to submit its recommendations in a thoughtful, orderly manner. I believe City Planning and the BAC share the same goal of achieving the best possible Bicycle Plan for the City of Los Angeles. You can assist by extending the comment deadline to January 8, 2010.

Thank you.

Glenn Bailey, Chair
Bicycle Advisory Committee
City of Los Angeles


c: Bicycle Advisory Committee